Books like Mystery of the Invisible Hand by Marshall Jevons

Fred Fitch is pure of heart and substance but utterly credulous; if there is a scam operating anywhere - his rooming house where the General needs a loan to print his revelation of the secret history of the government, the street where those Little Sisters of the Poor raising funds for the homeless or anywhere in between - Fred finds it or it finds Fred to the same uncertain end. Fred even has his own contact, Reilly, on the Bunco Squad at Headquarters who adds weekly to the enormous file. But Fred's complicated life becomes really complicated when a lawyer appears to tell him that late Uncle Matt who has willed him $300,000 dies. Fred has never heard of Uncle Matt. Along with the inheritance comes the devoted Gertie Divine, Uncle 'Matt's old friend who is all too willing to become Fred's new one, and a host of mysterious guys who feel that their claim to Uncle Matt's $300,000 are far more valid than Fred's. The comic caper becomes desperate when the pursuers apparently make serious attempts on Fred's life and Gertie becomes all too devoted. New friend or cats-paw? Westlake's brilliant and original picaresque was given the MWA Edgar as the best novel of l967.

Instead of robbing a bank, Dortmunder tries to steal the whole building. Encyclopedias are heavy, and John Dortmunder is sick of carrying them. While in between jobs, the persistent heist-planner is working an encyclopedia-selling scam that's about to blow up in his face. The cops are on their way when his friend Kelp pulls up in a stolen Oldsmobile, offering a quick escape from the law and a job that's too insane to turn down. Kelp's nephew is an FBI washout who's addicted to old-time pulp novels and adventure stories. He tried being a cop, and now he wants to be a ro.

New York, 1933. The crime families have prospered in the Depression, but with the coming end of Prohibition a battle is looming... one which will determine which organizations will rise, and which will face a violent end. Vito Corleone pushes his oldest child, teenaged Sonny, to be a businessman. But Sonny-- impatient and reckless-- wants to become a part of the real family business.

When San Antonio becomes a dumping ground for the battered bodies of young women, Texas Ranger Logan Raintree must use his powerful ability to commune with the dead and lead a brand-new group of elite paranormal investigators to solve this disturbing case.

After a year on the lam, the return of bumbling thief Dortmunder is a cause celebre. The author's most recent Dortmunder caper. "The Road to Ruin," and the short story collection, "Thieves' Dozen," received rave reviews in the "New York Times Book Review, New York Daily News," and "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review), among other publications.

Detective Matt Cordell was happily married once, gainfully employed and sober; but that was before he caught his wife cheating on him with one of his operatives and took it out on the man with the butt end of a .45. Now Matt makes his home on the streets of New York and his only companions are the city's bartenders.

In his classic caper novels, Donald E. Westlake turns the world of crime and criminals upside down. The bad get better, the good slide a bit, and Lord help anyone caught between a thief named John Dortmunder and the current object of his intentions. Now Westlake's seasoned but often scoreless crook must take on an impossible crime, one he doesn't want and doesn't believe in. But a little blackmail goes a long way in... WHAT'S SO FUNNY? All it takes is a few underhanded moves by a tough ex-cop named Eppick to pull Dortmunder into a game he never wanted to play. With no choice, he musters his always-game gang and they set out on a perilous treasure hunt for a long-lost gold and jewel-studded chess set once intended as a birthday gift for the last Romanov czar, which unfortunately reached Russia after that party was over. From the moment Dortmunder reaches for his first pawn, he faces insurmountable odds. The purloined past of this precious set is destined to confound any strategy he finds on the board. Success is not inevitable with John Dortmunder leading the attack, but he's nothing if not persistent, and some gambit or other might just stumble into a winning move.

Contains: - Fortunate Pilgrim - [Godfather](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1673263W/Godfather)