The Charming Predator

The True Story of How I Fell in Love with and Married a Sociopathic Fraud

By: Lee Mackenzie

Narrated by: Lee Mackenzie

She fell in love with him, they married and then she found out who he was: a conman who was determined to destroy her.

The instant bestselling story of Lee Mackenzie, who was a capable and confident young woman, studying broadcast journalism and honing her skills of observation and objectivity. She was also a little unworldly, the product of a small, rural Western Canadian community where doors were never locked and life was simple and direct. On a backpacking trip in the UK, she met the man who would become her husband. A man who everyone agreed was one of the most intelligent, charming people they had ever met. Easy to like, easy to believe. Easy to love. A man without mercy who shattered her emotionally, psychologically and financially.
Decades later, Kenner Jones is at large today, having committed crimes around the world under a series of fake names and personas. He has been described—by a seasoned US immigration officer—as "the best conman I have ever encountered."
No one got closer to Kenner Jones than Lee Mackenzie. In The Charming Predator, he is unmasked for the first time.

Critic reviews

National Bestseller

"Lee Mackenzie had brains, looks and talent. . . . So how could she fall for a con man who very nearly destroyed her and who managed to spread lies and misery across three continents? For every time you've read a tale of the criminal's wife (Ruth Madoff, are you listening?) and wondered 'How did she not know?', this is your answer. . . . How he does it, how she got out of the trap and how he managed to slip out of Canada and spread his cons elsewhere make this true-crime book solid reading." —The Globe and Mail

"This is the surprisingly well-documented story of [Mackenzie's] courtship and marriage, a brief union that cleaned out her bank account and brought the cops to her door. Jones comes across as a troubled man with a pathological need to deceive and betray, perhaps no one more than himself." —Toronto Star

"This is no ordinary true-crime book. . . . It's a riveting memoir." —The Chronicle Herald

Gripping story

I could easily imagine myself at a young and innocent stage of my life falling prey to someone in the same way. That made her story all the more gripping.

Compelling True Tale

Lee Mackenzie writes a biography of every woman’s worst nightmare in such a compelling fashion. She gives testimony to the liar within and without, showcasing disarmament by facing the truth. Wickedly strong and drawing the listener in with compassion. Every woman must-hear!
-Winifred Adams, Making Life Brighter Radio