Did you know con artist is short for confidence artist? I never gave it much thought until this book, which points out how supremely confident one must be to deceive regularly and en masse. You gotta have some cajones. The women profiled in this book have such nerve in large supply. It’s how they assuredly convinced many they were the lost Princess Anastasia, scammed sympathy post-9/11, tricked banks into loaning them hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even created the frenzy around supernatural phenomena.
From the 1700s to today, Tori Telfer takes us on a journey of cons through the ages, all led by women. What these women get away with! My one critique: the book brilliantly shows how the art of the con is very much alive and well; however, it doesn’t fully delve into why women (the sole focus of this book) are so adept at it.
4 out of 5 stars.
Pair with: French 75
Peaches to Apples 