In 1971, Clifford Irving and his partner-in-crime Richard Suskind, nearly pulled off one of the greatest literary hoaxes the publishing world has ever seen when he signed a contract with McGraw-Hill for $750,000 to write the authorized biography of Howard Hughes.& nbsp; He convinced his publisher that he???d developed a relationship with Hughes, who by that time hadn???t been seen in public for years. Irving even forged documents that appeared to prove he had the ear of the billionaire. Even when Hughes emerged momentarily from seclusion for a telephone news conference to say the book was bogus, McGraw-Hill continued to stand by Irving, who stuck to his story until he finally had no choice but to cop to his crime.& nbsp; In 1972 Irving made the cover of Time magazine as ???Con Man of the Year.???& nbsp; This story of how the plot began and then unraveled, landing Clifford, his wife Edith, and Suskind in federal penitentiaries for 2?? years, was published by The Permanent Press in April, 1981.& nbsp; As fast-paced and exciting as any spy novel, The Hoax involves the reader at every devilish twist and turn.& nbsp; Irving tells how the hoax developed, like a Chinese puzzle, from its madcap beginning to the final startling confession ??? a witty and nail-biting story of international intrigue and beautiful women, of powerful corporate executives and jet-set rogues, of cover-ups and headlines.

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