Confident Women

Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion

De: Tori Telfer

Narrado por: Jaime Lamchick

A thoroughly entertaining and darkly humorous roundup of history’s notorious but often forgotten female con artists and their bold, outrageous scams - by the acclaimed author of Lady Killers.

From Elizabeth Holmes and Anna Delvey to Frank Abagnale and Charles Ponzi, audacious scams and charismatic scammers continue to intrigue us as a culture. As Tori Telfer reveals in Confident Women, the art of the con has a long and venerable tradition, and its female practitioners are some of the best - or worst.

In the 1700s in Paris, Jeanne de Saint-Rémy scammed the royal jewelers out of a necklace made from 647 diamonds by pretending she was best friends with Queen Marie Antoinette.

In the mid-1800s, sisters Kate and Maggie Fox began pretending they could speak to spirits and accidentally started a religious movement that was soon crawling with female con artists. A gal calling herself Loreta Janeta Velasquez claimed to be a soldier and convinced people she worked for the Confederacy - or the Union, depending on who she was talking to. Meanwhile, Cassie Chadwick was forging paperwork and getting banks to loan her upward of $40,000 by telling people she was Andrew Carnegie’s illegitimate daughter.

In the 1900s, a 40-something woman named Margaret Lydia Burton embezzled money all over the country and stole upward of 40 prized show dogs, while a few decades later, a teenager named Roxie Ann Rice scammed the entire NFL. And since the death of the Romanovs, women claiming to be Anastasia have been selling their stories to magazines. What about today? Spoiler alert: These “artists” are still conning.

Confident Women asks the provocative question: Where does chutzpah intersect with a uniquely female pathology - and how were these notorious women able to so spectacularly dupe and swindle their victims?

©2021 Tori Telfe (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Fun

Interesting stories of ladies on the grift and the men who fell for it. Not a work of great literature, but fun and distracting.

Funnnnn

Great listen. Love this author. Can’t wait for her next book. Bravo ! And very entertaining

Cons - a - Million

These women stole everything from money to power and prestige - and they conned, swindled, and killed to get what they wanted. People were naive and gullible to what was happening to them. Great book.

Ms. Telfer Delivers!

Very impressive young author who truly gets under the skin. Love Criminal Broads! Great narration

Phenomenal stories about women, for women

For every good girl who wants to be bad. For every bad girl who can relate to a mischievous life.

More!

I want more! Make a podcast, do a series! This is what I want to take my away from current events. A lovely collection of interesting stories, told in colorful language with a great narrator.

Better than expected

I enjoyed this book. Some info I already knew but also learned a few things & being a true crime fan I appreciated it. I would love to read a part 2 on more or even on men.

Loved it

I enjoyed the entire book. The narrator did a fabulous job and made everything sound as interesting as it truly is. The way the book’s chapters and sections are laid out made for a good smooth read. I will be checking out other books by this author.

Fun and easy listen!

Great fun! The context was fascinating and easy to digest. The reader knocked it out the park. I listen to audiobooks/podcast while I task and hungrily consumed this book over a just a few days. Needless to say laundry is done, yard looks fresh, dishes were hand washed, and my commute lavished in a few extra turns.

Enjoy!

Fun stories of bad girls

This is light and fun, but that is not to minimize the crimes, actions or deceptions perpetrated by these women. It is not a heavy read and the stories ride along in a way that makes it an easy listen. Worthwhile for those who are interested in how grifters grift. If you are looking for real life crime, it may not be for you, but if you are looking for a longer podcast with a cast of characters, it is a fun listen. Jaime Lamchick does a great job and makes it clear that she enjoyed reading it.