A Shrewdness of Swindlers: Ten Tales of the Fantastic and Falsehood in the Fabulous Roaring Twenties

Ten tales of clever cons, daring heists, and artful deception—where magic, technology, and human cunning collide.

At a speakeasy on the coldest night of 1929, an unlikely group gathers to tell stories: the Detective, the Dame, the Vampire, the Spy, the Actress. One of their number is missing—a mobster who holds the prize for a mysterious storytelling contest. A prize that can grant your heart’s desire.

As the night unfolds, each tale reveals a different world where nothing is quite as it seems:

A 1920s starlet must outwit a witch to save her household fae. A thief breaks into a billionaire’s penthouse to steal humanity’s first sentient AI—and it’s a killer. A time traveler arrives at a mysterious hotel where souls are traded like currency. And more stories of swindlers, grifters, and tricksters across time and space, where the con is survival and deception is an art form.

From Prohibition-era Hollywood to far-future high-rises, from magical courts to AI-haunted penthouses, these interconnected stories follow those who live by their wits—or die trying.

Perfect for fans of historical fantasy, science fiction heists, and magical realism.

Pour yourself a cocktail and join us at the liar’s table, where the only way to tell the truth is to lie.