Death of a Scam Artist

Death of a Scam Artist
Author: Mike Befeler
Publisher: Encircle+ORM
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2017-08-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1893035727

A retirement home hides a surprising amount of intrigue and danger in this novel by a two-time finalist for the Lefty Award for Humorous Mystery. A failing retirement home needs to be turned around—and unfortunately, the job has been given to a financial hatchet man who dislikes old people. But his foray into the world of geezers and geezerettes will turn out to be a life-transforming experience. He must deal with a suspicious death, a scam, a hit man, an unexpected romance—and retired magician Jerry Rhine and his five wacky sidekicks known as the Jerry-atrics. And he will face the most important decision of his life when he uncovers the secret behind an unusual murder… Praise for Mike Befeler’s mysteries: “Witty, clever, and wholly entertaining.”—Margaret Coel, New York Times-bestselling author of the Wind River Mysteries “Delightful.”—Maggie Sefton, New York Times-bestselling author of the Knitting Mysteries

Death of a Con Man

Death of a Con Man
Author: G. R. Williamson
Publisher: Indian Head Publishing
Total Pages: 101
Release: 2021-01-29
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN:

The undisputed king of the confidence men of the Old West, Jefferson Randolph Smith II (Soapy Smith) ruled criminal gangs in Colorado and Alaska. No other scoundrel could match Soapy Smith’s utter audacity and unrelenting pursuit of skinning a sucker. He was a genius at running a scam, at organizing a gang of confederates, and at paying off authorities. He had the inherent ability to look a man in the eye and lie like every word was etched in stone.  But, on July 8 1898, Soapy was killed in a shootout in Skagway, Alaska. At the time, newspapers attributed a man, Frank Reid, with putting the fatal bullet through Soapy’s heart. Now, 100 years later, historical research has shown that was not the case. Death of a Con Man is a concise, accurate account of the truth behind the myth. Entertaining, as well as informative, the story of the most notorious con man is told with many vintage photographs

The Death of the Artist

The Death of the Artist
Author: William Deresiewicz
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2020-07-28
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1250125529

A deeply researched warning about how the digital economy threatens artists' lives and work—the music, writing, and visual art that sustain our souls and societies—from an award-winning essayist and critic There are two stories you hear about earning a living as an artist in the digital age. One comes from Silicon Valley. There's never been a better time to be an artist, it goes. If you've got a laptop, you've got a recording studio. If you've got an iPhone, you've got a movie camera. And if production is cheap, distribution is free: it's called the Internet. Everyone's an artist; just tap your creativity and put your stuff out there. The other comes from artists themselves. Sure, it goes, you can put your stuff out there, but who's going to pay you for it? Everyone is not an artist. Making art takes years of dedication, and that requires a means of support. If things don't change, a lot of art will cease to be sustainable. So which account is true? Since people are still making a living as artists today, how are they managing to do it? William Deresiewicz, a leading critic of the arts and of contemporary culture, set out to answer those questions. Based on interviews with artists of all kinds, The Death of the Artist argues that we are in the midst of an epochal transformation. If artists were artisans in the Renaissance, bohemians in the nineteenth century, and professionals in the twentieth, a new paradigm is emerging in the digital age, one that is changing our fundamental ideas about the nature of art and the role of the artist in society.

Con Artists in Cinema

Con Artists in Cinema
Author: Joseph H. Kupfer
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2023-08-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1000956539

This book examines the con artist film as a genre, exploring its main features while also addressing variations within it. The volume explores three diverse themes of the con artist film: edification, self-awareness, and liberation through con games; the femme fatale as con artist; and romantic love as a plot point. Analyzing movies such as Matchstick Men (2003), House of Games (1987), Body Heat (1981), The Last Seduction (1994), Birthday Girl (2001), and The Game (1997), the book also explores their psychological investigation of the con artist figure, the con artist’s mark, and how the dynamic between these roles implicates us as the audience. It also addresses the con artist film genre’s close association with neo-noir, especially through the femme fatale figure, investigating and updating the rich tradition of noir film. Demonstrating the range and flexibility of this understudied genre, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of film studies, ethics, and those studying the representation of women in film. .

Real Estate Appraisal Death of an Industry

Real Estate Appraisal Death of an Industry
Author: Hamp Thomas
Publisher: Hamp Thomas
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2012-03-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781475107906

Like no event in history, the real estate appraisal industry has been slandered, steered, and stomped into submission. Charged and convicted of a crime they did not commit. Big banking is leading a new revolution, taking real estate appraisers out of the mortgage lending process. Enter computerized home valuation services, being promoted as the "technology-based" saviors to the home buying public. The greatest sales job ever, sold to a real estate weary public who just wants to know they are paying a fair price. Discover the misinformation that is killing an entire industry that consumers need now more than ever before. Caveat Emptor!

