Chasing The Ace

Joel Fitch #1

by Nicholas J. Johnson

Friendship and fraud is a dangerous mix

Joel Fitch has watched every twist-happy movie there is about con men, and he thinks he knows it all. After nineteen years of being a sucker, Joel’s going to take everything he’s learned from the screen and finally get his. He’s going to be a master con artist.

Richard Mordecai is a real-life swindler. But unlike Joel, he knows the truth about con men. At the end of a long career of lies and betrayal, Richard is tired and jaded. He’s ready to retire.

Until he meets Joel.

They form an uneasy partnership and Joel soon finds himself thrust into a world of bottom dealers, fraudsters and ace chasers that’s unlike any movie he’s ever seen. And when the pair accidentally scam the wrong mark, they have to draw on every last trick and piece of cunning they can to get themselves free and walk away with the money … and hopefully their dignity.

Genres: Fiction, Crime

308 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Nicholas J. Johnson is a honest-to-goodness magician, an author and an expert on scams and deception.

He has written two crime novels for adults, Chasing The Ace and Fast & Loose.

His first book for young readers is Tricky Nick.

He only rates books he wants to give five stars too.

Reviews

[Luke Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up an advance copy of Chasing The Ace from my partner who, in turn, was given it by a friend who works in a bookshop.

The fact I was the third person to read the uncorrected proof well before release date is a sign as to how easy this book is to read.

The action cracks along while still taking time to drop in layers of details and tidbits about the world of the con artist or "swindler" as the hero/villian insists.

It would make an even better movie I think.

It certainly made me rethink the way we present conmen in fiction.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a really good read and would recommend it to others. It is set in Victoria, Australia with narrative swapping between the two main characters. A great insight into the world of con artists for all as well.

[Sam Marzden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan of Nicholas J Johnson's work for many years now. He is a mesmerising performer and I'm delighted to report that his novel writing is every bit as intriguing and funny as his live work. After reading this I feel that I am closer now than ever to becoming scam proof. Hoping for a sequel soon.

[Bayden Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where did this guy come from? And why haven't we heard from him sooner? This book is a lot of fun. The excitement and tension makes this a real page turner, joining our protagonists as they pull off bolder and bolder scams. The Melbourne setting is perfectly portrayed and will delight locals, and the genuine laugh-out-loud moments make reading this in public a slight danger. Oh, and if you love a twist ending, you're in for a treat! There's even a twist on the twist, and I saw neither coming. But don't worry, it's not one of those pointless, dodgy twists that leaves you feeling conned (pun intended), but rather a clever and appropriate climax that will leave you eagerly anticipating a sequel. Highly recommended.

[Frances O'brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cracking read - the action moves along snappily, the writing is unpretentious yet slyly funny, and I must be a rube because I was completely taken in by the ending. I love figuring out the direction books like this are heading in and this one blindsided me. It feels pretty filmic and I could imagine it being adapted to screen. I read the whole thing in a couple of sittings. Awesome.

[Geoff Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story that draws you in and teaches you the tricks to watch out for. I loved the contrast with the protagonists Richard and Joel and the weaving of their tales. Well worth the read and looking forward to more.

[Sisiely]

Can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

[Saskia Fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun on every page. This book made me miss my plane.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've owned a copy of chasing the ace for god knows how long, all i know is its been buried under books I own until now.

The story is written by someone whose a "scam buster" , using his knowledge on a fictional story set in Melbourne, oh look another Australian book.

The first 19 pages read as a NA (new adult) due to its not quite young characters but the lingo they use isnt too vulgar either, its almost too curated for politeness without overdoing it.

This story follows two different guys, who cross paths. Since this book is in first person, it does get a bit confusing at times.

Chasing the ace is just okay. It's nothing speculator.

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for providing this copy. This did not influence my review in any way.

Chasing The Ace is a wildly entertaining novel about an ageing conman at the end of his career and a young man who has learned everything he knows about being a con artist from movies. Richard is ready to retire from the swindling life but then he meets the young Joel, who has the potential and it’s just enough to convince Richard to take him under his wing. Joel is launched into a world where nothing is as it seems and he finds it’s definitely not like the movies.

Chasing The Ace is a fast paced read that will keep you guessing from beginning to end, and have you grinning along throughout. The Melbourne setting was familiar to me and made it even more enjoyable as I could picture the characters walking along Southbank, catching trams and other landmarks described in the novel. The voices of Richard and Joel were distinctly different in their perspectives of the world of the conman. Richard knows its a life full of lies and deceit, while to Joel it is a mysterious and glamorous lifestyle, and he sees himself taking back his life. It's an interesting look into the life and the illusions of a conman, told by an ex-conman himself.

