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Con Ed
Kip Largo was once the world's greatest con man. Then he got busted. And spent eight years in jail. And lost his family. And lost everything except his crummy apartment and sense of humor. Now he spends his days working at a third-rate dry cleaner and maintaining a fourth-rate website. But hey, it's an honest living.
Then one day he meets Lauren Napier, beautiful wife of billionaire Ed Napier. Lauren's got a problem. She wants to leave Ed, but doesn't get squat in a divorce. She wants Kip to steal the money. She wants to pay him handsomely for his services. Kip's many things, but dumb isn't one of them. He knows that when a beautiful woman wants something from you, the only thing you're gonna get in return is trouble. So he makes the smart choice and walks away. But then things get complicated.
Kip comes home one day to find his son on his couch. Kip hasn't seen his son in years. Guess what' His son owes money to the Russian Mob. Kip can't say he saw that coming. And his son is short, well, the whole amount. Kip's monthly gross from the website generally tops out at twelve bucks. And suddenly Lauren's proposal isn't looking half bad.
This is Kip's chance to start over, to save his son, to afford a brand new life. But Kips knows that in any heist things never go as planned, and if you don't improvise you'll be caught faster than a one-legged bank robber. But suddenly Kip doesn't know who's conning who'and if he doesn't figure it out, his life could be the ultimate failed con.
Then one day he meets Lauren Napier, beautiful wife of billionaire Ed Napier. Lauren's got a problem. She wants to leave Ed, but doesn't get squat in a divorce. She wants Kip to steal the money. She wants to pay him handsomely for his services. Kip's many things, but dumb isn't one of them. He knows that when a beautiful woman wants something from you, the only thing you're gonna get in return is trouble. So he makes the smart choice and walks away. But then things get complicated.
Kip comes home one day to find his son on his couch. Kip hasn't seen his son in years. Guess what' His son owes money to the Russian Mob. Kip can't say he saw that coming. And his son is short, well, the whole amount. Kip's monthly gross from the website generally tops out at twelve bucks. And suddenly Lauren's proposal isn't looking half bad.
This is Kip's chance to start over, to save his son, to afford a brand new life. But Kips knows that in any heist things never go as planned, and if you don't improvise you'll be caught faster than a one-legged bank robber. But suddenly Kip doesn't know who's conning who'and if he doesn't figure it out, his life could be the ultimate failed con.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
8 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Klein
32 books30 followersMatthew Klein is a software programmer, entrepreneur, and novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
February 28, 2008
A hard book to put down, from the moment you open it. An added bonus to the already exciting story are the con vignettes, explanations of classic cons (wait, I just got the title) and how they're pulled off. Nothing mentioned in the book is done so without being revisited in the subsequent pages and these classic cons help form part of the central con. Despite being told in the first person Con Ed always gives you the sense that the narrator isn't telling you everything. The confusing parts are seamlessly fleshed out as the book progresses through its many surprising twists, with not a small amount of humor added along the way.
A good review with a decent plot summary can be found here
A good review with a decent plot summary can be found here
March 13, 2020
In 2013, I was perusing a book store and came across No Way Back by Matthew Klein. I didn’t even read the blurb because I was hooked simply by reading the front cover. “They know everything. They control everyone. Even you.” I couldn’t resist. And even better, I read the book and loved it. Ever since, I’ve had the rest of his books on my Goodreads “Want to Read” list. So when I came across Conned (also known as Con Ed in some places) in a second-hand book store, I snapped it up.
Conned was Klein’s second book, published in 2007, so it’s nearly 15 years old now. The implausibly named Kip Largo (likely just so Klein can set up Key Largo jokes) has been out of prison for a year after serving a five-year sentence for what was essentially a pyramid scheme. He lives in a dump, works at a dry cleaner and hasn’t seen his now adult son Toby for a while. When Toby shows up and says he’s in trouble, Kip takes him at his word – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – but he doesn’t have any money and there’s nothing Kip can do about it. He’s trying to put his con days behind him and go straight.
After Toby has his leg broken by the Russian mafia he owes money to, Kip feels guilty and makes them an offer: one last con. It will set him up for life and pay off Toby’s debt a hundred times over. They agree on the condition that if they don’t have the money within two months, they will kill both Kip and Toby. Kip has failed Toby over and over again and he feels he owes his son.
