Jim Thompson’s quintessential noir novel presents a dark, fatalistic world where the con is not a glamorous heist but a grim means of survival.
The story centers on Roy Dillon, a small-time grifter whose life unravels when he is caught between his estranged mother, Lily, and his girlfriend, Moira—both more ruthless and accomplished con artists than he is.
Thompson’s prose is lean and brutal, exploring a grimy underworld of short-cons and petty deceptions where trust is a liability and betrayal is inevitable. It’s a bleak, absorbing exploration of the corrosive nature of the grift and the desperate lives of those trapped in it.
This masterwork of psychological suspense gives readers an unnerving look inside the mind of a sociopathic imposter. When the unremarkable Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve a wealthy man's son, he becomes obsessed with the life of his target, Dickie Greenleaf.
Ripley is an artist of envy, and his true con is not for money but for identity itself. He steps comfortably into a world of wealth he never earned, manipulating identities with an amoral grace that is both terrifying and seductive.
Highsmith’s genius lies in making the reader a reluctant accomplice, creating extraordinary tension as Ripley’s web of lies tightens around him.
Set in the American South during the Great Depression, Paper Moon captures the scrappy, itinerant life of the grifter. The novel follows Moses “Long Boy” Pray, a slick con man who sells Bibles to recent widows, and the possibly-his-daughter Addie, a tough, cigarette-smoking orphan who proves to be an even better swindler than he is.
Their partnership, born of necessity, evolves into a complex and poignant relationship. The book is a brilliant depiction of the small-scale con, showing how charm, quick wits, and a flexible moral code were essential tools for survival in desperate times.
Walter Tevis’s classic novel explores the subtle art of the hustle, where the con is a psychological game played for stakes far higher than money. “Fast” Eddie Felson is a young, prodigiously talented pool player who dreams of beating the legendary Minnesota Fats.
His primary tool is deception: he carefully convinces opponents to underestimate him, masking his supreme skill behind a manufactured façade.
Tevis vividly portrays the calculated performance and mental fortitude required to manipulate an opponent, examining the self-destructive ambition and desperate courage of a man whose identity is built on his ability to deceive.
A masterpiece of intrigue and misdirection set in Victorian London, Fingersmith elevates the con artist novel to dizzying new heights. Sue Trinder, an orphan raised among petty thieves, is sent to pose as a lady’s maid to help a dashing con man named Gentleman swindle a naive heiress out of her fortune.
But nothing is as it seems, and the novel unfolds through a series of stunning reversals that continuously reframe the story. Waters constructs the narrative like an elaborate long con, manipulating the reader’s perceptions with the same skill her characters use on their marks, resulting in a breathtaking story of love, betrayal, and identity.
Gillian Flynn’s runaway bestseller reinvents the con for the modern age, focusing on the performance of identity within a marriage and the manipulation of public narrative. When Amy Dunne disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary, her husband, Nick, becomes the primary suspect.
The story is a labyrinth of he-said, she-said accounts, where both narrators weaponize stories to control the truth. The central con here is not for money but for control, revenge, and the power to define reality itself, making it a chilling commentary on media, relationships, and the curated fictions of our lives.
In this dazzling fantasy, Scott Lynch gives readers a tale of thieves and rogues on a grand scale. Locke Lamora, the "Thorn of Camorr," leads a gang of elite con artists known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Operating under a strict code, they specialize in elaborate, theatrical schemes that target the wealthy nobility.
The city of Camorr’s dangerous yet enticing canals and alleys form the perfect backdrop for their exploits. Lynch’s novel stands out for its intricate world-building, sharp dialogue, and the sheer joy it takes in the artistry and intellectual elegance of the perfect con.
Leigh Bardugo’s novel assembles a misfit crew of criminals for an impossible heist, led by the ruthless and brilliant strategist Kaz Brekker. In the grimy port city of Ketterdam, Kaz’s reputation is built on his ability to orchestrate audacious scams and outthink all his rivals.
Each member of his carefully chosen team contributes a unique skill—from espionage to demolition to a gambler’s knack for trickery. More than a simple heist story, the novel delves into the broken pasts that shaped these young outcasts, showing how their cons are not just for profit, but for survival and revenge in a world that has discarded them.
Glen David Gold’s historical epic brilliantly illustrates how stage magic is a form of public-facing con artistry. Set during the Jazz Age, the novel follows the charismatic magician Charles Carter, who finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving President Warren G. Harding’s mysterious death.
Like a skilled con artist, Carter designs each staggering illusion to mislead his audience, meticulously controlling perception and reality. The book blurs the line between entertainer and trickster, exploring a glamorous and deceptive world of secret societies, rival illusionists, and the powerful allure of a well-crafted lie.
Set against the bleak backdrop of the London Blitz, Crooked Heart paints an unusual and surprisingly heartwarming picture of small-time con artistry. When Vera Sedge, a resourceful but debt-ridden woman, reluctantly takes in ten-year-old evacuee Noel, she sees him as just another mouth to feed.
But Noel, a precocious and lonely intellectual, soon proves to be an invaluable partner in her clumsy hustles. Their schemes are born of desperation, not greed, and their initial mistrust slowly develops into an unlikely alliance.
The novel respectfully examines the quiet tragedy and dark comedy hidden within the small cons people run simply to get by.