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The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente (view source)
Revision as of 14:16, 23 January 2021
, 14:16, 23 January 2021no edit summary
|reviewer= Luke Marlowe
|genre=Crime
|summary= Comics writer Fred Van Lente brings his experience and insider knowledge to this hugely fun read – a carefully studied look at the goings -on in a Comic-Con, boosted by a thrilling murder plot and intriguing illustrations.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
In ''The Con Artist'', as in his previous book ''Ten Dead Comedians'', Van Lente moves more into the crime genre – but ''The Con Artist'' is packed with enough twists and pop culture references to keep fans like me happy. In fact, it's a hugely clever concept – with Mike Mason's role as a comic book artist allowing various illustrations (created by acclaimed illustrator Tom Fowler) to appear throughout the book – allowing the reader to be immersed in the situations described even more, but also offering subtle clues about the crime at the heart of the story.
There's a light tone to the heart of the book which reads very well indeed – it's clear that Van Lente knows Comic-Cons extremely well, and whilst he's not afraid to point a finger at darker sides of the comic community, this is mostly a light -hearted and affectionate parody of the community, alongside a crime plot that comes to a clever and rather affecting conclusion. A well -balanced read told with great skill – ''The Con Artist'' is both original and hugely enjoyable. Many thanks to the publishers for the copy.
For further reading I recommend [[Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell]] – for another gripping crime thriller by a comics mainstay. We think you might also enjoy Van Lente's [[Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery by Fred Van Lente|Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery]].
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[[Category:Humour]]