Author: Matt Forbeck
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101618507
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 269
Book Description
The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. When a disreputable dealer starts swindling aged and ailing comic-book creators out of their wealth—and their high-valued comics and artwork—the daughter of one victim comes to ex-insurance investigator Nathan Ford and his team of counter-crooks for help. Their scheme: run a con at the Comic-Con International, where the crook intends to sell the goods. But there’s more going on than simple theft. An arson plot is in motion that will not only destroy countless rare collectibles, but may end up costing lives. With time short, the team must take down a ruthless mark whose true motives have yet to be revealed…
The Con Job
Author: Suzanne Doyle-Morris
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780956268822
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
The Con Job tackles one of the biggest workplace cons of all time - the way most workplaces over-reward confidence, bravado and showmanship and undervalue competence, skill and expertise. Having interviewed nearly 40 senior leaders, from around the world Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris uses the best of their advice and how we should be defining confidence so that it works for more of us - not just 'the status quo' of current leaders. If you're different from the leadership at your workplace and have been overlooked, The Con Job is for you! Not progressing at work is often blamed on 'lack of confidence', but this excuse is a total con job. It misses genuine competence, conveniently rewards the status quo and distracts us from understanding the context of what really drives confidence in different groups of people. This hoax means we fail to get the right people into the best jobs. This book identifies the battles worth fighting to give you the skills you need to: Capitalise on what you are doing well to silence the 'imposter'. Convince others to value your hard-earned experience. Redefine confidence so it doesn't continue to advantage the 'status quo'. Are you ready to debunk the greatest 'Con Job' in order to get ahead?
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780956268822
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
The Con Job tackles one of the biggest workplace cons of all time - the way most workplaces over-reward confidence, bravado and showmanship and undervalue competence, skill and expertise. Having interviewed nearly 40 senior leaders, from around the world Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris uses the best of their advice and how we should be defining confidence so that it works for more of us - not just 'the status quo' of current leaders. If you're different from the leadership at your workplace and have been overlooked, The Con Job is for you! Not progressing at work is often blamed on 'lack of confidence', but this excuse is a total con job. It misses genuine competence, conveniently rewards the status quo and distracts us from understanding the context of what really drives confidence in different groups of people. This hoax means we fail to get the right people into the best jobs. This book identifies the battles worth fighting to give you the skills you need to: Capitalise on what you are doing well to silence the 'imposter'. Convince others to value your hard-earned experience. Redefine confidence so it doesn't continue to advantage the 'status quo'. Are you ready to debunk the greatest 'Con Job' in order to get ahead?
Con Job
Author: Crystal Wright
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1621574393
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
The Democrat Party likes to pose as the party of compassion. But where is the compassion in "sanctuary cities" that allow foreign criminals to prey on innocent Americans? Where is the compassion in encouraging envy and lawlessness? Crystal Wright isn't falling for the liberal con job any longer. A one-time (2008) Obama supporter herself—and now a totally fearless "Conservative Black Chick"—Wright blows the whistle on the Democrat Party and its policies that are destroying America. In Con Job you'll learn why Democrat politicians have no problem with inner-city riots; why Democrats so fervently defend Planned Parenthood, how Democrats are remaking America through massive immigration and more. The 2016 presidential election is set to be one of the most consequential in American history—and Crystal Wright's book is the one you need to help friends and family avoid falling for the Democrat con job yet again.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1621574393
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
The Democrat Party likes to pose as the party of compassion. But where is the compassion in "sanctuary cities" that allow foreign criminals to prey on innocent Americans? Where is the compassion in encouraging envy and lawlessness? Crystal Wright isn't falling for the liberal con job any longer. A one-time (2008) Obama supporter herself—and now a totally fearless "Conservative Black Chick"—Wright blows the whistle on the Democrat Party and its policies that are destroying America. In Con Job you'll learn why Democrat politicians have no problem with inner-city riots; why Democrats so fervently defend Planned Parenthood, how Democrats are remaking America through massive immigration and more. The 2016 presidential election is set to be one of the most consequential in American history—and Crystal Wright's book is the one you need to help friends and family avoid falling for the Democrat con job yet again.
