“Eric Garcia proves himself an expert at the art of the con.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Eric Garcia pulls off a nifty con game of his own with a hall-of-mirrors story where what you see is rarely what you get. It’s an elaborate shell game of mooks and motives, and when the pea is finally revealed, it’s the most dexterous sleight-of-hand since Kevin Spacey strolled out of a police station in The Usual Suspects.”
—The Boston Globe
“Matchstick men are con artists who practice the subtle art of separating the innocent and clueless from their money. Eric Garcia … writes so convincingly and yet somehow sympathetically about the namesakes of his new novel that you’d swear he’s taken a few suckers himself.”
—GQ
“Eric Garcia … is the master flimflam man.… A wild imagination translated in a wry, no-fat writing style.… Garcia walks a fine line between darkness and light. He does not gloss over the cruel reality of the thievery, showing vulnerable people robbed of money they can ill afford to lose. At the same time, he lends a real poignancy to Roy’s acceptance of the young girl into his barren life.… This is a very entertaining book.”
—USA Today
“Set to be one of next summer’s major blockbusters … bound to be a hit. Roy’s been a grifter for ages.… He’s a compelling character. The immediacy of Roy’s present-tense narration drags you right into his head and keeps you there as the tale unfolds, making it nearly impossible not to be touched by his love of the grift [and] his unforeseen parental devotion to Angela.”
—BookPage
“For the author of a series of novels that starred a sleuthing dinosaur, inhabiting the mind of an obsessive-compulsive con man is cake.… Roy’s deteriorating grip on reality and the complications that follow prove just right for a quick read.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Matchstick Men’s emphasis is on action and dialogue—and Garcia is adept at both.… The surprises that attend every page of the last section are earned and satisfying.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Lively paced, often informative … [Eric Garcia] draws his characters efficiently and effectively, with salty dialogue and peppery prose.”
—The State (Columbia, SC)
“Great grifter dialogue, loopy dupes, and world-class conniving—not to mention more twists than a corkscrew and a truly poignant character in Roy.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Garcia creates a tense and tragic comedy that will have you cheering on the criminals even when they’re bilking the naïve.”
—Booklist