The Psychic Mafia

by M. LaMar Keene

Book Overview

Known as the "Prince of the Spiritualists," every miracle Keene performed was a fraud, a lie, & a trick played on willing, gullible victims. Keene admits everything, explaining that he isn't the only fraud prowling the world of the paranormal.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044016849X
• ISBN13: 9780440168492
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: Dell Pub. Co.
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Psychic scammers exposed

Read this confession before engaging any so-called psychic! The author's testimony is a rare-find in a world of tricksters, scammers and criminals who take advantage of others at every opportunity. This book reveals that the dark underworld of "psychics" and exposes certain personalities for who they really are. Psychics are never what they claim to be. Don't be conned by the next con who advertises herself as a pretty face "psychic". The only thing they're reading is the amount of cash in your wallet! The publisher should be thanked for reprinting this out-of-print book.

It shouldn't be this fun to read such a chilling story

I feel a little bad for enjoying this book so much -- once I picked it up and started reading, I honestly couldn't put it down. This is the story of a real "spirit medium" who reveals all of the gory details behind his rise to fame and fortune. Unlike many books written about this topic, the medium doesn't cloak his methods in mystery -- if he discusses a miraculous event, he'll tell you exactly how it was performed. It's astounding how simple the trickery really is... and yet how easily it's accepted by people as the real thing. My qualms, of course, come from knowing that the methods detailed in this book are still being used 30 years later to dupe people. While this winds up being a bittersweet tale of redemption and regret in the case of Mr. Keene, his general portrayal of the psychic industry reveals a group of people who are so cynical that they will do anything to make a dollar, even if it means preying upon the heartsick and the innocent. What's worse, he shows that many of the people who buy into this nonsense are likely to suffer from "true-believer syndrome," where even after they're told that it's all a sham, they'll still choose to believe. That's frightening. Overall, though, I'd say this is a must read for anyone who's even slightly interested in learning how easy it is to deceive others. Though the book is fairly short, it includes an extensive bibliography and a large amount of detail. A good follow-up book that talks about spiritualism's roots is Jim Steinmeyer's "Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear."

Highly Entertaining

Not only enlightening, but fun, too. The author's experience as a fake psychic are instructive to anyone interested in the supernatural -- and show just how easy it is to be taken in by a clever con man. The "Psychic Network" working across the nation to lend credence to psychic claims was a true revelation to me. How much easier it must be to perpetrate such frauds in the current computer age!

Must reading for skeptics

A classic! For years, when it was out or print, those in the know had been searching for those few rare copies of this book. (My local used book store once had me third on the list of people to notify on the off chance one showed up!) Now its back in print. If you are interested in the subject of how fortune telling and spiritualist effects can be used to defraud, cheat and steal this is MUST reading. Peter Huston, author of "Scams from the Great Beyond."

Unbelievable!

I have read thousands of books in my life. This one takes the cake. You'll find yourself engrossed in the macabe. Easy, light reading - but packed with a punch. I personally have an autographed copy of this book and wouldn't give it up for the world. Its sealed in plastic - airtight. I purchased this latest paperback for day-to-day reminders of what goes on in the seance room. Be prepared, you'll learn about the so-called "other-side."