The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, A Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con by Amy Reading 9780307272485 246 pages

So, this could be subtitled the "art" of the con.Anyone who has seen the classic film, The Sting or had the misfortune of being victim of a con (my parents), knows that it takes a lot of skill to successfully pull a large scale con. It requires a cast of actors, the ability to read "a mark" ... choose one's prey and know when to fold the show and escape into the night. Amy Reading gives a thorough examination of one of the early American cons and the man who refused to quit in his quest to bring all the members of the gang who fleeced him to justice. In fact, J Frank Norfleet's single-minded perseverance caused him to create cons to catch the con.He traveled the country in search of his prey, supported by the wife who kept the ranch going.Reading also looks at the history of speculation that helped create fortunes, build our country, the Stock Market and also cost people their hard earned savings.