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Leverage #1
The Con Job
The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you.
When a disreputable dealer starts swindling aged and ailing comic-book creators out of their wealth—and their high-valued comics and artwork—the daughter of one victim comes to ex-insurance investigator Nathan Ford and his team of counter-crooks for help.
Their run a con at the Comic-Con International, where the crook intends to sell the goods. But there’s more going on than simple theft. An arson plot is in motion that will not only destroy countless rare collectibles, but may end up costing lives.
With time short, the team must take down a ruthless mark whose true motives have yet to be revealed…
When a disreputable dealer starts swindling aged and ailing comic-book creators out of their wealth—and their high-valued comics and artwork—the daughter of one victim comes to ex-insurance investigator Nathan Ford and his team of counter-crooks for help.
Their run a con at the Comic-Con International, where the crook intends to sell the goods. But there’s more going on than simple theft. An arson plot is in motion that will not only destroy countless rare collectibles, but may end up costing lives.
With time short, the team must take down a ruthless mark whose true motives have yet to be revealed…
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 31, 2012
109 people are currently reading
845 people want to read
About the author
Matt Forbeck
210 books314 followersI'm an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and game designer and happily married father of five, including a set of quadruplets. For more on my work, see Forbeck.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
February 24, 2013
This was really very terrible. The set-up for the plot was not bad, but the writing....oh, the writing. A small sample for you:
"As one of the toughest mercenaries Nate had ever met, Eliot - Nate felt sure - had never had much time for things like comics. If it wasn't featured on ESPN or didn't involve cooking, it wasn't the kind of pastime Eliot cared about. He preferred to do things rather than read about them" (9).
If this seems clunky, simplistic, and out of character for season-four versions of these characters, that is only BECAUSE IT IS.
Other issues I had with the writing:
1. Name-drop a-gogo - You know how the product placement about the cars was super awkward and bizarre in the actual show? Imagine that, but multiplied by about 100. Most of it serves no purpose. Some of it is clearly meant to be a joke, but is not funny at all.
2. The details are over-explained. Almost everything is telling, rather than showing, with long breaks for thinking and remembering that just aren't well-written or interesting enough to justify.
Example, Hardison thinking about his crush on Parker: "Despite that, he'd never been able to make a solid move forward with her. She was one of a kind - quiet, athletic, beautiful, and smart. She was also one of the sharpest thieves he'd ever known - she could crack a safe just as fast as he could bust open a secure server - but in many ways she was also a complete innocent. Part of that meant that she had barriers around her that were so high that only she could scale them, and she needed to trust that the world would be safe for her outside them first. Until then, he's set up his camp outside those walls to wait" (23).
Completely ignoring that continuity puts this post-pretzels, there are logical flaws to this (complete innocents don't need walls, because they don't notice how dangerous the world is) and it's just...not elegant. At all. I had the urge to rewrite a lot of the descriptions.
3. The dialogue only rarely matches the voices of the characters as I have them in my head. Frequently, it clangs the dissonant bell of "They would never say it like that!"
4. The writer either does not know how to structure comparisons in a grammatically correct way, or has simply chosen not to for reasons that make no sense. Eliot might (MIGHT) think something like "This guy was a lot larger than him," but Sophie? Sophie would know to use the nominative case.
5. EVERYONE GRINS. ALL THE TIME. Seriously?
6. Structurally, this might have worked better in medias res - start at the con and work backward.
7. Some of the bits seem unimportant to the plot/just uncomfortable (Eliot's reaction to Parker's costume, anyone? Felt like fanservice, and I don't really ship that way)
8. A lot of the reviews on here mention the Wil Wheaton jokes, but referencing Wil Wheaton isn't enough for me. If Cha0s had set up a booth faking Wil Wheaton signatures, or Eliot had mistaken Wheaton for Cha0s briefly, or something - that would have been amusing. Allusion is not automatically a joke.
Bottom line: I read a Princess Bride/Leverage crossover fanfiction yesterday that was more interesting, plausible, and in-character than this mess. I'll probably still get the next one, as it has a different author and the preview didn't rub me the wrong way like this did, and I want to support Leverage in any way possible, but this was a hot mess. Save your money.
"As one of the toughest mercenaries Nate had ever met, Eliot - Nate felt sure - had never had much time for things like comics. If it wasn't featured on ESPN or didn't involve cooking, it wasn't the kind of pastime Eliot cared about. He preferred to do things rather than read about them" (9).
If this seems clunky, simplistic, and out of character for season-four versions of these characters, that is only BECAUSE IT IS.
Other issues I had with the writing:
1. Name-drop a-gogo - You know how the product placement about the cars was super awkward and bizarre in the actual show? Imagine that, but multiplied by about 100. Most of it serves no purpose. Some of it is clearly meant to be a joke, but is not funny at all.
2. The details are over-explained. Almost everything is telling, rather than showing, with long breaks for thinking and remembering that just aren't well-written or interesting enough to justify.
Example, Hardison thinking about his crush on Parker: "Despite that, he'd never been able to make a solid move forward with her. She was one of a kind - quiet, athletic, beautiful, and smart. She was also one of the sharpest thieves he'd ever known - she could crack a safe just as fast as he could bust open a secure server - but in many ways she was also a complete innocent. Part of that meant that she had barriers around her that were so high that only she could scale them, and she needed to trust that the world would be safe for her outside them first. Until then, he's set up his camp outside those walls to wait" (23).
Completely ignoring that continuity puts this post-pretzels, there are logical flaws to this (complete innocents don't need walls, because they don't notice how dangerous the world is) and it's just...not elegant. At all. I had the urge to rewrite a lot of the descriptions.
3. The dialogue only rarely matches the voices of the characters as I have them in my head. Frequently, it clangs the dissonant bell of "They would never say it like that!"
4. The writer either does not know how to structure comparisons in a grammatically correct way, or has simply chosen not to for reasons that make no sense. Eliot might (MIGHT) think something like "This guy was a lot larger than him," but Sophie? Sophie would know to use the nominative case.
5. EVERYONE GRINS. ALL THE TIME. Seriously?
6. Structurally, this might have worked better in medias res - start at the con and work backward.
7. Some of the bits seem unimportant to the plot/just uncomfortable (Eliot's reaction to Parker's costume, anyone? Felt like fanservice, and I don't really ship that way)
8. A lot of the reviews on here mention the Wil Wheaton jokes, but referencing Wil Wheaton isn't enough for me. If Cha0s had set up a booth faking Wil Wheaton signatures, or Eliot had mistaken Wheaton for Cha0s briefly, or something - that would have been amusing. Allusion is not automatically a joke.
Bottom line: I read a Princess Bride/Leverage crossover fanfiction yesterday that was more interesting, plausible, and in-character than this mess. I'll probably still get the next one, as it has a different author and the preview didn't rub me the wrong way like this did, and I want to support Leverage in any way possible, but this was a hot mess. Save your money.
December 31, 2012
Edit: TNT officially announced they have not renewed Leverage so the Long Goodbye Job which aired on Christmas was the series finale. So now we can only hope that the franchise will live on in a novel series.
I have been a fan of the Leverage TV show since the first episode and it is the single oldest series recording on my DVR. Add in the fact that this book revolves around the crew running a job at Comic-Con International and I couldn't believe my luck when I got the opportunity to receive an early copy of the book to review. This is a critical time for the Leverage franchise. With only three episodes left to air in season 5 and the series currently “on the bubble” to be renewed for a sixth season a successful tie-in novel could help push things in the right direction. So without further pleading for another season, lets go steal a book review.
The Con Job takes place between The Gold Job, episode 416, and The Radio Job, episode 417. Simon Curtiss is a lifetime freelance comic book artist who has just come from his wife’s funeral. In order to cover her medical expenses he contract a man named Lorenzo Patronus to sell a collection of his original artwork that he had been saving as a nest egg. Since he was only a freelance artist he had no insurance or retirement plan it was the only savings he had. Unfortunately Patronus has no intention to deliver on the money and the stress sends Curtiss to the hospital and his daughter to McRory's pub. She informs Nate of her fathers troubles and Patronus' dirty dealings. But because her father willingly gave him the artwork to sell the police can not prosecute him for theft. The only recourse they had would be to sue him for breach of contract and that would take time and money that her father didn't have. But she explains that Patronus took more than her fathers artwork. He preyed on his desperate need to provide for his wife at the end of her life. He took his dignity. Nate agrees to help her, help her father.
Nate assembles the team and Hardison gives them the run down on Patronus. Simon Curtiss isn't the only artist Patronus has pulled his scam on. If fact he has been using Simon Curtiss name to lure in other artist to take advantage of. Patronus is setting up a huge auction to liquidate the artwork under the guise of donating a token portion of the proceeds to the Hero Initiative, a charity that ironically was set up to help financially support aging freelance comic book artist. The auction is being held at the largest gathering of comic book enthusiast in the world, Comic Con International. While Hardison is truly geeked about the opportunity to mix work and pleasure the rest of the group is not so enthusiastic. Trying to run a con in a building holding over a hundred and fifty thousand convention goers adds plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong, but if they don't intervene than the artwork will be legally sold to new owners and Patronus will be free to disappear with the money.
At first things go well and it looks like this might be an easy job. The team discovers that in addition to the artwork he has conned Patronus has added several pieces that are his own work. A little digging reveals that he had aspirations of being an artist in the industry but he was never able to make the grade. So they hatch a plan to dangle his life dream of becoming a published artist in front of him and Patronus is all to willing to use the money generated from the auction to fund the fictitious start up venture. But Patronus isn't the only factor in play. Another player is bankrolling him from the shadows for no apparent gain. Further complicating matters is the appearance of Cha0s. While the hacker showing up at the convention could be a coincidence, and Hardison goes missing after being seen with him, the con start unraveling. The team must find Hardison, take down Patronus, and find out what his secret partner's angle is before the convention ends. No Spoilers here, you'll have to read it yourself to find out.
I enjoyed The Con Job, a lot. Tie-in novels are a very tricky genera because while you are usually familiar with the character from watching the TV show if you rely too heavily on that the novel will not appeal to new readers with interest in the property. It also adds the dimension of being able to get a glimpse into what the characters are thinking that you don't get from the TV show. The Con Job in a way is a tie-in of two properties, the Leverage TV show and Comic Con International. While I have watched every episode of Leverage I have never been to Comic Con so enjoyed that the Convention was more that just a setting. As cliche as it is to say it really was almost a character in the story. It affected every move the character made from trying to find a hotel room to what moves they could and couldn't make in a building with a hundred and fifty thousand possible witnesses. In addition to the mark and convention goers the team is rubbing elbows with the royalty of the geek world (although we never see Cha0s and Wil Wheaton at the same time, COINCIDENCE?). We also see each of the team members feel the pull of Comic Con on them. Sophie views the comic book art with the same appreciative eye she uses for stealing priceless works of the masters. Eliot reveals that he had once had aspirations of a possible career in the industry. Nate is taken back to memories of reading comic books with his son and the guilt of a promise to attend Comic Con together that could never be fulfilled. Parker never had a normal childhood so she is experiencing things with innocent excitement. It is also a chance for Hardison to share his love of all things Geeky with her as they take the first akward steps past friends and into a relationship. The really impressive part of the story is that it was written while the author was in the middle of his campaign to write twelve novels in twelve months. It has the feel of a good episode of the show and was written by someone who was knowledgeable about the show and the characters, not something that was slipped into an already crazy writing schedule.
I have been a fan of the Leverage TV show since the first episode and it is the single oldest series recording on my DVR. Add in the fact that this book revolves around the crew running a job at Comic-Con International and I couldn't believe my luck when I got the opportunity to receive an early copy of the book to review. This is a critical time for the Leverage franchise. With only three episodes left to air in season 5 and the series currently “on the bubble” to be renewed for a sixth season a successful tie-in novel could help push things in the right direction. So without further pleading for another season, lets go steal a book review.
The Con Job takes place between The Gold Job, episode 416, and The Radio Job, episode 417. Simon Curtiss is a lifetime freelance comic book artist who has just come from his wife’s funeral. In order to cover her medical expenses he contract a man named Lorenzo Patronus to sell a collection of his original artwork that he had been saving as a nest egg. Since he was only a freelance artist he had no insurance or retirement plan it was the only savings he had. Unfortunately Patronus has no intention to deliver on the money and the stress sends Curtiss to the hospital and his daughter to McRory's pub. She informs Nate of her fathers troubles and Patronus' dirty dealings. But because her father willingly gave him the artwork to sell the police can not prosecute him for theft. The only recourse they had would be to sue him for breach of contract and that would take time and money that her father didn't have. But she explains that Patronus took more than her fathers artwork. He preyed on his desperate need to provide for his wife at the end of her life. He took his dignity. Nate agrees to help her, help her father.
Nate assembles the team and Hardison gives them the run down on Patronus. Simon Curtiss isn't the only artist Patronus has pulled his scam on. If fact he has been using Simon Curtiss name to lure in other artist to take advantage of. Patronus is setting up a huge auction to liquidate the artwork under the guise of donating a token portion of the proceeds to the Hero Initiative, a charity that ironically was set up to help financially support aging freelance comic book artist. The auction is being held at the largest gathering of comic book enthusiast in the world, Comic Con International. While Hardison is truly geeked about the opportunity to mix work and pleasure the rest of the group is not so enthusiastic. Trying to run a con in a building holding over a hundred and fifty thousand convention goers adds plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong, but if they don't intervene than the artwork will be legally sold to new owners and Patronus will be free to disappear with the money.
At first things go well and it looks like this might be an easy job. The team discovers that in addition to the artwork he has conned Patronus has added several pieces that are his own work. A little digging reveals that he had aspirations of being an artist in the industry but he was never able to make the grade. So they hatch a plan to dangle his life dream of becoming a published artist in front of him and Patronus is all to willing to use the money generated from the auction to fund the fictitious start up venture. But Patronus isn't the only factor in play. Another player is bankrolling him from the shadows for no apparent gain. Further complicating matters is the appearance of Cha0s. While the hacker showing up at the convention could be a coincidence, and Hardison goes missing after being seen with him, the con start unraveling. The team must find Hardison, take down Patronus, and find out what his secret partner's angle is before the convention ends. No Spoilers here, you'll have to read it yourself to find out.
I enjoyed The Con Job, a lot. Tie-in novels are a very tricky genera because while you are usually familiar with the character from watching the TV show if you rely too heavily on that the novel will not appeal to new readers with interest in the property. It also adds the dimension of being able to get a glimpse into what the characters are thinking that you don't get from the TV show. The Con Job in a way is a tie-in of two properties, the Leverage TV show and Comic Con International. While I have watched every episode of Leverage I have never been to Comic Con so enjoyed that the Convention was more that just a setting. As cliche as it is to say it really was almost a character in the story. It affected every move the character made from trying to find a hotel room to what moves they could and couldn't make in a building with a hundred and fifty thousand possible witnesses. In addition to the mark and convention goers the team is rubbing elbows with the royalty of the geek world (although we never see Cha0s and Wil Wheaton at the same time, COINCIDENCE?). We also see each of the team members feel the pull of Comic Con on them. Sophie views the comic book art with the same appreciative eye she uses for stealing priceless works of the masters. Eliot reveals that he had once had aspirations of a possible career in the industry. Nate is taken back to memories of reading comic books with his son and the guilt of a promise to attend Comic Con together that could never be fulfilled. Parker never had a normal childhood so she is experiencing things with innocent excitement. It is also a chance for Hardison to share his love of all things Geeky with her as they take the first akward steps past friends and into a relationship. The really impressive part of the story is that it was written while the author was in the middle of his campaign to write twelve novels in twelve months. It has the feel of a good episode of the show and was written by someone who was knowledgeable about the show and the characters, not something that was slipped into an already crazy writing schedule.
Read
January 17, 2023I think I lost my brain a little when Cha0s suggested going and playing a game of D&D with Wil Wheaton. Everything after that is just a blur.
Granted, everything before that is kind of a blur too.
Just, really poor writing all around. If we're reading this book we're probably a fan of the show, you don't have to give us everyone's entire backstory ever, much less the moment you introduce them. Plus some *cough* very out of character moments.
Basically, I threw this book at a wall. Multiple times.
Granted, everything before that is kind of a blur too.
Just, really poor writing all around. If we're reading this book we're probably a fan of the show, you don't have to give us everyone's entire backstory ever, much less the moment you introduce them. Plus some *cough* very out of character moments.
Basically, I threw this book at a wall. Multiple times.
December 31, 2012
If you follow my reviews much then you know it is a rare event that I give a book five stars.. Even really good books suffer from some sort of flaw that keep me from rating it above a four. However, Forbeck has done an excellent job with this particular intellectual property and I believe it deserves the highest rating.
When one reads a book based on a television series, there are a number of pitfalls that authors fall into. Forbeck manages to avoid every pitfall and rather than simply rehashing material, he provides depth and emotion to characters. Writers like Max Allen Collins who does the CSI novels ought to sit up and pay attention.. I grew up reading or trying to read novels based on television series and usually they are not very good. The Whitman Young Adult series of adpations were pitiful, the old Man From Uncle paperbacks were terrible, and the GET SMART books were not Smart-savvy at all. So, I was pleased to see Forbeck's success.
First pitfall avoided: Provding the reader with too much background information on each character!
Forbeck writes with delicate balance, remembering that his target audience already have some familiarity with the characters. He provides just the right amount of background, even fleshing out some of Nate's emotions regarding his deceased son.
Second pitfall avoided: Ignoring things that happened in the actual series.
Forbeck manages to avoid this pitfall by bringing in Hardison's old nemesis, Cha0s, and elsewhere referencing Eliot's conflict with the Russian Chef. By doing so, he builds continuity.
The continuity chain is tested, however, as the relationship between Parker and Hardison (in the current television season) has advanced to a more romantic relationship, while in Forbeck's novel it is a crush, which places the novel somewhere between last season and the current season. Not a major crisis, because fans knew and hoped that relationshp would expand and develope and it isn't a bother to know that the action in this book takes place before that development.
With those major pitfalls avoided, Forbeck develops a plot that is worthy of the series, full of wonderful geekdom references as the story unfolds at San Diego's Comic Con. As usual, the team discovers that all is not as it seems and a simple job turns into something more complex. There is a great reference to the "good" Star Wars films vs. the "bad" films that truly made me laugh.
Forbeck brings all of the geeky behavior and childlike wonder that such geeks experience at the Comic Con, while demonstrating the lack of understanding of outsiders. He reminds his readers that nearly EVERYONE has some point of contact with the materials\items displayed\celebrated at ComicCon. Forbeck celebrates the names and faces of real life comic book people. The cameo of Stan "the man" Lee was great, meanwhile educating readers about the real life charity, THE HERO INITIATIVE. I can truly see Stan Lee standing before a crowd and addressing them about this worthy charity.
Finally, the action sequences Forbeck writes are great. I could almost feel Elliot smashing into the bad guys and could see it in my mind's eye. He managed to push into print great descriptive conflict. Parker's climbing about on the building was also well described and easily visualized. The "Chariot Race" was described in picturesque language and not only empahsized the fun spirit we see in the television episodes, but provided comic relief at just the right moment.
