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Skip O'Rourke is dragged into one last con . . . but he doesn't know the con's on him in this funny, page-turning debut YA for fans of Winger and Ocean’s Eleven, now nominated for the Edgar Award and the International Thriller Writers Award.

Cameron Smith attends an elite boarding school and has just been accepted to Princeton University alongside his beautiful girlfriend, Claire. Life for Cameron would be perfect, except that Cameron Smith is actually Skip O'Rourke, and Skip O'Rourke ran away from his grifter family four years ago...along with $100,000 of their “earnings” (because starting a new life is not cheap). But when his uncle Wonderful tracks him down, Skip's given an ultimatum: come back to the family for one last con, or say good-bye to life as Cameron.

"One last con" is easier said than done when Skip's family is just as merciless (and just as manipulative) as they've always been, and everyone around him is lying. Skip may have given up on crime, but there's one lesson he hasn't forgotten: always know your mark. And if you don't know who your mark is . . . it's probably you.

Witty and irresistibly readable, this standout debut will always keep you guessing.

"[A] funny, cold-blooded debut novel."—The Wall Street Journal

"Taylor's comedic crime novel entertains with its madcap, rapid-fire antics."—Publishers Weekly

"Taylor milks the plot for comedy, delivering plenty of dark humor."—Kirkus Reviews

"The protagonist is an engaging narrator…a fun choice."—School Library Journal

"The plot against Skip is clever enough and the stakes are high enough (yes, he really wants quit of this clan) to make the tension authentic. Don’t be deceived...life with the O’Rourkes is no laughing matter."—BCCB

"Readers who enjoy criminal-caper stories with plots so convoluted they are never sure who is on whose side will enjoy this adventure."—VOYA

  • Pages: 256 Pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
  • Imprint: Dial Books
  • ISBN: 9780698197503
Penguin Teen