King Con [Abridged] [Audio CD]

Stephen J. Cannell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

From the author of FINAL VICTIM, a thriller about a charming and successful confidence trickster. When his cousin is murdered by a powerful New Jersey crime boss, the celebrated conman forms a partnership with a female FBI agent and sets to work on trapping the murdering gangster through an especially conniving deception.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Using the same mixture of action, charm, and believable characters that made his television series like The Rockford Files so much fun, Stephen J. Cannell has come up with a thriller that's as bright and breezy as a day at the beach. Ace grifter Beano X. Bates and his extended family make a nice living conning folks out of their savings with scams like "The Most Valuable Dog in the World." But when a New Jersey mobster named Joe Rina puts him in the hospital, Beano is out for massive revenge. With the help of a harried but sexy female prosecutor, the Bates family pulls off a series of consummate cons that leap to life from the printed page. Cannell's last thriller, Final Victim, is available in paperback. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

New Jersey mobsters Tommy and Joe Rina kill the star witness in the state's case against them, and "King Con" Beano X. Bates plots revenge in the form of an elaborate "sting." Aiding him is former New Jersey prosecutor Victoria Hart, prim, upstanding, and dedicated, who's drawn into the sting unwillingly, then takes glee in committing felonies and telling lies right and left. Screen- and TV writer Cannell's second novel (following Final Victim, LJ 4/15/96) is pure delight; its well-developed plot line has nice detours here and there so the reader cannot quite foresee the conclusion. The entire Bates family, criminals all, are wonderful characters, and although some of the action is far-fetched and the sting dialog gets boring in its technicality, the wry humor will keep readers enthralled. Great summer reading for all libraries. (Cannell is making this into an MGM movie with John Travolta as Beano..
-?Alice DiNizo, Raritan P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Media Books; Abridged edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578155487
• ISBN-13: 978-1578155484
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,340,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannell can con me anytime, August 11, 2000

By 

carolyn tugend (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Con: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book with a half-hearted interest. Never one to gamble, I just didn't see a connection to the topic. From the first chapter, I was hooked, I could not put the book down (read it in one afternoon). The lead character, Beano Bates, is so well written you find yourself in the middle of this Con. If you love a fast paced read with lots of twists and turns, this book is for you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grifters Delight, May 10, 2000

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: King Con: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Fun, fun, fun page turner for those who love to read about grifters and con artists. In the prologue the best con artist in the US cheats a number of people at cards, including a mobster, who beats him nearly to death afterward (an act which is totally contrary to the way the character is depicted throughout the rest of the book, but oh well). After a number of convolutions, the lovable con artist and the local DA team up to run a huge con to take out the mobster and his psychopathic brother. The characters are all cardboard, but its fun to read along and watch the author shuffle them around and spin a good story. Of course, Cannell knows that the details make the story, and this book is chock full of grifter tricks and cons which are a delight.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The A Team meets the Bates Family, February 2, 2000

By 

"svantis" - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Con: A Novel (Hardcover)

I remember when I was (ahem) a mere child I used to have the opening sequence of the A-Team memorized, I was such a fan. Today, I can still recite it. "In 1971 a crack commando unit was sent to military prison for a crime they did not commit...." In the closing of that show I remember seeing Mr. Cannell yanking a final page out a novel out of his old electric typewriter. Little did I know that he was really writing...and writing well. King Con opens with a bang, er, a golf club and ends with a sentimentality that cannot be denied. So what if the roller coaster ride ended with a gentle roll? The plot twists are better than a good New York pretzel. The cons themselves are nothing short of glorious. And....the guy gets the girl. Granted, the last sentence seemed like ole Stephen was just plain fed-up with the plot and said to himself "Hey, this is good enough. After all, the deadline is in five minutes." Nothing, not the end nor the beginning, is as important as the meat of a book. And let me tell you folks, this novel is a bonafide thick-cut T-bone. Enjoy!