Not really. He's just charming and generally not-evil. He doesn't actively do any good that I can recall. posted by Sticherbeast at 8:09 AM on May 31, 2012
White Cat by Holly Black (and sequels Red Glove and Black Heart)
Movies:
The Music Man
The Sting
Ocean's Eleven posted by kyrademon at 8:20 AM on May 31, 2012
(Whoops, got confused, you were only asking about books. Please ignore the movie suggestions.) posted by kyrademon at 8:21 AM on May 31, 2012
Oh, and for nonfiction, there's the story of Hans Van Meegeren, as recounted in books like The Forger's Spell and others ... while not exactly a hero, he is still actually rather revered in his home country of the Netherlands for having conned the Nazis. posted by kyrademon at 8:30 AM on May 31, 2012
The Dortmunder books by Westlake are great... he's not exactly right "heroic" but usually guy getting ripped off or robbed is a jerk in some way. posted by The otter lady at 8:30 AM on May 31, 2012
Agent Zigzag is a great book(though he wasn't entirely heroic):
Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began. posted by Bearman at 8:42 AM on May 31, 2012 [1 favorite]
Regis from The Icewind Dale Trilogy would fit too, as a former thief and agent of a crime boss, heroic but still willing to play a few tricks to make his way into wealth and public office. posted by XMLicious at 10:13 AM on May 31, 2012
The Illuminatus! Trilogy is filled with heroic con men. And non-heroic con men. It would really take a hero to figure out which is which. posted by Quonab at 10:55 AM on May 31, 2012
'American Gods', some Stainless Steel Rat books. posted by BinaryApe at 1:02 PM on May 31, 2012
some Stainless Steel Rat books
Oh yeah! Also, the Stainless Steel Rat reference reminds me of Flashman, who while a coward and a cad, does seem to accidentally wind up doing some good. Sometimes. Unintentionally. posted by Sticherbeast at 7:40 PM on May 31, 2012
I haven't read them for twenty years, but I remember enjoying Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer and If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon. Both are about ordinary people -- four men in one, a lone woman in the other -- who turn into con men/women to exact revenge on some bad people.
The Archer is pretty light, the Sheldon is very dramatic and over the top in that 1980s way. posted by Georgina at 5:51 AM on June 1, 2012
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