I waited and waited to get this book from my wishlist. I thought it would be so interesting to learn how Irving justified his decisions. I started reading the book and realized pretty quickly that he had no justification. He perpetuated the hoax just because he could. His arrogance turned me off completely--I couldn't even finish the book. Maybe the book could be read as a statement about the "freewheeling, anything goes" time, a good cultural period piece. As far as being a good story, though, not so much.
This is more weird than any fiction. This is the book that brough Howard Hughes out of hiding.