-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
The uproarious, bestselling true story of the world's most sought-after con man - an irresistible tale of deceit.
Frank W. Abagnale,
alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of
the most daring con men, forgers, imposters, and escape artists in history. In
his brief but notorious criminal career, Abagnale donned a pilot's uniform and
copiloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as the supervising resident of a hospital,
practiced law without a license, passed himself off as a college sociology
professor, and cashed over $2.5 million in forged checks, all before he was
twenty-one. Known by the police of twenty-six foreign countries and all fifty
states as "The Skywayman," Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the
lam--until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as the nation's
leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose
hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapades, and ingenious
escapes-including one from an airplane--make Catch Me If You Can an
irresistible tale of deceit.
The uproarious, bestselling true story of the world's most sought-after con man.
"I stole every nickel and blew it on fine threads, luxurious lodgings, fantastic foxes, and other sensual goodies. I partied in every capital in Europe and basked on all the world's most famous beaches."
Chapter 1
THE FLEDGLING
A MAN'S ALTER EGO is nothing more than his favorite image of himself. The mirror
in my room in the Windsor Hotel in Paris reflected my favorite image of me--a
darkly handsome young airline pilot, smooth-skinned, bull-shouldered and
immaculately groomed. Modesty is not one of my virtues. At the time, virtue was
not one of my virtues.
Satisfied with my appearance, I picked up my bag, left the room and two minutes
later was standing in front of the cashier's cage.
"Good morning, Captain," said the cashier in warm tones. The markings
on my uniform identified me as a first officer, a co-pilot, but the French are
like that. They tend to overestimate everything save their women, wine and art.
I signed the hotel bill she slid across the counter, started to turn away, then
wheeled back, taking a payroll check from the inside pocket of my jacket.
"Oh, can you cash this for me? Your Paris night life nearly wiped me out
and it'll be ...
If you liked Catch Me If You Can, try these:
by Patrick Radden Keefe
Published 2026
From the bestselling, prize-winning author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, a spellbinding account of a family devastated by the sudden death of their nineteen-year-old son, only to discover that he had created a secret life which drew him into the dangerous criminal underworld that lies beneath London's glittering surface.
by B. A. Shapiro
Published 2013
On March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art worth today over $500 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It remains the largest unsolved art heist in history, and Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, is about to discover that there's more to this crime than meets the eye.
by Carson Morton
Published 2012
What happens when you mix a Parisian street orphan, a hot-tempered Spanish forger, a beautiful American pickpocket, an unloved wife, and one priceless painting?
Finishing second in the Olympics gets you silver. Finishing second in politics gets you oblivion.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!