Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit Writing) [Paperback]

Fay Faron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998 | ISBN-10: 0898798272 | ISBN-13: 978-0898798272 | Edition: First Edition, First Printing.

From street level shell games to high stakes real estate swindles, professional PI Fay Faron profiles the con artists, the cons and the victims. Designed for authors who need the facts for realistic narrative, here is the lowdown on scams.'

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Something tells us we would be naïve to believe this book would appeal solely to mystery writers. Detective Fay Faron, syndicated newspaper columnist ("Ask Rat Dog") and author of Missing Persons, has written a primer sure to turn any novice (writer, of course) into a scam expert. Rip-Off removes the mystery from such cons as the pigeon drop, Latin lotto, Gypsy-sweetheart scams, guaranteed-prize mailers, charity scams, bait-and-switches, biz-op scams, the Texas twist, identity theft, carny cons, chain letters, psychic hotlines, three-card monte, Ponzi schemes, 809 phone numbers, and gambling stings. Faron's writing advice focuses on identifying the basic traits of perps and pigeons (60 percent of pigeons are seniors, but we're all susceptible), defining the lingo (drag broad, shaky mom, mish roll, etc.), and counseling writers to "tell the story from the point of view of the victim." --Jane Steinberg

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; First Edition, First Printing. edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898798272
• ISBN-13: 978-0898798272
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #754,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There are better sources, August 15, 2000

By 

J. Morton (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit Writing) (Paperback)

The Howdunit series is a wonderful resource for writers. These books can save hours of legwork and research. Unfortunately Fay Faron's book does not really belong in the series. This is not to say it's a bad book. If you are interested in con games and want to protect yourself, it is as good as most of the other books on the market that cover this topic. As a research tool, however, it falls woefully short. Most of the cons are given only the most rudimentary descriptions, and some (such as the notorious shell game, which is still prevalent on the streets of major cities) are not mentioned at all.

The book does well with some modern con artists, such as the Travelers, but is completely devoid of historical information. Certainly in a book for writers, some mention must be made of the great con artists of this century; people such as The Yellow Kid, Limehouse Chappie, Buck Boatwright, and Charley Gondorff. Remember, not everyone sets their fiction in the present day.

The author plays it close to the vest when it comes to her sources. Certainly a book such as this should have an extensive bibliography, but this one only lists a few books. There are some notable omissions from the list, the worst case being the absence of The Big Con by David W. Maurer. Written in 1940, Maurer's book is still the best resource for information of how con games are played, and the book I would recommend it over Rip-Off to any aspiring writer interested in writing about con games.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Just Plain Lousy, July 21, 2002

By 

Michael Dorin (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit Writing) (Paperback)

When I ordered this book, I was hoping for more than a cursory look at some of the great scams and cons throughout history. It fell woefully short in many respects. It seems to me that Ms. Faron has learned all she knows from watching a Discovery Channel special or movies, such as The Sting, Traveller, or Paper Moon. It provides nothing in the way of original insight or research. The author's writing style is disjointed and confused. It jumps between subjects quickly without segues. I can see how non-writers can be interested in this book, but as it sells itself as a guide to help an author with character and plot development, I expect a little more than "You might want your character to do this..."
I do admit that the title is fully fitting. Ms. Faron has conned us buyers.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't go wrong with this book., May 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit Writing) (Paperback)

After reading a copy of this book that I picked up in my local library, I went straight out and bought a copy to add to my (extensive) collection. This is easily one of the better books on Con Games that is generally available today. I liked it for both the very readable writing style, and for the volume of diverse information it presented. Rather than just rehash the same half dozen con games (the pigeon drop, the bank examiner, home repair scams, etc) that you'll run across in almost any other book or web search on the subject, Ms. Faron presents a wide variety of scams for your contemplation, including a few that I was not aware of (and I collect books about them). If you have any interest in the subject of Con Games at all, BUY THIS BOOK! You won't regret it.