Spanish Fly

by Will Ferguson

Raised by his father in the dying town of Paradise Flats, Jack McGreary has learned to live by his wits. The year is 1939. Drought has turned America’s heartland into a dust bowl, and the world is on the brink of war. Jack’s father wants him to head north to Canada to sign up in the fight against Fascism. But when a pair of fast-talking swindlers named Virgil and Miss Rose blow through town, Jack falls in with them instead. Together, they go on a crime spree across the Southwest, staging a series of inventive and often hilarious cons, while sexual tension between Jack and Miss Rose grows ... Someone is being set up.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Historical Fiction, Novels, Crime, Literature, Adult

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

Will Ferguson is an award-winning travel writer and novelist. His last work of fiction, 419, won the Scotiabank Giller Prize. He has won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour a record-tying three times and has been nominated for both the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. His new novel, The Shoe on the Roof, will be released October 17, 2017. Visit him at WillFerguson.ca

Ferguson studied film production and screenwriting at York University in Toronto, graduating with a B.F.A. in 1990. He joined the Japan Exchange Teachers Programme (JET) soon after and spent five years in Asia. He married his wife Terumi in Kumamoto, Japan, in 1995. They now live in Calgary with their two sons. After coming back from Japan he experienced a reverse culture shock, which became the basis for his first book Why I Hate Canadians. With his brother, Ian Ferguson, he wrote the bestselling sequel How to be a Canadian. Ferguson details his experiences hitchhiking across Japan in Hokkaido Highway Blues (later retitled Hitching Rides with Buddha), his travels across Canada in Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw, and a journey through central Africa in Road Trip Rwanda. His debut novel, Happiness, was sold into 23 languages around the world. He has written for The New York Times, Esquire UK, and Canadian Geographic magazine.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in Texas during the Great Depression, Jack McGreary is a very bright young man with an erratic father who's fallen hard for the Drake Gold scam. His father's dreams of a building a house have gone up with the dust of topsoil that blows across the once-fertile prairies all the way into Canada. There's nothing in the small town of Paradise Flats - itself the scene of many swindles - to hold Jack. So in 1939 when Virgil Ray and Rose pass through the town conning shopkeepers out of their money, Jack - easily figuring out the swindle - doesn't just help them; he joins them.

With their "liar", as Virgil pronounces it (lair), above a diner run by a Chinaman in Silver City, New Mexico, the three drive their Nash Ambassador across the states of the American southwest, pulling cons and dancing to jazz everywhere they go with the rise of Nazi Germany buzzing in the background. With Jack's brains at work, they start pulling bigger and cleverer heists until one last ploy lands them in the middle of murder, and Jack's not sure whether he's being played by Virgil and Rose.

Ferguson has deftly recreated an era with intimate and what is probably flawless detail, a finely crafted historical novel exploring "the Golden Age of the Con" - and the cons are all real, as are the swindlers that pepper Virgil's talk when he gets going. The speech patterns, the bits and pieces of history in the form of ads, cars now obsolete, war, attitudes etc. all adds to the feel and tone of a novel that reads like it's walked straight out of the Dirty Thirties. This is a work of exhaustive research and intimate knowledge, and as such, it's an amazing piece of work.

But that is also the problem with the book. While it's generally more enjoyable to read and study history through fiction (especially when it's this well researched and reconstructed), the downfall of this book is that Ferguson seems more enamoured of the era and the cons, and more interested in squeezing in all his fine research, than in constructing a truly interesting and engaging protagonist and a gripping plot. Hence my three stars, and the main reason why it took me so long to read the damn thing.

Jack has the bones of a memorable character but he's never fully fleshed out. As the narrator, we get a lot of insights through him, and as a bright fella who questions theology and human nature, he provides quite the commentary. But it's still flat. You don't really learn all that much about Jack himself. Sure, we get his upbringing, his parents' story, but it's all in the context of setting the scene: the "black blizzards", the rise and fall of Paradise Flats and the south, the Great Depression, the scams and swindles that set the stage for Virgil and Rose.