Conveniently, while drinking in a bar, Kip has recently been recognised and offered a job to con a billionaire husband out of a few million by a wife with an unbreakable prenup. He initially said no but it’s perfect for what he’s planning. The con? To convince the husband to invest in technology he doesn’t understand but will seeingly make him a lot of money. Seems simple enough, right?
Actually, it starts to get convoluted from this point. Klein starts out by trying to explain some basic cons and moves onto larger cons and even a historical one to educate the reader who likely doesn’t have that much experience with the industry (and trust me, it’s an industry). Then Kip goes about setting up his con but he never explains too much ahead of time, neither to the readers or any of the other people he brings in to play minor roles (including fake FBI agents, fake programmers, fake marketers, etc). Toby convinces Kip to let him play a role as well, but he keeps Toby just as much in the dark as everyone else.
Eventually, Kip starts to feel like an unreliable narrator. He doesn’t trust anyone and no one trusts him, not even the reader. Is he running a con against a billionaire husband and for the Russian mafia, or against the Russian mafia, or against everybody? Or is he the one being conned?
It should probably be obvious by now that I didn’t enjoy this book as much I liked No Way Back. Part of the problem is that it’s difficult to feel much sympathy for people who are so greedy for a quick buck (or a thousand) that they do really stupid things, like withdrawing huge sums of money from their bank accounts and handing it over to complete strangers on the promise of getting it back with interest. A lot of these scams are also very low tech and in the decade or so since it was published, a bunch of Nigerian princes have taken over the scene and made it a lot more high tech, arm’s length, romantic and devastating.
The character of Kip is, however, very convincing as a conman and Klein says in his endnotes that he did a lot of research. There’s also an author biography that tells us Klein ran an internet company a lot like the one Kip sets up as part of the con, which later went bankrupt before he became a successful writer. Talk about art imitating life.
Ultimately, the ending lacks the poetic justice a story about a con deserves. But Klein’s writing is easy to read and the book is diverting enough as long as you don’t expect too much from it.
In a word: inoffensive.
Conned was Klein’s second book, published in 2007, so it’s nearly 15 years old now. The implausibly named Kip Largo (likely just so Klein can set up Key Largo jokes) has been out of prison for a year after serving a five-year sentence for what was essentially a pyramid scheme. He lives in a dump, works at a dry cleaner and hasn’t seen his now adult son Toby for a while. When Toby shows up and says he’s in trouble, Kip takes him at his word – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – but he doesn’t have any money and there’s nothing Kip can do about it. He’s trying to put his con days behind him and go straight.
After Toby has his leg broken by the Russian mafia he owes money to, Kip feels guilty and makes them an offer: one last con. It will set him up for life and pay off Toby’s debt a hundred times over. They agree on the condition that if they don’t have the money within two months, they will kill both Kip and Toby. Kip has failed Toby over and over again and he feels he owes his son.
Conveniently, while drinking in a bar, Kip has recently been recognised and offered a job to con a billionaire husband out of a few million by a wife with an unbreakable prenup. He initially said no but it’s perfect for what he’s planning. The con? To convince the husband to invest in technology he doesn’t understand but will seeingly make him a lot of money. Seems simple enough, right?
Actually, it starts to get convoluted from this point. Klein starts out by trying to explain some basic cons and moves onto larger cons and even a historical one to educate the reader who likely doesn’t have that much experience with the industry (and trust me, it’s an industry). Then Kip goes about setting up his con but he never explains too much ahead of time, neither to the readers or any of the other people he brings in to play minor roles (including fake FBI agents, fake programmers, fake marketers, etc). Toby convinces Kip to let him play a role as well, but he keeps Toby just as much in the dark as everyone else.
Eventually, Kip starts to feel like an unreliable narrator. He doesn’t trust anyone and no one trusts him, not even the reader. Is he running a con against a billionaire husband and for the Russian mafia, or against the Russian mafia, or against everybody? Or is he the one being conned?
It should probably be obvious by now that I didn’t enjoy this book as much I liked No Way Back. Part of the problem is that it’s difficult to feel much sympathy for people who are so greedy for a quick buck (or a thousand) that they do really stupid things, like withdrawing huge sums of money from their bank accounts and handing it over to complete strangers on the promise of getting it back with interest. A lot of these scams are also very low tech and in the decade or so since it was published, a bunch of Nigerian princes have taken over the scene and made it a lot more high tech, arm’s length, romantic and devastating.
