Chasing Phil

‘Christ! You guys look like a couple of Feds.’

1977, the Thunderbird Motel.

J. J. Wedick and Jack Brennan, two fresh-faced FBI agents, were about to go undercover. Their target: the charismatic, globe-trotting con man Phil Kitzer, who was responsible for swindling (and spending) millions of dollars and who some called the world’s greatest.

One problem: Wedick and Brennan weren’t trained for...