It has that contrived feel, like Jack is a structural device for the history, rather than the other way around. The Con is the real hero of the story, not Jack. Even when he's learning wooing techniques from Ovid in the town library to win over the librarian's daughter Rebecca, it's still setting up details that will come into play later, and the entire plotline is only there because it helps explain how Jack ended up with Rose and Virgil.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the story or appreciate the work that went into it. I'm very impressed. But Ferguson gets so excited about the cons and Virgil's shady past and the next trick, that he seems to forget Jack's there half the time. I'm not entirely sure that the novel needed to be written in first person, even. But why Jack? Do we need Jack? He's a mere vehicle, a medium, through which to cross time and view this fascinating world that was so much a product of a time and place and culture. It hasn't entirely disappeared, either; it's just taken different forms and, perhaps, higher stakes (Enron anyone? And Bernard Madoff is currently on trial in New York for a long-running Ponzi scam).

I learnt a lot about the period - one of the main reasons why I read it - and with Kathryn's help I could even understand some words that would otherwise have been unfamiliar (like "skeeters" = mozzies). If you're interested in the 30s or the southwest states of America, you'll love this book. If you love stories of heists, cons, swindles, tricks, you'll love this book. If you get caught up on the motivations of key characters, character growth, emotional growth, all of that, then you might be disappointed - but it's still worth a read.

As a final point, the author says that the character of Jack first appeared as a minor character in his previous novel, Happiness. It's about an editor who publishes a self-help book that actually works (or maybe it's about the book - I got the sense from reading the blurb that, again, it's not a person who's the star). Has anyone read this and is it any good? I didn't get the impression it was set in the same period as this book, but maybe Ferguson took artistic licence with the character?

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best known for his humorous travel writing, Will Ferguson shifted away from his preferred genre and wrote a historical fiction book set during The Great Depression. Ferguson's writing isn't dumbed down to Dan Brown levels, but it won't leave you reaching for a dictionary at every turn of the page either.

This story follows three professional con-artists in the mid-west during the depression. The characters are developed in such a realistic and rich way that the reader feels a connection with them and wants to know how their story unfolds.

I consider this book a "sleeper" in the sense that I wasn't blown away with it or with any one part. However, I looked forward to reading it day in and day out. When I finished the book, I still thought about the characters for days afterwards - which is always a sign of a good book.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

spanish fly recounts the adventures of one young jim mcgreary, a poor but strapping young man who grows up in the depression-era dustbowl in the U.S., in the blink-and-you-miss-it town of paradise flats, its residents suckered by speculators who promised it would be a boom town. jack's grown up not having much of anything, and at the age of 19 eventually ditches his crazy widowed father and his hometown girl to join up with a couple of grifters that introduce themselves as virgil and rose, but have a host of other names, a few that might even be real. the main action of the novel concerns these three, driving around the south, jack learning about the grifting life under their tutelage, eventually showing his own flair for scamming by coming up with new schemes to add to their repertoire, including the spanish fly scam that gives the books its title.

you can tell that ferguson did due diligence to his research of the era and the subject of grifting: he knows the difference between the short con and the long, and has virgil educate jack (and the readers) in the description of many classic cons -- perhaps a few too many since some have no bearing on the action of the novel, dragging it out. in some ways the book is a road trip through a grifting encyclopedia, and i never do really find out where i'm going.

the central question seems to whether jack's cut out for the life of a grifter: duping rubes, continually gaming the system for his own benefit, and always being ready to run; and whether it's enough for him when outside of that insular life, world war II is brewing and people are still struggling to make an honest wage; and beyond even that, is the problem of pascal's wager, and jack's own morality. i think the author handles this well, except for one significant factor. i don't really care about jack. he doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and i never really understand why he's there, or rose, or virgil (though of the characters he is the liveliest) or really anybody in this novel. i don't relate to them... they aren't boring characters but they don't have a lot of emotional impact either. and for all jack's deep thoughts, i never know what he really cares about: i know he feels sort of responsible to some people and some things, but he's never really involved in the way i need him to be, and as a consequence, i found myself unable to be as involved in his story as i wanted to be.

if you're not looking for a lot of emotional resonance, and you're hankering for trip down dusty roads, with antique cars, stopping in at carnivals, and juke joints, and eating a few pies, this may be the book for you.

