Only When I Larf

In this rather fine novel about the world of professional con-artists, the author starts off by telling you what it is that distinguishes a master conman from an amateur. Anyone can fool a sucker once. What makes you a master is the ability to do it again. If you're a truly great conman, you can eve......more

Silas, Bob and Liz are three con people, existing in something of a love triangle that often causes stresses and strains in their working relationship. They undertake a number of scams, picking their marks with care and then very professionally conning them out of plenty of money ... of course, it wa......more

I pulled this dusty volume from my late father's collection of mid-twentieth century paperbacks because of Deighton's reputation as a spy novelist, but what do you know, here we have three grifters, Silas, Bob, and Liz, narrating their adventures via alternating first person accounts. The trio compr......more

I haven't seen the film but I should think Dickie Attenborough is the perfect Silas. OK so this is a 'crime caper' novel and it's quite entertaining. I think Deighton writes about the difference between the men who fought in the war and the younger generation really well. Silas was a soldier, Bob's o......more

A one off for Deighton. An almost comedy novel with a loveable? trio of conmen/woman. Deighton had intentions of writing a factual book about conmen but after some research dropped the idea in favour of a novel. It's not the first time he's started with an idea only to leave it, change it or resurrect......more