The character of Kip is, however, very convincing as a conman and Klein says in his endnotes that he did a lot of research. There’s also an author biography that tells us Klein ran an internet company a lot like the one Kip sets up as part of the con, which later went bankrupt before he became a successful writer. Talk about art imitating life.
Ultimately, the ending lacks the poetic justice a story about a con deserves. But Klein’s writing is easy to read and the book is diverting enough as long as you don’t expect too much from it.
In a word: inoffensive.
March 23, 2020
Много занимателна книга, пълна с "чалъми" от репертоара на измамниците, мошениците и въобще играчите за пари. И стилът е на ниво, и хуморът е свеж, а чрез него, във вид на лафове, са казани много житейски истини. Само едно нещо ме зашемети и ми остави лош вкус - и това беше на финала, най-неочакваното и болезненото предателство, но няма да разкрия повече, за да не ощетя потенциалните читатели на книгата.
March 31, 2020
dissapointed ending but an interesting quick page-turner.
March 29, 2019
Great in book CD form. Dark humor for driving to work. Lots of twists too in this con man tale. The talented narrator Norman Dietz kept me entertained.
January 20, 2011
Alex Zuñiga Jan 20, 2011
I read this book because the concept of running a con interested me, I wanted to see how hard or how easy it is to cheat someone out of their money. This book is a work of fiction, but at the end there is a list of books the author read to help with some of the facts of this book. There is one fact about this book in where a Company changes from a fish company to an internet one and then changes back. I suspect that some of the cons of this book are also real. The novel takes place in Northern California, more specifically Silicon Valley and Palo Alto. The time period is around the time of the internet boom, when it gets wildly popular and everyone starts getting involved in it. The author basically tells his story of how he was a con artist, tried to go straight, accidentally took people’s money, tried to go straight again and ends up trying to steal money from a rich, powerful, business man. He says that at first his father taught him how to do cons at a young age, but he soon sought to go to law school. When he did his father started to die, so he had to go back to doing cons to support his mother and his father’s medical bills. After that he tries to go straight again by selling a weight loss product on late night television ads, but after he realizes he isn’t making much money he starts charging people for the product but never sending it, and he ends up going to jail. When he gets out he tries to go straight again working at a dry cleaners and managing a vitamin selling website. He is soon contacted by a woman who wants him to steal money from her rich husband, and hours later he finds out that his son needs money to settle some gambling bets. So with no other options he agrees to con the woman’s husband so he can save his son, and that is when the very intricate con begins. The character I liked the best is Kip Largo, who is the main character of this story. He is fifty-four, with salt and pepper hair, a paunch, and tired eyes. He is a con artist, so he is good at lying and tricking people out of their money. He is the main character in this story, and the whole book revolves around him and his past and present. I selected this character because his childhood interested me. He grew up running cons with his father, so he has a lot of experience doing these sorts of things. In the end the character doesn’t really change because the first time he had gone to jail he had changed, so in the end he was basically the same guy. I liked the novel because it showed me a world I hadn’t really known about. I had never really known how to run a con or how to intelligently steal people’s money and to me it was very interesting and entertaining. It did inform me; I learned some good cons that could easily be put into practice. I would recommend this book to others because it shows a good deal of what some people do to get money, and it’s interesting to see what some do. This book compares to real life because people actually do this, and it could show some people to be more aware of whom they trust. This book reminds me of how some people would do anything to get their hands on some money. I think it is important to read so people can see that there are people who actually do this for a living and maybe to be careful. If I was the main character I don’t think that I could have pulled that con off, but I would have loved to learn about those things as a kid. The book ended with the main character going to jail, at the cost of saving his son from going to jail. I think the book ended appropriately with the rest of the story, and it left me thinking much like the whole book did.