[Arlene Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humor and a wonderfully entertaining look at depression era America and the scam game. Characters were 3D and attractive. A lot of research must have been done to include so much detail of the era. Some fabulous phrases. Suprising ending. One of my top ten reads.

[Anne Gafiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Ferguson's 419 and thoroughly enjoyed it -- and have been waiting for this book for months to arrive from the library. I was not disappointed. Both books deal with scams...but different locations and different eras. I suggest watching the TV series Sneaky Pete -- similarly themed -- with countless ways of people parting with their money.

[Janet Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining tale of a couple of hustlers who take on a young apprentice in the depression era. A longer book than it needed to be, but it kept me hooked until the end.

[Hârum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen libro esta segunda novela de Will Ferguson. Sus personajes son histriónicos en la acción radical y van más allá de la realidad para adentrarse en lo verdadero, en esa percepción emocional de la Crisis del 29 en el ámbito de cómo sobrevivir al día a día a través de la estafa, el engaño y la corrupción. Tiene un cierto intento de moralina final que no acaba de cuajar y tal vez le falte una cierta acidez en ciertos momentos. Se lee fácil, y aunque no es una obra maestra, es un libro recomendable.

[Adam Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book a lot and I never wanted to put it down. That is good and rare. This was a worthy companion to 419.

The book has about 70 chapters and each is basically another con from the 1930's. The author must have conducted exhaustive research, and it was fun to read about the different swindles of the time.

The one thing this book doesn't really have is character or plot. Which isn't great, and stops this from being a 5 star read. Maybe a couple less examples of the take, and a couple more on character.

Really enjoyed it though and stayed up late to finish.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very entertaining and a good way to learn about some of the thousands of ways to con people. Set in the US during the 2nd World War (before the US entered the war) but the war is only a backdrop -- this is not a war novel. The ending seemed a bit out of step with the tone of the book and the storyline to that point.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected. After the first few pages, I wasn't sure if was for me, but in the end I couldn't put it down. I thought it was much better than "Happiness".

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It wasn't that unpredictable but was funny and the narrator/reader was excellent. The music on the audiodisc was a nice surprise too.

[Barbara Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful writing. Ferguson's turn of phrase had me laughing all the way. Just a great story teller.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several of Will Ferguson’s works, but this is one of my favorites. It is a fun, frolicking, yarn, the coming-of-age story of nineteen-year-old Jack McGreary, a troubled soul with a gift for scams. Raised by his father in the dying town of Paradise Flats Texas, amid the dust storms and the depression of the 1930s, he learned to get by after his mother died. He could not depend on his father, a gullible eccentric man who had been taken in by a preposterous get rich scam. He had squandered the family’s savings buying useless certificates to the Francis Drake Association, believing he would inherit thousands when the British government finally settled the man’s will. Jack had to make his own way and got by using a number of scams, outwitting several businessmen and even the experienced carnival barkers at the local fairground. But he dreamed of a much bigger life and when a couple, experienced at the con game, blow into town, he keeps his eyes and ears open for what he can learn.

He watches as the fast-talking swindler enters a number of stores, buys an object and completes a slight of hand maneuver which makes him richer each time he makes a purchase. His lady friend waits outside in an old Nash Ambassador, her hands on the wheel, ready to make a quick getaway if there is a problem and they need to escape. After one quick stroll through the town’s shops, the swindler has a handful of cash and Jack, who has a keen eye and has watched carefully, has figured out how he does it. He does not warn the shopkeepers, but instead waits for his moment, as the con man enters a store which does not appear to be much, but which Jack knows has a register full of cash. As the approached the door, Jack sitting outside on a bench, quietly mentions that even though the shopkeeper looks poor, the register is stuffed with bills and is good “for at least fifty”.

