If you've had access to cable news for the past half-century or so, you're probably familiar with the names and crimes of all kinds of famous con-men. You've heard of Jordan Belfort, Bernie Madoff, Charles Ponzi, and dozens of others over the years. But what about the con-women? What part do they play in history? Just how many fast ones have they pulled on victims on not only an individual scale, but on a national and even international scale? Those are the questions Tori Telfer sets out to answer in Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion.

Opening with the wild story of Jeanne De Saint-Rémy in 1700s France, and how her long list of cons actually was a catalyst of the French Revolution and execution of Marie Antoinette, Telfer goes on to cover the glitz, greed, and gall of about a dozen lady con artists over centuries and continents. These stories were totally mind-blowing and I somehow hadn't ever heard about almost all of them prior to reading this book! From famed 19th century swindler Cassie Chadwick's elaborate lies about her relation to Andrew Carnegie, to Wang Ti's complicated web of real estate and financial deceptions in the glamorous world of Chinese Olympic athletes, to Sante Kimes' weirdly murderous relationship with her son, there are a lot of really fun and at times extremely troubling true crime stories jam-packed into this compendium.

This book was a total blast to read! The narration made it even more fun, with lots of hints of sarcasm and the outlandishness that compliments these bold women's chaotic life stories. Tori Telfer did a great job of making what could have been a very heavy subject feel light and silly, and managed to maintain a respectability towards the victims that were swindled and occasionally completely offed by these selfish creatures. I think there may have been a bit of a missed opportunity here to dive a little bit deeper into the psychology of these women, the sociological implications of their crimes and how they were able to often get away with them, but overall I just had so much fun listening to this that I can't really complain about it.

Highly recommended to fans of true crime that are in need of some lighter fare—it doesn't always have to be tragic murder stories! We can read about these women that were often extremely brilliant but had a dark side that pushed them to act in unthinkable ways, and have fun while doing it!