The Racketeer is a heist story featuring a long con, also known as a big con or a long game. It is a kind of confidence trick or deception in which the grifter (con man)—either alone or with confederates—gains the confidence of a mark (victim) and uses the mark’s own credulity, overconfidence, or greed to lure them into handing over money or other advantages. This is what Malcolm does when he lures the FBI into giving him the reward money and commuting his sentence in exchange for betraying Quinn, the supposed murderer.

Whereas a short con is completed in a matter of minutes or seconds, a long con often runs for weeks, months, or even years. Malcolm, for example, spends years planning his sting, then months running it once it begins. Such a scheme can involve props, sets, costumes, scripts, and bit players, such as the videographer Malcolm hires to convince Nathan Cooley of the reality of the supposed documentary film. Within the context of the novel, Malcolm’s scam involves two marks. He uses the greed and vanity of the FBI to persuade them to get him out of prison. Their careers and egos are on the line if they can’t find the judge’s killer, so they pay the smaller price of letting Malcolm go.