I also liked Forbeck's choices of adjectives. He describes people's grins, clothing, attitude, and rarely seems to use the same adjective twice. I never felt as if he was straining to offer up a description of anything.
For readers unfamiliar with the LEVERAGE gang, I would recommend catching a few episodes before diving into the book. Otherwise, readers may not comprehend just how well Forbeck has captured the frenzied tone of the television series on paper.
I give this one five stars and two thumbs up. And those who read my reviews know that I am often quite critical of every minor flaw. This time, I was willing to spend some time in the Leverage universe on the written page and it simply immersed me even more deeply into their world.
There is an excerpt at the end of this book to encourage the reader to be prepared to shell out a few bucks for "THE ZOO JOB" which is coming out in March 2013. Personally, I want to see what Matt lets the LEVERAGE team do with those evil zookeepers, animals, MBA's, or whatever.
When one reads a book based on a television series, there are a number of pitfalls that authors fall into. Forbeck manages to avoid every pitfall and rather than simply rehashing material, he provides depth and emotion to characters. Writers like Max Allen Collins who does the CSI novels ought to sit up and pay attention.. I grew up reading or trying to read novels based on television series and usually they are not very good. The Whitman Young Adult series of adpations were pitiful, the old Man From Uncle paperbacks were terrible, and the GET SMART books were not Smart-savvy at all. So, I was pleased to see Forbeck's success.
First pitfall avoided: Provding the reader with too much background information on each character!
Forbeck writes with delicate balance, remembering that his target audience already have some familiarity with the characters. He provides just the right amount of background, even fleshing out some of Nate's emotions regarding his deceased son.
Second pitfall avoided: Ignoring things that happened in the actual series.
Forbeck manages to avoid this pitfall by bringing in Hardison's old nemesis, Cha0s, and elsewhere referencing Eliot's conflict with the Russian Chef. By doing so, he builds continuity.
The continuity chain is tested, however, as the relationship between Parker and Hardison (in the current television season) has advanced to a more romantic relationship, while in Forbeck's novel it is a crush, which places the novel somewhere between last season and the current season. Not a major crisis, because fans knew and hoped that relationshp would expand and develope and it isn't a bother to know that the action in this book takes place before that development.
With those major pitfalls avoided, Forbeck develops a plot that is worthy of the series, full of wonderful geekdom references as the story unfolds at San Diego's Comic Con. As usual, the team discovers that all is not as it seems and a simple job turns into something more complex. There is a great reference to the "good" Star Wars films vs. the "bad" films that truly made me laugh.
Forbeck brings all of the geeky behavior and childlike wonder that such geeks experience at the Comic Con, while demonstrating the lack of understanding of outsiders. He reminds his readers that nearly EVERYONE has some point of contact with the materials\items displayed\celebrated at ComicCon. Forbeck celebrates the names and faces of real life comic book people. The cameo of Stan "the man" Lee was great, meanwhile educating readers about the real life charity, THE HERO INITIATIVE. I can truly see Stan Lee standing before a crowd and addressing them about this worthy charity.
Finally, the action sequences Forbeck writes are great. I could almost feel Elliot smashing into the bad guys and could see it in my mind's eye. He managed to push into print great descriptive conflict. Parker's climbing about on the building was also well described and easily visualized. The "Chariot Race" was described in picturesque language and not only empahsized the fun spirit we see in the television episodes, but provided comic relief at just the right moment.
I also liked Forbeck's choices of adjectives. He describes people's grins, clothing, attitude, and rarely seems to use the same adjective twice. I never felt as if he was straining to offer up a description of anything.
For readers unfamiliar with the LEVERAGE gang, I would recommend catching a few episodes before diving into the book. Otherwise, readers may not comprehend just how well Forbeck has captured the frenzied tone of the television series on paper.
I give this one five stars and two thumbs up. And those who read my reviews know that I am often quite critical of every minor flaw. This time, I was willing to spend some time in the Leverage universe on the written page and it simply immersed me even more deeply into their world.
There is an excerpt at the end of this book to encourage the reader to be prepared to shell out a few bucks for "THE ZOO JOB" which is coming out in March 2013. Personally, I want to see what Matt lets the LEVERAGE team do with those evil zookeepers, animals, MBA's, or whatever.
January 15, 2020
The Leverage Crew steal San Diego Comic Con.
This book has some flaws. For one thing, while they wind up going against a proper target (a land developer with multiple interests including Manga), the crew starts out against a basic crook who probably could have been taken down by the police. Occasionally the writing feels a little clunky when it reminds us that Nate sees Hardison as a protege or Parker has a complicated relationship with her old mentor Archie.
That said, this book is worth reading for the Wil Wheaton jokes alone. A comic book convention, well done, is a little too big for a show. In a book, we can have Warren Ellis jokes, Stan Lee cameos, and Captain Picard regretfully not marrying a couple. Where Forbeck isn't as smooth with the Leverage characters as the show depicts them, he definitely knows his comics and nerd culture. The references there were all perfectly on point.
Overall, this book is a lot of fun. Fans of the show should enjoy it.
This book has some flaws. For one thing, while they wind up going against a proper target (a land developer with multiple interests including Manga), the crew starts out against a basic crook who probably could have been taken down by the police. Occasionally the writing feels a little clunky when it reminds us that Nate sees Hardison as a protege or Parker has a complicated relationship with her old mentor Archie.
That said, this book is worth reading for the Wil Wheaton jokes alone. A comic book convention, well done, is a little too big for a show. In a book, we can have Warren Ellis jokes, Stan Lee cameos, and Captain Picard regretfully not marrying a couple. Where Forbeck isn't as smooth with the Leverage characters as the show depicts them, he definitely knows his comics and nerd culture. The references there were all perfectly on point.
Overall, this book is a lot of fun. Fans of the show should enjoy it.
June 5, 2020
I picked this up because I grew up with the series and it is one of my all time favorites. I absolutely loved it, it was so much fun. I thought it was hilarious that they had Will Wheaton and the character that he plays on the show, and a bunch of other people making cameos throughout the book. In addition, it featured Hardison and Parker, my two favorite characters on the show. I love their adorable chemistry and how they are starting to build their relationship. Plus, like always, they manage to make it work and pull off an exciting con. Then, there's the extremely satisfying ending which is always something to look forward to in a book. Overall, loved the book.
June 14, 2020
This rating is purely because I'm in love with the show and I have no shame for it.
August 26, 2019
ok so this book was not the best example of heist writing i’ve ever read but as an adaptation it shone. it really knew its audience... up to & including the bit where hardison, parker & eliot show up to an over crowded hotel and There’s Only One Bed.
the loose plot is that the crew have to go steal Comic Con, because Crime Reasons, and at various points they: go to a star trek party, run into cha0s (who is never seen in the same room as wil wheaton, just saying), put parker in slave leia cosplay, and find out that eliot may have had a background career in comics illustration. in other words, the perfect episode of leverage.
it used a lot of shorthand for character quirks from the show which would have been confusing if you came to the book cold, and it was not a *good* book, but i was able to essentially watch a new (to me) leverage episode inside my brain and had a DELIGHTFUL time doing so, which made it a goddamn great time.
the loose plot is that the crew have to go steal Comic Con, because Crime Reasons, and at various points they: go to a star trek party, run into cha0s (who is never seen in the same room as wil wheaton, just saying), put parker in slave leia cosplay, and find out that eliot may have had a background career in comics illustration. in other words, the perfect episode of leverage.
it used a lot of shorthand for character quirks from the show which would have been confusing if you came to the book cold, and it was not a *good* book, but i was able to essentially watch a new (to me) leverage episode inside my brain and had a DELIGHTFUL time doing so, which made it a goddamn great time.
August 21, 2019
*4.5 stars. Ahhh I enjoyed this so much! Full review to come!
January 1, 2013
Personally I think this book. Is brilliant. I may be slightly biased as I absolutely loved the show. Still upset it was cancelled but the writing was outstanding and the characters are also great as always. Nate and the rest of the crew head to ComicCon to take down a comic book forger and thief. Lorenzo was taking original artwork from the old time comic creators with the promise of selling them and cutting a check for the money. Anyone guess what happened? That's right a relative went to our favorite good bad guys. Of course Hardison was in heaven after all he was going to the center of the geek universe. I absolutely positively extremely LOVED this novel. I can not imagine it ever leaving my favorite shelf. I also plan to go buy the hard copy tomorrow. I would like to thank Matt Forbeck and Dean Devlin for putting out this wonderful book. I absolutely can not wait for The Zoo Job and The Bestseller Job. Pins and needles people pins and needles. So Mr. Forbeck thank you and Mr. Devlin keep 'em coming. You know we love all things Leverage! Much love and respect.
Here are two excerpts from The Con Job. in order to put all my favorite parts of the book I would have to copy the whole freakin thing so here are my top two favorites.
“With great leverage comes great justice.”
Excerpt From: Matt Forbeck & Electric Entertainment. “The Con Job.” Berkley Boulevard Books, 2012-12-31. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
“After dinner, Nate let Sophie talk him into taking a pedicab out to the Seaport Village shopping center north of the convention center. As their cyclist pedaled them along, Hardison passed them by in another pedicab, heading back toward the convention center itself.
“I told him I’d give him another twenty bucks if he’d beat you back to the hall,” Hardison’s voice said in Nate’s earpiece. “Wanna make him work for his money?”
Nate reached out to tap his cyclist on the shoulder and offer him a hundred dollars to blow past Hardison’s pedicab, but Sophie stopped him before he could do so. “Do you really want to get involved in that?” she said in a soft voice.
Nate opened his mouth to say yes, yes he did, but when he looked into Sophie’s eyes, he realized it wasn’t true. Not today, at least. “I suppose not,” he said as he leaned back farther in the pedicab and put his arm around her shoulders.
A moment later, another pedicab came zipping past, the driver standing up on his pedals, his legs pumping as hard as if he had Lance Armstrong on his tail. Eliot stood tall in the cab, balancing in it like a Roman charioteer in a race, shouting encouragement at his cyclist. He caught up with Hardison’s pedicab within half a block and blasted past it.
“Eat my dust!” Eliot said as he goaded his cyclist faster.”
“Hey!” Hardison said in protest. “I wasn’t talking to you!”
Despite that, Nate saw him take a bill out of his pocket and stuff it in his cyclist’s back pocket. “And there’s another hundred in it for you if you beat him!” Hardison said to the pedaler.
The pair of cyclists sped off through the Gaslamp Quarter at top speed, jockeying for position as they raced down Fifth Avenue. When Eliot’s cyclist spotted a traffic jam up ahead, right under the wrought-iron gateway that arched over the entrance to the quarter, he swung his pedicab into a sharp right on K Street and disappeared around the corner.
“Where the hell you going?” asked Hardison. Without waiting for an answer, he pointed his pedicab off to the right too, and the cyclist chased after Eliot and his pedaler.
“Only two ways across the light rail between here and the convention center,” Eliot said. “The one on Fifth Avenue’s clogged. Next closest one’s at First.”
“Now how do you know that?” Hardison sounded offended.
“I don’t just look at maps, like you. I’ve been out getting the lay of the land. Right now it’s laid out before me like a racetrack, and there’s nothing between me and the finish line but open pavement.”
“Isn’t there an afterburner on this thing?” Hardison asked his pedaler. “Some kind of nitrous? How ’bout I buy you a Red Bull?”
Eliot snickered to himself the whole way. Nate couldn’t help but join in.”
Excerpt From: Matt Forbeck & Electric Entertainment. “The Con Job.” Berkley Boulevard Books, 2012-12-31. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
Check out this book on the iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-...
Seriously if you haven't read this do so immediately. If you love the show you will love this.
Here are two excerpts from The Con Job. in order to put all my favorite parts of the book I would have to copy the whole freakin thing so here are my top two favorites.
“With great leverage comes great justice.”
Excerpt From: Matt Forbeck & Electric Entertainment. “The Con Job.” Berkley Boulevard Books, 2012-12-31. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
“After dinner, Nate let Sophie talk him into taking a pedicab out to the Seaport Village shopping center north of the convention center. As their cyclist pedaled them along, Hardison passed them by in another pedicab, heading back toward the convention center itself.
“I told him I’d give him another twenty bucks if he’d beat you back to the hall,” Hardison’s voice said in Nate’s earpiece. “Wanna make him work for his money?”
Nate reached out to tap his cyclist on the shoulder and offer him a hundred dollars to blow past Hardison’s pedicab, but Sophie stopped him before he could do so. “Do you really want to get involved in that?” she said in a soft voice.
Nate opened his mouth to say yes, yes he did, but when he looked into Sophie’s eyes, he realized it wasn’t true. Not today, at least. “I suppose not,” he said as he leaned back farther in the pedicab and put his arm around her shoulders.
A moment later, another pedicab came zipping past, the driver standing up on his pedals, his legs pumping as hard as if he had Lance Armstrong on his tail. Eliot stood tall in the cab, balancing in it like a Roman charioteer in a race, shouting encouragement at his cyclist. He caught up with Hardison’s pedicab within half a block and blasted past it.
“Eat my dust!” Eliot said as he goaded his cyclist faster.”
“Hey!” Hardison said in protest. “I wasn’t talking to you!”
Despite that, Nate saw him take a bill out of his pocket and stuff it in his cyclist’s back pocket. “And there’s another hundred in it for you if you beat him!” Hardison said to the pedaler.
The pair of cyclists sped off through the Gaslamp Quarter at top speed, jockeying for position as they raced down Fifth Avenue. When Eliot’s cyclist spotted a traffic jam up ahead, right under the wrought-iron gateway that arched over the entrance to the quarter, he swung his pedicab into a sharp right on K Street and disappeared around the corner.
“Where the hell you going?” asked Hardison. Without waiting for an answer, he pointed his pedicab off to the right too, and the cyclist chased after Eliot and his pedaler.
“Only two ways across the light rail between here and the convention center,” Eliot said. “The one on Fifth Avenue’s clogged. Next closest one’s at First.”
“Now how do you know that?” Hardison sounded offended.
“I don’t just look at maps, like you. I’ve been out getting the lay of the land. Right now it’s laid out before me like a racetrack, and there’s nothing between me and the finish line but open pavement.”
“Isn’t there an afterburner on this thing?” Hardison asked his pedaler. “Some kind of nitrous? How ’bout I buy you a Red Bull?”
Eliot snickered to himself the whole way. Nate couldn’t help but join in.”
Excerpt From: Matt Forbeck & Electric Entertainment. “The Con Job.” Berkley Boulevard Books, 2012-12-31. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
Check out this book on the iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-...
Seriously if you haven't read this do so immediately. If you love the show you will love this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2013
You can read the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/01/...
Shadowhawk reviews the first Leverage novel, based on the hit TV show created by John Rogers and Chris Downey.
“Matt Forbeck strikes again in a love letter to geeks and nerds.” ~The Founding Fields
Matt Forbeck is undeniably my favourite author, and over the last one year, definitely the one I’ve read the most, with seven novels and eight comics that were all released in 2012. And 2013 is shaping up to be rather nice as well since he is wrapping up his 12-for-12 project hopefully in February and releasing the remaining eight novels of the project thereafter. 12-for-12 is his Kickstarter-funded project where he attempted to write a novel each month last year. He didn’t quite hit the mark since he had some contractual writing to do as well and he had an illness as well, but he has been speeding through on the project lately and it is going to be wrapping up as soon as already mentioned.
When Matt announced Leverage: The Con Job last year, I was quite hesitant of the book since I have never seen the show, nor have I read any TV show tie-in fiction other than a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel ages ago back in high school. But knowing that Matt was writing it, that was enough to get me to read it. Which I did. And to no one’s surprise I’m sure, I loved it.
The premise of the show, going off the little bits I’ve read on Wiki and the book itself, is that there is this group of con-men and con-women who are modern-day Robin Hoods, in that their cons are all to help people who have been taken advantage of in one way or another. In Con Job for example, the team’s tech expert Alec Hardison calls in leader Nate Ford to help an ill comics artist get his money back. Said artist has been scammed of his art prints and other related things under the guise of finding him a buyer for all of it, when all he wants to do is sell them off at an auction and keep the money for himself. From the start, this has the makings of a great story, because of the simple reason that the person the team is helping is a comics artist. Geek points there!
From there on, the story moves to sunny Calfornia as the team arrives in San Diego for the world-famous San Diego Comic Con, the biggest such con in North America, where the scammer (an aspiring but untalented artist himself) is holding his auction. And as it turns out, the team conning the scammer isn’t the be all for the story since there are much darker things in the background, because the scammer, Lorenzo Patronus, has some pretty bad people funding him. And yes, I know that’s a terrible name for someone, but hey, embrace your inner geek and all that.
What I like about this book is that it is very approachable. I have no experience with any of these characters or the world, but I felt right at home when I was reading the book. It’s very much a stand-alone book, and I love that aspect of it since it was one of my concerns when I picked it up. This is a good thing in that it helps to draw readers in and makes them comfortable in the experience. For a certain percentage of these readers, such as me, it also creates an interest in watching the TV series itself. It does come recommended to me! Matt certainly gets points for that too.
The characters are definitely the highlight of the book. Given the large cast, there isn’t enough time spent with them all, particularly Nate and Sophie, but we get to see quite a bit of Eliot and Alec, and these two guys are perfect. If these two ever became the stars of a “buddy-cop” style novel/movie/TV series, I’d be all up for that. Alec in particularly because The Con Job is a geek’s delight, given where it takes place. Not to mention the cameos by Stan Lee, Warren Ellis, and Jim Lee, who are all some of the biggest names in comics for the last several years (Stan in particular is practically ancient). And that’s where Matt Forbeck really grabs the pulse of the story: connecting this ginormous geek experience, the SDCC, and connecting it to the Leverage characters as he does. Whether it’s Alec talking all the time about geek solidarity and geek culture, or Parker expressing an interest in geeky stuff to spend more time with Alec, or Eliot and Alec talking about one of Eliot’s impersonations for the con the team is putting in place, this book is filled to the brim with all things geeky.
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/01/...
Shadowhawk reviews the first Leverage novel, based on the hit TV show created by John Rogers and Chris Downey.
“Matt Forbeck strikes again in a love letter to geeks and nerds.” ~The Founding Fields
Matt Forbeck is undeniably my favourite author, and over the last one year, definitely the one I’ve read the most, with seven novels and eight comics that were all released in 2012. And 2013 is shaping up to be rather nice as well since he is wrapping up his 12-for-12 project hopefully in February and releasing the remaining eight novels of the project thereafter. 12-for-12 is his Kickstarter-funded project where he attempted to write a novel each month last year. He didn’t quite hit the mark since he had some contractual writing to do as well and he had an illness as well, but he has been speeding through on the project lately and it is going to be wrapping up as soon as already mentioned.
When Matt announced Leverage: The Con Job last year, I was quite hesitant of the book since I have never seen the show, nor have I read any TV show tie-in fiction other than a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel ages ago back in high school. But knowing that Matt was writing it, that was enough to get me to read it. Which I did. And to no one’s surprise I’m sure, I loved it.
The premise of the show, going off the little bits I’ve read on Wiki and the book itself, is that there is this group of con-men and con-women who are modern-day Robin Hoods, in that their cons are all to help people who have been taken advantage of in one way or another. In Con Job for example, the team’s tech expert Alec Hardison calls in leader Nate Ford to help an ill comics artist get his money back. Said artist has been scammed of his art prints and other related things under the guise of finding him a buyer for all of it, when all he wants to do is sell them off at an auction and keep the money for himself. From the start, this has the makings of a great story, because of the simple reason that the person the team is helping is a comics artist. Geek points there!
From there on, the story moves to sunny Calfornia as the team arrives in San Diego for the world-famous San Diego Comic Con, the biggest such con in North America, where the scammer (an aspiring but untalented artist himself) is holding his auction. And as it turns out, the team conning the scammer isn’t the be all for the story since there are much darker things in the background, because the scammer, Lorenzo Patronus, has some pretty bad people funding him. And yes, I know that’s a terrible name for someone, but hey, embrace your inner geek and all that.
What I like about this book is that it is very approachable. I have no experience with any of these characters or the world, but I felt right at home when I was reading the book. It’s very much a stand-alone book, and I love that aspect of it since it was one of my concerns when I picked it up. This is a good thing in that it helps to draw readers in and makes them comfortable in the experience. For a certain percentage of these readers, such as me, it also creates an interest in watching the TV series itself. It does come recommended to me! Matt certainly gets points for that too.
The characters are definitely the highlight of the book. Given the large cast, there isn’t enough time spent with them all, particularly Nate and Sophie, but we get to see quite a bit of Eliot and Alec, and these two guys are perfect. If these two ever became the stars of a “buddy-cop” style novel/movie/TV series, I’d be all up for that. Alec in particularly because The Con Job is a geek’s delight, given where it takes place. Not to mention the cameos by Stan Lee, Warren Ellis, and Jim Lee, who are all some of the biggest names in comics for the last several years (Stan in particular is practically ancient). And that’s where Matt Forbeck really grabs the pulse of the story: connecting this ginormous geek experience, the SDCC, and connecting it to the Leverage characters as he does. Whether it’s Alec talking all the time about geek solidarity and geek culture, or Parker expressing an interest in geeky stuff to spend more time with Alec, or Eliot and Alec talking about one of Eliot’s impersonations for the con the team is putting in place, this book is filled to the brim with all things geeky.
October 21, 2020
4 STARS
When I learned that there were three tie-in novels for Leverage, I worried. Tie-ins, historically, have disappointed me deeply. Why take my chances on yet another one and only to set it aside in defeat?
Thankfully, that’s not the case with The Con Job. The first of the three Leverage tie-ins, it’s a little more Hardison-centric (he gets to run a con at a con, y’all!), and it’s a blast. Sure the writing sometimes strikes me as “dude who writes 250 page mystery novels all the time and they all have the same flavor,” but somehow? It also excels in capturing the unique voices and behaviors of the main cast.
And it spends more time with Eliot, Hardison, and Parker than it does with Sophie and Nate. Nothing against Sophie (I actually think she’s a delight), a little something against Nate (he’s a genius, but definitely also a jerk), but at the end of the day, I love anything that centers the OT3, individually or as a group.
Plus, there is a particular recurring antagonist Eliot gets to wallop, some choice pre-canon Pardison content (this takes place before the S3 finale), and overall, just some cons on a fun romp through a con! Any issues with the quality or style of the writing take a back seat since it was such fun.
CW: loss of a loved one, violence (including gun violence)
When I learned that there were three tie-in novels for Leverage, I worried. Tie-ins, historically, have disappointed me deeply. Why take my chances on yet another one and only to set it aside in defeat?
Thankfully, that’s not the case with The Con Job. The first of the three Leverage tie-ins, it’s a little more Hardison-centric (he gets to run a con at a con, y’all!), and it’s a blast. Sure the writing sometimes strikes me as “dude who writes 250 page mystery novels all the time and they all have the same flavor,” but somehow? It also excels in capturing the unique voices and behaviors of the main cast.
And it spends more time with Eliot, Hardison, and Parker than it does with Sophie and Nate. Nothing against Sophie (I actually think she’s a delight), a little something against Nate (he’s a genius, but definitely also a jerk), but at the end of the day, I love anything that centers the OT3, individually or as a group.
Plus, there is a particular recurring antagonist Eliot gets to wallop, some choice pre-canon Pardison content (this takes place before the S3 finale), and overall, just some cons on a fun romp through a con! Any issues with the quality or style of the writing take a back seat since it was such fun.
CW: loss of a loved one, violence (including gun violence)
November 20, 2013
Leverage is a major fandom for me and I want to like the books badly. But I can't even finish this one. I really can't. One of my beloved characters has been kidnapped and we haven't heard from them in ages, and I am walking away because I can't stand my cringe level any longer.
I'm rather suspicious that the author has much of any familiarity with the tv show, as characterization here is sketchy at best (Parker's led "a sheltered life"? Nate's easily emotionally vulnerable? Eliot's practically dimwitted, and whiny?). Elements like the Elliot/Hardison banter that the author focuses on so intently are nearly generic and begin to grate. Action sequences are described so badly that I frequently have to reread passages multiple times to piece together what's going on. Dialogue is often stilted. The prose is clunky. The basics of proper sentence structure can't be relied on to show up consistently. There's a hell of a lot of the author explaining characters rather than showing them via plot or behavior. Even the geek joy of watching Hardison attend Comic-con is used poorly and wears thin.
I am fervently hoping that this was simply a rush job with the series' cancellation on the horizon, and that the books get better.
I'm rather suspicious that the author has much of any familiarity with the tv show, as characterization here is sketchy at best (Parker's led "a sheltered life"? Nate's easily emotionally vulnerable? Eliot's practically dimwitted, and whiny?). Elements like the Elliot/Hardison banter that the author focuses on so intently are nearly generic and begin to grate. Action sequences are described so badly that I frequently have to reread passages multiple times to piece together what's going on. Dialogue is often stilted. The prose is clunky. The basics of proper sentence structure can't be relied on to show up consistently. There's a hell of a lot of the author explaining characters rather than showing them via plot or behavior. Even the geek joy of watching Hardison attend Comic-con is used poorly and wears thin.
I am fervently hoping that this was simply a rush job with the series' cancellation on the horizon, and that the books get better.
August 11, 2014
The Con Job is a cleverly-titled Leverage tie-in, because the con is being perpetrated at San Diego's Comic-Con. Get it? Writer Matt Forbeck does a good job of translating the TV show's characters into book form, and he certainly puts his research (or experience) of conventions to good use in this caper about faked comic book art, wronged artists and dangerous hentai magnates, with nods to cosplay, nerf sword fighting and backroom role-playing. As a piece of writing, it feels padded (do I need to know what Sophie thinks of Crisis on Infinite Earths?) and makes its points several times over. It could probably have been half the size. Maybe some of the explanations will be useful to non-geeks and help them get immersed into the world Hardison references so frequently. I don't know. I still give it a passing grade. It's a fun romp, with special guest-stars and amusing situations, at a location/event that feels well-researched, even if it needn't have been brought into play so entirely.
March 4, 2016
The potential was there. I mean, it had all the elements: great set-up, solid con job, compelling bad guy, and a Wil Wheaton cameo.
And it just...it could have been better. The dialog was stilted, and I feel like the continual revisiting of Nate's son was overkill. If you watched the show, you know about it. If you didn't watch the show, the odds that you'd find and be interested in the book are pretty slim.
The climactic end scene went on way too long, there was a superfluous and poorly motivated second bad guy, the conclusion was oddly in satisfying and it took too long to get there.
The book gets three stars for the Stan Lee cameo.
Also: I'm not positive where in the Leverage timeline these books are supposed to fall...and neither is the writer.
And it just...it could have been better. The dialog was stilted, and I feel like the continual revisiting of Nate's son was overkill. If you watched the show, you know about it. If you didn't watch the show, the odds that you'd find and be interested in the book are pretty slim.
The climactic end scene went on way too long, there was a superfluous and poorly motivated second bad guy, the conclusion was oddly in satisfying and it took too long to get there.
The book gets three stars for the Stan Lee cameo.
Also: I'm not positive where in the Leverage timeline these books are supposed to fall...and neither is the writer.
February 6, 2017
Finished in one day! I actually recorded a podcast episode with the author, Matt Forbeck, back in December before his Star Wars: Rogue One Junior novelization came out and we chatted about this book for awhile.
The Con Job is a wonderful look into an off season job they pull and it's right up Hardison's alley. They get to go to San Diego Comic Con. You get to spend time with each of the characters, but clearly Hardison is the one having the most fun. Everyone gets their moment and there are some incredibly great pop culture call outs in the book too.
If you loved Leverage and you love to read, pick up this book. If you love BOTH plus love pop culture/geek culture, even better.
The Con Job is a wonderful look into an off season job they pull and it's right up Hardison's alley. They get to go to San Diego Comic Con. You get to spend time with each of the characters, but clearly Hardison is the one having the most fun. Everyone gets their moment and there are some incredibly great pop culture call outs in the book too.
If you loved Leverage and you love to read, pick up this book. If you love BOTH plus love pop culture/geek culture, even better.
January 9, 2013
There was a lot of backstory that I didn't need as a fan of the show, but I think that's the nature of a tie-in novel. It's a tough balance to strike between giving a lot of background for the new fans, and not overloading long-time fans. But the con was excellent, and the characterizations and dialog was spot-on. I loved the backdrop of comic books and Comic-Con, and once I really got into it, it was quite good.
So, long time Leverage fans can skim the backstory, and new Leverage fans can get a great idea of the team dynamics. Altogether, an enjoyable read.
So, long time Leverage fans can skim the backstory, and new Leverage fans can get a great idea of the team dynamics. Altogether, an enjoyable read.
