There's nothing like a good scheme to end a long Monday: Here are 7 books about scam artists to pick from
Cons so great, you’ll find yourself in awe of the twisted minds that created them.
Let’s be frank, it’s always satisfying to devour a good scam story. The proof lies in our binge-watching sprees of every such show—be it trending documentaries like The Tinder Swindler and Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives., or classics like Catch Me If You Can and the Ocean’s series. In fact, the crazier the con, the better the tale. If you’ve exhausted all that the Internet has to offer on grifters, fraudsters, swindlers, and cheats, don’t fret. These seven must-read books about con artists will keep you on edge and cement your love for the genre.
The Grifters by Jim Thompson
What’s better than a story with a genius grifter? One that has three, of course. This noir fiction novel, published in 1963, explores the life and cons of Roy Dillon, his mother Lilly, and his girlfriend, Myra. Hiding behind the facade of an honest salesman, Roy amasses $52,000 by ‘grifting’ or carrying out small-time cons. But when a straightforward con goes horribly wrong, he finds himself defenceless against a scam artist who knows the game a lot better than him: his mother.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
The 2022 drama series The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried, is based on this book. Before you begin streaming the show, allow us to make a case for the read. Written by the award-winning investigative journalist, who broke the story, the novel gives you the inside scoop of what led to the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes’ unicorn start-up, Theranos.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Written in 1955, this psych-thriller gave birth to the hugely popular character of Tom Ripley, who has been the subject of four other novels by Patricia, as well as various film adaptations, including a Tamil film called Naan. If you’ve always wondered what goes on inside a conman’s brain, the author paints a rather vivid picture here. That said, it’s not necessarily an easy read—this is as much a story of loneliness and escape as it is of crime and deception.
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo
Published after meticulous research by two investigative reporters, the true-crime narrative of Provenance is set in the exclusive art world of the 20th century. In it, a scammer and a struggling artist enter the murky waters of art forgery and manage to fool the most influential art curators of their time.
Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock
If you thought the title was a bit much, wait till you hear about the con. Charlatan is about a bizarre scam that is run by a fraudulent doctor, John R. Brinkley. John claims to have an unusual cure for impotence—goat testicles. This book is dramatic, uproarious, and truly engaging—and if that’s not enough, based on a true story.
Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud by Elizabeth Greenwood
We’ve all toyed with the idea of starting over. In the 2016 novel Playing Dead, this thought is given a truly existential meaning by fraudsters who fake their own death. If you’re a fan of dark humour, you’ll fall in love with Elizabeth Greenwood’s grim-yet-deeply-enjoyable narration.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger by Lee Israel
Who can describe a scam better than the scam artist herself? The voice of the author and the con artist collide in this deliciously hilarious and brutally honest memoir. Lee Israel recounts the two years in which she resorted to forging and selling hundreds of letters by literary figures such as Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward.
