Ruse

Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street

By: Robert Kerbeck

Narrated by: Robert Kerbeck

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of a 2023 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) for Autobiography/Memoir

“Kerbeck’s juicy memoir tells riveting tales [with] the thrill of a spy novel. . . Kerbeck bares all of his wild business secrets within the world of corporate espionage” — Foreword Reviews

"Robert Kerbeck has mastered the art of social engineering, or what he calls 'rusing', and taken it to a whole new level." — Frank Abagnale, author of Catch Me If You Can

B-list actor, A-list corporate spy. . .

In the world of high finance, multibillion-dollar Wall Street banks greedily guard their secrets. Enter Robert Kerbeck, a working actor who made his real money lying on the phone, charming people into revealing their employers’ most valuable information. In this exhilarating memoir that will appeal to fans of The Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can, unsuspecting receptionists, assistants, and bigshot executives all fall victim to “the Ruse.”

After college, Kerbeck rushed to New York to try to make it as an actor. But to support himself, he’d need a survival job, and before he knew it, while his pals were waiting tables, he began his apprenticeship as a corporate spy.

As his acting career started to take off, he found himself hobnobbing with Hollywood luminaries: drinking with Paul Newman, taking J.Lo to a Dodgers game, touring E.R. sets with George Clooney. He even worked with O.J. Simpson the week before he became America’s most notorious double murderer.

Before long, however, his once promising acting career slowed while the corporate espionage business took off. The ruse job was supposed to have been temporary, but Kerbeck became one of the world’s best practitioners of this deceptive—and illegal—trade. His income jumped from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars a year.

Until the inevitable crash…

Kerbeck shares the lies he told, the celebrities he screwed (and those who screwed him), the cons he ran, and the money he made—and lost—along the way.

©2022 Robert Kerbeck (P)2022 Steerforth

Critic reviews

"**Recipient of the silver 2023 autobiography/memoir Independent Publisher Book Award**

“Robert Kerbeck flopped as an actor. But, as a corporate spy, he gave Oscar-worthy performances.” --Michael Kaplan, New York Post

“A story almost too good to be true with no shortage of wild stories, Kerbeck winds every detail into an engaging, entertaining memoir." --Shondaland

"The book is gripping as it chronicles Kerbeck’s disdain for working at his family’s car business, his quiet acting career, and his descent into his moves against big businesses. The details of his sleuthing work are meticulous, but the book still maintains the thrill of a spy novel. Celebrity name-drops add flair to this tale of calculated crimes" --Foreword Reviews

Who knew?

Mr. Kerbeck takes us on a journey through a world most of us have no concept of. He does show with the combination of intrigue, braggadocio, self deprecation and on the edge of your seat possible outcomes. He has created in himself an almost fictional character that I think might have a place in a future incarnation.

couldn't stop listening

you wanted to know what Mr. Kerbeck would do next ! hopefully, it's a TV show ?

Well done

Thank you for sharing your story. I very much enjoyed Best of luck in the future.

Fascinating and Can’t Put Down!

Ruse is a captivating story told with an efficiency in writing few can attain. Mr. Kerbeck draws you into his world with every word contributing to a vibes imagery that makes you feel as if you are witnessing the events first hand. Once engaged it’s hard to stop listening to!

Great listen/read

Entertaining from start to finish! Great writing. Great narration. Fascinating life. Highly recommend the audio version.

Well written survival biz story

I loved listening to Robert Kerbeck read his wild ride of a story. He did an outstandingly thoughtful job.
Highly recommend!

Intriguing.

This book is intriguing and a story well told. I found myself rooting for the author to find a place outside of the ruse.

Great story terrible voice

this is a very interesting story to me and I really enjoy the content but the voice of the narrator is so annoying to me it made it difficult. The upward inflection that he puts in at the end of sentences makes the meaning get lost.