Matthew Klein. Con Ed (2007) 285 pp.
Kip Largo was once the best in the business. A con man’s con man. But then he spent five years in jail and lost everything except his sense of humor and a crummy little apartment in Palo Alto. Then one day he meets Lauren Napier, wife of billionaire venture capitalist Ed Napier. She wants Kip to steal her husband’s money for her, and in return, she’ll cut him in on a sizeable chunk of the proceeds. Kip’s been around long enough to know that when a beautiful woman wants something from you, all you’re gonna get in return is a whole lot of trouble. So he makes the smart choice and walks away. But soon Kip’s son shows up with a different tale of woe: he’s gotten into a really bad situation with the Russian Mafia and needs his old man’s help. Suddenly, the idea of stealing Ed Napier’s money doesn’t sound so bad. The con is on, but for Kip, the question will soon be: who’s conning whom?
Setting: Palo Alto, Northern California