The Big Get-Even

Can the crook con the crook. A gripping tale of how one man who saved another man's life embarks on a scam to seek revenge on a criminal mastermind, only for the scales to be tipped. A brilliant con unfolds and true rewards are revealed. It's not often you root for a bad guy. Brilliant read

This was a good book, with an interesting premise. Lots of fun, eclectic characters. Definitely a "rooting for the underdog" story. That being said, it seemed a little too simplistic in terms of its writing.

This is a story of quite an elaborate scam....with lots of rollicking & frolicking along the way! I enjoyed the 1st third of the book, setting up the scam, & also the next part....continuing the set up & wondering how this would all play out...keeps the reader interested. I thought tho, that the ending tied up too quickly, & was a bit disappointed in that aspect. It was a real easy, quick read... a fun & entertaining read, for the most part. The short chapters make for an easy transition to the next subject/part/idea/play. The cover of the book is good/appropriate.
I received this e-galley from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Glen is a cracker of a character, especially when you add Stan and Vee to the mix! This tale of revenge and money making easily twists into a bizarre "family" group in the middle of no where. With funny tales and evil plans it's a real page turner.
The author sets the scene beautifully and Stan's character is extremely well described.

*4.5 Stars*

Interesting read, great characters. Things sometimes don't turn out the way you would like them to, or they way you plan them.

This is a clever little noir morality play. Nicely paced, easy to read, and not very demanding on the reader. I enjoyed it, but it isn't the most substantial read.

Reminiscent of the con novels of James Swain, The Big Get-Even is a well-written and humorous tale of two disgraced ex-cons who concoct an elaborate scam to bring down a sleazy real estate developer. The characters are well-drawn--especially the women--and the story, well, prepare to suspend your disbelief. The ending is a bit contrived, as if the author had gotten his characters so deeply in trouble that it took a deus ex machina-type ending to bail them out. But all-in-all, an entertaining and amusing read.

A very well told story about a scam - not just any scam but one for the sum of twenty million dollars. There are two main characters plotting this masterpiece. There is Glen, a disbarred lawyer and a man just out of prison who narrates the story. By chance and certainly not planned he saves Stan's life. Stan is an arsonist who has a grudge against Barnaby Nancarrow a major real estate developer, a rather crooked one, and sort of Stan's former partner. Nancarrow hired Stan to burn properties owned by him in order to collect on the insurance. Nancarrow, was shall we say, not very honest with Stan in terms of paying him for the work and keeping him out of trouble with the law.
Stan and a woman named Vee who is also somewhat miffed with Nancarrow manage to convince Glen that they are aware of several factors that can be used in a scam. The scam that could net the group twenty million US dollars in a relatively short period of time and for not much work.
There are more members of the team gathered for the venture including a very talented computer geek. He lives with Vee and his part will be to set up certain documents to aid in getting Nancarrow's interest peeked. While all are in it for the money at first they do get to liking their fellow schemers making the novel a bit of a comedy.
The writing is certainly entertaining and will appeal to any reader looking for a good read. No deep dark messages nor hidden meanings to divert the reader's attention from a well done novel.

I loved the iconoclastic voice of Glen, just out of jail hosting a major criminal without being entirely certain what's at stake .. really terrific since guy whose life He saved involves him in a revenge scheme straight from jail- Sandraleen is terrific character ( voluptuous, smart and. cunning - great accomplice!) Great heist story and finely drawn characters with zest and humor.. highly recommend

This was a fun read! Can a couple of Cons con another Con?? Glen, an ex-lawyer, gets mixed up in a scam to get even with a man who has wronged many people.
Glen saves the life of another parole who comes to him with a great scam to take down a real estate Tycoon.
The scam takes a most of the book to set up, with many obstacles along the way. Glen is almost a bystander watching things unfold. the story was good. the ending a little rushed. But all and all a fun story. The writing itself was very good. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review

The Big Get-Even by Paul Di Filippo- I've read several Paul Di Filippo novels, especially the Steam-Punk Trilogy, and a lot of his shorter works as well as his regular book reviews in Locus magazine, but never have I seen him write in crime genre, so this, for me, was a departure. Glen McClinton has recently gotten out of prison and is doing absolutely nothing to get his life back on track. Glen had once been a flashy, successful, flamboyant lawyer, who had stolen millions of dollars from his clients. After prison, he had shut himself off from the world. A life saving encounter with another former prison inmate, just released, opens a new opportunity for him. It's a con, of course, and the payoff is big. Glen is at first reluctant, but inside himself, he can't resist. In the spirit of The Sting, The Grifters and The Ocean Eleven movies, the con is on. Glen becomes part of a group of four individuals, each with their own quirks, and each with their own ax to grind. Things aren't always what they seem as Glen soon finds out. Di Filippo's descriptions and dialogue raise the bar on this caper to a much better result. This is a nice smooth read that I found enjoyable and worth the time.

