Joe Gores. Cons, Scams & Grifts (2001) 324 pp.
In Southern California, Ephrem Poteet—inside a bear costume—performs a dance routine while also pick-pocketing his audience. However, someone must have hated his act because the gypsy performer is murdered. The police and the Muchwaya Nation of Gypsies believe that the victim’s wife Yana killed him after an ugly incident in San Francisco, but she seems to have vanished. In San Francisco, the Dan Kearney Associates (DKA) are very busy in a street war with the owners of cars that need repossessing. In spite of the workload, the employer of this sleaze group Dan Kearney agrees to help the Muchwaya Nation locate Yana.

H.K.