October 11, 2014
This book exceeded my expectations. It is just like it would be if it was a normal episode of Leverage, but better. Since it's in a book, you read what each person is thinking whereas if it was in a TV episode, you wouldn't really know. Mr. Forbeck, you did this book justice and I thank you sooooooooo much for that. You deserve a high-five. :)
March 19, 2022
An enjoyable read. A little bit pulpy and the writing in some sections is repetitive (mentioning the same thing in almost exactly the same way only a chapter or two apart) as well as having some editing errors that can take readers out of the story. If you can get past the fact it feels a bit too much like fan-service at times, a fun, Leverage-like romp!
January 13, 2013
A great read for all Leverage fans, especially those of us mourning its cancellation. It reads like a great episode with fast pacing, a perfect setting, a believable con, and fabulous character moments for all. I can't wait for more!
December 4, 2018
12/3/18 reread. Miss the show💚
December 28, 2019
It's really more of a 4 but I'm giving it a 5 for now. Mini review WIP, but probably not anytime soon.
October 17, 2020
Roughly fourth season of the show, the crew goes to CCI San Diego...
Having been to Comic-Con International in San Diego every year between1992 and 2019, and having just researched all 5 seasons of Leverage I started this book hoping it would capture the best of both, but also a little afraid of setting my expectations too high, and being too familiar with Comic-Con. That being said, I really enjoyed this book... It's not perfect, but it is closer to the mark than I had dared hope.
The author captures the tone, voice and nature of Sophie, Nate, Hardison, Eliot, and Parker, and uses narration instead of internal dialogue to really explore what makes the characters tick, and venture into territory that the show edged up to, but wasn't always able to get right to. (A great example is a narrative passage for Eliot on why it is important when Parker shows emotion.)
Parker has an entertaining breaking scene, that in many ways feels right out of the show, unfortunately I don't think the place she breaks into would have had the information she was seeking... The difference between the convention Center offices, and Comic-Con International's offices being, among other things, that they aren't in the same building, little things like that gave me pause, but didn't ruin the reading experience.
Overall, the plot worked for me, even when some of the "how Comic-Con International" operates/happens missed the mark. This story captured the 'Let's go Steal a...' feel from the show, and in many respects understood the way this event takes over a portion of the city.
Other reviews mentioned glitches/errors in the text, I'll note I found very few of those in the edition I read.
Having been to Comic-Con International in San Diego every year between1992 and 2019, and having just researched all 5 seasons of Leverage I started this book hoping it would capture the best of both, but also a little afraid of setting my expectations too high, and being too familiar with Comic-Con. That being said, I really enjoyed this book... It's not perfect, but it is closer to the mark than I had dared hope.
The author captures the tone, voice and nature of Sophie, Nate, Hardison, Eliot, and Parker, and uses narration instead of internal dialogue to really explore what makes the characters tick, and venture into territory that the show edged up to, but wasn't always able to get right to. (A great example is a narrative passage for Eliot on why it is important when Parker shows emotion.)
Parker has an entertaining breaking scene, that in many ways feels right out of the show, unfortunately I don't think the place she breaks into would have had the information she was seeking... The difference between the convention Center offices, and Comic-Con International's offices being, among other things, that they aren't in the same building, little things like that gave me pause, but didn't ruin the reading experience.
Overall, the plot worked for me, even when some of the "how Comic-Con International" operates/happens missed the mark. This story captured the 'Let's go Steal a...' feel from the show, and in many respects understood the way this event takes over a portion of the city.
Other reviews mentioned glitches/errors in the text, I'll note I found very few of those in the edition I read.
March 8, 2020
I wanted something faster paced and with more action after Bradley’s lengthy novel, so the The Con Job, a Leverage novel, by Matt Forbeck was perfect. “Leverage” is a TV series based on a group of 5 criminals who turn white hats and start stealing and conning the bad guys, helping the people who have been hurt by them. It’s an excellent TV series and I highly suggest it.
The Con Job is set at the San Diego Comic-Con International, which is a treat. The main bad guy is a swindler who’s con’ed several comic book artists out of their original artwork without ever paying them. The Leverage crew, Nate, Sophie, Parker, Eliot and Hardison, set out to out-con the con man and get the artist’s money and artwork back. As they dig deeper into the con though, they find more and more dangers lurking there that could put one of their lives at risk.
As I expected with a Leverage novel, this was fast-paced and witty. There was more internal dialogue than the other two I’ve read. I’m chalking that up to this is the first in the series (I unintentionally read them out of order) so the author was feeling the need to introduce them. I also enjoyed the inserts in the later novels detailing how the crew pulled off their plans. That was much more similar to the flashback scenes that you get in the series.
Despite those preferences, I still thoroughly enjoyed being in the Leverage universe again and am sad that this is the last print book. I shall have to go watch the series yet again!
The Con Job is set at the San Diego Comic-Con International, which is a treat. The main bad guy is a swindler who’s con’ed several comic book artists out of their original artwork without ever paying them. The Leverage crew, Nate, Sophie, Parker, Eliot and Hardison, set out to out-con the con man and get the artist’s money and artwork back. As they dig deeper into the con though, they find more and more dangers lurking there that could put one of their lives at risk.
As I expected with a Leverage novel, this was fast-paced and witty. There was more internal dialogue than the other two I’ve read. I’m chalking that up to this is the first in the series (I unintentionally read them out of order) so the author was feeling the need to introduce them. I also enjoyed the inserts in the later novels detailing how the crew pulled off their plans. That was much more similar to the flashback scenes that you get in the series.
Despite those preferences, I still thoroughly enjoyed being in the Leverage universe again and am sad that this is the last print book. I shall have to go watch the series yet again!
September 11, 2023
The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. We provide... leverage.
I loved the tv series, and am enjoying the new one as well. The concept and the characters really appeal to me, and they did a good job fleshing them out over five seasons.
When I heard the title for this one, I thought it was lazy at first. I mean, a story about a team of con artists called "The Con Job"? But, as it turns out, it's the perfect title. Because while yes, the con is on, the majority of the story is actually at San Diego Comic Con.
This story is a love letter to cons, comic books, and the Leverage TV show. I am not familiar with Matt Forbeck, but if he's not a comic fan and a con attendee, he has done a great job researching. Many of the situations and comments were things I've seen or done as a fan and con goer myself.
My only complaint is that, while yes, there's a tradition of the Leverage crew using in-jokes as aliases on jobs, using Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Jeffery Mace (the Patriot/Captain America), and Jess Drew (Spider-Woman) at comic con was begging to get caught a little too cute. There was also a small bit where a scene was repeated twice through the story (Hardison being surprised Eliot knows who Stan Lee is).
Other than that, a really enjoyable story and a great add on for fans of the tv series.
I loved the tv series, and am enjoying the new one as well. The concept and the characters really appeal to me, and they did a good job fleshing them out over five seasons.
When I heard the title for this one, I thought it was lazy at first. I mean, a story about a team of con artists called "The Con Job"? But, as it turns out, it's the perfect title. Because while yes, the con is on, the majority of the story is actually at San Diego Comic Con.
This story is a love letter to cons, comic books, and the Leverage TV show. I am not familiar with Matt Forbeck, but if he's not a comic fan and a con attendee, he has done a great job researching. Many of the situations and comments were things I've seen or done as a fan and con goer myself.
My only complaint is that, while yes, there's a tradition of the Leverage crew using in-jokes as aliases on jobs, using Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Jeffery Mace (the Patriot/Captain America), and Jess Drew (Spider-Woman) at comic con was begging to get caught a little too cute. There was also a small bit where a scene was repeated twice through the story (Hardison being surprised Eliot knows who Stan Lee is).
Other than that, a really enjoyable story and a great add on for fans of the tv series.
July 31, 2019
3.5/5
The Con Job was a pretty good book. For the most part it stayed in character, and I liked how the author described the characters. There was one point at the beginning that was a little weird, when Sophie was described as having a 'sly smile spreading over her sensual lips'. That was weird, but other than that the book was mostly in character. The premise was interesting, and I liked how excited Hardison was about ComicCon, and how he didn't want to take hotel reservations from other people who paid to be there.
Having Chaos there while also constantly mentioning Wil Wheaton was hilarious, especially considering how much Hardison was fanboying over Wheaton while absolutely hating Chaos.
I liked how near the end both Eliot and Parker bought cosplays from people, Eliot as a stormtrooper was a lot of fun. But having Parker dress as Slave Leia? Really? That was just... c'mon.
I was a little confused as to where in the timeline the book was set, I think it was set soon after The Gold Job but before The Radio Job, because Nate mentions how when Hardison ran a con it completely fell apart and he had to step in. But that was mentioned pretty late in the story, and it would've been nice to be told when in the timeline it was earlier in the book.
The Con Job was a pretty good book. For the most part it stayed in character, and I liked how the author described the characters. There was one point at the beginning that was a little weird, when Sophie was described as having a 'sly smile spreading over her sensual lips'. That was weird, but other than that the book was mostly in character. The premise was interesting, and I liked how excited Hardison was about ComicCon, and how he didn't want to take hotel reservations from other people who paid to be there.
Having Chaos there while also constantly mentioning Wil Wheaton was hilarious, especially considering how much Hardison was fanboying over Wheaton while absolutely hating Chaos.
I liked how near the end both Eliot and Parker bought cosplays from people, Eliot as a stormtrooper was a lot of fun. But having Parker dress as Slave Leia? Really? That was just... c'mon.
I was a little confused as to where in the timeline the book was set, I think it was set soon after The Gold Job but before The Radio Job, because Nate mentions how when Hardison ran a con it completely fell apart and he had to step in. But that was mentioned pretty late in the story, and it would've been nice to be told when in the timeline it was earlier in the book.
