Synopses & Reviews
Kip Largo was once the world's greatest con man. Then he got busted. And spent eight years in jail. And lost his family. And lost everything except his crummy apartment and sense of humor. Now he spends his days working at a third-rate dry cleaner and maintaining a fourth-rate website. But hey, it's an honest living.
Then one day he meets Lauren Napier, beautiful wife of billionaire Ed Napier. Lauren's got a problem. She wants to leave Ed, but doesn't get squat in a divorce. She wants Kip to steal the money. She wants to pay him handsomely for his services. Kip's many things, but dumb isn't one of them. He knows that when a beautiful woman wants something from you, the only thing you're gonna get in return is trouble. So he makes the smart choice and walks away. But then things get complicated.
Kip comes home one day to find his son on his couch. Kip hasn't seen his son in years. Guess what his son owes money to the Russian Mob. Kip can't say he saw that coming. And his son is short, well, the whole amount. Kip's monthly gross from the website generally tops out at twelve bucks. And suddenly Lauren's proposal isn't looking half bad.
This is Kip's chance to start over, to save his son, to afford a brand new life. But Kips knows that in any heist things never go as planned, and if you don't improvise you'll be caught faster than a one-legged bank robber. But suddenly Kip doesn't know who's conning who and if he doesn't figure it out, his life could be the ultimate failed con.
Review
"Con Ed is distinguished from countless routine books in its genre by the other kinds of elements that Kip's scheme requires....[T]his book and its narrator are great fun." Janet Maslin, New York Times
Review
"Sharp as a razor, witty as a late-night host, Matthew Klein's ex-con con artist Kip Largo is that favorite uncle you want to spend a long afternoon in the bar with. Just look out for who ends up paying the tab. Con Ed is a book you won't put down until the last punch line is thrown." Jonathon King, author of The Blue Edge of Midnight
Review
"A propulsive, noirish tale, as well as a smart allegory on the false promise of the Internet bubble." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Con Ed is set just before the dot-com bubble burst, and here Klein, who founded three tech companies, clearly knows his stuff....How Kip talks about himself and his cons makes a fairly common story line into something that is always entertaining and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny." The Oregonian (Portland, OR)
Review
"...Matthew Klein's Con Ed is such a guilty pleasure....[C]omplicated, funny and highly engaging, and the payoff is a doozy." USA Today
Review
"Smart, crisp, charming. Matthew Klein's irresistible first novel makes you feel like an insider to the grift." Alafair Burke, author of Judgment Calls and Close Case
Review
"Really great book. Honest." Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels
Review
"[T]here are enough twists and turns in this story to keep the reader firmly engaged and totally surprised at the end....Con Ed is slick, clever, and thoroughly entertaining." Library Journal
Synopsis
A "brisk, clever, and charming page-turner" about crime, the art of the con, and the culture of Silicon Valley (Booklist, starred review). Kip Largo was once the world's greatest con man. Then he got busted. And spent eight years in jail. And lost his family. And lost everything except his crummy apartment and sense of humor. Now he spends his days working at a third-rate dry cleaner and maintaining a fourth-rate website. But hey, it's an honest living.
Then one day he meets Lauren Napier, beautiful wife of billionaire Ed Napier. Lauren's got a problem. She wants to leave Ed, but doesn't get squat in a divorce. She wants Kip to steal the money. She wants to pay him handsomely for his services. Kip's many things, but dumb isn't one of them. He knows that when a beautiful woman wants something from you, the only thing you're gonna get in return is trouble. So he makes the smart choice and walks away. But then things get complicated.
Kip comes home one day to find his son on his couch. Kip hasn't seen his son in years. Guess what' His son owes money to the Russian Mob. Kip can't say he saw that coming. And his son is short, well, the whole amount. Kip's monthly gross from the website generally tops out at twelve bucks. And suddenly Lauren's proposal isn't looking half bad.
This is Kip's chance to start over, to save his son, to afford a brand new life. But Kips knows that in any heist things never go as planned, and if you don't improvise you'll be caught faster than a one-legged bank robber. But suddenly Kip doesn't know who's conning who, and if he doesn't figure it out, his life could be the ultimate failed con.
About the Author
Matthew Klein lives in Rye Brook, New York. Con Ed is his first novel.