I read this book because the concept of running a con interested me, I wanted to see how hard or how easy it is to cheat someone out of their money. This book is a work of fiction, but at the end there is a list of books the author read to help with some of the facts of this book. There is one fact about this book in where a Company changes from a fish company to an internet one and then changes back. I suspect that some of the cons of this book are also real. The novel takes place in Northern California, more specifically Silicon Valley and Palo Alto. The time period is around the time of the internet boom, when it gets wildly popular and everyone starts getting involved in it. The author basically tells his story of how he was a con artist, tried to go straight, accidentally took people’s money, tried to go straight again and ends up trying to steal money from a rich, powerful, business man. He says that at first his father taught him how to do cons at a young age, but he soon sought to go to law school. When he did his father started to die, so he had to go back to doing cons to support his mother and his father’s medical bills. After that he tries to go straight again by selling a weight loss product on late night television ads, but after he realizes he isn’t making much money he starts charging people for the product but never sending it, and he ends up going to jail. When he gets out he tries to go straight again working at a dry cleaners and managing a vitamin selling website. He is soon contacted by a woman who wants him to steal money from her rich husband, and hours later he finds out that his son needs money to settle some gambling bets. So with no other options he agrees to con the woman’s husband so he can save his son, and that is when the very intricate con begins. The character I liked the best is Kip Largo, who is the main character of this story. He is fifty-four, with salt and pepper hair, a paunch, and tired eyes. He is a con artist, so he is good at lying and tricking people out of their money. He is the main character in this story, and the whole book revolves around him and his past and present. I selected this character because his childhood interested me. He grew up running cons with his father, so he has a lot of experience doing these sorts of things. In the end the character doesn’t really change because the first time he had gone to jail he had changed, so in the end he was basically the same guy. I liked the novel because it showed me a world I hadn’t really known about. I had never really known how to run a con or how to intelligently steal people’s money and to me it was very interesting and entertaining. It did inform me; I learned some good cons that could easily be put into practice. I would recommend this book to others because it shows a good deal of what some people do to get money, and it’s interesting to see what some do. This book compares to real life because people actually do this, and it could show some people to be more aware of whom they trust. This book reminds me of how some people would do anything to get their hands on some money. I think it is important to read so people can see that there are people who actually do this for a living and maybe to be careful. If I was the main character I don’t think that I could have pulled that con off, but I would have loved to learn about those things as a kid. The book ended with the main character going to jail, at the cost of saving his son from going to jail. I think the book ended appropriately with the rest of the story, and it left me thinking much like the whole book did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2010
Awesome book. Quick and fast read. The narrator, Kip Largo, is a former con man who tries to go straight only to be forced back into the life to save his son from a gambling debt owed to Russian mobsters. Kip's voice is friendly and amusing and you almost forget that he's bilked thousands of dollars from innocent victims. He teaches readers the con game along the way and throws in an interesting cast of characters and several plot twists. Good stuff. Definitely hard to put down. I'm interested in reading more from this author, and I could see this book becoming a movie in the future.
November 9, 2012
I was intrigued by the title and synopses of the book. The mere notion of a con, to me, gives the promise of intriguing plots, unexpected turns and never-expecting twists. However, except for the last 25 pages or so, the book/con isn't really that hard to figure out.
It's a nice read and I enjoyed the time we've spent together, but I missed the moments that took my breath away, of being sucked into the story and gripping tension.
It's a nice read and I enjoyed the time we've spent together, but I missed the moments that took my breath away, of being sucked into the story and gripping tension.
March 7, 2008
Is there a male version of chick-lit? This could fall under that classification. Easy read, not bad... Most of the book was fleshed out, nicely intertwined, with a few good twists. BUT, when it all comes together in the end, it's done a bit too quickly - kind of plunked down in front of you, making the wrap up a little bit unfulfilling.
March 2, 2020
Este libro me género sentimientos confusos, lo amé y lo odié. Todo a la vez.
Encontré comentarios machistas, tales como por ejemplo, "𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘫𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘦𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘢" no lo decía así textual, creo, relato lo que recuerdo, pero iba con esa intención.
La mujer viendo al hombre como "una billetera con pies".
Tal como lo hablé con @ailu influye un poco con contexto (pleno siglo 21) pero eso para mí no tenía lógica; sin embargo, en toda la historia noté esa arrogancia constante en el personaje principal. Ese Ⓨⓞ sé lo que voy a hacer, a mí me saldrá bien, ese no sabe manejar la situación como lo haría yo.
Eso hizo, que el personaje a pesar de su mente maestra, me sorprendiera por su arrogancia constante de la cual, yo, no le iba a hacer fama.
Tiene algo de contenido explícito, en cuanto a varias situaciones.
