City of Schemes

August 17, 2020
Set in post-WWI New York City, Thompson’s cleverly plotted fourth Counterfeit Lady novel (after 2019’s City of Scoundrels) finds Elizabeth Miles, an endearingly charismatic con artist, about to marry lawyer Gideon Bates, but she’s fearful that news of the wedding might reach nasty businessman Oscar Thornton, who once sought to kill her but who now thinks Elizabeth is dead after she faked her own death. Despite Elizabeth’s best efforts to keep the event quiet, word of her impending wedding does reach Oscar, who approaches Gideon and demands that Elizabeth repay the $250,000 she cheated him out of in an earlier book. Since she doesn’t have the cash, Elizabeth must devise a new, intricate scam to get out of the bind she’s in. Thompson enhances the caper plotline by having the real-life American Protective League, an anti-immigrant group that disbanded after the armistice in 1918, spawn a fictional successor group that hunts down Americans who aren’t sufficiently loyal to their country. Fans of classic grifter stories, such as The Sting, will be pleased. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary.

Listeners are treated to three major con games as Elizabeth Miles and her grifter family mete out justice to malefactors who have escaped the legal consequences of their sins. As narrated by Kate Forbes, this audiobook will immerse listeners in the New York City of 1920 and the Knickerbocker set of social elites. Despite the complexity of multiple con jobs, the narration ensures that listeners will have no difficulty in following the details but will still be surprised by the ending. Forbes excels at using authentic-sounding accents to portray characters who include French and German refugees, an English earl, and upper-crust New Yorkers. In addition, Forbes's portrayal of the villain sounds truly sinister. When each con succeeds at catching its mark, listeners will want to cheer. V.M.G. � AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine