Jaded confidence man Gabriel Karne is on the run. A literal snarling, slobbering guard dog nips at his heels.

If he makes it over the chain-link fence, he vows to skip town for friendlier climes. Somewhere no one knows his name.

It will be fine. Everything will be fine.

Less than twenty-four hours on the island and Gabriel's had a nasty confrontation with two local good ol' boys, earned a trespassing citation from an infuriating but compelling forest ranger, and offered to search for a missing person. So much for lying low.

Being off his game only partially explains why Gabe would rather focus on a stranger's bad luck than his own. Fact is, he's always had a soft spot for losers and maybe, just maybe, he's tired of the game.

The Last Grift is the first installment in the Subtle Deceptions series, a small town mystery with romantic elements. The series, part of the Piedras Island and Veiled Intentions universe, is written in the third person and follows the unplanned adventures in the life and love of the disreputable Gabriel Karne. This series has connections to the Veiled Intentions series, but can be read independently.