The Con Code
Author: Shana Silver
Publisher: Swoon Reads
ISBN: 1250266807
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
A teen forger and thief forms a criminal crew from her high school friends (and crush) to perform a series of heists leading to the location of her missing mother in this action-packed contemporary YA novel, The Con Code. By day, seventeen-year-old Fiona Spangler runs small cons for her ritzy prep-school classmates: getting them out of tests and forging fake hall passes. But by night, Fiona joins her dad on riskier heists: stealing back the clue-filled forgeries her mom scattered across the country before she disappeared. Fiona desperately hopes that her mother will be waiting at the end of the scavenger hunt she left behind. And they are SO close. Just three more heists remain, but then disaster strikes when Fiona’s dad is captured by the FBI. Desperate to finish the job and save what’s left of her family, Fiona assembles of crew of teen criminals: a master of disguise who can transform into anyone, a talented hacker who only communicates in glares, and a rival con artist with a vendetta against—and possible crush on—Fiona. All they have to do is perform three nearly impossible heists, solve her mother’s incredibly complex clues, and evade the FBI. Easy, right? Praise for Shana Silver's Mind Games: “An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep readers guessing. The complex plot, the occasional twists, and the quick pacing make this a difficult read to put down.” —School Library Journal "It's a YA Michael Crichton novel, minus the 100-page master class intro on quantum mechanics, biotech, and string theory...Mind Games is an absolute blast. If you are a fan of Memento or Strange Days, this one's definitely for you!" —NPR
Publisher: Swoon Reads
ISBN: 1250266807
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
A teen forger and thief forms a criminal crew from her high school friends (and crush) to perform a series of heists leading to the location of her missing mother in this action-packed contemporary YA novel, The Con Code. By day, seventeen-year-old Fiona Spangler runs small cons for her ritzy prep-school classmates: getting them out of tests and forging fake hall passes. But by night, Fiona joins her dad on riskier heists: stealing back the clue-filled forgeries her mom scattered across the country before she disappeared. Fiona desperately hopes that her mother will be waiting at the end of the scavenger hunt she left behind. And they are SO close. Just three more heists remain, but then disaster strikes when Fiona’s dad is captured by the FBI. Desperate to finish the job and save what’s left of her family, Fiona assembles of crew of teen criminals: a master of disguise who can transform into anyone, a talented hacker who only communicates in glares, and a rival con artist with a vendetta against—and possible crush on—Fiona. All they have to do is perform three nearly impossible heists, solve her mother’s incredibly complex clues, and evade the FBI. Easy, right? Praise for Shana Silver's Mind Games: “An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep readers guessing. The complex plot, the occasional twists, and the quick pacing make this a difficult read to put down.” —School Library Journal "It's a YA Michael Crichton novel, minus the 100-page master class intro on quantum mechanics, biotech, and string theory...Mind Games is an absolute blast. If you are a fan of Memento or Strange Days, this one's definitely for you!" —NPR
Lost at the Con
Author: Bryan Young
Publisher: Bryan Young
ISBN: 0615489494
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 262
Book Description
Lost at the Con tells the tale of a drunken political journalist and his dangerous assignment to a science fiction and fantasy convention. Though he'd rather be at home drinking his liver to death, his spiteful editor delivers an ultimatum: take the assignment or lose the steady paycheck. Since Cobb can't afford to turn down the job, he heads to Atlanta and dives head first into the realm of Griffin*Con, renowned the world over as the Mardis Gras of geek conventions. There, he finds all of the science fiction, fantasy, and cosplay he would expect, but he also finds something more sinister: a seedy underbelly of geeky debauchery, slash fiction, booze, sex, and drugs. Can he make it through this assignment without snapping and winding up on the front page himself? Or will the entire experience change him in ways he never imagined possible? It's been called "A masterful blend of fictional Gonzo journalism and geek culture that is sure to please audiences inside and outside the geek community."
