Confidence tricks in literature
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This is a list of notable literary works involving confidence tricks.


Nineteenth century and earlier

* '' The Book of Swindles'' (''Du pian xin shu'', 1617) - story collection by Zhang Yingyu; China's first collection of stories about fraud, featuring twenty-four categories of swindle, circa late Ming dynasty * '' The Government Inspector'' (1836) – play by
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
; the main character deceives the corrupt officials of a small town into believing that he is a government inspector * ''
Dead Souls ''Dead Souls'' (russian: «Мёртвые души», ''Mjórtvyje dúshi'') is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The novel chronicles the travels and adv ...
'' (1836) – novel by
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
; the main character poses as a wealthy landowner so that he can acquire the souls of dead serfs * '' The Confidence-Man'' (1857) – novel by Herman Melville; the main character tests confidence of other people * '' Les Misérables'' (1862) – novel by Victor Hugo; the Thénardiers, two of the primary villains scam money from people * '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884) – novel by
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
; two characters, The Duke and the Dauphin are grifters * " The Red-Headed League" (1891) –
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
story by
Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
, which involves a sort of confidence trick used to enable a bank robbery


Twentieth century

* ''The Miracle Man'' (1914), play by
George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...
, the main characters are con artists. * Simon Templar (published 1928–1963), also known as "The Saint", a main character in Leslie Charteris' novels and stories who is often involved in scams and cons * '' The Twelve Chairs'' (1928) and ''
The Little Golden Calf ''The Little Golden Calf'' (russian: Золотой телёнок, ''Zolotoy telyonok'') is a satirical novel by Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1931. Its main character, Ostap Bender, also appears in a previous novel by the authors c ...
'' (1931) – satirical novels by Ilf and Petrov; the main character, Ostap Bender, is a con man, who has carried out most of the tricks listed below, and ''The Little Golden Calf'' contains a fictional secret society of con men called
Children of Lieutenant Schmidt The Children of Lieutenant Schmidt (russian: Дети лейтенанта Шмидта), a fictional society of swindlers, appeared in the 1931 satirical novel ''The Little Golden Calf'' by Ilf and Petrov. They pose as children of Lieutenant Schm ...
* ''
Farewell, My Lovely ''Farewell, My Lovely'' is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1940, the second novel he wrote featuring the Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe. It was adapted for the screen three times and was also adapted for the stage and rad ...
'' (1940) – novel by
Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...
, the villains Marriott and Amthor are con-artists. * '' The Space Merchants'' (1952) – sci-fi novel by
Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...
and Cyril Kornbluth is full of con games practiced by corporations * '' Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man: The Early Years'' (1954) – Thomas Mann's unfinished novel about a German con man * '' The Stainless Steel Rat'' (1961–present) – series of sci-fi novels by Harry Harrison; the protagonist, James Bolivar diGriz ("Slippery Jim"), is a con man and uses abundant schemes and frauds *
Travis McGee John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...
(published 1964–1984) – a character in
John D. MacDonald John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...
's series of detective novels, frequently uses con games or has them tried against him * '' Only When I Larf'' (1968) – comic thriller by Len Deighton describing the activities of a team of three fictional confidence tricksters. * '' The Golden Egg'' (1984) – psychological thriller novel by Tim Krabbé features a chemistry teacher who employs con for the purpose of kidnapping *
Repairman Jack Repairman Jack is a character in a series of novels by F. Paul Wilson. Jack initially was just one protagonist in a string of related novels, but then gained his own series known as The Repairman Jack series. This series of novels uses realistic ...
(1984–present) – a character in
F. Paul Wilson Francis Paul Wilson (born May 17, 1946, in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American medical doctor and author of horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, and other genres of literary fiction. His books include the Repairman Jack n ...
's series of novels, often runs scams on other con artists * '' If Tomorrow Comes'' (1985) – novel by Sidney Sheldon, which has a con artist as the main character and is mostly based on trickery and deception * '' Hellblazer'' (1988–present) – ongoing horror comic book series; the main character,
John Constantine John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John ...
, uses confidence scams, trickery and magick * ''
The Brethren Brother, Brethren, also called "brothers", are male siblings. (The) Brethren may refer to: Groups and organizations *Brethren (religious group), any of a number of religious groups *Brethren (Australian group), an Australian hip hop group *Brethre ...
'' (2000) – novel by John Grisham features a con run by three incarcerated judges


Twenty-first century

* '' Matchstick Men'' (2002) – novel by
Eric Garcia Eric Garcia may refer to: * Eric Garcia (writer) (born 1972), American writer * Eric García (footballer, born 1993), Spanish football midfielder * Eric Garcia (basketball) (born 1994), American basketball player *Eric García (footballer, born 2001 ...
; the main characters are con artists * ''
American Gods ''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. The book was pub ...
'' (2001) – novel by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
uses a two-man con as a major plot element * '' Going Postal'' (2004) – Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel features a convicted and condemned con artist
Moist von Lipwig Moist von Lipwig is a fictional character from Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series. A "reformed con-man" who is one of the major characters of the series, von Lipwig is the protagonist of the novels ''Going Postal'', ''Making Money,'' and ''R ...
, who applies the principles of the con in his new job as Postmaster General * ''
The Lies of Locke Lamora ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'' is a 2006 fantasy novel by American writer Scott Lynch, the first book of the ''Gentleman Bastard'' series. Elite con artists calling themselves the "Gentleman Bastards" rob the rich of the city of Camorr, based on la ...
'' (2006) – fantasy novel by
Scott Lynch Scott Lynch (born April 2, 1978) is an American fantasy author who wrote the '' Gentleman Bastard Sequence'' series of novels. His first novel, ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'', was purchased by Orion Books in August 2004 and published in June 2006 u ...
follows the adventures of a group of con artists known as the Gentlemen Bastards * '' The Collectors'' (2006) – novel by
David Baldacci David Baldacci (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers. Biography Early life and education David Baldacci was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. H ...
; one of the main characters cons a casino owner out of $40 million * '' Mr. Monk in Trouble'' – mystery novel by
Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including '' Diagnosis: Murder'', ''A Nero Wolfe My ...
based on the television series '' Monk'' features several subplots set in the 1850s where criminals salt their mines with rather ingenious methods *'' Six of Crows'' (2015) – a fantasy novel by Leigh Bardugo; one of the main seeks revenge on the man who once conned him and his brother


See also

* Confidence trick * Picaresque novel


References

{{Scams and confidence tricks Literature Literature by topic