March 2, 2024
Ai yi yi.
I'm not sure this can be called fan service because this is certainly servicing the author himself. A bunch of heavy-handed comic-themed jokes that don't hit well, as well as truly the most non-subtle "wink winking" of it all makes this cringey. Like yeah, we get that Cha0s' actor is Wil Wheaton. You don't have to keep bringing both of them in the same sentence 28 times to make it work. Also, "cameos" of Stan Lee are shit because we know it's not real Stan Lee and it's a book. I like San Diego comic con enough but what I wanted was a leverage novel based on it, not a novel based in San Diego comic con with leverage quotes sprinkled into it. Really? "The rich and powerful take what they want" opening line just ripped and shoved into the first few pages of the book? Why not just make a novelization of an episode? That would've been so much better imho.
I'm not sure this can be called fan service because this is certainly servicing the author himself. A bunch of heavy-handed comic-themed jokes that don't hit well, as well as truly the most non-subtle "wink winking" of it all makes this cringey. Like yeah, we get that Cha0s' actor is Wil Wheaton. You don't have to keep bringing both of them in the same sentence 28 times to make it work. Also, "cameos" of Stan Lee are shit because we know it's not real Stan Lee and it's a book. I like San Diego comic con enough but what I wanted was a leverage novel based on it, not a novel based in San Diego comic con with leverage quotes sprinkled into it. Really? "The rich and powerful take what they want" opening line just ripped and shoved into the first few pages of the book? Why not just make a novelization of an episode? That would've been so much better imho.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2013
So, this started off okay, but I do have some minor issues already.
The teaser starts off with Simon Curtiss who's just been to his wife's funereal. It's never stated how old he is, but since a daughter is mentioned being in the house, you get the sense that Simon might be 40-50. Next chapter: Simon's in the hospital and his daughter, Susan, has gone to the Leverage team to ask for help finding her father's stolen original comics art. So while Nate is studying her during their meeting, he guesses her age to be about 50. ... So that means her father is probably closer to 70 years old. It sort of threw me, since I was trying to get a sense for these characters that were quickly introduced. During the meeting, Susan mentions she's married, but for some reason is still going by the last name "Curtiss", and a few paragraphs later, Nate actually addresses her as "Ms. Curtiss". Soooooooo. Again, it could be explainable: Susan's kept her own name following marriage (or maybe they are life partners and not legally married), but the "Ms."? It just seems like too many silly little mistakes for the first eight pages of the book.
Also an issue: the first chapter ends with Nate telling Susan the spiel that ends the TV theme of Leverage, that was also stated as dialogue (or monologue) in the series' Pilot. It's just a little cheesy; I'm not sure if it's meant to reach an audience unfamiliar with the TV series, or is there for some "dramatic" reason, or because it's trying to "sound" like the show.
More issues:
Again, I know since I've only seen the first two seasons of Leverage, I'm going off knowledge/assumptions that may have changed in S3-S5, but I can't help being nitpicky about this book.
I just don't think that Nate and Sophie would "grin" at the rest of the team as they "file into the bar" where Nate and Sophie are waiting. The only ones I've ever seen grin on the show are Parker and Hardison. The rest of them are more "soft smile" types or "quick smile" or "half smile" types.
Then there's the little thing with Parker making weird faces while she's talking to the rest of the team over their communicators. I get the sense that the author really doesn't know how to write Parker and is just over-exaggerating her mannerisms and behavior to compensate. Same thing with Eliot, though at least the author does write Eliot in action scenes pretty well.
Right now, I'm just past page 50 but I'm so unbelievably bored with the plot. I wish the chapters were a bit longer and each didn't end with a ridiculous line that is meant to move the plot (I think that's the purpose of them, anyway). I've also noticed the sentence structure isn't done well; I've had to read several sentences several times to get meaning; the punctuation is also off, and some of the word choices are very strange. I'm also distracted by the fact that one of the characters is named Patronus—it just makes me think of "Harry Potter". (Note: it was just acknowledged by Hardison that the character stole his name from "a Harry Potter spell".)
Just an observation: With all the time being spent on exposition about comics, drawing them, the comic book world, etc., I sort of get the sense that the author might be a bit like his character Patronus—trying to showcase his original yet not at all up to par work (be it "art" or "writing"). The thing is, with these types of "published fanfiction novels", most of these "authors" are really no good at writing books. Some do give it a good effort, but many seem to miss the mark when it comes getting down our beloved characters. Real fans will notice differences. Sometimes it's just better to search the web, because good fanfictions do exist. Buyer beware!
Next chapter: We have Eliot apparently decked out in some Comic-Con-esque costume outfit. In the first chapter of the book, it was sort of established that Eliot wasn't into comics, that he occasionally saw spy type movies for fun, and that he thinks the whole Comic-Con thing is ridiculous. Yet, when he spots a group of people dressed as Storm Troops, "he" observes they "look authentic", even "naming" which movie they are from, "notes" that their weapons look accurate—though not functional—and that there are women in the group whose outfits have been "adjusted to fit their curves".
Yet Eliot's first bit of dialogue (following his complaining about his stupid outfit) is "They don't look like anyone, anywhere real." (I have a huge problem with this sentence too: it lacks sense. It couldn't have just said "They don't like anyone real"?) Then there's exposition from Hardison explaining what was basically already said in the above paragraph. So I'm totally confused—why were those "observations" supposedly "seen" from Eliot's POV? I'm also getting tired of the way Eliot is portrayed—the author makes him out to be a stock character, just muscle without any intelligence, also someone whiny, all things that Eliot is not.
Another chapter and another glaring typo: "a jeans"—as referring to what a person is wearing, a T-shirt and "a jeans". More awful sentence structure. And the characterization is totally off. I have no idea what this "author" was thinking—did he base these "characters" off scripts he happened to read or see five minutes of an episode and decide he "knew all he needed to know" about the characters?
I've decided to stop reading after hitting about 70 pages. I'm so bored and annoyed over all the errors and other issues I mentioned above that I feel I'm wasting my time reading it. The blurb on the back of the book makes it sound like the plot would be so much fun, but it's truly not. I did skim some of the rest to see if I was missing anything, but I really wasn't.
The teaser starts off with Simon Curtiss who's just been to his wife's funereal. It's never stated how old he is, but since a daughter is mentioned being in the house, you get the sense that Simon might be 40-50. Next chapter: Simon's in the hospital and his daughter, Susan, has gone to the Leverage team to ask for help finding her father's stolen original comics art. So while Nate is studying her during their meeting, he guesses her age to be about 50. ... So that means her father is probably closer to 70 years old. It sort of threw me, since I was trying to get a sense for these characters that were quickly introduced. During the meeting, Susan mentions she's married, but for some reason is still going by the last name "Curtiss", and a few paragraphs later, Nate actually addresses her as "Ms. Curtiss". Soooooooo. Again, it could be explainable: Susan's kept her own name following marriage (or maybe they are life partners and not legally married), but the "Ms."? It just seems like too many silly little mistakes for the first eight pages of the book.
Also an issue: the first chapter ends with Nate telling Susan the spiel that ends the TV theme of Leverage, that was also stated as dialogue (or monologue) in the series' Pilot. It's just a little cheesy; I'm not sure if it's meant to reach an audience unfamiliar with the TV series, or is there for some "dramatic" reason, or because it's trying to "sound" like the show.
More issues:
Again, I know since I've only seen the first two seasons of Leverage, I'm going off knowledge/assumptions that may have changed in S3-S5, but I can't help being nitpicky about this book.
I just don't think that Nate and Sophie would "grin" at the rest of the team as they "file into the bar" where Nate and Sophie are waiting. The only ones I've ever seen grin on the show are Parker and Hardison. The rest of them are more "soft smile" types or "quick smile" or "half smile" types.
Then there's the little thing with Parker making weird faces while she's talking to the rest of the team over their communicators. I get the sense that the author really doesn't know how to write Parker and is just over-exaggerating her mannerisms and behavior to compensate. Same thing with Eliot, though at least the author does write Eliot in action scenes pretty well.
Right now, I'm just past page 50 but I'm so unbelievably bored with the plot. I wish the chapters were a bit longer and each didn't end with a ridiculous line that is meant to move the plot (I think that's the purpose of them, anyway). I've also noticed the sentence structure isn't done well; I've had to read several sentences several times to get meaning; the punctuation is also off, and some of the word choices are very strange. I'm also distracted by the fact that one of the characters is named Patronus—it just makes me think of "Harry Potter". (Note: it was just acknowledged by Hardison that the character stole his name from "a Harry Potter spell".)
Just an observation: With all the time being spent on exposition about comics, drawing them, the comic book world, etc., I sort of get the sense that the author might be a bit like his character Patronus—trying to showcase his original yet not at all up to par work (be it "art" or "writing"). The thing is, with these types of "published fanfiction novels", most of these "authors" are really no good at writing books. Some do give it a good effort, but many seem to miss the mark when it comes getting down our beloved characters. Real fans will notice differences. Sometimes it's just better to search the web, because good fanfictions do exist. Buyer beware!
Next chapter: We have Eliot apparently decked out in some Comic-Con-esque costume outfit. In the first chapter of the book, it was sort of established that Eliot wasn't into comics, that he occasionally saw spy type movies for fun, and that he thinks the whole Comic-Con thing is ridiculous. Yet, when he spots a group of people dressed as Storm Troops, "he" observes they "look authentic", even "naming" which movie they are from, "notes" that their weapons look accurate—though not functional—and that there are women in the group whose outfits have been "adjusted to fit their curves".