La trama, la clave principal del crimen es muy buena. El lector se pierde en el proceso, el personaje va dos tiempos más adelantado. Ya cometió el crimen y espera mientras vos reaccionas, al pasado. Es buena la idea, sí.
Encontré comentarios machistas, tales como por ejemplo, "𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘫𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘦𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘢" no lo decía así textual, creo, relato lo que recuerdo, pero iba con esa intención.
La mujer viendo al hombre como "una billetera con pies".
Tal como lo hablé con @ailu influye un poco con contexto (pleno siglo 21) pero eso para mí no tenía lógica; sin embargo, en toda la historia noté esa arrogancia constante en el personaje principal. Ese Ⓨⓞ sé lo que voy a hacer, a mí me saldrá bien, ese no sabe manejar la situación como lo haría yo.
Eso hizo, que el personaje a pesar de su mente maestra, me sorprendiera por su arrogancia constante de la cual, yo, no le iba a hacer fama.
Tiene algo de contenido explícito, en cuanto a varias situaciones.
La trama, la clave principal del crimen es muy buena. El lector se pierde en el proceso, el personaje va dos tiempos más adelantado. Ya cometió el crimen y espera mientras vos reaccionas, al pasado. Es buena la idea, sí.
June 25, 2022
I knew I was reading about a con artist, and I grew to like Kip and his narration was lively and fun.
As one who believes ‘if you buy the premise you buy the joke’ I’m willing to go along for the ride. However, this ride got a bit bumpy.
Kip doesn’t seem the least worried about his fate with the Russian Mafia. Kip’s son suddenly becomes … well, a son.
Kip talks his geeky friend into helping, something I’m not exactly excited about because Kip knows his friend has no idea what he’s just been asked to do.
This is a so-so read. The end helps, I was a bit mired towards the middle.
As one who believes ‘if you buy the premise you buy the joke’ I’m willing to go along for the ride. However, this ride got a bit bumpy.
Kip doesn’t seem the least worried about his fate with the Russian Mafia. Kip’s son suddenly becomes … well, a son.
Kip talks his geeky friend into helping, something I’m not exactly excited about because Kip knows his friend has no idea what he’s just been asked to do.
This is a so-so read. The end helps, I was a bit mired towards the middle.
August 28, 2017
If you are looking for a sweet and loving story about a man bonding with his estranged son, this is not it. This is a story about a con artist who turns down one con in favor for a seemingly similar one and asks his con buddies and son to assist. We're all led to believe that one thing is happening but of course it ain't what it seems to be. Plus you just know you there has to be a judas in the bunch and I knew who it was even if Kip Largo was clueless. It was a fun read.
October 28, 2023
The jacket says this is funny and fast-paced. I don't remember a single joke, and it was incredibly slow. It was an early effort from a guy I hope has gotten better, but I'm not trying anything else from him.
Save yourself the trouble and just watch The Sting again. Half of this book is lifted directly from the movie.
There are no likeable characters. There's an oddly misplaced murder. There's a sexless sex scene. This was just a mess.
Save yourself the trouble and just watch The Sting again. Half of this book is lifted directly from the movie.
There are no likeable characters. There's an oddly misplaced murder. There's a sexless sex scene. This was just a mess.
August 9, 2017
A really fun romp. Funny and insightful in a slightly twisted kind of way. Hilarious observations about Silicon Valley and those who inhabit it. Every time I thought I figured out the con, there was a twist. A terrific read for the sheer pleasure of it, like a ride in a bumper car, not meant to be taken too seriously.
April 4, 2018
I like con capers—books full of layered motivations, double- and triple- (and quadruple...) -crosses, and twists that surprise at the moment but make sense in hindsight. This book delivers a fun con with interesting motives and an entertaining denouement.
June 1, 2019
A fun, quick read, even if the drama mostly felt low stakes. The main character is fighting for his life, but it never felt like a life or death situation. On the other hand, you don't consume media about con artists about side drama--it's all about figuring out the pieces of the con.
March 25, 2020
This was a fun read which moves quickly and one you can never figure our who is conning who. It reminds me of the late 90's when DOT@COMS were sprouting faster than the movers and shakers of finance could take them public.
October 1, 2022
Really got into the characters right from the beginning. It lost me a little at the end, wrapped up the story line a little too quickly, and a bit confusing, but gave me a mental workout trying to figure out the con. Would like to see another in the series!
