Abbott compellingly details his life and times, rise and fall, delusions, paranoia and, frankly, his genius. Though he is firmly the book’s star, there are others to grab your attention: second wife Imogene who, though glamorous and loved (Remus called her his “little honey bunch”), was wickedness incarnate; Mabel Walker Willebrandt, the assistant attorney general of the United States and “the most powerful woman" in the country, who goes after Remus with determination and paves the road for him to land in courtrooms and jail cells; and Franklin Dodge, Willebrandt’s best investigator, whose affair with Imogene results in the adulterous couple’s attempt to steal not only Remus’ money but his life.