Review of Morrow's Con

[Stephanie Runyon]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Morrow's Con" by Earl James.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Morrow works as a driver for Arnie Westcott, who is the second-in-command of the Santangelo crime family. He earned the title of the man who saved Westcott from an attack by his rival, Barger. Rafe met Morrow at a local bar, telling him about a gig he had found. Morrow had conned Rafe’s landlord into keeping Rafe’s rent lower, so he felt obligated to bring Morrow in on the job. The next day, Morrow visits Jacob Almeda’s home under the alias Dan Thompkins. He informed Almeda that he could retrieve his stolen painting for $600,000. Almeda agreed, but warned him that failure was not an option. He gave him four weeks to deliver the painting.

Morrow had to retrieve “Gabriel’s Steed” from Conrad LeBlanc’s mansion. He formed a team to carry out his plan. However, he encountered the imposing obstacle of LeBlanc’s office manager, Ms. Velloitte. Morrow makes several attempts to see LeBlanc. Velloitte tries to have him escorted out by a big guard. When the guard breaks the frame on a painting Morrow brought and punches him in the face, LeBlanc enters the office. After meeting LeBlanc, Morrow’s team quit. Now he has less time to form another team. Additional challenges increase the stress within the limited time frame Morrow is working with.

Earl James’ Morrow’s Con: Opening Gambit is the first book in the Morrow’s Con Stories series. This character-driven story has Morrow carrying out what he calls a “long con.” Although a con man, Morrow avoids physical confrontations and can manipulate any situation in just a few minutes. His second team’s characters were well-developed with distinct personalities. I found Ghost intriguing because of his ability to assess surroundings and vanish. My favorite scene involved Morrow trying to intimidate a mark and Ghost popping up behind the person.

Morrow’s Con: Opening Gambit is full of suspense, and the unpredictable plot kept me from putting the book down. The multiple variables that Morrow must incorporate into each of his plans consume time, especially with the deadline for Almeda just days away. His plans unravel when he substitutes another person after another backs out of the con. I rate this intriguing novel five out of five stars. Engaging conversations, quirky characters, and an easy-to-follow timeline made this one of my favorites this year.

Morrow’s Con: Opening Gambit will appeal to fans of watching a con man using his skill to redeem his criminal actions in the past. The book contains some profanity and instances of physical violence that may be offensive to some readers. I am eager to read the next book in the series to see how Morrow strengthens his “people reading” skills. I found nothing I disliked in this book.

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Morrow's Con
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[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

I'm fascinated by conmen. They are criminals, I realize that, but it takes an awful lot of brains, people skills, and charisma to be a successful conman. And I love quirky characters!