Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion (by Tori Telfer)

Read this for the “nonviolent true crime book” category, although one of the stories does involve violence, I am still going to say it counts because it is only a small part of the book. 

This nonfiction book offers a series of short biographies of women con artists throughout history - like one who claimed to have nearly died on 9/11 and started a group for survivors, and the first women spiritualists, who scammed their way through high society. 

A fine and breezy read but ultimately very lightweight. One Goodreads review said it “lacks a central thesis” and I agree. Doesn’t delve into the historical and cultural forces at work very much, reads more as an excuse to tell some fun stories about colorful characters in history, and does that well.