There is a subset of suspense featuring a long con plot. Simply put, a long con is an attempt to manipulate someone over an extended period of time, usually for financial gain. In theory, it takes a more diabolical person to pull this off because the set up to the crime involves getting to know your mark.
There are several popular novels that put a domestic spin on the long con: a needy woman meets the perfect man, marries him, and discovers what a fool she has been. The perfect man she married is a twisted psycho. Other books use the plot to make different points. Here are three long con plots and the themes they plumb:
The protagonist of this novel is a London artist. Driving to the North Sea for a New Year’s weekend with friends, she has a disconcerting moment while driving on a dark night road. Concerned she has hit a dog, she jumps out but finds nothing. Later that evening, she is alarmed to hear a news broadcast saying that a man was struck by a vehicle near the area. Is it possible she hit him? When she goes to the hospital, she lies to a nurse to get in to see him. She is horrified to discover that he is missing a limb. Any reader of suspense knows to question the main narrative. Is it possible this man is conning her for some reason? And if so, why?
2.
This story starts with a cinematic opening scene. A young woman is vacationing at a luxury Mexican resort. At the bar one night, she strikes up a conversation with another guest. We soon learn that the guest is an FBI agent and she is here to arrest the protagonist. But why? The narrative then shifts and goes backward in time. We slowly discover the events that led to that opening scene.
3.
Nina is a grifter living in Echo Park with her ailing mother and Irish boyfriend. When her mother gets sicker, and medical bills mount, she has a plan for a long con. She and her boyfriend will rent a cabin in Tahoe from a wealthy heiress and befriend her. After an appropriate amount of time, they will rob the family safe and disappear.
So how do these writers explore grifting motivation? None of the books is strictly about greed. Instead there is a more complex interplay about class warfare. Revenge, mounting financial strain, and classism play a role in the stories. One might be tempted at times to sympathize with the con artists. They have all been comparatively beaten down by their circumstances. Their marks are not always likeable. But in the end, their crimes often don’t pay. Perhaps that is the main meaning of the long con.
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