The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor

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More About This Book

Overview

A real-life Talented Mr. Ripley, the unbelievable thirty-year run of a shape-shifting con man.

The story of Clark Rockefeller is a stranger-than-fiction twist on the classic American success story of the self-made man-because Clark Rockefeller was totally made up. The career con man who convincingly passed himself off as Rockefeller was born in a small village in Germany. At seventeen, obsessed with getting to America, he flew into the country on dubious student visa documents and his journey of deception began.

Over the next thirty years, boldly assuming a series of false identities, he moved up the social ladder through exclusive enclaves on both coasts-culminating in a stunning twelve-year marriage to a rising star businesswoman with a Harvard MBA who believed she'd wed a Rockefeller.

The imposter charmed his way into exclusive clubs and financial institutions-working on Wall Street, showing off an extraordinary art collection-until his marriage ended and he was arrested for kidnapping his daughter, which exposed his past of astounding deceptions as well as a connection to the bizarre disappearance of a California couple in the mid-1980s.

The story of The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is a probing and cinematic exploration of an audacious imposer-and a man determined to live the American dream by any means necessary.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Even seasoned reporters have admitted that "Clark Rockefeller" spooks them. For over thirty years, the man born in Germany as Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter has been reinventing himself with ever more elaborate ruses, eventually reemerging in New York City in the early nineties as a counterfeit Rockefeller heir. By then, he was quite possibly a double murderer: In 1985, his San Marino, California landlord and wife disappeared; ten years later, a skeleton, believed to be one of the pair, was dug up in their backyard. In March, "Rockefeller," already serving for another crime, was formally charged with murder. Mark Seal's new book takes us as close into the mind of this strange man as we can ever hope (or wish) to be. The shocking odyssey of a human chameleon.

Publishers Weekly
Hiding behind one of America’s wealthiest names, a German immigrant duped the world in a decades-long charade that Vanity Fair contributing editor Seal unravels in this fascinating account. Born Christian Gerhartsreiter in Germany in 1961 , he left home at age 17, landing with an acquaintance in Connecticut. Over the next 14 years, he carefully honed his impersonation skills. He shed his German accent and began acquiring aliases, first in wealthy San Marino, Calif., and then, in 1992, in Manhattan society, where he made a calculatedly low-key entrance as James Frederick Mills Clark Rockefeller. He soon married Sandra Boss, a financial executive, whose money Rockefeller spent with abandon. Only when she filed for divorce after 12 rocky years of marriage did his carefully constructed facade crumble, and he went on the run with their young daughter, sparking an FBI chase and a prison sentence for kidnapping and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Seal (Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death in Africa) brilliantly reconstructs and dissects Gerhartsreiter’s strange life, weaving in interviews with those who knew—or thought they knew—one of the men he pretended to be along the way. (Earlier this month, the L.A. Times reported that prosecutors have brought an indictment against Gerhartsreiter in a 1980s murder in San Marino.) (June)
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
Library Journal
When the story of a parental kidnapping in Boston went out over the newswires in 2008, it seemed initially like a routine family tragedy. But it took strange twists as time passed. The father, wealthy businessman Clark Rockefeller, was not who he seemed to be. In fact, no one at all knew who he was. This episode ended the long career of professional imposter and con man Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, originally from the tiny German village of Bergen. His ambition to emigrate to America and become a filmmaker took him from Boston to California and back. Charm, arrogance, and a wickedly sharp mind helped him create his personae but also enabled him to maintain his lifestyle by stealing, swindling…and maybe worse. In 1985, John and Linda Sohus, Gerhartsreiter's roommates, disappeared, and Gerhartsreiter was charged with murdering John on March 15, 2011, 26 years after the crime. While the subject's aloofness and arrogance keep the reader from rooting for him, one almost has to admire the chutzpah. VERDICT The talented Mr. Rockefeller could have come right out of a Hitchcock film. For crime buffs and fans of flimflam.—Deirdre Root, Middletown P.L., OH
Kirkus Reviews

