Con Ed [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Matthew Klein (Author), Norman Dietz (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2007

“Keep in mind: This is a story about a con. In a con, everyone takes part in a play. And everyone knows it is a play, except for one man. The thing you want to make sure is that the man is not you...” Here’s the setup. A blonde in shades walks into a bar. Spots this hustler who’s trying to stay out of the game. Tells him she has a slap-happy billionaire husband and a big score in her pretty little head. All the hustler has to do is what he does best: lie, cheat, fake, and steal – and watch both the money and the girl fall into his lap. Trouble is, the hustler has pulled every con in the book, and he instinctively knows this: The blonde can’t just be a beautiful blonde, the score can’t just be a score, and the big bad husband has to have an angle of his own. Most of all, Kip Largo has serious suspicions about himself. After all, he’s just gotten out of prison and isn’t interested in going back. But for a man who was born the son of a grifter and now lives in a Palo Alto apartment whose carpeting was last changed when Eisenhower was president, the blonde in the bar bit is starting to look too good to pass up. Then, as in any good con, the pot gets sweetened - and the incentives rise - when Kip’s son shows up with a story about a big gambling debt to the Russian mob. Now Kip is going all-in, doubts and all. He’ll call in old favors from everyone from a porn princess to a slightly bent computer nerd. All because that blonde, her husband’s billions, and a strange racket called fatherhood have convinced Kip that he might just be smart, skilled, and lucky enough to walk away with a fortune. Or not.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

That voice! It sounds so... familiar, somehow. Dietz is best known as a voiceover artist, so hearing him read Klein's comic novel of con and countercon will jog vague memories of movie trailers and commercials half-buried in the deepest recesses of memory. Dietz has fun with the world-weary cadences of longtime hustler Kip Largo, an ex-convict who's seen every trick in the book and still gets himself snarled in what may be the biggest con of all. The only downside is that Dietz has decided to read every female character as a breathy, simpering buffoon—a questionable aesthetic choice that interrupts the flow of the reading each time a woman appears. The remainder of the novel trots along at a brisk clip, and Dietz ambles along right next to it, hardly breaking a sweat.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Who's scamming whom? That's a persistent question in Con Ed. Once-rich con-man Kip Largo is going straight, living small, and making $10 per hour in a dry-cleaning store after doing eight years for wire fraud. Life is dull, but Kip wants it that way, until his son Toby shows up, on the run from the Russian Mob. Kip needs a big score to save Toby, and a timely proposal from the stunning young wife of a dangerous Las Vegas casino owner provides him with a target for a grand scam. Con Ed is a brisk, clever, and charming page-turner. Most chapters begin with a short lesson on the art of the con, and the whole book is full of knowledgeable observations on the culture of Silicon Valley, e.g., the very best programmers, "code Marines," are freelancers who have agents to negotiate their contracts. Kip, who is conflicted about his relationship with his con-man father, his failed marriage, and his concern for his wastrel son, is a wonderful character who ruminates on his fated return to crime in vaguely Buddhist terms. Con Ed is a winner, and crime fans should remember the name Matthew Klein. Thomas Gaughan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged; Unabridged edition (March 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142333132X
• ISBN-13: 978-1423331322
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,046,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NORMAN DIETZ SHINES IN THIS NARRATION, May 22, 2007

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Con Ed (Audio CD)

Ready for a wry satire with mini bites and maxi humor? Then don't miss a word of "Con Ed" as read by writer, actor, solo performer Norman Dietz. Known to audiences throughout the U.S. and Canada, Mr. Dietz has performed his original works on numerous stages. He has also compiled these works for publication in Fables & Vaudevilles & Plays, and The Lifeguard and the Mermaid.

Mr. Dietz is the perfect voice for protagonist Kip Largo, with a touch of world-weariness, an echo of been-there-done-that, and hints of hope for a big score. Kip, you see, is a con man, one of the best.

Unfortunately, one of his schemes (a diet product) earned him only jail time, but that's behind him now as he's living in Palo Alto where he's attempting to hit it big with selling vitamins on the Internet. One night, as he's passing some time in a bar he watches a hustler at work. Said hustler doesn't have Kip's know-how and Kip has a soft spot for those in his profession - he'd really like to help but has no desire to return to jail. Nope, no way. Then his son, Toby, comes knocking on the door asking for bed, board and help.

Seems that Toby has run up some heavy gambling debts. As Kip explains it, "Toby has the stupid Gotcha! grin of a 15-year-old boy. Unfortunately for both of us, Toby is 25 years old." Nonetheless, Kip takes his fatherly responsibilities seriously and has no choice but to con again in order to save his son.

Enter Edward Napier, a millionaire owner of an over-the-top Las Vegas hotel with a below par work ethic - a perfect hit for Kip's easy money scheme. Kip hires an ex porn actress to pose as an executive to help him and he's off. Or, is he?

- Gail Cooke

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lesson in the art of the con, May 2, 2007

By 

Jules Brenner "~ Critical Mystery Tour" (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Con Ed (Hardcover)

In the realm of mysteries, you don't often get as amusing a read as this first novel by Matthew Klein. Not only is it about a huge and intricate scam, but it targets some very shady and dangerous criminal types -- one a too-smart-for-anyone's-good Las Vegas casino operator, the other a Russian mobster. A shred of social consciousness won't be found in either portfolio.

The wondrous achievement of the book is Klein's expertise in imagining the intricate scheme he builds a story around, and detailing every step of the way for our edification and fascination. He's actually roping us into it as if we, the readers, are the marks. Dangerous and hilarious.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!!, March 21, 2007

By 

Katie Holliday (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Con Ed (Hardcover)

I honestly could not put "Con Ed" down- I read it in two days. This book defines "page turner." Its a con book thats so well written- it keeps you guessing the whole time. If you're looking for a fun page turner, definitely pick up this one!!