Conman
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Product Description
Product Description
The story of a nice enough chap, mid-30s, sensitive. A small shop, a loving family and the obligatory laminate-floored flat in Putney. Or is it? It could be that Conman is the story of a dark-hearted, devilish confidence trickster. A man who, despite his tweeds, pocket-watches and tendency to say 'indeedy-dumplings', isn't a nice chap. Somewhere in the shadows, where High Fidelity meets The Usual Suspects, where David Mamet meets Ben Elton, Richard Asplin's Conman will have readers laughing and guessing to the last page.
From the Author
Well here it is kids. Book 3. And boy oh boy is it a cracker. By my reckoning this baby was about 6 years in the making or thereabouts. And - even if I say so myself, which I do, as you're about to find out, here we go, just watch me - it's been a blast. This one, once again, will appeal to those who like their humour as English as a bowler hat covered in Coleman's mustard on the head of a South London cab driver. Not a single word would have been written without 30 years of Douglas Adams, PG Wodehouse, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Ben Elton and Cyril Bonfiglioli doing what they do. Plus, you can sling in a heap of David Mamet and Christopher McQuarrie there too.New book - PSYCHE - should be with you next year...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Richard Asplin's novel is part crime-caper, part morality tale - the Sting meets High Fidelity.
Neil Martin runs a comic memorabilia shop in London, specialising in first edition comics, Elvis Presley clocks and posters of `the Sting'. He is a likeable guy, flawed in many ways, but totally devoted to his wife and baby daughter. He is a man sinking under the weight of debt and prone to burying his head in the sand, much to his wealthy father-in-law's annoyance.
An encounter with a group of fraudsters and grifters offers him an escape route that will save his family and business. And he agrees to become a conman and take a wealthy and obnoxious collector from the States for every cent he has.
But who is conning who in this novel of twists and turns?
Asplin is an excellent writer. He has a playful style, genuine comic timing and wit. But this is all counter-balanced by a streak of British absurdism, where existential despair rubs shoulders with belly-laughs. It is this dark take on modern life that sets him slightly apart from the lad-lit of Tony Parson or Carl Hiassen.
Top notch and one to check out if you want to try something fresh and original.
Neil Martin runs a comic memorabilia shop in London, specialising in first edition comics, Elvis Presley clocks and posters of `the Sting'. He is a likeable guy, flawed in many ways, but totally devoted to his wife and baby daughter. He is a man sinking under the weight of debt and prone to burying his head in the sand, much to his wealthy father-in-law's annoyance.
An encounter with a group of fraudsters and grifters offers him an escape route that will save his family and business. And he agrees to become a conman and take a wealthy and obnoxious collector from the States for every cent he has.
But who is conning who in this novel of twists and turns?
Asplin is an excellent writer. He has a playful style, genuine comic timing and wit. But this is all counter-balanced by a streak of British absurdism, where existential despair rubs shoulders with belly-laughs. It is this dark take on modern life that sets him slightly apart from the lad-lit of Tony Parson or Carl Hiassen.
Top notch and one to check out if you want to try something fresh and original.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Asplin's Conman is a pacey London thriller that will keep you guessing and questioning even after you've finished. Follow the hapless (or is he?) Neil as he tries to find an easy way out of financial ruin and laugh out loud at the situations he gets himself into. This is The Sting to the naughties.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Tony Parsons's quote on the over calls Richard Asplin 'The first blue-chip young novelist of the 21st century'. I'm not even sure what the hell this means, and usually an endorsement from Tony Parsons would be enough for me to avoid the unfortunate book as I would a nuclear testing site. In this case, though, I strapped on my bodysuit and waded in - and I'm glad I did. Conman is an absolutely compulsive read - page after page flashed by, filled with twists, turns and double-crosses, some of which I saw coming, some of which I didn't, which was all part of the fun! Anyone who's a fan of David Mamet, or just fancies a brain-spinning read, should buy this. The first blue-chip young novelist of the 21st century? If I could work out what this meant, I'd probably agree...
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Twists like a New Age Windchime
It's difficult to review a novel like this without plot spoiling - and the plot is what con fiction is all about. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Parthurbook
Full of twists and turns
A right rollicking read, with a twist at every turn of the page. Something different for once in the often predictable genre of crime. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Jools
Take a day off
The kids have had beans for supper, the house- and homework has gone to the wall and I've shaved more than a couple of core sleep hours off this week, all to get to the end of this... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Lady Grey
a right riveting read
The great thing about this book is that Richard Asplin manages to marry humour and a tight plot in equal doses, neither element overshadowing the other. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Alan Murphy
Fast, fun and frenetic
A friend recommended this to me. It's not the kind of book I normally read but I'm glad I did. Perfect for dull tube journeys, the twists and turns kept me entertained on the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by West Wing and Chocolate
Disappointing
Having read the authors previous two books, i had high hopes for this one. maybe my hopes were a bit too high, because it just doesnt get there. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2009 by P. D. Tochel
Fresh & Funny
Remember the tv series called Hustle? I loved that, but this is much better. The genius of the clever cons, the suspense of never quite knowing who is conning who and what the... Read more
Published on 1 July 2009 by literary_spy
Asplin's twists and turns keep you guessing right to the end!
If films like The Grifters and The Thomas Crown Affair float your boat, if you have even a passing fancy for the odd comic here and there and if you like your tales of crime &... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2009 by Bobby Sox
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