Vanity Fair contributing editor Seal (Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa, 2009) unravels the complex case of "Clark Rockefeller," a fiendishly clever con man who, over the course of three decades, insinuated himself into the highest echelons of American society using only his wits and a borrowed name.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a precocious teenager hailing from an obscure Bavarian village, felt he was destined for greatness, and such humble beginnings would not do. Consequently, he made his way to the United States, where he adopted a series of identities more in line with his self-image: patrician, wealthy, well-educated and possessed of impeccable social standing. In privileged enclaves nestled in exclusive pockets of California, Connecticut, New York and Boston, Gerhartsreiter spun wild stories of his family's prominence and wealth (and invented an ever-changing professional resume, at various points claiming to be a Hollywood producer, Defense Department contractor and international financial advisor), charming their blue-blooded denizens with his erudition, sponge-like appropriation of manners and appearance and, most crucially, the magic name Rockefeller.Seal delineates his endless schemes in an irresistibly lucid and propulsive manner, and his characterizations of his many victims are richly observed. Readers will marvel at Gerhartsreiter's ability to bamboozle his way into tony social clubs, jobs at eminent financial institutions (he had no qualifications or experience) and, most crucially, into the affections of wife Sandra Boss, a savvy financial wunderkind who nonetheless funded "Rockefeller's" lavish lifestyle in complete ignorance of his true identity. The narrative occasionally takes some dark turns. Seal makes a strong case naming Gerhartsreiter as the likely murderer of a young couple who fell under his sway early in his career, and the impostor's kidnapping of his own daughter once his façade began to crumble is uncomfortably gripping material.

Impossible to put down—Patricia Highsmith couldn't have written a more compelling thriller.

Michiko Kakutani
Mr. Seal…fashions a brisk narrative that has all the pace and drive of a suspense novel.
—The New York Times

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780670022748
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 6/2/2011
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 55,749
  • Product dimensions: 9.08 (w) x 6.24 (h) x 1.16 (d)

Meet the Author

A journalist for thirty-five years, Mark Seal is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death in Africa, about the murdered wildlife filmmaker and naturalist Joan Root. Seal was a 2010 National Magazine Award finalist for his Vanity Fair profile on Clark Rockefeller. He lives in Aspen, Colorado.

Table of Contents

Author's Note ix

Prologue 1

Part 1

Chapter 1 Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter: Bergen, Germany 15

Chapter 2 Strangers on a Train 30

Chapter 3 Becoming American 43

Chapter 4 Christopher Chichester: San Marino, California 52

Chapter 5 The Secret Mission 81

Chapter 6 Christopher Crowe: Greenwich, Connecticut 95

Chapter 7 Wall Street 111

Chapter 8 Missing Persons 122

Chapter 9 Clark Rockefeller: New York, New York 133

Chapter 10 Sandra 152

Part 2

Chapter 11 "San Marino Bones" 167

Chapter 12 The Last Will and Testament of Didi Sohus 178

Chapter 13 The Country Squire 202

Chapter 14 Snooks 211

Chapter 15 The God of War 221

Chapter 16 The Boston Brahmin 236

Chapter 17 Peach Melba Nights 250

Chapter 18 "Find Out Who He Is" 263

Chapter 19 Chip Smith: Baltimore, Maryland 277

Chapter 20 The Manhunt 296

Chapter 21 One Last Con? 309

Acknowledgments 321

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 37 )

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 38 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 17, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Riveting account of how 1 man conned his way across the country

    This book was amazing. Mark Seals does a great job of telling how one man changed his name, background, and life. I was enthralled with how this man could convince so many people into thinking what he wanted them to think. He was able to get them to welcome them into their lives- sometimes into their homes to stay- without ever doubting what they were told. Through lies they thought were real he had people believing he worked on hit tv shows, went to USC Film school and, most famously, was a Rockefeller. This book gives you a front row seat into how it happened and how his house of cards fell apart. Or did it? You will be amazed and shocked.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 8, 2012

    The Man in the Rockefeller Suit The man in the Rockefeller suit

    The Man in the Rockefeller Suit
    The man in the Rockefeller suit is about a man named James Frederick Mills. He poses as Clark Rockefeller for 30 years of his life. He is eventually caught in 2008. Some of the major themes in this novel are trust, status and identity. May characters trust James Frederick Mills and believe that he is truly Clark Rockefeller. Even his wife and children believe him. Status and identity are also very big themes in this novel because James Frederick Mill’s whole story is based upon the fact that he is obsessed with being a wealthy, well known man (AKA a Rockefeller). One thing that I liked about this novel was from the very beginning this book caught my attention. I found James Frederick Mills’ story to be very interesting. Once I started reading the book, I just couldn’t put it down. Some things that I didn’t like very much about the book was how unrealistic the story was. I just couldn’t believe that someone could get away with this kind of crime in our day and age. I personally believe that everyone should read this book. This book teaches you that you shouldn’t trust just anyone; you never know who they really are. I would give this book an overall rating of 5/5. This book is very interesting and tells a great story!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 7, 2012

    The reason I did not give this book a five is because it bounced

    The reason I did not give this book a five is because it bounced around from story to story and as a result it became a little hard to follow. That being said, it was a great book. Mark Seals vividly illustrates the tale of one man who was able to just say any detail of his life that he wanted, and it appeared to be true to everyone around. His ability to lie through his teeth and become anybody, even a wealthy Rockefeller gives the book a special flare that I've never seen before in any other media, printed text or otherwise. It's a great book to read for people who enjoy mystery.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 25, 2012

    Trying to finish

    This is a great story. But there is not much information about how this guy supported himself, what motivated him...who is he?

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 28, 2011

    You'll find this one of the most amazing books to read.

    Fantastic book that was well worth reading. It had been recommended and I wasn't disappointed at all. Couldn't put it down! Enjoy!

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  • Posted October 8, 2011

    Too Long

    Like a lot of things I'm reading these days this book could do with some editing. A lot of detail as told to the author by people who came in contact with this dingbat over the years.

    Didn't need a couple of hundred pages of hearsay to establish that this guy was seriously loony, and lots of people are way too easy to fool.

    The writing is competent, the story is interesting, but the book is way too long. A shortened version would have made a good magazine article.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 13, 2011

    Excellent writer for all readers. You'll enjoy this book!

    Even though we lived this story, it is a sensational book and also
    a very sad tale of a young boy that could have made a difference to
    the world, but chose a wrong path of getting there, which ruined his
    life and everyone around him. People tend to believe "charmers".

    As to why people do this, there is no real answer, but the story is
    exciting and so well written by Mark Seal, you are kept going from
    page to page, and not wanting to stop.

    The story is not over yet, and the outcome will be had sometime
    soon. Enjoy this book for each of your family members. They will
    all find something different in the pages but will not be able to
    put it down. I give it a GREAT review.

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  • Posted August 28, 2011

    Disappointing

    This book was really disappointing despite raving BN review. Feel authors is enamored with the rich and their life style and wants to let you know how many famous people HE got to talk to and how much HE knows about things. Don't buy, don't read. Very uninteresting story.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 22, 2011

    Interesting

    Very similar to the true story of Christophe Rocancourt, who passed himself off as a Rockefeller too and was a "gentleman's thief"

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  • Posted July 8, 2011

    Ah so interesting!

    This is a wonderful book for both fiction and non-fiction lovers alike. Reads like a detective novel, but you can shamelessly talk about it at a business dinner and be the life of the party.

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  • Posted June 29, 2011

    Very hard to put down

    A very intriguing story and a great read

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    Posted August 8, 2011

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    Posted September 6, 2011

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    Posted July 30, 2011

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