 Toliver examined what Scharff had written, and went about contacting many of the associates and former prisoners Scharff spoke about in his writings to verify what Scharff had claimed.Many of those contacted wrote letters to Toliver in return, which he then published in the book chronologically alongside what Scharff had written.In addition, Toliver conducted his own research of Scharff's life before, during, and after the war, essentially writing a nearly complete biography of Scharff in addition to Scharff's personal thoughts.