Publisher: Bryan Young
ISBN: 0615489494
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 262
Book Description
Lost at the Con tells the tale of a drunken political journalist and his dangerous assignment to a science fiction and fantasy convention. Though he'd rather be at home drinking his liver to death, his spiteful editor delivers an ultimatum: take the assignment or lose the steady paycheck. Since Cobb can't afford to turn down the job, he heads to Atlanta and dives head first into the realm of Griffin*Con, renowned the world over as the Mardis Gras of geek conventions. There, he finds all of the science fiction, fantasy, and cosplay he would expect, but he also finds something more sinister: a seedy underbelly of geeky debauchery, slash fiction, booze, sex, and drugs. Can he make it through this assignment without snapping and winding up on the front page himself? Or will the entire experience change him in ways he never imagined possible? It's been called "A masterful blend of fictional Gonzo journalism and geek culture that is sure to please audiences inside and outside the geek community."
The Zoo Job
Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101619368
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 172
Book Description
A new novel based on the hit TV series Leverage... The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. THE ZOO JOB Marney Brillinger is in trouble. The zoo that has been in her family for generations is failing, and when she makes a deal with a Malanian priest to loan her two exotic black rhinos for a special exhibit, they never arrive. Now, she’s on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars to the priest, who was planning to use the money for sick children. Desperate, she turns to Nate Ford and his team for assistance. But finding two very large lost animals is no easy feat when the search involves duplicity—both international and close–to–home—and the unwelcome arrival of Nate’s nemesis, Interpol agent James Sterling. With Sterling around, if the team isn’t careful, they just might end up in cages of their own . . .
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101619368
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 172
Book Description
A new novel based on the hit TV series Leverage... The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. THE ZOO JOB Marney Brillinger is in trouble. The zoo that has been in her family for generations is failing, and when she makes a deal with a Malanian priest to loan her two exotic black rhinos for a special exhibit, they never arrive. Now, she’s on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars to the priest, who was planning to use the money for sick children. Desperate, she turns to Nate Ford and his team for assistance. But finding two very large lost animals is no easy feat when the search involves duplicity—both international and close–to–home—and the unwelcome arrival of Nate’s nemesis, Interpol agent James Sterling. With Sterling around, if the team isn’t careful, they just might end up in cages of their own . . .
The Con and the FBI Agent
Author: David Nadolski
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538159600
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
While FBI Agent David Nadolski risked his career, his informant, Anthony Romano risked his life to quash one of the biggest armed robberies of the twentieth century. During the 1990’s Boston was a world leader in arts, culture, higher education, and medicine. It was also a world leader in organized crime. In this exciting account, former FBI supervisory special agent David Nadolski tells the story of an unlikely alliance between two diametrically opposed people—the con and the FBI agent. While investigating a break-in at the Stone Library in Quincy, MA that houses the personal book collection of John Quincy Adams, the FBI gets a call from prison inmate, Anthony (Tony) Romano, requesting to meet with the case agent on the burglary. Romano provides a helpful tip that leads to the apprehension of the thief and the recovery of four priceless, historically significant books. Recognizing Tony’s potential, Nadolski begins to cultivate a relationship in hopes of recruiting Romano as a criminal informant. Nadolski recruits Romano to play a very dangerous game—infiltrate the Merlino gang, controlled by Carmello Merlino, a career criminal who specialized in bank robberies, armored car robberies, and home invasions. The Merlino gang also became suspects in the largest art theft in history which took place at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in Boston and remains unsolved to this day. Romano, a former armed robber, agrees. With sights set on the Loomis Fargo Armored Car Company money vault, located south of Boston, the Merlino gang gets to work. Little did they know, Romano, at great personal risk, was a wearing a wire and recording their planning sessions. After two years of being joined at the hip and learning to trust each other unconditionally, special agent Nadolski and Romano run a successful criminal investigation and undercover sting operation to catch four dangerous criminals poised to launch one of the biggest armed robberies of the twentieth century.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538159600
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
While FBI Agent David Nadolski risked his career, his informant, Anthony Romano risked his life to quash one of the biggest armed robberies of the twentieth century. During the 1990’s Boston was a world leader in arts, culture, higher education, and medicine. It was also a world leader in organized crime. In this exciting account, former FBI supervisory special agent David Nadolski tells the story of an unlikely alliance between two diametrically opposed people—the con and the FBI agent. While investigating a break-in at the Stone Library in Quincy, MA that houses the personal book collection of John Quincy Adams, the FBI gets a call from prison inmate, Anthony (Tony) Romano, requesting to meet with the case agent on the burglary. Romano provides a helpful tip that leads to the apprehension of the thief and the recovery of four priceless, historically significant books. Recognizing Tony’s potential, Nadolski begins to cultivate a relationship in hopes of recruiting Romano as a criminal informant. Nadolski recruits Romano to play a very dangerous game—infiltrate the Merlino gang, controlled by Carmello Merlino, a career criminal who specialized in bank robberies, armored car robberies, and home invasions. The Merlino gang also became suspects in the largest art theft in history which took place at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in Boston and remains unsolved to this day. Romano, a former armed robber, agrees. With sights set on the Loomis Fargo Armored Car Company money vault, located south of Boston, the Merlino gang gets to work. Little did they know, Romano, at great personal risk, was a wearing a wire and recording their planning sessions. After two years of being joined at the hip and learning to trust each other unconditionally, special agent Nadolski and Romano run a successful criminal investigation and undercover sting operation to catch four dangerous criminals poised to launch one of the biggest armed robberies of the twentieth century.