January 6, 2019
Very well written, quick read . Slightly confusing plot .
February 29, 2020
Lee Child recommended author. liked this book - reminded me of Elmore Leonard but better!!
July 17, 2021
It was okay. Interesting plot, had some twists but all and all pretty straight forward book about a con. I got confused towards the end as well.
March 25, 2023
It was entertaining
June 12, 2024
Simple yet hilarious
May 19, 2010
RATING: 4.25
First of all, let's make sure that you understand the title of this book. If you live in the northeastern United States, you might think that Con Ed refers to the power company, Con Edison. But that's not the case. Instead it refers to a "con" or "to swindle a victim by first winning his or her confidence" and "Ed", a nickname for Edward or Edmond. Poor Ed, he's about to be duped.
And who better to pull this off than Kip Largo, once the King of Con? Unfortunately, those who defraud others are usually discovered. After one of his schemes went awry, Kip spent eight years in jail and lost his family. Now he's trying to play it straight. He lives in a crummy apartment and has a job as a dry cleaning clerk and an unsuccessful business selling vitamins online. When the beautiful Lauren Napier tries to enlist him in a scam to rob her husband (Ed!) of his money, he turns her down flat. But when his estranged son, Toby, shows up begging for help in paying off a huge debt he's incurred with the Russian Mob, he has no choice.
And so the games begin. Given the fact that Kip is a con artist extraordinaire, we expect that whatever con he puts together is going to be a real humdinger. Klein doesn't disappoint. Kip and friends pretend to start a high-tech company that creates stock-prediction software. When Ed gets involved and starts making a lot of money off these "predictions", the hook is in. There are more twists and turns, crosses and double crosses, than a school of octopuses trying to tango. The reader is never sure of exactly what's going on or who is conning whom.
By turns amusing, touching and suspenseful, Con Ed delivers on its promise in spades. In addition to the inventive plot, Klein has created some characters that you want to spend time with. Although Toby seems like a loser, he has some surprising hidden abilities. But the character that steals the show is Kip. He at first seems self-effacing, but over the course of the book, we see the brilliance below the surface, the hint of amorality, the personality that allows him to capitalize on the greed of others while betraying their trust.
And how does the author know so much about conning? According to his bio, "He lived in Silicon Valley for almost a decade, and started several technology firms, which collectively raised tens of millions of venture capital dollars, and employed hundreds of people… before they went bankrupt and disappeared. Although Matthew is not a con man, some of his prior investors might disagree."
In addition to its entertainment value, Con Ed is also very educational. I learned about the Pigeon Drop, Bank Examiner Scam, Honey Trap and Change Game, as well as the vocabulary of con. I'm wondering if I could pull any of these off. I bet if you met me, you'd trust me. Hmmmm……
First of all, let's make sure that you understand the title of this book. If you live in the northeastern United States, you might think that Con Ed refers to the power company, Con Edison. But that's not the case. Instead it refers to a "con" or "to swindle a victim by first winning his or her confidence" and "Ed", a nickname for Edward or Edmond. Poor Ed, he's about to be duped.
And who better to pull this off than Kip Largo, once the King of Con? Unfortunately, those who defraud others are usually discovered. After one of his schemes went awry, Kip spent eight years in jail and lost his family. Now he's trying to play it straight. He lives in a crummy apartment and has a job as a dry cleaning clerk and an unsuccessful business selling vitamins online. When the beautiful Lauren Napier tries to enlist him in a scam to rob her husband (Ed!) of his money, he turns her down flat. But when his estranged son, Toby, shows up begging for help in paying off a huge debt he's incurred with the Russian Mob, he has no choice.
And so the games begin. Given the fact that Kip is a con artist extraordinaire, we expect that whatever con he puts together is going to be a real humdinger. Klein doesn't disappoint. Kip and friends pretend to start a high-tech company that creates stock-prediction software. When Ed gets involved and starts making a lot of money off these "predictions", the hook is in. There are more twists and turns, crosses and double crosses, than a school of octopuses trying to tango. The reader is never sure of exactly what's going on or who is conning whom.
