Reviews for THE DON JUAN CON by Sara Williams

Don Juan Con
by Sara Williams
ArcheBooks

Reviewed by Renee Gardner

Handsome Anthony Abruzzi, or whatever his real name may be, is a textbook example of a psychopathic con artist with a Don Juan complex. He is a compulsive womanizer, who is hugely amused by the scams he pulls on women, and his incredible memory allows him to keep track of all the incredible lies he tells. He is also capable of murder or whatever else it takes to win the game. He only needs a couple more cons to make him financially secure and then he can retire.

But Abruzzi has makes a fatal error when he puts feisty Angie Reynolds in his sights. Angie is still reeling from the tragic death of her beloved husband when he slithers into DeLeon, a charming town on Florida’s sultry Gulf Coast. At whirlwind speed, Abruzzi romances her, captivates her precocious son Jason, proposes marriage to her, then disappears – after he charms her out of the money she needs to keep her decorating business afloat.

But rather than wallow in a trough of shame, guilt or fear like his other victims, bankrupt Angie enlists the aid of police detective Joe Vensure, and together they follow Abruzzi’s trail of broken hearts, murder and suicide across the country that ends at Angie’s childhood home in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The relentless hunt for Don Juan becomes a race against time when Angie learns that her mother may be Abruzzi’s next victim. The heart-stopping conclusion of this complex thriller comes with a a real-life re-enactment of Angie’s persistent nightmare that holds the key to a secret in her past. It is worthy of a James Bond film. Bravo!

Former Gannett newspaper report, Sara Williams has written an ever-twisting thriller that casts a light on an all-too-common crime that often goes unreported and unpunished. She is a fine writer who has successfully made the switch from writing facts to writing fiction. Watch for her next thriller, The Serenoa Scandal, scheduled for May 2004 release.

Renee Gardner, New York
Author of Short Stories and Novels

Part-time Orcas Island resident Sara Williams, who once helped put a con artist in jail, fictionalizes what she knows about sweet-talking swindlers who take rich ladies for all they're worth.

Q: Your novel delves in the story of a con man bedazzling several women across the county; how is your story based on what you know?

A: I first became aware of sweetheart swindlers while working as a newspaper reporter in Florida. A victim came into the newsroom and wanted help. A con artist (had) dazzled her with outlandish promises of a grand life, showered gifts and money on her and then made off with her insurance settlement. As this story developed, other women who had been victimized by this particular con artist came forward. I was able to interview a number of women. Eventually, the police caught this particular swindler. I was able to interview him.

A: I wrote the book as a way of warning women not to mix their emotions with their bank accounts. Even worse than the financial ruin is that women lose their ability to love and to trust. These swindlers win women over by playing on their fantasies. Perhaps the male fantasy is, "Hey, why can't I have a job like that?"

Q: What kinds of questions or comments do you get at your readings and signings?

A: Sadly, the stories that stick with me are those (from people) who tell similar tales from their own experiences. I hear from the various sons and daughters whose mothers have been robbed of what they need to take care of themselves. The details are different, but the results are the same. One con artist poses as a country singer, the next is a dance teacher, another is a movie producer.

A: I grew up in Eastern Washington and married an Orcas Islander. My husband, Bill, has been there close to half a century. We divide our time between our island home and Florida.

A: Dialogue is as dear to me as my mother and grandmother, who always took note of some colorful local character. They'd repeat any funny tale they'd heard, accent included. The local idioms, locutions and speech patterns in various parts of the country are fascinating to me. A writer has to develop an ear; reporting helps

A: I want to get beyond the surface veneer that makes this nation appear to be one huge Wal-Mart and Burger King. Look closer, and our differences surface just off the interstate.

A: We love to cook up a big pot of something - gumbo or crab, maybe -and then we round up a bunch of hungry people to eat it.