So begins a relationship between experienced con man Virgil Ray, his girlfriend Miss Rose and Jack, who leaves town with his new friends. The three drive across the southern states on a crime spree with Virgil and Rose teaching Jack the art and skill of a variety of scams. In return, Jack adds to their repertoire, teaching them the ones he knows and creating some new ones. It is Jack who creates the scam called The Spanish Fly, a mail order scheme in which they place ads in newspapers and magazines pushing a product that promises to “put the passion back in your life”. Orders flood in for the concoction which is simply baking soda in a packet labeled “placebo”, but even those who figure it out, never request a refund.

Jack although naïve, is also intelligent and as the cons become more intricate and the threat of being caught increases, begins to wonder about Virgil and Rose’s past and whether what they have told him is truthful. Virgil senses Will’s growing distrust and a distance begins to develop between them while the sexual tension between Jack and Rose increases and he finally beds her. It creates a dangerous love triangle and leads to an inevitable showdown.

There are some philosophical underpinnings to Ferguson’s tale, some thoughtful moments that make it a more serious story. It shows how we all want to believe want we are told, providing a rich field for the grifters found everywhere, ready to game the naïve and impressionable. Butchers lean on their scales as they weigh the meat buyers are about to purchase, increasing its price. Shopkeepers manipulate their billing and on a much larger scale, the banks and Wall Street find ways to take their cut by quietly adding costs to their services. They repeat what Virgil, Rose and Jack have been doing on a much smaller scale. Granted the trio’s returns were smaller, but they had the advantage of flexibility. They could turn on a dime and get out quickly if things turned sour, not so easily accomplished in big business with more people and paper trails to complicate matters.

The narrative is full of period detail with the jazz clubs, pool halls, banks tottering on the edge of solvency and a war lurking on the horizon, giving readers a great mix of humor and history. Ferguson includes detailed descriptions of the inventive scams the trio carry out which prove interesting and often hilarious. He brings this tale of adventure and manipulation to a close with a great conclusion that will please readers. Well written, with sharp dialogue, good pacing and three great characters, it is an easy, but solid read, one I recommend.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I'd like this or get into it, but it was a good read, an interesting story and a bit of fun. The characters were a bit two dimensional, but I wanted to be entertained, and so they didn't disappoint, and I'll remember them for a long time. Virgil and Rose, travelling state to state pulling cons, and then they bring in Jack. I like the transformation of Jack, his growth, his quick thinking, and his decision in the end. The cons were interesting, looking at humans and their predictable means of thinking and being able to play on that, I found very amusing.
Being stuck in a reading rut, this helped get me back into a nightly habit of reading, and is just what was needed. I would recommend it for in between more heavier reads to lighten the load a little.

[Nik Maack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense book that takes time to chew through. Each chapter, though short, is quite a meal. The book is well researched with many a history of famous con artists.

I first realized this when one con struck me as too creative to be made up. I googled it and discovered it was a historical fact. Which made the book all the more fun and interesting.

There is a flow to the book but I wouldn't describe it as compelling, exactly. The story could be much tighter. But the stories along the way add a lot. As do the cultural name drops.

Skinny Ennis, singer? Never heard of him. Gotta look that up. And that's why it took me so long to finish reading this book.

Fun. Solid. Campy. Recommended.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a minute to get into this story, but I'm so glad I did, and so happy I gave it a chance. Will Ferguson gives you an idea of the story that's coming and then makes you dig deep into the mine to extract the details, all the while giving you a trail of gold tidbits to follow down the shaft. When I finally came up for air, I was impressed with my find, yet not sure until the very end what I'd actually found. 👍👍

[Denise Goodkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I'd like a 3 1/2 star rating...better than average but not mind-blowing. In one sense, a historical novel and I get the impression the research was excellent. Three con artists find dozens of ways to fleece people. That's basically the story...quite a romp!

[Lucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. The story is set in the 1930s - with many twists and turns. It was truly fun to read.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were pretty funny. Probably a bit longer than it should have been. Main character perhaps a bit too smart and good at everything. Overall, pretty enjoyable.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has great characters and is an interesting read about the con games that played out in towns across America during the depression

[Lee Bertsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the ending though the author set it up well and I should have seen it coming.

[Alexandra Noga · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want (need that is - given year of pandemic) a lighter read, but one that is also well written, with funny insights and great wit, Spanish Fly will not disappoint.

[chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

all that just to get murked at normandy.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story a boy would really enjoy. The explanation of scams were interesting.

[The Bookish Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favourite of his fiction books.

[Yvonne Krause · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never disappoints. How nice to be so talented. I look forward to reading more as we're gifted with them. Cheers

[Nathan Chattaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb.

[Allie Ivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a clever and well-written book! Intelligence and adventure, swindle and sacrifice - what is the ultimate goal of a simple human life?

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining account of a young man, growing up in the fading boomtown of Paradise Flats in the era of the great depression and as WWII is gaining momentum. Jack's father is an eccentric man and has become increasingly erratic. To get by, young Jack has learned to live by his wits, outsmarting local businessmen, a bunch of carnies at the fair grounds, who are there to "outsmart" the crowds, as well as the librarian's daughter. Jack reads alot and has a keen mathimatican mind which comes in handy when placing a wager on a game of pool. He figures the angles, and those balls have no choice other than to drop in the holes. Jack said it felt sometimes like the life they were living through was like a dance that never seemed to end. Jack's own fAther had been royally swindled into buying certificates to a share in Sir Francis Drake's inheritance once the settlement was made, making them not just millionaires, but billionaires. He couldn't be convinced any other way that he'd completely lost his own fortune to the best of the scams.

The stage is set for the day when a pair of smooth talking swindlers, Virgil Ray and Miss Rose blow into town. Jack joins them as they set out together on a crime spree across the southwestern States. Their scemes are fast paced and work so well, that they are making money hand over fist. Jack's tin is filling up fast with rolls of bills. Virgil is adament that they never steal money from anyone. It is always handed over to them by the poor schlubs who aren't aware of what is happening.

As time went on, Jack noticed that their "marks" or targets, were never the elderly. In his mind, these people usually have a good sized nest egg and can be easily swindled into handing it all over in a cloud. So he asked Virgil about it. This was Virgil's response, "I'm playing the odds. Purgatory, I can get through, I can do a hundred years on my head, if I had to. But wiping out an old lady's life savings" There's no bargaining down that sentence. It's straight to Hell."

The 3 of them work together very well. They all need each other. But when the 3 of them are inadvertantly caught up in a murder ploy, Jack is seriously wondering if he is being set up by Virgil and Miss Rose. But then the reader is wondering if Jack is setting them up. It took a bit of concentration on the story to keep following this particular game, not knowing how it was going to end up. I really didn't want to see Jack get hurt, and kept hoping that he could make a clean split at some point to start over with a respectable life.

[Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

- a very believable storyline
- I really enjoyed the description of the various cons and scams
- from the Penguin website review: "Meet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swin­dlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or isMeet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swin­dlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or is Jack playing them? Jack playing them?"
- Winnipeg Free Press review: “A remarkable novel that is sure to become a modern-day classic…. Ferguson combines fact and fiction to produce a compelling and surprisingly humorous coming-of-age tale that will appeal to all readers…. Ferguson builds a tense climax by skilfully planting morsels of key information throughout the story. This leads to an exhilarating and unpredictable conclusion that will have readers guessing until the final page.”