Yet Eliot's first bit of dialogue (following his complaining about his stupid outfit) is "They don't look like anyone, anywhere real." (I have a huge problem with this sentence too: it lacks sense. It couldn't have just said "They don't like anyone real"?) Then there's exposition from Hardison explaining what was basically already said in the above paragraph. So I'm totally confused—why were those "observations" supposedly "seen" from Eliot's POV? I'm also getting tired of the way Eliot is portrayed—the author makes him out to be a stock character, just muscle without any intelligence, also someone whiny, all things that Eliot is not.
Another chapter and another glaring typo: "a jeans"—as referring to what a person is wearing, a T-shirt and "a jeans". More awful sentence structure. And the characterization is totally off. I have no idea what this "author" was thinking—did he base these "characters" off scripts he happened to read or see five minutes of an episode and decide he "knew all he needed to know" about the characters?
I've decided to stop reading after hitting about 70 pages. I'm so bored and annoyed over all the errors and other issues I mentioned above that I feel I'm wasting my time reading it. The blurb on the back of the book makes it sound like the plot would be so much fun, but it's truly not. I did skim some of the rest to see if I was missing anything, but I really wasn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2018
Recently I've began rewatching one of my favourite series - Leverage. When I learned about the tie-in books I just had to try them.
This one... wasn't bad. It wasn't particularly good either, unfortunately.
Now, I consider myself a bit of a nerd/geek but this was overdosed with popculture references. Don't get me wrong, based on the setting, it did make sense... but still I found it a bit distracting.
The con itself wasn't that bad, maybe on the simple side (which isn't bad!) with a couple of big complications and plot twists along the way.
What I really liked is how the book did very good job at keeping the "voices" of the characters from the show as well as their mannerisms.
This one... wasn't bad. It wasn't particularly good either, unfortunately.
Now, I consider myself a bit of a nerd/geek but this was overdosed with popculture references. Don't get me wrong, based on the setting, it did make sense... but still I found it a bit distracting.
The con itself wasn't that bad, maybe on the simple side (which isn't bad!) with a couple of big complications and plot twists along the way.
What I really liked is how the book did very good job at keeping the "voices" of the characters from the show as well as their mannerisms.
April 16, 2013
The Con Job is a tie-in novel for the (now sadly cancelled) show "Leverage," which is about five criminals who break the law in order to punish the rich and powerful, people who steal from others yet cannot be held accountable by legal means. The show was a fun romp, made more enjoyable by the character dynamics and the banter rather than the twists at the end showing how they pulled off each con, so I wasn't going into it expecting a wildly clever mystery story. And Forbeck seems to get why "Leverage" is well loved, because he capitalizes on the humor and quirkiness of the characters rather than trying too hard to bait-and-switch us with the story. The very premise is snug in the show's wheelhouse about a corrupt art auctioneer who swindles poor comic book freelancers and plans to sell off his profits at Comic Con, eschewing the more straight played corporate villains for the over the top appeal of people dressed up in spandex and a villain who takes his name from Harry Potter spells.
This set up gives a pretty clear indication of whether or not you'll like this story. For me, my favorite group of thieves and the pop culture Mecca of my dreams come together? Where even the title is a clever pun? Sign me up!
And I do say this: as a Leverage fan, it was fun to read. The chapters are short and breezy. You can see there is a familiarity with the characters, and a lot of the snappy comebacks and character interactions are well written here. In fact, this is probably one of the better dynamics I've gotten from Nate and Sophie in regards to their complicated relationship. If you don't think too much about the logistics, you'll find yourself tearing through it, waiting for the next one liner or team moment.
However, enjoyment can be somewhat detracted by the narrative's contradictions, both in the show and its previous set up. One example is as giving us fifty pages of Hardison's passion for all things Comic Con then a line about "whereas Hardison cultivated an air of coolness, Cha0s embraced his geekiness" which is flagrantly the furthest thing from Hardison's Star Trek loving fanboy heart. I can guess the author meant that Hardison had social skills to be likeable aside from his geek interests and Cha0s is just an awful human being, but there are a lot of these narrative comments about personality that are the opposite of previous established motives.
Another running example is Parker being alternatively described as an innocent and supremely guarded (but, to be fair, the show was guilty of not knowing which direction to pick with her), or Eliot's gruff too-cool-for-this-shit exterior belying a soft spot for some of the more mainstream geekiness, which I understand is supposed to show his reluctance to admit anything that might be less than dignified, especially when it is introduced to him by Hardison's enthusiasm for it, but the narration flips in handling it so it seems more schizophrenic at times than Eliot being secretly nerdy.
I think a lot of the novel's problems comes from how unpolished it feels. There are statements of the narrative that get jolted into expository flashbacks and shunt back into the plot with little transition. There are sentences that contradict previously stated character moments, or get a little redundant. Some of them seem vaguely in comprehensible, like a good editor forgot a word to parse it together. It feels rushed for a professional endeavor, basically. Like a promising first draft that sadly never got the beta reading to make it great. Or well invested fanfiction.
For example, many of the plot problems come from minor tics. Such as the use of pseudonyms. Now, it's in character for Hardison to make geeky references on a con, but this novel has him using comic book aliases in a comic book convention and the villain does it too, which is nitpicky but a really bad start at making this seem plausible if nobody is even trying to be subtle about it. At the same time, "Leverage" has had its moments of needing to suspend disbelief over a large canyon, so show runner fans might give those logistical gaps a pass from criticism.
Another issue, which can also be seen as a strength, is how much you can tell the author is a fan of the genre he's describing. These offhanded references to BleedingCool.com or well known artists like Alex Ross and Jim Lee are nice winks to fellow fans like me, I enjoyed knowing all the tidbits being thrown in, but someone reading it for the story might get sick of all these random asides that really don't further the plot and might only confuse them more, such as the constant comments about Will Wheaton (who plays Cha0s in "Leverage" but was also in Star Trek). The novel would have done a lot better to incorporate the geek culture of comics and the con in a more seamless fashion than constant references and some vague acknowledgements from the rest of the crew about how it affected them. However, I personally loved some of those moments and felt they contributed more than took away when collectively measured.
Overall, it's definitely not a novel I would recommend to readers who didn't already know and love Leverage. There was a lot of stuff to enjoy from The Con Job but it comes from a pre-existing love of the characters and scenario that can gloss over the clunky moments of writing or plot development. Still, that love is very palpable and the tone of the novel is a glowing fond one that doesn't condescend to its audience.
This set up gives a pretty clear indication of whether or not you'll like this story. For me, my favorite group of thieves and the pop culture Mecca of my dreams come together? Where even the title is a clever pun? Sign me up!
And I do say this: as a Leverage fan, it was fun to read. The chapters are short and breezy. You can see there is a familiarity with the characters, and a lot of the snappy comebacks and character interactions are well written here. In fact, this is probably one of the better dynamics I've gotten from Nate and Sophie in regards to their complicated relationship. If you don't think too much about the logistics, you'll find yourself tearing through it, waiting for the next one liner or team moment.
However, enjoyment can be somewhat detracted by the narrative's contradictions, both in the show and its previous set up. One example is as giving us fifty pages of Hardison's passion for all things Comic Con then a line about "whereas Hardison cultivated an air of coolness, Cha0s embraced his geekiness" which is flagrantly the furthest thing from Hardison's Star Trek loving fanboy heart. I can guess the author meant that Hardison had social skills to be likeable aside from his geek interests and Cha0s is just an awful human being, but there are a lot of these narrative comments about personality that are the opposite of previous established motives.
Another running example is Parker being alternatively described as an innocent and supremely guarded (but, to be fair, the show was guilty of not knowing which direction to pick with her), or Eliot's gruff too-cool-for-this-shit exterior belying a soft spot for some of the more mainstream geekiness, which I understand is supposed to show his reluctance to admit anything that might be less than dignified, especially when it is introduced to him by Hardison's enthusiasm for it, but the narration flips in handling it so it seems more schizophrenic at times than Eliot being secretly nerdy.
I think a lot of the novel's problems comes from how unpolished it feels. There are statements of the narrative that get jolted into expository flashbacks and shunt back into the plot with little transition. There are sentences that contradict previously stated character moments, or get a little redundant. Some of them seem vaguely in comprehensible, like a good editor forgot a word to parse it together. It feels rushed for a professional endeavor, basically. Like a promising first draft that sadly never got the beta reading to make it great. Or well invested fanfiction.
For example, many of the plot problems come from minor tics. Such as the use of pseudonyms. Now, it's in character for Hardison to make geeky references on a con, but this novel has him using comic book aliases in a comic book convention and the villain does it too, which is nitpicky but a really bad start at making this seem plausible if nobody is even trying to be subtle about it. At the same time, "Leverage" has had its moments of needing to suspend disbelief over a large canyon, so show runner fans might give those logistical gaps a pass from criticism.
Another issue, which can also be seen as a strength, is how much you can tell the author is a fan of the genre he's describing. These offhanded references to BleedingCool.com or well known artists like Alex Ross and Jim Lee are nice winks to fellow fans like me, I enjoyed knowing all the tidbits being thrown in, but someone reading it for the story might get sick of all these random asides that really don't further the plot and might only confuse them more, such as the constant comments about Will Wheaton (who plays Cha0s in "Leverage" but was also in Star Trek). The novel would have done a lot better to incorporate the geek culture of comics and the con in a more seamless fashion than constant references and some vague acknowledgements from the rest of the crew about how it affected them. However, I personally loved some of those moments and felt they contributed more than took away when collectively measured.
Overall, it's definitely not a novel I would recommend to readers who didn't already know and love Leverage. There was a lot of stuff to enjoy from The Con Job but it comes from a pre-existing love of the characters and scenario that can gloss over the clunky moments of writing or plot development. Still, that love is very palpable and the tone of the novel is a glowing fond one that doesn't condescend to its audience.
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