The full title of Pamela Colloff's true crime book is Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast. Colloff chronicles the story of criminal and con artist Paul Skalnik, whose false testimonies would serve to help convict many, including one man who remains on death row today.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that mostly follows two men, Paul Skalnik and Jim Dailey. The former is a con artist who was known to pose as a lawyer, a salesman, a real-estate agent, an undercover officer...many things. He would promise his victims something, always appearing to be a high-roller who could afford nice jewelry and property, before stealing from them. When he was caught, he turned to snitching, claiming other prisoners had confessed their crimes to him, leading to several men being convicted based on his word. One of those men was Jim Dailey, a man who was implicated in a murder in 1985, and remains on death row in Florida today. Colloff discusses a justice system that would allow this to happen, while examining the lives of both Skalnik and Dailey.
My Verdict: Personally, I find con artists to be much more fascinating than serial killers, and Paul Skalnik was a con artist whose luck seemed to continually run out before he somehow found some more, which would spell disaster for those around him, whether in prison or out in society. Colloff's account of the lives of Skalnik and Jim Dailey is as fascinating as it is devastating and frustrating, with the journalist leading the reader through ever high and low, though be warned, there are many more of the latter than there are of the former. Included are Colloff's personal interactions with Skalnik, and her own experience with his brand of deception that often served him so well. True crime lovers will appreciate this book and possibly be compelled to do their own research.
Favorite Moment: Hard to choose given the events of the book, but the author's personal accounts of conversations with Skalnik are particularly interesting.
Recommended Reading: One true crime book I still think about often is Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark.
