Confessions of a Dying Thief

Confessions of a Dying Thief is an in-depth ethnographic study of the world of Sam Goodman, a long-time thief, fence, and quasi-legitimate businessman, based on continuous contact with him for many years, multiple interviews with his network of associates in crime and business, and a series of interviews with him shortly before he died. The book updates and greatly expands the case study of Sam Goodmans fencing activity found in Steffensmeiers award-winning 1986 book The Fence: In the Shadow of Two Worlds. The book combines Sams colorful narrative accounts with substantive commentary by the authors to provide a more nuanced portrayal of criminal careers, illegal enterprise, and the broad landscape comprising the entity called "crime."