To Make a Hero

Leland Hale, Galactic Conman #1

by Randall Garrett

Lord Darcy Creator, Award Winner Randall Garrett’s rarest and never-reprinted series character, Leland Hale will steal your heart – and all your money!

Leland Hale thought the universe owed him a living, and he was collecting on the installment plan. Fraud, larceny and murder are all in the day’s work for this master interstellar confidence man. He is about to descend on the planet Cardigan’s Green with planetary scam designed to make him rich at the population's expense. He doesn’t know he is about to become a savior!

First of the three Leland Hale capers. Reprinted from the 1950s pulp, Infinity. T. L. Mars inspired by an Ed Valigursky cover for Fantastic Stories.

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Randall Garrett's full name was Gordon Randall Phillip David Garrett. For more information about him see https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?239

He was married to Vicki Ann Heydron

His pseudonyms include: Gordon Randall Garrett, Gordon Aghill, Grandal Barretton, Alexander Blade, Ralph Burke, Gordon Garrett, David Gordon, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgenson, Darrel T. Langart, Blake MacKenzie, Jonathan Blake MacKenzie, Seaton Mckettrig, Clyde (T.) Mitchell, Mark Phillips (with Laurence Janifer), Robert Randall, Leonard G. Spencer, S.M. Tenneshaw, Gerald Vance.

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too American. To compare to TV: I prefer Hustle to Leverage. The key difference: the British crew does not need a "muscle man". As for the book (more likely a short story or a novelette) – Leland Hale has no problem with killing someone which puts him few steps lower then Stainless Steel Rat...