Synopses & Reviews
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND RIDLEY SCOTT’S NEXT MOVIE—STARRING NICOLAS CAGE AND SAM ROCKWELL—BY ERIC GARCIA, THE ACCLAIMED CULT AUTHOR OF
ANONYMOUS REX.
“After the first of Eric Garcia’s Rex books, I found myself thinking, ‘I wonder what he’s up to now.’ After Matchstick Men, a lot of other people will begin wondering, too.”—Thomas Perry, author of Pursuit
Roy and Frankie are matchstick men—con artists. Partners in elegant crimes for years, they know each other like brothers and have perfected the rules of the game.
Roy is the careful one. Saves every penny. Takes his medication regularly. Without the pills, his obsessive-compulsive disorder kicks in and he is too nauseated to do anything but stare at the dirt on the carpet.
Frankie is the adventurous one, hungry for a big score. He wants Roy to join him in running a tricky game, but Roy is distracted—for good reason. Roy has just discovered that he is the father of a punky teenage daughter from a brief marriage that ended years ago. Much to the frustration of Roy’s partner, the kid wants to get to know her father. She also wants to learn the family business.
Novelist Eric Garcia takes readers into the fast and funny world of grifters with issues. Matchstick Men is a dazzling literary con game that will keep readers guessing until the last page.
matchstick men (mach•stik men) n. pl. 1. simply drawn characters, meant to represent the human form 2. tavern betting game, invented circa 1920 3. con artists or grifters, those who steal via wit, trickery, or confusion 4. a mob of people, easily enraged 5. a deviously suspenseful and surprising novel by Eric Garcia, acclaimed cult author of Anonymous Rex 6. a major motion picture, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell, coming in 2003 from Warner Bros.
Review
"[S]tylish but somewhat hollow....[I]ngeniously plotted (the ending is a real surprise), though the scams themselves aren't as clever as one might hope....[T]here's some crackling dialogue, but these bad guys don't quite gel into memorable characters." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[A] straightforward variation on The Sting that combines elements of The Odd Couple and Paper Moon to create what could be [Garcia's] breakout book....By the time the final con is played, we recognize that we're in the hands of yet another master of 'the game.'" Library Journal
Review
"The best thing about this screenplay masquerading as a novel is its denouement....The surprises that attend every page of the last section are earned and satisfying. We can only hope that the movie does this thin, but entertaining book justice. (Grade: B)" Chip Rhodes, Rocky Mountain News
Review
"Alert readers will guess what's up by page 50, but the fun is in watching Roy figure it out....He's a compelling character, and it's only slightly distracting to be unable to visualize him as anyone but Nicolas Cage. The immediacy of Roy's present-tense narration drags you right into his head and keeps you there as the tale unfolds..." Becky Ohlsen, BookPage
Review
"Matchstick Men reads like a screenplay; all dialogue, no setting. The characters are almost transparent, as if they are simply disembodied voices. Moreover, the big con...is so predictable that I correctly guessed the outcome halfway through the book....This isn't a novel; it's a preview." Phil Busse, The Portland Mercury
Review
"After the first of Eric Garcia's Rex books, I found myself thinking, 'I wonder what he's up to now.' After Matchstick Men, a lot of other people will begin wondering, too." Thomas Perry, author of Pursuit
Synopsis
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND RIDLEY SCOTT' S NEXT MOVIE-- STARRING NICOLAS CAGE AND SAM ROCKWELL-- BY ERIC GARCIA, THE ACCLAIMED CULT AUTHOR OF ANONYMOUS REX.
After the first of Eric Garcia's Rex books, I found myself thinking, ' I wonder what he's up to now.' After Matchstick Men, a lot of other people will begin wondering, too. -- Thomas Perry, author of Pursuit
Roy and Frankie are matchstick men-- con artists. Partners in elegant crimes for years, they know each other like brothers and have perfected the rules of the game.
Roy is the careful one. Saves every penny. Takes his medication regularly. Without the pills, his obsessive-compulsive disorder kicks in and he is too nauseated to do anything but stare at the dirt on the carpet.
Frankie is the adventurous one, hungry for a big score. He wants Roy to join him in running a tricky game, but Roy is distracted-- for good reason. Roy has just discovered that he is the father of a punky teenage daughter from a brief marriage that ended years ago. Much to the frustration of Roy's partner, the kid wants to get to know her father. She also wants to learn the family business.
Novelist Eric Garcia takes readers into the fast and funny world of grifters with issues. Matchstick Men is a dazzling literary con game that will keep readers guessing until the last page.
matchstick men (mach- stik men) n. pl. 1. simply drawn characters, meant to represent the human form 2. tavern betting game, invented circa 1920 3. con artists or grifters, those who steal via wit, trickery, or confusion 4. a mob of people, easily enraged 5. a deviously suspenseful andsurprising novel by Eric Garcia, acclaimed cult author of Anonymous Rex 6. a major motion picture, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell, coming in 2003 from Warner Bros.