I really enjoyed this book.

An underdog story at it’s core, The Big Get-Even can come across as quite simple, but maybe that’s a good thing considering how much is delivered throughout this book as the plot unfolds and the story grows.

The development is fantastic throughout this book as the group develop the plan and start putting the scam in place and though it can feel the execution of the finale is pretty fast this book ends with a finale hard to forget and it makes for an exciting ending which slow burns into a fantastic read.

I like that the characters are very human and are cons conning the conner, it’s a group of people that can come across as misfits but they work together, this writer crafting a great group of characters that deliver a very promising story, particularly Vee and Stan who really add so much to this story (and it’s kinda cool to share a name with a character so I might be biased!)

A good read, I recommend if you want an on the edge of your seat (when it gets going) page turner that leaves you wanting more from these characters.

Read this book. You won't regret it! Fun and intriguing ride.

Well this was a fun read!!! I kinda predicted half the ending, but then, BAM, not the other half. This was a different set up, fun and fast read.

A fun, fast paced romp about a couple of ex-cons trying to con a conman. The scam is quite simple, the characters are just so likeable, but you know things will never quite go to plan. In the end do they really lose, or has the scam really been what they were looking for all along?

This was a fun read which I finished in a day.
Great.

THE BIG GET EVEN – Paul Di Filippo
Blackstone Publishing
ISBN-10: 1-504-78391-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-504-78391-0
March 2018
Suspense

Glen McClinton is out of a two-year prison sentence where he served time for defrauding his clients. It gave him time to withdraw from the drugs he used, but he is no longer a lawyer or an investor. He is free thought, which means a lot and now living in his uncle’s house while towing the line for his parole officer. One night the car in front of him remains in place. He gets out and finds the driver passed-out. He calls emergency responders. Of course the police show up, too, and have many questions for him, but he is in no way involved in a drug overdose. Still he feels it a close call.

Sometime later Stan Hasso shows up at the house to thank Glen for saving his life and offers Glen an opportunity to make money off the scumbag land speculator and developer for whom Stan worked and went to prison for arson. He knows Glen is not as penniless as he lets on, and they can use that money to scam the scammer for money; lots of money. It takes some convincing, but Glen finally decides to participate.

Of course two ex-cons need a bit of help to pull this off and have two women to help them. Yet furtive deals, even well planned ones, often have unexpected results, which is exactly what happens. While there is some romance in the story, it is mostly about getting even with an unforeseeable ending.

Robin Lee.

Thank you netgalley for this opportunity. I enjoyed the story of cons conning the con.
Quick read. First time reading this author.

What a fun read!!! These guys would have no luck at all if it wasn't for bad luck.

Greg, the narrator and an ex-con, disbarred lawyer, and Stan, an ex-con arsonist, come up with this farce of a plan to make 20 million dollars. The trials and tribulations they go through to read this goal are both scary and hilarious.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this "Keystone Cops like caper" that had me hooked from the beginning.

A fun read that I just sped through. Still laughing thinking back on this read. If your looking for a serious book, this isn't it. However, if you want a fun, cozy read this is for you.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A mystery, thriller that will keep the reader laughing and engaged.

While at times this novel runs a little slow, the characters make up for the pace and keep the reader wanting to pick up the book again and again to see what the next chapter brings. I enjoyed reading Di Filippo’s novel and look forward to more of his work. Gritty yet funny, several times I thought, this book is ripe for a Cohen film.

This was a fun quick read. I enjoyed the storyline; I am looking forward to reading more from the author.

The lives of two ex-cons cross in extraordinary circumstances tempting them back into a life of crime.

An arrogant previously successful lawyer Glen McClinton, on parole after committing a financial offence finds himself aimlessly living with his uncle with whom he has little in common. In a bizarre situation, he saves the life of Stan Hasso, also an ex-con, from an overdose.

Unbelievably, after he recovers, Stan finds Glen and the two of them team up to con another conman, Barnaby Nancarrow, a shady real estate tycoon. Their plan is to trick Nancarrow out of $20 million in a land deal. Glen’s parole officer is always around watching and directing, getting in the way of their plan. The land on which the scam takes place is called Bigelow Junction. While on the land to implement their swindle many interesting and amusing characters are added to the mix.

The plot gets very complicated and nail-biting. I could not help but like the two ex-cons and their crazy ideas. The plan doesn’t go according to their wishes but the build-up to the outcome is great.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.