A Deal with the Devil, Blake Ellis
A Deal with the Devil, Blake Ellis
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

A Deal with the Devil
The Dark and Twisted True Story of One of the Biggest Cons in History

Author: Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken

Narrator: Donna Postel

Unabridged: 7 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/31/2018

Categories: Nonfiction, True Crime


Synopsis

While investigating financial crimes for CNN Money, Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken were intrigued by reports that elderly Americans were giving away thousands of dollars to mail-in schemes. With a little digging, they soon discovered a shocking true story.

Victims received personalized letters from a woman who, claiming amazing psychic powers, convinced them to send money in return for riches, good health, and good fortune. The predatory scam has continued unabated for decades, raking in more than $200 million in the United States and Canada alone—with investigators from all over the world unable to stop it. And at the center of it all—an elusive French psychic named Maria Duval.

Based on the five-part series that originally appeared on CNN's website in 2016 and was seen by more than three million people, A Deal with the Devil picks up where the series left off as Ellis and Hicken reveal more bizarre characters, follow new leads, close in on Maria Duval, and connect the dots in an edge-of-your-seat journey across the U.S. to England and France. A Deal with the Devil is a fascinating, thrilling search for the truth and is long-form investigative journalism at its best.

About Blake Ellis

Blake Ellis lives in Denver and is a graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Esil on August 04, 2018

2.5 stars Meh... A Deal With the Devil promises more than it delivers. The authors are two CNN reporters who follow the trail of a scam that preys on older vulnerable people. The scam involves letters sent by an apparent psychic, Maria Duvall, who seeks payment to protect against bad fortune. The aut......more

Goodreads review by Jessie on July 27, 2018

I loved this debut book from investigating journalists Melanie Hicken and Blake Ellis. I felt like I was part of their writing team, unraveling the case along with them. Every step of the journey was just as fascinating (and surprising!) as the last! I received an advanced reader's copy of the book,......more

Goodreads review by Tasia on August 10, 2018

An unpolished, belabored, and anticlimactic account of the authors' investigation into an oft-invisible network of mailers preying on the elderly. The story itself is interesting, but it is undermined by the grueling description of the journalists' investigation into it. What I as a reader (unaware......more

Goodreads review by Lisabeth on June 25, 2018

This was a fascinating read simply because it is not only so well researched and written but also because it exposes the absolute unconscionable actions human beings are capable of and willing to commit in the name of greed. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance digital copy!......more

Goodreads review by Gigi on August 07, 2018

loved all the twists and turns that the book takes you on. very interesting the way it takes the reader through their process of of their lengthy investigation. it was so well written and hard to put down. This investigation makes me wish I had gone into journalism. Kudos to the two authors and happ......more