via amazon.co.uk
I picked up this in a charity shop just before Christmas on a whim and have been totally fascinated by the story.
John Brinkley is a famous con-man of the pre-war generation who famously discovered the power of radio to sell his dubious methods and who experimented with transplanting goat glands into humans in order to try and cure male impotence.
Charlatan is a wonderful insight into the world of the fraudsters and ‘witch doctors’ of the 1920s and 1930s in America.
It’s both a historical account, but also a thriller as Brinkley’s rising popularity coincides with his pursuit by nemesis Morris Fishbein. A truly engaging read.
