In the 2019 comedy
The Hustle, the con team played by Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson muse over why women are better suited to heists than men. “Because no man will ever believe a woman is smarter than he is,” quips Wilson.
Female con artists have been historically underestimated and undocumented. Tori Telfer, author of
Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion, suggested in a recent
New York Times article that it’s high time women receive credit for their conning prowess.
Well timed for this cultural moment is Marissa Stapley’s page-turning novel,
Lucky. The titular character, Lucky Armstrong, was trained by her father from birth to be his sidekick, the two driving across the country in search of the next windfall. This early paternal influence becomes a trap as Lucky – a gifted student with natural talent for math – yearns to shed her fake names for a normal life with friends, school, and a familiar bed. In one heartbreaking scene, Lucky abandons a real shot at this dream to protect those she loves, proving that despite her upbringing, she does have a moral conscience.