Seven Times Lucky

An aging con-man and a beautiful, ambitious student cross paths in a scam that promises to make them both rich. Christmas on the Canadian prairie: Harlan, a small-time grifter, plans a big con with his moll Fiona, scraggly and half his age. Expensive watches "on loan" from a jeweler, cash borrowed at a high vig from a tribal fund manager, and an old violin are props in the con; a pawnbroker with a safe full of money and various well-armed or well-protected thugs get their ores in as well. Problems, crosses, and double-crosses mount: Harlan finds himself on the stick's short end as the night progresses. Whose money will end up where? And for whom will this be a silent night? —<jhailey@hotmail.com>