The Art of the Con
Author: Anthony M. Amore
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466879114
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
“Must reading for any true-crime fan . . . [a] diverse, colorful crew of art-gallery grifters and scammers . . . Highly recommended!” —Howie Carr, New York Times–bestselling author Art scams are today so numerous that the specter of a lawsuit arising from a mistaken attribution has scared a number of experts away from the business of authentication and forgery, and with good reason. Art scams are increasingly convincing and involve incredible sums of money. The cons perpetrated by unscrupulous art dealers and their accomplices are proportionately elaborate. Anthony M. Amore’s The Art of the Con tells the stories of some of history’s most notorious yet untold cons. They involve stolen art hidden for decades; elaborate ruses that involve the Nazis and allegedly plundered art; the theft of a conceptual prototype from a well-known artist by his assistant to be used later to create copies; the use of online and television auction sites to scam buyers out of millions; and other confidence scams incredible not only for their boldness but more so because they actually worked. Using interviews and newly released court documents, The Art of the Con will also take the reader into the investigations that led to the capture of the con men, who oftentimes return back to the world of crime. For some, it’s an irresistible urge because their innocent dupes all share something in common: they want to believe. “An engrossing read about brazen, artful scams.” —Kirkus Reviews “A riveting, fast-moving account of shameless fraudsters who wreak havoc on the art world. A must read!” —Brian T. Kelly, former Assistant United States Attorney
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466879114
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
“Must reading for any true-crime fan . . . [a] diverse, colorful crew of art-gallery grifters and scammers . . . Highly recommended!” —Howie Carr, New York Times–bestselling author Art scams are today so numerous that the specter of a lawsuit arising from a mistaken attribution has scared a number of experts away from the business of authentication and forgery, and with good reason. Art scams are increasingly convincing and involve incredible sums of money. The cons perpetrated by unscrupulous art dealers and their accomplices are proportionately elaborate. Anthony M. Amore’s The Art of the Con tells the stories of some of history’s most notorious yet untold cons. They involve stolen art hidden for decades; elaborate ruses that involve the Nazis and allegedly plundered art; the theft of a conceptual prototype from a well-known artist by his assistant to be used later to create copies; the use of online and television auction sites to scam buyers out of millions; and other confidence scams incredible not only for their boldness but more so because they actually worked. Using interviews and newly released court documents, The Art of the Con will also take the reader into the investigations that led to the capture of the con men, who oftentimes return back to the world of crime. For some, it’s an irresistible urge because their innocent dupes all share something in common: they want to believe. “An engrossing read about brazen, artful scams.” —Kirkus Reviews “A riveting, fast-moving account of shameless fraudsters who wreak havoc on the art world. A must read!” —Brian T. Kelly, former Assistant United States Attorney
The Confidence Game
Author: Maria Konnikova
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143109871
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
"It’s a startling and disconcerting read that should make you think twice every time a friend of a friend offers you the opportunity of a lifetime.” —Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and bestselling author of Devil in the White City Think you can’t get conned? Think again. The New York Times bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes explains how to spot the con before they spot you. “[An] excellent study of Con Artists, stories & the human need to believe” –Neil Gaiman, via Twitter A compelling investigation into the minds, motives, and methods of con artists—and the people who fall for their cons over and over again. While cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, true conmen—the Bernie Madoffs, the Jim Bakkers, the Lance Armstrongs—are elegant, outsized personalities, artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust. How do they do it? Why are they successful? And what keeps us falling for it, over and over again? These are the questions that journalist and psychologist Maria Konnikova tackles in her mesmerizing new book. From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of fascinating stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives. Insightful and gripping, the book brings readers into the world of the con, examining the relationship between artist and victim. The Confidence Game asks not only why we believe con artists, but also examines the very act of believing and how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143109871
