5 of the Best Books About Real-Life Hoaxes

Confidence sells. It’s what con artists rely on. It’s what gets people to invest both money and trust into extravagant endeavors without really understanding how it’s all going to work out (Fyre Festival, anyone?). As outsiders, we follow along in captivated horror as these fabricated realities come crashing down around the masters of deceit who created them and feel pity for those who got tangled in their web of lies. 

Before the whirlwind of college hoaxes caught the world’s attention, many eagerly kept up with the trials surrounding Anna Delvey (born Anna Sorokin) — the fake German heiress who conned Vanity Fair photo editor, Rachel DeLoache Williams, out of thousands. Williams quickly followed with her side of the story, writing the highly anticipated My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress, which was released this summer and immediately joins our list of the best hoax books.