title: Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit)
author:  Fay Faron 
description: Something tells us we would be nave to believe this book would appeal solely to mystery writers. Detective Fay Faron, syndicated newspaper columnist ("Ask Rat Dog") and author of <I><a href="/exec/obidos/ASIN/089879790X/${0}">Missing Persons</a></I>, has written a primer sure to turn any novice (writer, of course) into a scam expert. <I>Rip-Off</I> removes the mystery from such cons as the pigeon drop, Latin lotto, Gypsy-sweetheart scams, guaranteed-prize mailers, charity scams, bait-and-switches, biz-op scams, the Texas twist, identity theft, carny cons, chain letters, psychic hotlines, three-card monte, Ponzi schemes, 809 phone numbers, and gambling stings. Faron's writing advice focuses on identifying the basic traits of perps and pigeons (60 percent of pigeons are seniors, but we're all susceptible), defining the lingo (drag broad, shaky mom, mish roll, etc.), and counseling writers to "tell the story from the point of view of the victim." <I>--Jane Steinberg</I>
zlib_text: **ALSO BY MELINDA LEIGH**
  
   **MORGAN DANE NOVELS**
  
   _Say You’re Sorry_
  
   _Her Last Goodbye_
  
   _Bones Don’t Lie_
  
   _What I’ve Done_
  
   **SCARLET FALLS NOVELS**
  
   _Hour of Need_
  
   _Minutes to Kill_
  
   _Seconds to Live_
  
   **SHE CAN SERIES**
  
   _She Can Run_
  
   _She Can Tell_
  
   _She Can Scream_
  
   _She Can Hide_
  
  “He Can Fall” (A Short Story)
  
   _She Can Kill_
  
   **MIDNIGHT NOVELS**
  
   _Midnight Exposure_
  
   _Midnight Sacrifice_
  
   _Midnight Betrayal_
  
   _Midnight Obsession_
  
   **THE ROGUE SERIES NOVELLAS**
  
   _Gone to Her Grave_ (Rogue River)
  
   _Walking on Her Grave_ (Rogue River)
  
   _Tracks of Her Tears_ (Rogue Winter)
  
   _Burned by Her Devotion_ (Rogue Vows)
  
   _Twisted Truth_ (Rogue Justice)
  
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events,
  and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used
  fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual
  events is purely coincidental.
  
    
  
  Text copyright © 2018 by Melinda Leigh  
  All rights