Marketing Scams

Marketing Scams
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies
Publisher:
Total Pages: 56
Release: 1998
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Frauds, Scams, and Cons

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Frauds, Scams, and Cons
Author: Duane Swierczynski
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2002-12-03
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780028644158

-- The main target for scams are those 50 years of age or older. -- This book will expose all the latest scams, frauds, and cons -- and can be updated yearly, if necessary, to expose all the latest schemes. Fraud -- credit card fraud, telemarketing scares, Internet scares, identity theft and hundreds of other items that are geared to separate you from your money -- is a multi-billion dollar business, both in the U.S. and worldwide. From a simple three-card monte game on a street corner to sophisticated banking and Wall Street swindles, cons, frauds and scams are destined to strike one in ten Americans this year. Check kiting, ATM scares, bankruptcy fraud, real estate scams, Nigerian money offers, and even slave reparation scams -- there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of ways to get suckered by telemarketers or just plain fast-talking swindlers. Scary stuff, right? This book identifies the myriad of scams, cons, and frauds perpetrated every minute of every day in this country, and gives cutting-edge, up-to-date advice on how you can protect yourself from unscrupulous cons of every conceivable stripe. There will also be an entertaining section on con artists through history, from the infamous grifters of the Great Depression to the masterminds of the recent Enron collapse -- perhaps one of the greatest scams in America's history.

Definitely Dead

Definitely Dead
Author: Lois Winston
Publisher: Lois Winston
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2014-06-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1940795109

An homage to Dashell Hammet’s Thin Man movies with a modern day spin on Nick and Nora Charles. When her career is outsourced to Asia, fledgling romance author and empty-nester Gracie Elliott wants a job that will allow her time to write. So she opens Relatively Speaking, becoming a wing woman to the senior set. Since her clients need several hours each morning to find their teeth, lube their creaky joints, and deal with lower GI necessities, and they always turn in after the early bird specials, she has plenty of time to pen her future bestsellers. Gracie deliberately avoids mentioning her new business venture to husband Blake until after she signs her first client. Blake joins the company as a not-so-silent partner, tagging along to make sure Gracie doesn’t cause a septuagenarian uprising. When Client #13 is found murdered in the parking lot behind the Moose Lodge, Gracie knows, no matter how much Blake protests otherwise, she can’t wait around for the police to find the killer if she wants to save her livelihood. Keywords: murder mystery, amateur sleuth, female protagonist, humorous, contemporary, romance, dating, comedy

The Sunshine Shenanigan

The Sunshine Shenanigan
Author: John M. Whiddon
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2021-06-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 163661504X

The Sunshine Shenanigan By: John M. Whiddon It’s the early ‘90s, and Florida’s Medicaid program is growing fast. Webb Espy, the well-loved and spirited leader of Florida’s Medicaid Regulatory Office, has inadvertently discovered that large amounts of money are being siphoned from the state’s Medicaid coffers. Those responsible are doing so for reasons far more complicated and nefarious than greed. The resulting investigation leads him and his unconventional staff into the path of a mysterious and dangerous adversary, determined to keep them off his employers’ trail at any cost. Drawing on his personal resources and connections, Espy enters into a chess match of wits and wills, leading to several unanticipated consequences for himself, his team, and the world. Reflecting on the Florida Medicaid program’s uncontrolled expansion and the unknown extent of Medicaid fraud and abuse in America’s history, this story could be all too true.

Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?

Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?
Author: Stephen Dobyns
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2016-09-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0399576347

Stephen Dobyns—whom Stephen King has described as "the best of the best"—is back with a comic suspense novel about a small-time con operation, a pair of combative detectives, and the pride, revenge, and deception that guide us all. Richard Russo meets Elmore Leonard. In the seaport town of New London, Connecticut, newcomer Connor Raposo has just witnessed a gruesome motorcycle accident on Bank Street. At least he thinks it was an accident. A man sliced in half by a reversing dump truck could only be an accident, right? But these days, Connor can’t be sure of anything—his entire line of work is based on games of artful deception. His days at Bounty, Inc., are spent soliciting funds for improbable, bogus charities; its last venture was Free Beagles from Nicotine Addiction, Inc. The new scam is Prom Queens Anonymous, Inc., dedicated to helping former high school celebs transition to humdrum daily grown-up lives; Connor’s target is Angelina Rossi—Pumpkin Queen of 1985, proud beagle owner, and ex-wife of a man named Fat Bob. Meanwhile, Manny Streeter and Benny Vikström are the local detectives assigned to the Bank Street motorcycle wreck, and despite their shared interest of proving each other wrong, the two eventually reach the same conclusion: This death by Harley was Murder One, pure and simple. As the detectives begin asking their questions around town, Connor is looking for similar answers that will determine whether he lives or dies. Among them: Who is Fat Bob, and is he actually dead? Sharply written and entertainingly absurd, Is Fat Bob Dead Yet? is packed with Stephen Dobyns’s trademark characters—whimsical, neurotic, puzzling yet familiar, and impossible to pin down. Dobyns again proves why he is an American master of the suspenseful, all-too-human land of the absurd.