By turns amusing, touching and suspenseful, Con Ed delivers on its promise in spades. In addition to the inventive plot, Klein has created some characters that you want to spend time with. Although Toby seems like a loser, he has some surprising hidden abilities. But the character that steals the show is Kip. He at first seems self-effacing, but over the course of the book, we see the brilliance below the surface, the hint of amorality, the personality that allows him to capitalize on the greed of others while betraying their trust.
And how does the author know so much about conning? According to his bio, "He lived in Silicon Valley for almost a decade, and started several technology firms, which collectively raised tens of millions of venture capital dollars, and employed hundreds of people… before they went bankrupt and disappeared. Although Matthew is not a con man, some of his prior investors might disagree."
In addition to its entertainment value, Con Ed is also very educational. I learned about the Pigeon Drop, Bank Examiner Scam, Honey Trap and Change Game, as well as the vocabulary of con. I'm wondering if I could pull any of these off. I bet if you met me, you'd trust me. Hmmmm……
March 16, 2024
Couldn’t put it down, one of my favourites.
May 28, 2008
Disposable and innocuous, just don't think about it too much.
Con Ed belongs to the crime fiction sub-genre of "big con" novels. It has all of the usual strengths and some predictable weaknesses. The details about con games make for engaging reading and the convoluted plot doesn't actually get out of hand.
But, as with EVERY con novel I've ever read, the author plays fast and loose with narrative point of view, in essence cheating the reader by maintaining the pretense of access to the main character's interior life, but excluding that information (which the character would be constantly aware of) that would give away the game.
Okay, if you can live with that, fine. More to the point, the characters are too thin to support the degree of pathos the author aims at. The pacing is brisk (or I wouldn't have made it through the book) and the handling of the plot, POV caveats aside, is deft. But the central problem, the ethical ickiness of conmen and con games, is not resolved. It is pushed to the side by the circumstances of the narrator, a man forced back into con games by a threat to his son, but it is by no means resolved. To establish the narrators bona fides much is revealed about con games. But clearly if the narrator has so much knowledge, acquired through experience, then he has spent much time (as he acknowledges) fleecing people, both the innocent and the morally compromised.
The narrator presents himself as a man in search of redemption, but the posture is unconvincing both because of the lack of depth of the characterization and the narrative's dependence on the reader's engagement with the image of the cheerfully larcenous con man.
The end of the con contains a nice surprise. The end of the novel made me realize how indifferent I was to the fate of the narrator.
Con Ed belongs to the crime fiction sub-genre of "big con" novels. It has all of the usual strengths and some predictable weaknesses. The details about con games make for engaging reading and the convoluted plot doesn't actually get out of hand.
But, as with EVERY con novel I've ever read, the author plays fast and loose with narrative point of view, in essence cheating the reader by maintaining the pretense of access to the main character's interior life, but excluding that information (which the character would be constantly aware of) that would give away the game.
Okay, if you can live with that, fine. More to the point, the characters are too thin to support the degree of pathos the author aims at. The pacing is brisk (or I wouldn't have made it through the book) and the handling of the plot, POV caveats aside, is deft. But the central problem, the ethical ickiness of conmen and con games, is not resolved. It is pushed to the side by the circumstances of the narrator, a man forced back into con games by a threat to his son, but it is by no means resolved. To establish the narrators bona fides much is revealed about con games. But clearly if the narrator has so much knowledge, acquired through experience, then he has spent much time (as he acknowledges) fleecing people, both the innocent and the morally compromised.
The narrator presents himself as a man in search of redemption, but the posture is unconvincing both because of the lack of depth of the characterization and the narrative's dependence on the reader's engagement with the image of the cheerfully larcenous con man.
The end of the con contains a nice surprise. The end of the novel made me realize how indifferent I was to the fate of the narrator.
