Friday, December 7, 2012

Edward, Con Extraordinaire




Edward, Con Extraordinaire, is a dreamboat of a man to every middle-aged woman he courts. While he never directly asks for anything, gifts are bestowed upon him. He lives well, drives a racy Jaguar, and charms and entertains new lady-friends with panache--mostly on their money. And he always has a Plan-B, as he skips easily from one benefactress to the next--mostly around San Diego and its well-shod neighboring La Jolla.

Take Betsy, for instance. After sipping a bit more of her heady Chardonnay, the smitten Mrs. Bunting hits upon a brilliant idea. Would he take her ill husband’s place on a prepaid Egypt tour? In a strictly platonic sense, of course.

That week, the dapper Edward Guernsey-Crock, Esquire, reads several guide-books on Egypt (he told Betsy he was familiar with Cairo). Then he buys himself a pith helmet.

We encounter him again in Sirocco, Storm over Land and Sea, as he bedazzles Dr. Naunet Klein, a beautiful Egyptologist on a research mission in Egypt.

A Review from the Kindle Book Review Team:


4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Romp with a Cad, January 29, 2013
By Jim Bennett (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
As always, don't just count stars. This is a lighthearted story of a hardhearted con man, cad, almost-womanizer. Edward is introduced quickly and effectively in the first short story. Eight smoothly connected short stories follow, one or more for each victim; and an ambiguous conclusion. Borg has cleverly left the door open for further exploits of Edward, in additional books.
The writing is good, the language sophisticated, but I didn't need Google, so if your vocabulary is roughly equal to mine, you'll get pretty much everything right off. Okay, I did have to look up `lazy jacks', but I could have guessed and been OK, and real sailors would know. The women are gullible, but I found their being conned quite believable. Edward really is a s..t, but a smooth and clever and manipulative one. He cons everyone: police, car dealers, locksmiths, everyone. Only one person in the story sees through him at once, and her advice is muted and ignored.
If you're waiting for the tiny carps, there aren't any.
Usually in a review I include memorable quotes, but not this time: I don't want to spoil surprises for you. While Borg is not (yet) William Faulkner, and will not hurt your head too much, she may make you think, perhaps to wonder if you've ever been conned, or if you could con like this. In Edward, Con Extraordinaire, you will find a fun story, very enjoyable. If you like a sort-of romance, sort-of (very light) social commentary, and keen personal insights, you will get pleasure from this book. The writing is very smooth, very intelligent. Another good tale from Inge H. Borg. Definitely Recommended.

Jim Bennett (Kindle Book Review Team member)
 

 


1 comment:

  1. Great blog. Now I'm going to have to go buy the books. Rupert Robertson

    ReplyDelete