Book Takes Readers into the World of a World-Class Con Artist

Columbia SC – WEBWIRE – Thursday, June 8, 2017

This book helps readers understand how con artists operate – and how we can beat them at their own games.

Melissa Sprouse Browne published “My Best Friend is a Liar: The Real Life Story of a World Class Con Artist” (Real Life Publishing, 2014), which is a true crime expose about Sharon Johnson, a con artist who made a killing by using her alleged connections to celebrities, most especially the actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry.

Browne provides readers an insider’s scoop into Johnson’s life of crime and eventual conviction alongside her accomplice Patricia Sullivan, a postmaster and supposed pillar of the community. Both Johnson and Sullivan pled guilty in federal court in Greenville, South Carolina earlier this year to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They faced maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison and $350,000 fines.

Johnson and Sullivan scammed people out of their money by claiming Perry bought the rights to Johnson’s book The Struggle of Love and would be turning it into a movie and reality TV show. They duped their victims into loaning their money to them, promising large returns.

“My Best Friend is a Liar” is written from the perspective of the author, who was once friends with Johnson. In this book, Browne reveals how Johnsons was a natural at lying and making people believe her outlandish stories. She also offers guidelines for spotting a liar and con artist.

Browne’s “My Best Friend is a Liar: The Real Life Story of a World Class Con Artist” was one of the many books displayed at the recently concluded 2017 BookExpo America.

“My Best Friend is a Liar: The Real Life Story of a World Class Con Artist”
Written by Melissa Sprouse Browne
Published by Real Life Publishing Company
Published date: October 5, 2014
Paperback price: $16.25

About the Author
Melissa Sprouse Browne is a high energy executive who carries several business cards and juggles multiple business ventures. A South Carolina native, she attended the University of South Carolina with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Journalism. She enjoys using both skill sets to track down the bad guys and expose them to the public.

She is also the author of “The Caregiver’s Training Program, a comprehensive guide for anyone who needs to know the basics of managing the care of an aging loved one, and Unit History: The 755th Field Artillery Battalion,” a day-by-day account of the unit’s movements during World War II from December 1944 through May 1945.