It's been a while since I've read this, but remember really liking it at the time. It takes place on a boat on the Mississippi (Mark Twain-ish, but darker...as Melville would be). It's about a huckster (a confidence man) duping all the people on this river boat using very inventive means. It is also (as with Melville) a study of the human condition. I think this was his last book and judging by how his life went it's no wonder that it tends toward the darker side of things. Great book though!!!