Synopses & Reviews
The inspiration behind Ridley Scotts new movie—starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell—by the acclaimed cult author of Anonymous RexRoy 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. 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 by the discovery that he is the father of a punky teenage daughter from a brief marriage that ended years ago. 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.
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
"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
"Eric Garcia pulls off a nifty con game of his own....[A]n elaborate shell game...it's the most dexterous sleight-of-hand since Kevin Spacey strolled out of a police station in The Usual Suspects." The Boston Globe
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
"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 for the major motion picture by the acclaimed cult author of Anonymous Rex 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. 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 by the discovery that he is the father of a punky teenage daughter from a brief marriage that ended years ago. 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.
Synopsis
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE - A novel about grifters with issues, by the acclaimed cult author of Anonymous Rex and Casual Rex 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. 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 by the discovery that he is the father of a punky teenage daughter from a brief marriage that ended years ago. 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.
About the Author
Eric Garcia grew up in Miami, Florida, and attended Cornell University and the University of Southern California, where he majored in creative writing and film. He lives outside Los Angeles with his wife, daughter, and dachshund, and is currently at work on Hot and Sweaty Rex, the third novel in his acclaimed series about dinosaur detective Vincent Rubio. He is also developing a series for the Sci Fi channel based on the Rex novels.