King’s journalism professor Dean Jobb’s book Empire of Deception, released in May, has been nominated for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. As a finalist for the award, Jobb will receive $5,000, with the prize winner receiving a total of $60,000.
Empire of Deception chronicles 1920s con man Leo Koretz, who vanished from his native Chicago upon the collapse of his financial schemes and was later found living a life of luxury in Nova Scotia. It received rave reviews upon release by HarperCollins in Canada and Algonquin books in the United States.
Kirkus reviews writes that Jobb “keeps readers on edge following the scam’s collapse and the worldwide manhunt, as they wait to see if Koretz might just get away with it” and the Globe and Mail calls it a “thrilling, too-wild-for-fiction tale Jobb’s been bursting to tell for more than 25 years.”
In total, 97 titles were submitted by 51 publishers for the 2015 prize. Finalists were selected by a three-member jury composed of author and journalist Stevie Cameron, novelist and nonfiction writer Will Ferguson, and writer, broadcaster, and 2012 Hiary Weston finalist JJ Lee.
The award will be announced at Gala presentation in Toronto on October 6th.
To read more about Empire of Deception, visit deanjobb.com
