Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father's Counterfeit Life

A frank and intimate portrait of a charismatic, larger-than-life underworld figure, as told by the daughter who nearly followed in his footsteps.
"Do unto others before they do unto you," John Vogel used to advise his daughter, Jennifer. By hisMore A frank and intimate portrait of a charismatic, larger-than-life underworld figure, as told by the daughter who nearly followed in his footsteps.
"Do unto others before they do unto you," John Vogel used to advise his daughter, Jennifer. By his account, the world was a crooked place and one had to be crooked in order to survive. A lifelong criminal, John robbed banks, burned down buildings, scammed investors, plotted murder, and single-handedly counterfeited more than $20 million. He also wrote a novel, invented a "jean stretcher," baked lemon meringue pies, and arranged for ten-year-old Jennifer to see Rocky in an empty theater on Christmas Eve. In his reckless pursuit of the American Dream, he could be genuinely good. When it came time to pass his phony bills, he targeted Wal-Mart for political reasons.
In 1995, following John's arrest in what turned out to be the fourth-largest seizure of counterfeit bills in U.S. history, he managed to slip away, leaving his now grown daughter to wonder what had become of him. Framed around the six months Jennifer's father ran from the law, Flim-Flam Man vividly chronicles the police chase -- stakeouts, lie detector tests, even a segment on Unsolved Mysteries. In describing her tumultuous life with John Vogel, Jennifer deftly examines the messy, painful, and almost inescapable inheritance one generation bequeaths to the next. Less

Get a copy

Friends’ Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up .

Community Reviews

Paul rated it really liked it

I read this book when it first came out 20 years ago. It is still haunting. It's the story of the author's father, whose life spiraled out of control as he printed fake money, robbed banks, set up fraudulent businesses, set up legitimate businesses that quickly failed, ma. Read full review

Sueann MacLachlan rated it it was ok

over 2 years ago

It's memoir of a girl growing up with a con-artist as her father. It takes place in Minnesota so there are a lot of cities, towns and activities that most Minnesotans are aware of. I'm not sure if I liked it. She was pretty screwed up as a result of her father's choices. Read full review

Ellen rated it it was ok

over 2 years ago

The author of this book is local and that's what initially attracted me, as well as this was the monthly read for my book club. An interesting story told by the oldest daughter about her life with a conterfeit father. In parts the book jumped around alot and I lost intere. Read full review

Amy rated it really liked it

almost 9 years ago

Recommends it for: Generation X

I knew of Jen Vogel in Seattle as Editor of The Stranger and it was because of her that I heard of this book.
Parts of her story will be familiar to children of the 70s and 80s who lived through ad hoc custody and childcare arrangements.
It's a quick and entertaining read.

Christopher Roth rated it really liked it

almost 4 years ago

A riveting story, but incredibly sad. What's refreshing is that the author doesn't blow her own horn by dwelling on--i.e. bragging about--her personal triumph over a dysfunctional family, which would get in the way of the story and in the way of appreciating the character. Read full review

Margo Perin rated it it was amazing

about 2 years ago

I loved this book. Jennifer Vogel manages to capture the complexity of her complicated young life and its consequences in this beautifully written memoir. What I especially appreciated, in addition to her writing, are her honesty and emotional depth.

Jenny D. rated it liked it

about 5 years ago

pretty depressing, but i felt compelled to finish.

Joe rated it it was ok

about 3 years ago

Very depressing story about a dysfunctional family. The story was adequately told in about 100 pages. Unfortunately the book was 250 pages long. It was ok but nothing special.

Christine rated it liked it

over 9 years ago