J.L. Delosier's Con Me Once

Crime plays

. . .On the run for his life after witnessing a brutal mob hit, Frank Lambda, a inept superhero wannabe, meets mysterious Keira. She offers to turn him—and others like him—into real life heroes. Though Frank smells a con, he's desperate. With nowhere to turn, he joins Keira's misfit troupe of recruits for secret training under the guise of a Las Vegas comic con.

. . . Against a backdrop of a thousand spandex-clad cosplayers, Keira's true agenda—to steal millions from her mobster brother—is exposed. With their lives and a fortune at stake, Frank and his band of misfits learn how to fight wrongs while showing themselves the true meaning of heroism.

And so we have Con Me Once by J. L. Delosier, a mainstream thriller released on February 5, 2020 by the Wild Rose Press. Travel first to South Philly where Frank Lambda, aka Lambda Man, makes nightly rounds through the neighborhood, determined to keep neighbors and friends safe. Sometimes he's successful. Other times . . . not so much. And it's never an easy task when one decks himself out in a virulent green cape and itchy ski mask.

One of those 'friends' is Frank's roomie Rauch, a small time con artist who finds himself in deep trouble with a local mob boss. Frank is determined to save Rauch, the only one who was always there for him since they were two lonely misfits with nowhere to turn.

Playing savior takes the pair to Sin City USA for a comic con convention along with a troupe of wannabe heroes hiding in plain sight among a gazillion oddly dressed cosplayers. The fun goes to DefCon 2 in a blink.

Author Delosier's talent for writing sharp, wry dialogue leads to one laugh out loud moment after another. This warm and witty buddy story is one of a kind. Do not miss it.

On a scale of 1—5, Con Me Once earns a 6.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews