Ponzi

About the Book

Can a leopard change its spots? What cataclysmic force or horrific event could bring a God-fearing, straight-as-an-arrow man to embrace Charles Ponzi as a hero?

Zippy Cosmo was born at the height of the Great Depression to impoverished parents. He grew up on a cigarette and a piss for breakfast, but with a steely work ethic and a penchant for self-sacrifice and honesty. His picture is the dictionary definition of altruism. Widows and orphans championed him. He brought great happiness to the orgasmically deprived. No charitable cause was beneath his notice. The great, near-great, and the gutter-dweller were thrilled to be the subject of one of his magnificent, unsolicited oil portraits.

Yet at life's end, he ripped off thousands for millions. Who wrought this change? The mob? A dominatrix?

Witness the transformation of a soul that would give Freud dreams of revision...

About the Author

Of Gene Lovell, Star Democrat editor Peter Howell wrote, “He will not be remembered for his legal practice, his 900 portraits, his 26 novels, or his infamous relatives, but for his impact on hundreds of lives as a teacher.” He now lives quietly on Delmarva with his wife Jacquelyn and two Chihuahuas, fighting boredom and cancer.