Review: THE CON ARTIST by Fred Van Lente

Publisher Quirk Books

Length 287 pages
Format paperback

Published 2018

Series Standalone
My Copy I bought it

My Review

A match made in heaven for comic book buffs and pop culture nerds who like their lives spiced with a little crime fiction. 

Set among the cosplay chaos that is the San Diego Comic-Con, famous illustrator, Mike Mason finds himself smack-bang in the middle of a murder investigation. 

The deceased happens to be the guy Mike's wife left him for some years back and the candle still burns bright for this comic-book stalwart. A chance encounter and subsequent public display of violence at bar with the deceased, prior to, you know, being murdered, firmly points the fingers of justice in Mike's unassuming direction. 

What follows is crafty crusade to clear his name involving comic book art commissions, reformed Nazi's, shady art dealers, a crazy cosplay chick, and an awards ceremony, oh, and zombies - fake zombies but zombies nonetheless. 

Special shout out to Tom Fowler who provided some really cool art to accompany the prose, depicting scenes from the text in perfect rendition. 

The Con Artist is a fun form of escapism tailor made for pop culture con goers.