Book
Only When I Larf
First published 1967
Silas, Liz and Bob make their living from elaborate confidence tricks aimed at people rich enough to be tempted by impossible profits. Their schemes depend on forged identities, rehearsed performances and the victim’s willingness to believe that greed can be disguised as opportunity. Success brings money but also rivalry within the partnership.
As the deceptions become larger and more international, the three begin to compete over control of the operation and of one another. Deighton treats the con game as a form of theatre in which every participant is both actor and audience, and where the greatest risk comes when the performers start believing their own inventions.
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