Books, films, games & tools

The Confidence Game

Maria Konnikova

Why we fall for it — every time. A definitive study of the con artist's mind.

Why it's on the porchThe single best explanation of why smart people say yes. Start here.

The Big Con

David W. Maurer

The classic 1940 field study of American grifters — inspired The Sting.

Why it's on the porchThe 1940 field study every modern grift book quietly borrows from.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert B. Cialdini, PhD

The six levers every con artist — and marketer — pulls to make you say yes.

Why it's on the porchRead it once and you'll spot the six levers everywhere for the rest of your life.

Bad Blood

John Carreyrou

Secrets and lies inside Theranos, the Silicon Valley fraud of the century.

Why it's on the porchThe tightest fraud narrative of the last decade — reads like a thriller.

The Wizard of Lies

Diana B. Henriques

Bernie Madoff and the death of trust — the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

Why it's on the porchThe definitive account of the biggest Ponzi ever run.

Billion Dollar Whale

Tom Wright & Bradley Hope

How Jho Low stole a fortune and fooled Hollywood, Wall Street, and the world.

Why it's on the porchProof that a con can be big enough to fool Hollywood.

Empire of Pain

Patrick Radden Keefe

The Sackler dynasty and the marketing scheme that fueled the opioid crisis.

Why it's on the porchA con dressed as medicine — the long game, told carefully.

Catch Me If You Can

Frank W. Abagnale

The true story of a teenage impostor who cashed millions in bad checks.

Why it's on the porchThe charm-first grifter memoir that started the genre.

The Art of the Steal

John Perkins

The bestselling Economic Hit Man author on power, money, and modern grift.

Why it's on the porchPower and money grift, told from the inside.

Ghost in the Wires

Kevin Mitnick

Adventures of the world's most wanted social engineer.

Why it's on the porchSocial engineering as sport — the human side of hacking.

The Art of Deception

Kevin Mitnick

Controlling the human element of security — the playbook for social engineering.

Why it's on the porchThe actual playbook. Read it to recognize it.

The Cuckoo's Egg

Cliff Stoll

A first-person hunt for a hacker through the early internet.

Why it's on the porchA patient hunt through the early internet. Slow-burn and true.

Spam Nation

Brian Krebs

Inside the global cybercrime economy — from the reporter who broke it.

Why it's on the porchFollow the money behind the junk in your inbox.

Predictably Irrational

Dan Ariely

The hidden forces that shape our decisions — and open the door to deception.

Why it's on the porchThe wiring that makes the con work in the first place.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

The two systems in your mind — and why one of them keeps getting fooled.

Why it's on the porchDense, but it explains the fast brain every scammer is aiming at.

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

Documentary

The rise and fall of Theranos — a portrait of charm, secrecy, and the fraud that fooled Silicon Valley.

Why it's on the porchWatch a story outrun the facts in real time.

The Tinder Swindler

Documentary

A modern romance scam played out across continents, told by the women who lived it.

Why it's on the porchThe clearest look at how a romance scam actually unfolds.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Documentary

The festival that promised paradise and delivered a parking lot — a masterclass in hype over substance.

Why it's on the porchHype over substance, documented to the last sandwich.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

Documentary

A celebrity restaurateur, a mysterious partner, and a con that spanned continents and belief systems.

Why it's on the porchHow far a person will follow someone they want to believe.

McMillions

Documentary

How a single ex-cop rigged the McDonald's Monopoly game for a decade — and almost got away with it.

Why it's on the porchA decades-long inside job, told with real humor.

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman

Documentary

A British conman manipulates families for decades, proving charm can be a weapon.

Why it's on the porchThe most unsettling identity con on this shelf.

The Sting

Film

The classic 1973 caper that turned the wire con into cinema legend — with a perfect ragtime score.

Why it's on the porchThe film that turned the big con into a popcorn classic.

Catch Me If You Can

Film

The true story of Frank Abagnale, who posed as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer before his eighteenth birthday.

Why it's on the porchCharm as a weapon — the most rewatchable grift on film.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Film

Jordan Belfort's boiler-room empire — excess, persuasion, and the crash that followed.

Why it's on the porchBoiler-room energy, dialed to eleven.

Coup

Bluffing Card Game

Lie, bribe, and bluff your way to power in a quick card game about hidden influence.

Why it's on the porchFifteen minutes, all bluff. The easiest way to feel a con from the inside.

The Resistance

Social Deduction Game

A hidden-role game of spies and resistance fighters where trust is the only currency.

Why it's on the porchTrust nobody. The purest social-deduction night on the shelf.

The Resistance: Avalon

Social Deduction Game

Arthurian knights and hidden traitors — a tighter, more dramatic version of The Resistance.

Why it's on the porchThe Resistance with sharper teeth and better theater.

Ultimate Werewolf

Party Game

Villagers hunt hidden werewolves in the classic social-deduction game of deception and mob justice.

Why it's on the porchBest with a crowd — the loudest lying you'll do all year.

Sheriff of Nottingham

Bluffing Board Game

Smuggle goods past the sheriff — or collect bribes as the sheriff yourself. A game of negotiation and lies.

Why it's on the porchStraight-up smuggling and bribery. Bring a poker face.

Codenames

Word Party Game

Give one-word clues to find your agents before the other team does — without leading them to the assassin.

Why it's on the porchMisdirection with words. Gentle enough for the whole porch.

Secret Hitler

Social Deduction Game

Liberals and fascists clash in 1930s Germany — but nobody knows who is who.

Why it's on the porchHidden roles and hard choices — the tensest of the bunch.

LifeLock

Identity Protection

Proactive identity theft monitoring and restoration — the highest-payout protection on the porch.

Aura Identity & Fraud Protection

Identity Protection

All-in-one identity theft, credit, and device protection for the whole family.

Why it's on the porchWatches the paperwork trail most scams leave behind.

Identity Guard

Identity Monitoring

Dark-web monitoring and credit alerts to catch identity theft early.

Why it's on the porchMonitoring for the folks who'd rather not check themselves.

NordVPN

VPN

Encrypt your connection on public Wi-Fi and keep snoops out of your traffic.

Why it's on the porchWorth it if you use public Wi-Fi more than once a month.

ExpressVPN

VPN

Fast, easy privacy protection for phones, laptops, and streaming devices.

Why it's on the porchThe simpler VPN if you just want it on and forgotten.

1Password

Password Manager

One strong vault for every password, code, and secret — so phishing can't catch you reusing the same key.

Why it's on the porchThe single highest-return habit change against phishing.

Malwarebytes

Anti-Malware

A second opinion for your devices — useful when a sketchy link gets past your guard.

Why it's on the porchCleans up what tech-support scammers leave behind.

LastPass

Password Manager

Generate and store strong passwords so you never have to remember them — or repeat them.

Why it's on the porchAn alternate vault if 1Password isn't your speed.

Storyville Coffee

Small-batch roasted

The porch companion for every tale. Smooth, dark, and made for long listens. Available on Amazon.

Why it's on the porchWhat we actually drink while recording these.