There is a feeling of disillusionment with the swindling life that, if you watch the movies like Joel does, you wouldn't expect. It echoes throughout the book, from Richard as he's getting tired of his life and from Joel as he learns that the conman life is not all its cracked up to be - especially when you scam the wrong guy. What ensues is an exciting race against time and you're not sure who you should be cheering for. It all makes for a very funny, entertaining read from debut author Nicholas J. Johnson. I look forward to reading more of his work.

See more reviews at Crash My Book Party!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first novel by a talented young author draws on his experience as Australia’s Honest Con Man to create a funny, sad and clever exposition of the world of the con artist. Written from the point of view of two con men, the world-weary Richard and the ambitious young Joel, Chasing the Ace keeps you guessing until the end while it educates the reader on how to avoid scams and cons. The author has captured the voices of his two protagonists perfectly and his descriptions of inner city Melbourne are spot on. An outstanding debut.

[Tim Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing the Ace is a stunningly superior read; astonishingly well written for a first novel. It draws you into an environment that seems familiar yet fresh and sparkles with delightfully drawn observations about tiny details that make you look twice at the world around you. The characters are not who they first appear and the twists keep coming at a breakneck pace. Highly recommended page turner that leaves you eager for the next instalment

[Renee Mihulka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining read! Told in dual narrative, it is a rare book where you love both characters telling the story, but in this case I did*. I loved the backdrop of Melbourne and the various scams the con artists ran were fascinating and if I had to admit, a little bit frightening. With twists and turns galore as well as characters you will love, I totally recommend this book.

*(Okay, maybe I loved the elderly, English scoundrel Richard a teeny bit more)

[Adam Kharman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible storyline that will keep you wanting to read more until the very end. The structure of the book adds to the suspense and the characterisation is so genuine, that you can be pretty sure the author has had a lot of exposure to real life con artists.

[Hide · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd book in Sydney.

[Priyanka Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written easy to read book that takes you on a ride with the known settings of melbourne city. With some amazing cons, a must read for con movie fans!!

[Gabby]

I may come back to this but it’s kinda boring

[L.E. Truscott · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s an old adage about under-promising and over-delivering and it applies to many things including books. The back cover blurb calls Chasing the Ace “a fast and funny novel with an ending you won’t see coming”. The front cover endorsement from a semi-famous Australian comedian says, “It will fool you, and you will love it.” I’m sure you can anticipate the problem I’m about to outline and that is that the marketing makes promises that the novel doesn’t keep.

The two main characters are Richard Mordecai and Joel Fitch. Richard, in his seventies, is a con artist from way back and Joel, fresh out of high school, is determined to become one. They meet when Joel attempts to scam Richard and Richard turns the tables on him. Realising later what has happened, Joel tracks down the old man and begs him to teach him the tricks of the trade.

The book takes a long time to set up the premise – so not a fast novel after all (broken promise #1) – and while this may not be a problem in another story, neither of the characters are men you would choose to spend extended periods of time with. In fact, I can��t think of a single character in the book I would want to spend time with.

Joel is a self-confessed breast man who comes undone at the sight of an impressive rack (his words, not mine), which I would have thought a major impediment to anyone trying to run confidence scams. He has watched every con artist movie ever made and thinks he knows it all. Richard is just about ready to retire after a lifetime of ripping off basically everyone he meets but he has one last big scam on the horizon. He agrees to take Joel under his wing.

Together they scam casino patrons and people selling second-hand items on an ebay-like website before cleaning out their paypal-like accounts. But then they scam a man who turns out to be a corrupt police officer. He tracks them down and demands twice what they took, then four times, and reinforces the seriousness of his demands with threats and violence. Sound funny to you yet? No, me neither (broken promise #2).

They try to scam their way out of it and fail and fail and fail again. And the ending that we won’t see coming that will fool us and that we will love turns out to be this: the twist is that there is no twist (broken promise #3).

The author is himself a renowned expert on the perpetration of frauds with a side interesting in writing and has spent significant periods educating the public on how to avoid becoming a victim but I think I would have preferred if he were an expert in writing with a side interest in frauds. The book is layered with confusion which the writer has mistaken for complexity. It also suffers from poor copyediting that has failed to pick up a number of missing words and incorrect punctuation (something that always proves annoyingly distracting for me).

Perhaps most disappointingly, the setting for the story is Melbourne in Australia (where I live) and in the author’s hands, it has become boring and banal, certainly not the Melbourne I know.

This book is about 50% of the way towards where it could have been a terrific book. But the author was so determined not to write a traditional con artist’s story that he took out all the stereotypical elements that readers enjoy so much. There’s nothing wrong with attempting to turn a genre on its head but the resulting story still has to be good.

Despite the problems with the plot and characters, the writing itself is easy to read, uncomplicated and flows well. I’d be interested to read another of Nicholas J Johnson’s books to see if he can improve on his debut but that other book won’t be at the top of my to read list for quite some time.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Honest Conman" (aka Nicholas J Johnson) used to do a warning segment on scams and frauds on ABC Local Radio, but it was a pleasant surprise to find he'd written a heist / scam novel. Needless to say his debut novel, CHASING THE ACE, reads like the author knows a lot about the subject matter.

Think a dual handed TV's Hustle style scenario in which Joel, a young man with no purpose in life, hooks up with Richard, an older man, experienced in the fine art of scams and swindles. What Joel doesn't realise is that the man he's adopted as his mentor and working partner is sick of the whole thing. Being taken under Richard's wing might turn out to be the break that Joel wanted, or it could turn out to be a disaster. Nobody's going to know until the end of the novel (and maybe not even then).

Reading somewhere between a good fun heist novel and a salutory warning manual, CHASING THE ACE is utterly believable. It's also quite touching, with both of these characters being flawed, a little bit sad and lonely. Granted Joel does eventually get a girlfriend, although his attitude about her needs some adjustment (it's downright off).

It's not just about these two characters though. Joel has a family and a difficult relationship with a mother who's not been backward in getting her hands on compensation money that's really Joel's. He's got more respect for his stepfather and stepsister, although the family situation overall is tricky. Richard has friends, and a long history of being mentored and mentoring another young man. There's history about him that's revealed (mostly via third parties) along the way. Luckily, despite a slightly strained relationship, Joel has found out enough about Richard to be there when the going gets tough, but the final twist and turns are less expected.

Now having compared CHASING THE ACE to Hustle, it's only fair to warn potential readers that there's nothing glamorous about most of the scams pulled here. It's all a bit tawdry really, but keep an eye out for the twist in the tail of a few of them. There are actually a lot of twists and turns here, all ending up with an obvious intent to carry on the story of a scam merchant.

You'd be almost tempted to get people to read CHASING THE ACE if only as a warning about the sorts of scams and tricks being perpetrated in the real world. Doesn't hurt that it's an entertaining read along the way.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicholas J. Johnson, who works as a performer, writer and consultant, exposing the world of con artists to the public to better protect themselves, has drawn on his knowledge and experience to author Chasing the Ace, his entertaining debut novel.

Told from dual first person narratives, Chasing The Ace introduces Richard, an ageing, world-weary con 'artiste' and Joel, a young, wannabe grifter who meet on the streets of Melbourne. Richard, contemplating retirement, decides to take Joel under his wing and the pair form a profitable alliance. Joel is eager to learn all he can, and is thrilled when the money starts rolling in, but when they accidentally scam an off duty cop, neither man is sure if they will be able to con their way out of trouble.

The novel is fast paced, with enough excitement and a few surprising turns to maintain suspense. I have to admit I didn't predict the final twist, but found it a satisfying ending to the story, which also provides potential for a sequel.

I thought the main protagonists were well developed, with interesting backgrounds and distinct voices. Richard is jaded and cynical, Joel is initially enthusiastic and idealistic though slowly becomes increasingly disillusioned by the realities of the lifestyle, having fed his expectations with a diet of classic con movies like 'The Sting' and 'Rounders'.

I might have been more impressed overall had I not just finished binge watching the entire series of Leverage, an American TV program about a crew who pull off sophisticated and complex cons in each episode. By contrast, the cons run in Chasing the Ace seem inelegant and somewhat distasteful, even if far more realistic.

A quick and entertaining read, I enjoyed Chasing the Ace...honestly.

[Emily Craven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was delightfully devious. My only experience with con men, like one of the protagonists, has been with movies so it was a real treat to get to delve deeper into the 'swindle'. When you get to the end of the book it's clear why the book needs to be told from two view points, it keeps you guessing, wavering with one leg either side of the fence trying to decide who is/isn't the unreliable narrator. trying to decide whether or not they're just as bad as each other or as good as each other. I also felt like is was being put in the main character's heads as I spent the book in this zone where I was detached from the victims of their cons because I was so caught up in the flare of pulling off such a brazen lie. i felt the final wrap up chapters were a bit flat but that can sometimes happen when the twist is so unexpected. This book is not for you dislike corrupt policemen, but if you like cheeky protags and a plot that keeps you guessing, it's a good pick.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a stack of crime books and they are usually set in Los Angeles, New York, London, Edinburgh or Bangkok. What a freakin DELIGHT to read one set in the worlds most liveable city (voted 5 times folks, that's right 5 times) Melbourne. And what a good one it is. A good kick to the nuts is what con men deserve but geez they make for good reading, first James Swain's Tony Valentine series and now this cracker. Alternating chapters between the two main characters works really well here, it's great to see the development of Joel and Richard is one worldly debonair bullshit artist. A fun easy read and there might even be a bit of a twist thrown in for good measure, or is there? Read it, it's good stuff.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read this book as I don't think it is actually available yet. But the author was feeling down at not having any stars so I have given him three stars on spec.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good read with a twist that you really don't see coming. Three and a half stars.