Son of a Grifter: The Twisted Tale of Sante and Kenny Kimes, the Most Notorious Con Artists in America

A strange but compelling story. The author is the son of and brother to a pair of sociopaths whose misdeeds evolve from larceny, theft and soul less greed to first-degree murder. The author's mother (his brother was really just a dupe) was astonishingly immoral and was given to abuse (house maids, in particular) of other people including so-called friends and even her own blood family. For many years Mother was hugely successful as she grifted and swindled her way through life. Having no job, no profession, no significant education, but smart enough to marry a wealthy man (who was equally and enthusiastically evil), she lived a rich life in California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Cayman Islands and enjoyed all the perquisites of being a show more rich-bitch American woman - even being introduced to former president Gerald Ford. She kinda over did it by having her younger son murder an elderly heiress and then attempting to abscond with that woman's fortune. At the conclusion of her murder trial the judge commented:

"Sante Kimes is surely the most degenerate defendant who has ever appeared in this courtroom. She called (Sante) "...a sociopath of unremitting malevolence".

- and continued about the brother that he was -

...a "vacuous dupe" who became "a remorseless predator".

It is just amazing how completely wicked certain people can be but, then again, I think there are quite a few current Americans who fit those exact terms. God save us. show less

One of the best true-crime books ever written. Walker, the "other son" of con-woman/serial-killer Sante Kimes, recounts in fascinating detail his life with one of the most terrifying psychopaths ever described on paper. Nearly every page contains a Sante horror-story; the woman's entire adult life seemed to have been a nonstop orgy of mental cruelty, shameless manipulation, lying, greed, theft, fraud, assault, arson, torture and even slavery (she was convicted on this charge in 1985 - only the second American to have been in the 20th Century)...all building up, of course, to her murder of millionaire Irene Silverman, and at least three other people, with the willing assistance of her son Kenny.

Walker candidly looks at his own show more conflicted feelings towards his mother and brother, and examines the grossly dysfunctional dynamics of the Kimes clan in depth, never minimizing his own participation in many of her illegal doings. Eventually he broke free from her influence; unfortunately, kid brother Kenny wasn't so lucky, and ended up being her co-conspirator in one of the ugliest mother-son arrangements since Oedipus took a shine to Jocasta.

SON OF A GRIFTER was deservedly both a bestseller and an Edgar Award winner for Fact Crime. It's a must-read for anyone interested in con artists, sociopaths, or criminal families! show less

Fascinating memoir of growing up with a scheming mother with a decades long career. After ruining the life of her last husband and corrupting the author's brother, this book charts a long bath from casual fraud to murder. Murders, actually.

An incredibly written book that should have gotten more press...the writing is excellent, the emotion, the disgust and the consequences of this family and the affect they had on each other psyche and ultimately of the writer is incredible. To have survived such a childhood is a miracle. It's a criminal's Angela's Ashes. Truly exceptional a must read by anyone interested in true crime stories.

Really interested story told from the "normal" son of Sante Kimes of her bizarre antics as a grifter with her young son Kenny.
Needed a serious editor, though. I think easily half of the book could have been deleted without missing too much.