The Impostor Heiress: Cassie Chadwick, The Greatest Grifter of the Gilded Age [Paperback]

Paroled felon. Rich doctor's wife. Famous clairvoyant.Cassie Chadwick, one of history's most successful con artists, was a master of reinvention. In the dusk of the Gilded Age, she swept from town to town, assuming fresh identities to swindle a fortune so large that it rivaled the robber barons of the time.

Then came arguably the greatest con in American history. Using forged documents and her peerless wits, Cassie convinced prominent men from Cleveland to New York City that she was the illegitimate daughter of the world's wealthiest man—Andrew Carnegie.

Businessmen loaned her hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time; the ensuing crash shattered banks and bankers alike. Her sensational trial made her a household name. The newspapers called her the Queen of Swindlers, the Duchess of Diamonds, the High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance.

Interspersing Cassie's crimes with stories of an unsuspecting Andrew Carnegie, author Annie Reed spins an enthralling, page-turning tale of true crime. Long before Anna Delvey captivated national attention, there was Cassie Chadwick—mother of the American con.Annie Reed is a writer and historian. She earned her law degree from the University of Notre Dame and her history degree from the University of Illinois. She lives with her family near St. Louis, Missouri, and runs marathons in her spare time.Praise forTHE IMPOSTOR HEIRESSby Annie Reed

A delightful, deeply-researched look into the con woman who made Charles Ponzi look like small potatoes. Annie Reed brings Cassie Chadwick's wild story into the 21st century, illuminating all the unbelievable details of her life—from her infamous eyes to her fake billionaire dad to her outrageous chutzpah. Anna Delvey who?

—Tori Telfer, author ofLady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History




From the golden shores of Lake Erie to the skyscrapers of Manhattan, Cassie Chadwick ran thelľ