Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World

A seasoned Chicago detective recounts two decades of relentless pursuit against the city’s most pervasive fraudsters. Drawing from police records, newspaper reports, and his own memoranda, he offers a vivid, ground‑level view of the criminal underworld that plagued the turn‑of‑the‑century metropolis. His narrative balances gripping chase scenes with the sober realities of law enforcement work.

The book surveys an astonishing variety of schemes—from fake insurance and bogus oil wells to counterfeit banks, fraudulent investment clubs, and even charlatan fortune‑tellers. Each chapter breaks down how these swindlers lured ordinary citizens, the tactics they used to evade capture, and the painstaking investigations that finally dismantled their operations. Interwoven throughout is the author’s “Never‑Fail” system, a practical guide for spotting and outwitting fraudsters of any stripe.

Beyond a memoir, the work serves as a warning and a toolbox for the public, urging readers to recognize the subtle traps set by modern grafters. By exposing their methods and motives, it aims to empower ordinary people to protect themselves, their families, and their communities from deceit.