King Con

Take a professional cardsharp and con man with a grudge, throw in a righteously angry prosecutor whose star witness has been murdered and whose politico boss has stuck her with the blame, and pit them against a pair of crass, none-too-bright mafiosi motivated by lust, greed, and vanity. The tale by Stephen J. Cannell that emerges reads like a screwball combination of Donald Westlake, Hunter S. Thompson, and Mario Puzo — a cleverly plotted revenge comedy with a jagged, murderous edge. Okay, so the slam-bang ending in King Con has got a pat, made-for-movies feel that may make readers nostalgic for a bygone era when novels were written for readers. But hey, who's complaining? B+