Cons, Scams & Grifts - Hardcover

Gores, Joe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892965940 ISBN 13: 9780892965946

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 2001

Synopsis

The private detectives of Dan Kearny Associates become involved in a series of cases, all with their paths leading to Rome, as they raid a classic car dealership in San Francisco, search for a gypsy princess framed for murder, look for a unique treasure stolen by an L.A. oil tycoon, and test the defenses of the oil tycoon's mountain fortress. 15,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Joe Gores lives in Marin County, California.

Reviews

The likable pack of operatives for Daniel Kearny Associates of San Francisco return for a tremendously fun romp, working fast repos on a list of classic cars missing after a raid on a shady auto dealer. Better yet, they slam the gas on a collision course for another battle of wits with the Gypsy gang they faced a couple of novels back in the delightful 32 Cadillacs. Told vignette-style, with a huge cast of characters and many subplots, this novel is anchored by the adventures of the beautiful Gypsy witch Yana, cast out from her clan, forced to scam her way alone through the gadjo world and now wanted in the death of her husband. The Gypsies hire DKA to find Yana, but seem more interested in having them lead the assault on a millionaire's fortress with its secret treasure. Caper novel, murder mystery, encyclopedia of con games here Gores has reached a masterful level, loose (street accuracy is not as solid as in his early books, for example) and playful (with a cameo from Michael Connelly's L.A. sleuth, Harry Bosch, and a hilarious nod to Gores's longtime pal Donald Westlake). Gores includes a few hard-boiled scenes, since he did start out as a tough-guy writer (no one conveys as well the joy of fishtailing away in a popped car), but the relaxed veteran of many novels and teleplays is much more enjoyable. You cannot go wrong joining him for this masterpiece of monkey business. (Aug. 28)Forecast: This novel should appeal to the same audience that goes for Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series. The pulp-like look of the dust jacket will also attract hard-boiled fans.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Daniel Kearny Associates--San Francisco private investigators and auto-repossession specialists--have been hired by Cal-Cit Bank to repossess cars being sold by a dealer who hasn't paid off his loans. The bank has also employed the firm to protect some very valuable property on a remote estate. Meantime, Kearney's investigators are working for a very different client--a local gypsy clan trying to clear one of its own of a murder charge. Gores, winner of four Edgar awards, cleverly bounces from plot to plot or, as the title infers, from con to scam to grift, with each case revealing as much about the investigator as it does the perpetrator. Even wily Kearny, ever alert and ever skeptical, finds himself red-faced and professionally embarrassed by an elaborate scheme that is a hybrid of gypsy craftiness and corporate protocol. In the end, nothing is as it first appeared. Entertaining reading from a seasoned master. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The good news for fans of the comic caper genre is that those "slimeball repossessors" from Daniel Kearney Associates (DKA) are back. The even better news is that they're back at full strength. Following 2000's comparatively pallid Stakeout on Page Street, Edgar Award winner Gores delivers the goods as efficiently as his repo guys could wish. When a pickpocket who uses the guise of a bear costume to lift wallets and purses from unsuspecting L.A. tourists is killed, suspicion points to his Gypsy wife. Meanwhile, a plot masterminded from Rome has DKA operatives on the trail of six hot vintage automobiles. A wide range of characters in a host of different locales keep things careening along until eventually readers discover why DKA needs dental mirrors, a crossbow, fireworks, talcum powder, and fishhooks to spring an orangutan from captivity in a fortress known as Xanadu. For all public libraries. Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0892965940
• ISBN 13: 9780892965946
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320