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When Pigs Fly
A novelette of swindlers, dames, and a millionaire with a pig. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1925. Right before New Year's Day. Genevra Valentine is a roper, someone who brings in marks for a team of con artists working in the basement of a soda fountain-come-speakeasy. The mark she just brought in has a story she can't he's a millionaire cattleman from Chicago who wants to race his famous racing pig, Zeus, against the fastest runner anyone can produce. It sounds like a con. And she should know. But the chance to fleece a millionaire isn't something that Genevra or her boss can pass up.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2017
8 people want to read
About the author
DeAnna Knippling
176 books282 followersDeAnna Knippling is a professional freelance writer, ghostwriter, and editor. She has a browser history full of murder, gore, and Victorian street maps. She writes across many genres, but has a soft spot for all things crime, horror, and gothic. Her latest book is the Gothic horror novel The House Without a Summer. You can find her in Colorado with her husband and daughter, on her website at www.WonderlandPress.com, or on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 24, 2017
NOTE: The author graciously gave me a copy of this book and asked me to write a review.
In case anyone is wondering, there are no flying pigs in DeAnna Knippling’s offbeat short novelette, “When Pigs Fly.” There are, however, a racing pig and some high flying con men (and one con woman), all of which combine for a lively period caper tale that will have readers guessing right along with that aforementioned con woman.
The woman in question is the narrator of “When Pigs Fly,” Generva Valentine, who, in 1920’s Cedar Rapids, IA, uses her considerable feminine wiles to steer marks (that’s con artist lingo for suckers) to her boss’s wire store (that’s a fake bookie joint similar to the one Newman and Redford operated in The Sting). But there’s trouble right there in Cedar Rapids, since there are two different crooks running the exact same type of wire store and competing for the same marks.
Generva manages to wind up right in the middle of the growing feud between the rival con artists when she befriends a wealthy businessman who owns the aforementioned racing pig (actually a rather large hog). Generva steers the man to her boss, who soon arranges a match race for the pig against an Olympic-class runner. Before the actual race, however, the other con artist gets involved, and the stakes get considerably more serious.
The stakes may be serious here, but the tone of Knippling’s story isn’t. Like “The Sting” or the Damon Runyan-styled stories it emulates, “When Pigs Fly” has a light tone that makes for an easy read. At the same time, however, the author follows the rule book for con artist stories. In these tales, there are generally two games going on. The first is the con that the grifters are trying to pull, and the second is the con that many authors try to pull on their readers, with misdirection and twists galore. It’s a lot of fun when handled well, and Knippling knows how to keep the story moving even as things get considerably complicated. And with two rival con artists at work, the story does get complicated, becoming a giant guessing game, as both Generva and the readers realize that something unusual is going to come down during the big race, but no one is quite sure who is doing what to whom.
Of course, since “When Pigs Fly” is only 30 pages long, the plot can’t get too complicated, which is a good thing, because the author’s description of the events surrounding the race is a bit confusing at times, as she tries a bit too hard to maximize the laughs. However, the author recovers nicely to come up with a very satisfying ending in keeping with the overall tone of the story.
DeAnna Knippling primarily writes horror fiction, but she is definitely in her element here. She gives readers a glimpse of the grifter mindset through the eyes of Generva, and the caper, although wildly improbable, is a good bit of fun. Pigs may not be able to fly, but readers will be in hog heaven when they finish “When Pigs Fly.”
In case anyone is wondering, there are no flying pigs in DeAnna Knippling’s offbeat short novelette, “When Pigs Fly.” There are, however, a racing pig and some high flying con men (and one con woman), all of which combine for a lively period caper tale that will have readers guessing right along with that aforementioned con woman.
The woman in question is the narrator of “When Pigs Fly,” Generva Valentine, who, in 1920’s Cedar Rapids, IA, uses her considerable feminine wiles to steer marks (that’s con artist lingo for suckers) to her boss’s wire store (that’s a fake bookie joint similar to the one Newman and Redford operated in The Sting). But there’s trouble right there in Cedar Rapids, since there are two different crooks running the exact same type of wire store and competing for the same marks.
Generva manages to wind up right in the middle of the growing feud between the rival con artists when she befriends a wealthy businessman who owns the aforementioned racing pig (actually a rather large hog). Generva steers the man to her boss, who soon arranges a match race for the pig against an Olympic-class runner. Before the actual race, however, the other con artist gets involved, and the stakes get considerably more serious.
The stakes may be serious here, but the tone of Knippling’s story isn’t. Like “The Sting” or the Damon Runyan-styled stories it emulates, “When Pigs Fly” has a light tone that makes for an easy read. At the same time, however, the author follows the rule book for con artist stories. In these tales, there are generally two games going on. The first is the con that the grifters are trying to pull, and the second is the con that many authors try to pull on their readers, with misdirection and twists galore. It’s a lot of fun when handled well, and Knippling knows how to keep the story moving even as things get considerably complicated. And with two rival con artists at work, the story does get complicated, becoming a giant guessing game, as both Generva and the readers realize that something unusual is going to come down during the big race, but no one is quite sure who is doing what to whom.
Of course, since “When Pigs Fly” is only 30 pages long, the plot can’t get too complicated, which is a good thing, because the author’s description of the events surrounding the race is a bit confusing at times, as she tries a bit too hard to maximize the laughs. However, the author recovers nicely to come up with a very satisfying ending in keeping with the overall tone of the story.
DeAnna Knippling primarily writes horror fiction, but she is definitely in her element here. She gives readers a glimpse of the grifter mindset through the eyes of Generva, and the caper, although wildly improbable, is a good bit of fun. Pigs may not be able to fly, but readers will be in hog heaven when they finish “When Pigs Fly.”
August 28, 2017
I liked this book it gave me a look at things during prohabition, it was a quick light and sometimes funny read.
March 14, 2017
An entertaining novella (felt more like a short story) about life in a small town during Prohibition. Con artists who get conned. Reminded me a little of The Sting.
February 12, 2017
That was an odd book, tho did just come from reading a space opera type one, so probably made it odder. Do have her All the Retros at the New Cotton Club and A Murder of Crows so will have to find time for those, although of course they won't be set such as this one, but still. Not on ku so definitely got from one of my freebie sites. Quick read, at least for me, but I'm a natural speedreader. Not quite sure what threw me off, as it wasn't the writing style or topic, another reason try to read/review books with books that are about the same genre.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews