The Con Job: A Leverage Novel by Matt Forbeck

The Con Job: A Leverage Novel
by Matt Forbeck

This is the first of a series of three original tie-in novels written based on the TNT cable television series Leverage, which ran for five seasons from 2008 through 2012. This book is most definitely a wink and a nod to the fans of the show, with lots of inside references and appearances by minor supporting characters from episodes of the series. The gist of the show is that a group of former "bad guys" has teamed up to form an organization that assists the "little guys", being victimized by corrupt but powerful people. The "team" consists of -- a Hitter, a Hacker, a Thief, a Grifter and a Mastermind. In this particular story, set somewhere in the middle-to-late part of the TV series' run, the gang is hired by the kid of a classic comic book illustrator, who had entrusted his life's work of art to a man who proceeded to rip him off. The team must infiltrate in infamous San Diego Comic Con, and somehow figure out a way to either recover the artist's work, or con the corrupt art dealer out of his ill-gotten gains. As in the series, problems crop up in the middle of the con game, and other players enter the situation, which requires a lot of quick changes to the team's plans. Forbeck, a part-time-novelist, part-time-game-designer, does a great job of capturing the personalities of the TV series' characters and vocal styles. The "mystery" plot is a bit floppy, but that really doesn't matter here -- you read this type of novel to recapture some favorite characters and see where their relationships are going. For fans of Leverage, I give this one solid marks. If you've never seen the TV show, I think this one is still written well enough to suck you in. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ See Scott's Reviewer Profile ][If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try either of the other two Leverage novels, The Zoo Job and The Bestseller Job, both written by other authors.]

[See more titles like this in the TV Tie-Ins booklist, elsewhere on the libraries' BookGuide site!]

[ Wikipedia page on Leverage the TV Series ] | [ official Matt Forbeck web site ]

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