Merchants of Deception is Eric Scheibeler's stirring account of his decade-long journey through the multilevel marketing company Amway. The book is a true account of an insider's chilling look at the worldwide, multibillion-dollar company. Merchants of Deception takes you on a journey through the pyramid structure of Amway, highlighting key players who, Scheibeler claims, have stood to profit greatly off the losses of average Americans. Scheibeler's book exposes the Amway business, documenting the extreme losses, both personal and financial; of average Joes who were just trying to live "the dream."From start to finish, the reader becomes one with Scheibeler, sharing in both his excitement and suspicions as he paints a portrait of life as an Emerald-level Amway distributor. The book begins by slowly introducing the reader to Scheibeler's world, himself, his family and his hopes and dreams. Upon a chance meeting with an acquaintance, Scheibeler learns of Amway and its potential to help him achieve his ideal lifestyle: more family time, endless profits and, ultimately, early retirement. Scheibeler and his wife are then sponsored into "the business" by a deceptively friendly and helpful couple who generously provide guidance and support to the new Amway couple.

Just as Scheibeler, before his foray into the business, I began my journey into the world of Amway only mildly aware of the virtues and pitfalls of the Amway Corporation and all of its promises. The book was truly an enlightening look at the inner workings of Amway. Scheibeler takes you methodically through the indoctrinating principals of Amway, hooking you into the text as he recounts how Amway hooked him. As the story begins to unfold, the Amway world that Scheibeler describes seems more and more cult-like and suspicious. The cracks in "the dream" quickly reveal themselves and the under-belly of Amway is exposed. At first the business seems infallible and you share in his Scheibeler's initial enthusiasm. His first few years of Amway success are thrilling and the road ahead seems paved with success. However, as the story progresses, nervousness and distrust begin to take hold of Scheibeler. He introduces his reader to questionable characters and questionable "business" practices. The reader feels the narrator's shifting perspective and therefore begins to harbour equal amounts of suspicion and doubt.Toward the end of Scheibeler's Amway journey he recounts his family's outside appearance: extremely successful, he and his wife are now Amway Emeralds, both retired and driving a Cadillac. On the inside, however, they are miserable and losing a grip on reality. The couple is on the verge of separation, constantly borrowing money from relatives so they can continue feeding on the Amway "tools." They are each working on the business over 100 hours a week and their car has accumulated over 40,000 miles from showing "the plan" to potential Amway business owners. The dream has now become a nightmare and getting out seems near impossible.

As Scheibeler climbs the Amway ladder, his grip on reality wanes. He begins to lose control of himself and decides it's time to give up the mind-numbing "tools." In the light of 45 days "tool-free," Scheibeler begins to see the Amway environment more clearly. The community spirit of Amway is not at all how it appears on the surface. Behind the scenes, the Amway world is infused with violence, harassment, fraud and lies--far from anything that the company appears to promote. Throughout the text there are several quotes and philosophies from different perspectives. Many of the quotes are Amway praises from die-hard Amway fanatics; some are from the elite Amway Diamond distributors. Quotes from Amway co-founders Rich DeVos and Van Endel are present in several sections as well. Some inserts are excerpts of philosophies taken from leading experts in cult studies and cult exit psychology. The quotes are interesting and neutralize a lot of hate and contempt for Amway. The quotes keep Scheibeler's biases at bay as the opinions represent the sides of both Amway supporters and anti-Amway activists. They help the reader to organize the information within the text and introduce each new section of the story. The inserts provide valuable links, associating the Amway business practices to those of cults and other brainwashing organizations.

All things aside, it must be noted that this is not exactly the most sophisticated of all books. Although Scheibeler is not a brilliant writer, he is a gifted storyteller. Scheibeler's story and his accounts with Amway are only the opinions and experiences of one man. However, the details of Amway's supposed role in Scheibeler's demise are extremely engaging. Scheibeler's Merchants of Deception is enough to make anyone think twice before participating in any multilevel marketing scheme.