March 6, 2008
Not a Con "Con Ed" by Matthew Klein is about a man named Kip Largo. Kip is in his mid 50's and was released from prison less than a year ago. Kip was imprisoned for a white collar crime. After he was released Kip tried to stay on the straight and narrow. Through no real fault of his own, Kip is dragged back into the world of cons. Kip's 20-something, semi-estranged son, Toby, needs his fathers' help. Toby tells his father that he has screwed up and now owes thousands of dollars to "The Professor", a higher-up in the Russian Mob. What else can guilt-ridden father do BUT do whatever he has to do to help out his son. Even if helping him means endangering his own life. This book has 49 chapters split up into 3 parts. Each part has as interesting name; �The Roper', "The Mark' and "Cacklebladder'. The story begins in a bar in Palo Alto, California. Kip intervenes when a thug attacks a college kid who tries conning the thug out of some money. Kip is then approached by a woman who recognizes him from his trial. She asks him for help conning her husband. As the story progresses we learn more about Kip's past. Kip passes on some con advice, should any reader wish to attempt one. I have been reading a lot of books with women as the main characters. This book was a great change of pace. Kip is a GUY. There is nothing frilly about this book. Kip may be an ex-con, but he someone any parent can relate to. All he wants is for his family (even his ex-wife) to be happy and safe. This is Matthew Klein's first book and I'd say he's off to a terrific start. I'd recommend this book for any adult. There is a scene or two that involves the making of a pornographic movie. There isn't anything graphic, just nothing you'd want your teen to read.
June 26, 2007
This was a really fun, light read. The basic premise is familiar: the ex-con trying to go straight, but he ends up getting pulled back for one huge job - in this instance, to bail out his 25-year old son who owes big money to Russian gangsters. It's a funny book, with the self-deprecating first-person narration (think Janet Evanovich) and great one-liners.
I really enjoyed the structure of the book - he alternates story chapters with ones in which the narrator educates us on classic cons and basic elements of cons, with really heavy bits of foreshadowing so we can figure out what's going on as the job develops.
Like I said, fun, light reading. The characters are enjoyable enough and it's fast-paced and I, at least, found myself constantly curious about where things were going. (The basic twists were made pretty obvious from the beginning, but there are definitely enough small twists to keep you guessing.) If you're looking for something the next time you need some airport reading, this is a good option.
I really enjoyed the structure of the book - he alternates story chapters with ones in which the narrator educates us on classic cons and basic elements of cons, with really heavy bits of foreshadowing so we can figure out what's going on as the job develops.
Like I said, fun, light reading. The characters are enjoyable enough and it's fast-paced and I, at least, found myself constantly curious about where things were going. (The basic twists were made pretty obvious from the beginning, but there are definitely enough small twists to keep you guessing.) If you're looking for something the next time you need some airport reading, this is a good option.
January 16, 2010
When Roman consuls returned from war, having won great and terrible victories they were granted the honor of a massive parade. They rode through the streets of Rome made to look ashen, like the statues of Apollo, in recognition of their feat. Lest they become too headstrong, however, a man rode next to them whispering the whole time, "You are but a man."
This book reminds me of that for the simple reason that it reaffirmed what I'd known all along: I'm not Caesar and this is not a triumph.
Reading this book is like watching a magician who keeps telling you, "You know, there's a trick here...nothing you see is real."
We love magicians and fiction because they're transcendent experiences that allow us to escape the dreary bounds of the bondage imposed on us by the tyrant Physics and the cruel dictates of Civil Society. To rob us of such an escape after promising it is the worst trick...and incidentally the best con this books portrays.
A book about a con man that is itself a con. I think some college student's head just exploded.
This book reminds me of that for the simple reason that it reaffirmed what I'd known all along: I'm not Caesar and this is not a triumph.
Reading this book is like watching a magician who keeps telling you, "You know, there's a trick here...nothing you see is real."
We love magicians and fiction because they're transcendent experiences that allow us to escape the dreary bounds of the bondage imposed on us by the tyrant Physics and the cruel dictates of Civil Society. To rob us of such an escape after promising it is the worst trick...and incidentally the best con this books portrays.
A book about a con man that is itself a con. I think some college student's head just exploded.
December 11, 2011
I thought this book was smooth and enjoyable. At times, the pacing appeared a bit jumpy, but, overall it was fun to read. I was unhappy with the end. At first, I thought this was just because I was a sap who likes happier endings; and I was ready to respect the author's somewhat tragic, honorable ending. But, as I dwelled on the facts of the ending a bit, it just didn't make sense. * Spoiler* When the main character sacrifices himself to protect his good-for-nothing son, it doesn't hold water within this plot because the violent Russian mobster would just kill his son for the Dad's theft regardless of the son's services to the mobster, and the mobster would arrange to have the Dad killed in prison. So, the noble sacrifice would not work within the confines of this book. The son would've been better off being arrested and leading the police to the mobster. Oh well. Otherwise, a fine book.
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