The word studio gangster took on a new meaning this week as the author of a memoir about running drugs for a gang in South Central Los Angeles was exposed as a fake.

“Love and Consequences,” written by Margaret B. Jones was released last week to critical acclaim. Jones, who is white, wrote that she was raised in the area by a black foster mother.

It turned out that nothing could be further for the truth.

The story began to unravel when Jones’ (whose real name is actually Margaret Seltzer) sister, Cyndi Hoffman saw an article about her and the fictitious book in the New York Times. Hoffman contacted Seltzer’s publisher, Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Group USA.

“Consequences” tells the story of a half white-half Native American Jones being raised not only by a foster mother, but in a foster home where one of her brothers was killed by Crips and she later sold drugs and carried guns for the Bloods.

Seltzer, 33, grew up in the San Fernando Valley area and was well off. When interviewed by the New York Times, she confessed to writing the bogus story, saying that the experiences she wrote about were based on the accounts of people she met while doing anti-gang outreach.

According to Seltzer, her intentions, while devious, were honorable.

“For whatever reason, I was really torn, and I thought it was my opportunity to put a voice to people who people don’t listen to,” she said to the Times.

Sarah McGrath, the book’s editor, describes this as a huge personal and professional betrayal.

“It’s very upsetting to us because we spent so much time with this person, and we felt such sympathy for her, and she would talk about how she didn’t have any money or any heat, and we completely bought into that and thought we were doing something good by bringing her story to light,” said the editor, who worked on the book for three years.

“Love and Consequences” received rave reviews, with critics calling it “amazing,” “a powerful story,” and “compelling.”

Riverhead Books has recalled all copies of the book and suspended Seltzer’s book tour.