Spanish Fly Paperback – 20 August 2013

A beautifully written, compelling novel about con artists in the 1930s and 40s. The historical research is thorough and fascinatingly presented as part of the narrative, and the characters sympathetically drawn, especially the narrator, who has the brain but not the heart of a con man - a young man of many talents, but no pretensions. One of the most compelling elements of the book is the description of the various types of con tricks, but it is the people playing them who stay with you. The sense of place is strong too: you can almost smell the dust of the poor towns of the southern United States in the mid-20th century. Very highly recommended: a real pleasure.

Quite different from the run-of-the-mill novels. Certainly recommend this book to those who think out of the box sometimes...and are not too conventional.

Everyone should read this book. This edition is printed in America but in England the title is The Hustle. One of his best books.

Ferguson's novel is a masterpiece of storytelling well tied together from beginning to end and one that's hard to put down once you start. Fiction it may be but it is historically accurate and reflects the time of the depression and life in rural American in the days of Roosevelt and the ABC work plan he implemented during the Great Depression. Great characters depicted in the story and while the schemes of the con artists are a bit hard to follow by times it was well worth the read.

The book is repetitive and dull. The characters seem to sleep-walk thru their grifts. They are presented in an unlovable way, very little depth. I read 419 and thought it absolutely flawless so to say I am disappointed in this book is an understatement