Chasing the Ace

Friendship and fraud is a dangerous mix

Joel Fitch has watched every twist-happy movie there is about con men, and he thinks he knows it all. After nineteen years of being a sucker, Joel’s going to take everything he’s learned from the screen and finally get his. He’s going to be a master con artist.

Richard Mordecai is a real-life swindler. But unlike Joel, he knows the truth about con men. At the end of a long career of lies and betrayal, Richard is tired and jaded. He’s ready to retire.

Until he meets Joel.

They form an uneasy partnership and Joel soon finds himself thrust into a world of bottom dealers, fraudsters and ace chasers that’s unlike any movie he’s ever seen. And when the pair accidentally scam the wrong mark, they have to draw on every last trick and piece of cunning they can to get themselves free and walk away with the money … and hopefully their dignity.

About the Author

Having grown up in the circus around carnies and sideshow folk, Nicholas J. Johnson soon learned that con artists apply the same skills of sleight of hand and psychological manipulation in the real world. Today, he works as performer, writer, and consultant based in Melbourne, exposing the world of con artists to the public to better protect themselves.

He has appeared on Today Tonight, A Current Affair, The 7pm Project, Today, Sunrise, and Kids' WB, and he starred in the Channel 9 series The Real Hustle, which aired in 2012. He also presents “Scam of the Week” with Kathy Bedford each week on ABC Statewide Drive. He has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne Magic Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival.