Review of Morrow's Con
Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 09:17
[Following is a volunteer review of "Morrow's Con" by Earl James.]
Earl James's novel Morrow’s Con: Opening Gambit is a thrilling tale of how a thing can be so well planned and still go spectacularly wrong.
Morrow has skills. He’s cool under pressure, charming, and fast thinking and is able to read people the way a grandmaster reads a chessboard. So when his friend asks for his help in orchestrating a con to steal back a famous painting for a kind old man, he accepts. How hard could it be for a man of his skill and attention to detail?
Despite Morrow's attention to detail and confidence in his own planning nothing seems to go right once the con is underway. Players bow out, new players are brought in on the fly and a few very surprising twists all come together to give our charming conman more than a few sleepless nights.
I found myself unable to put this book down for long, despite the semi slow start. Morrow's Con had me hooked before the first chapter was finished. Side character development was consistent if a little sparse and our main characters background is left slightly vague but this only adds to his mystique and encourages the reader to pick up the next instalment detailing Morrow's adventures.
I could only find minor fault with some aspects of this story, the main character sometimes speaking like a man from a 1950’s sitcom despite being a man in his 30's, the use of Yowza and the occasional change in narrative style. However, all of these small things came together to lend a certain amount of charm to the novel and create a thrilling story that made me lose myself in the con. I found myself thinking I was watching a Cary Grant film instead of reading a novel.
This first book in Earl James's con series is a solid 4 out 5 stars and sets the stage for the next instalment so nicely that I enthusiastically look forward to reading book two.
******
Morrow's Con
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Earl James's novel Morrow’s Con: Opening Gambit is a thrilling tale of how a thing can be so well planned and still go spectacularly wrong.
Morrow has skills. He’s cool under pressure, charming, and fast thinking and is able to read people the way a grandmaster reads a chessboard. So when his friend asks for his help in orchestrating a con to steal back a famous painting for a kind old man, he accepts. How hard could it be for a man of his skill and attention to detail?
Despite Morrow's attention to detail and confidence in his own planning nothing seems to go right once the con is underway. Players bow out, new players are brought in on the fly and a few very surprising twists all come together to give our charming conman more than a few sleepless nights.
I found myself unable to put this book down for long, despite the semi slow start. Morrow's Con had me hooked before the first chapter was finished. Side character development was consistent if a little sparse and our main characters background is left slightly vague but this only adds to his mystique and encourages the reader to pick up the next instalment detailing Morrow's adventures.
I could only find minor fault with some aspects of this story, the main character sometimes speaking like a man from a 1950’s sitcom despite being a man in his 30's, the use of Yowza and the occasional change in narrative style. However, all of these small things came together to lend a certain amount of charm to the novel and create a thrilling story that made me lose myself in the con. I found myself thinking I was watching a Cary Grant film instead of reading a novel.
This first book in Earl James's con series is a solid 4 out 5 stars and sets the stage for the next instalment so nicely that I enthusiastically look forward to reading book two.
******
Morrow's Con
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon