{"product_id":"the-king-of-confidence-a-tale-of-utopian-dreamers-frontier-schemers-true-believers-false-prophets-and-the-murder-of-an-american-monarch-9780316463591","title":"The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers  Frontier Schemers  True Believers  False Prophets  and the Murder of an American Monarch","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe \"unputdownable\" (Dave Eggers  National Book award finalist) story of the most infamous American con man youve never heard of: James Strang  self-proclaimed divine king of earth  heaven  and an island in Lake Michigan  \"perfect for fans of The Devil in the White City\" (Kirkus)  A New York Times Book Review Editors Choice Longlisted for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist for the Midland Authors Annual Literary Award A Michigan Notable Book A CrimeReads Best True Crime Book of the Year  \"A masterpiece.\" Nathaniel Philbrick  In the summer of 1843  James Strang  a charismatic young lawyer and avowed atheist  vanished from a rural town in New York. Months later he reappeared on the Midwestern frontier and converted to a burgeoning religious movement known as Mormonism. In the wake of the murder of the sects leader  Joseph Smith  Strang unveiled a letter purportedly from the prophet naming him successor  and persuaded hundreds of fellow converts to follow him to an island in Lake Michigan  where he declared himself a divine king.  From this stronghold he controlled a fourth of the state of Michigan  establishing a pirate colony where he practiced plural marriage and perpetrated thefts  corruption  and frauds of all kinds. Eventually  having run afoul of powerful enemies  including the American president  Strang was assassinated  an event that was frontpage news across the country.  The King of Confidence tells this fascinating but largely forgotten story. Centering his narrative on this charlatans turbulent twelve years in power  Miles Harvey gets to the root of a timeless American original: the Confidence Man. Full of adventure  bad behavior  and insight into a crucial period of antebellum history  The King of Confidence brings us a compulsively readable account of one of the countrys boldest con men and the boisterous era that allowed him to thrive.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67598711521333,"sku":"ByrdShop_0316463590","price":28.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780316463591.jpg?v=1790929781","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-king-of-confidence-a-tale-of-utopian-dreamers-frontier-schemers-true-believers-false-prophets-and-the-murder-of-an-american-monarch-9780316463591","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}