We were hanging out in the dumpshock IRC Chann and well..
Heres a list of recomended literature where the main character, or one or more of the major supporting cast, is a criminal, in the professional biz.

Steven Brust, The Vlad Taltos series

Eddings, The Blue Rose series

The Thieves World Anthologies

Brent Weeks, The Night Angels trilogy

Asprin ..Pretty much anything this man wrote

Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Club Dumas"

The Hounds of Ash and other tales by Greg Keyes

Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, esp Tower of the Elephant

Mercede's Lackey: Takes a thief

Andre Norton, The Elvenbane series

Terry Prachet, Making Money and Going Postal (even thoughw e contend that most of the Watch are practically criminals anyhow)

Lord Dunsany's short stories

The Lankhmar books


Let us add to the list! Speak up, what do you like to read about thieves, rogues, conmen, and assasins?

Hit Man (two words) by Lawrence Block. Main character is a complete sociopath who happens to be having a mid-life crisis. Not a crisis of conscience, a mid-life crisis. Very good book.

Perhaps a bit more of childrenish book, but the Artemis Fowl series is a real favorite of mine. Main character is like a 10th generation criminal (Though still a child) who kidnaps a fairy in order to steal gold from their hidden civilization. Includes magic and super high tech stuff. Good for a quicker more light hearted read (Though longer if you read more of the series of course, about a half dozen books so far).

I've said it in almost every "book" thread, but Altered Carbon/ Broken Angels / Woken Furies

Oh! Nearly forgot, Red Forge of Mars, and the sequel Digital Dead. The main character is very much not a criminal, but basically everyone else in the book is. The setting is amazingly similar to SR in alot of ways, and could definitely inspire a campaign or two (Digital Dead even has technomancers and e-ghosts).

Nice post Arries, I hope all rogues will read it before going into MC for the first time.

I think that most rogues understand MC by now so perhaps we can work on a BWL guide in the near future too.
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I've always been a fan of the duology Street Lethal and Gorgon Child by Steven Barns. Lots of good PhysAd type action going on in a dark disutopian future.

Anything by Andrew Vachss. Especially his Burke series.

Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam
Good Thief's Guide to Paris

Both by Chris Ewan. About a professional / professional thief who steals not only for information, but just for the fun of it, and the crazy mixed up adventures he ends up getting himself into. He's not a badass, he's not playing John Woo with his pistols - he's just a little smarter then everyone else, and he's got tons of patience. Eagerly awaiting Vegas.

I'll second Chris Ewan's "Good Thief" series, which is awesome, and add two more: Donald Westlake's "Dortmunder" books and anything by his pseudonym Richard Stark.

Can anyone recommend books that aren't Fantasy based?

Red Forge of Mars and Digital Dead aren't Fantasy based. Or do you mean that aren't fiction?

Edit: I should mention that when I said technomancer, I didn't mean 'has a computer for a brain' I meant 'ultra powerful natural hacker' She still has to use a computer like everyone else. There is no magic in the setting.

And the Chris Ewan books aren't fantasy in the least. Unless you don't think a writer can be a professional thief

Fiction is good, Swords and Sorcery is just hard for me to wade through.

I stand by my suggestions then.

Mr Nice by Howard Marks is based on real life I think.

Shantaram is fiction loosely based on real life.

Both books are kinda interesting particularly shantaram as the guy basically lives in the Bombay Barrens, for those into shadowrun.

Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive-Gibson
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Read Seas under Red Skys-Lynch

AFE

+1 to all these - I prefer sci-fi (as these are), myself, these days. Gibson's Spook Country is also fairly shadowrun-esque, though it's a modern real-world setting.