Liars, Cheats, and Thieves
Cat C. Longworth’s first novel, Liars Cheats and Thieves, introduces Phil, a recent high school graduate. He shares a roof with Jason, an aspiring drug dealer and amateur conman, and Jason’s girlfriend, Vicki. Because he’s stuck in the rut of a fast-food job and uninspired by his mother’s insistence on community college, Phil becomes ensnared in Jason’s risky plan: a scheme to swindle a local drug dealer and use the gains for a sunny escape to Ocean Cove, Florida.
Enter Jessica, a daring twenty-five-year-old former Las Vegas escort. She is embarking on an impulsive adventure fueled by armed robberies and petty theft. Her journey leads her back to her hometown of Ocean Cove, where she plans to confront her estranged mother. However, bitter realities await Jessica: her mother has passed away, and her brother rejects her.
Phil and Jessica cross paths soon after the reality of his Ocean Cove “vacation” sinks in, and sparks fly. But before long, he finds himself in handcuffs. Stranded, with no way to make his bail, Jessica ignores what remains of her good judgment and resorts to her old fundraising tactics, robbing a gas station. This sets off a chain reaction, thrusting her and Phil into an unexpected cross-country escapade. From busking for lunch money on Bourbon Street to swapping childhood stories under the desert stars, their adventure takes flight.
Simultaneously, Jason’s reckless actions burn the only bridges connecting them to Ocean Cove. They flee with a haphazard plan to grift their way across the country in search of easy money and a good time. However, destiny steps in outside of Tucson when Vicki’s car is stolen. This twist of fate turns Vicki and Jason into reluctant captors when they inadvertently kidnap an Arizona meth dealer.
In a dramatic twist, they draw Jessica and Phil into this perilous situation, becoming unexpected saviors. But things are not as they seem, as the story erupts in a violent storm of poor judgment. This climactic moment forces the couples to part ways once again. Some face the consequences of good luck pushed too far, while others reap the benefits of a disorderly moral code.
Cat C. Longworth is currently seeking literary representation
Cat C. Longworth received his GED ten days before his scheduled graduation day, a display of clown-like nonconformity that would define his early twenties, which he spent hitchhiking, causing trouble, and avoiding honest work.
It was around these campfires and darkened squats that Cat was inspired to write his first novel, Liars, Cheats, and Thieves.
Cat currently resides in Columbus, Ohio with his beautiful wife, 6 children, three cats, and a bulldog. Aside from writing novels, Cat enjoys camping, hiking, and waiting tables at his favorite restaurant, Alqueria Farmhouse Kitchen.