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
"It’s a startling and disconcerting read that should make you think twice every time a friend of a friend offers you the opportunity of a lifetime.” —Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and bestselling author of Devil in the White City Think you can’t get conned? Think again. The New York Times bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes explains how to spot the con before they spot you. “[An] excellent study of Con Artists, stories & the human need to believe” –Neil Gaiman, via Twitter A compelling investigation into the minds, motives, and methods of con artists—and the people who fall for their cons over and over again. While cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, true conmen—the Bernie Madoffs, the Jim Bakkers, the Lance Armstrongs—are elegant, outsized personalities, artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust. How do they do it? Why are they successful? And what keeps us falling for it, over and over again? These are the questions that journalist and psychologist Maria Konnikova tackles in her mesmerizing new book. From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of fascinating stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives. Insightful and gripping, the book brings readers into the world of the con, examining the relationship between artist and victim. The Confidence Game asks not only why we believe con artists, but also examines the very act of believing and how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us.
Veritas
Author: Ariel Sabar
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0525433899
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
From the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author comes the gripping true story of a sensational religious forgery and the scandal that shook Harvard. In 2012, Dr. Karen King, a star religion professor at Harvard, announced a breathtaking discovery just steps from the Vatican: she’d found an ancient scrap of papyrus in which Jesus calls Mary Magdalene “my wife.” The mysterious manuscript, which King provocatively titled “The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife,” had the power to topple the Roman Catholic Church. It threatened not just the all-male priesthood, but centuries of sacred teachings on marriage, sex, and women’s leadership, much of it premised on the hallowed tradition of a celibate Jesus. Award-winning journalist Ariel Sabar covered King’s announcement in Rome but left with a question that no one seemed able to answer: Where in the world did this history-making papyrus come from? Sabar’s dogged sleuthing led from the halls of Harvard Divinity School to the former headquarters of the East German Stasi before landing on the trail of a Florida man with an unbelievable past. Could a motorcycle-riding pornographer with a fake Egyptology degree and a prophetess wife have set in motion one of the greatest hoaxes of the century? A propulsive tale laced with twists and trapdoors, Veritas is an exhilarating, globe-straddling detective story about an Ivy League historian and a college dropout—and how they worked together to pass off an audacious forgery as a long-lost piece of the Bible.
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0525433899
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
From the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author comes the gripping true story of a sensational religious forgery and the scandal that shook Harvard. In 2012, Dr. Karen King, a star religion professor at Harvard, announced a breathtaking discovery just steps from the Vatican: she’d found an ancient scrap of papyrus in which Jesus calls Mary Magdalene “my wife.” The mysterious manuscript, which King provocatively titled “The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife,” had the power to topple the Roman Catholic Church. It threatened not just the all-male priesthood, but centuries of sacred teachings on marriage, sex, and women’s leadership, much of it premised on the hallowed tradition of a celibate Jesus. Award-winning journalist Ariel Sabar covered King’s announcement in Rome but left with a question that no one seemed able to answer: Where in the world did this history-making papyrus come from? Sabar’s dogged sleuthing led from the halls of Harvard Divinity School to the former headquarters of the East German Stasi before landing on the trail of a Florida man with an unbelievable past. Could a motorcycle-riding pornographer with a fake Egyptology degree and a prophetess wife have set in motion one of the greatest hoaxes of the century? A propulsive tale laced with twists and trapdoors, Veritas is an exhilarating, globe-straddling detective story about an Ivy League historian and a college dropout—and how they worked together to pass off an audacious forgery as a long-lost piece of the Bible.