The Last Con - A Novel

The Last Con

by

Zachary Bartels

A Review

Attention holding.
Emotionally gripping.
And dare I say, educational.

All these describe Zachary Bartels’ sophomore novel.  Rooted in events upon which the French Revolution had its beginning, the novel picks up as a group of grifters try to recover the ancient artifacts that were the center of events on the Isle of Malta in the late 18th century.

The book is really two stories. Once basically historical as they describe the events involving Malta and Marie Antoinette. The second story focuses on the group of grifters trying to recover the famous necklace (search for the “Affair of the Diamond Necklace”). The story becomes more real as two men in the present time, one a fake preacher, the other an ex-con who was converted while serving time, both question the faith upon which they have built their lives.  They find themselves asking the same question, “Who is the real me?”  They are surprised at the answers that they find.

As I first began to read, the book felt like a crime novel from the 30’s or 40’s.  But it did not take long to find that the book was more like one from Dan Brown (ala “The DaVinci Code”) or John Grisham (ala “The Firm”). A perfect read for the long, hot summer nights.  The Christian will find faith plays a significant part in making this book come alive. The unbeliever will find the historical connection makes this a worthwhile read.  

Reruns are on TV, baseball is done for the evening, time to pick up a book - “The Last Con” would be a perfect choice.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.