My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress

By Rachel DeLoache Williams

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Sex and the City meets Bad Blood and Catch Me if You Can in this riveting true crime memoir that tells the astonishing firsthand story of Anna Delvey--the fake heiress who conned New York's elite--and the friend she betrayed.

When Rachel DeLoache Williams meets Anna Delvey, Anna claims to be a wealthy German heiress with boundless ambition and an extravagant lifestyle. She treats generously, covering lavish dinners, luxury hotels, high-end workouts, and nights out across Manhattan. Drawn into Anna's orbit, Rachel is flattered by the friendship and dazzled by the access it provides.

The illusion shatters during a dream trip to Marrakech, when Anna's credit cards suddenly stop working. Anna insists the problem is temporary and persuades Rachel to front the costs--first flights, then meals and shopping, and ultimately a private villa costing thousands per night. By the time they return to New York, Rachel has been charged more than $62,000, and Anna's promises of repayment quickly unravel.

As Rachel pieces together the truth, she discovers Anna has left a trail of unpaid bills and deception throughout the city. Determined to reclaim her life and dignity, Rachel goes to the authorities and finds herself at the center of the investigation that brings down one of the most infamous con artists of the decade.

Fast-paced, immersive, and deeply personal, this memoir offers an insider's account of fraud, privilege, and the seductive power of ambition--told by the woman who lived it.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1982114096
• ISBN13: 9781982114091
• Release Date: July 2019
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Author wanted her 5 minutes of fame...

This book was very challenging to want to keep reading. The base story is interesting, don’t get me wrong. But the author spends so much time going into her elaborate lifestyle even apart from the scam. Almost feels at times like Rachel is bragging about her high needed life. The author complains about the financial stress of it all but in the same paragraph she takes a family vacation and other lavish expenses that a person who is out thousands probably shouldn’t take. The book was Very heavy on descriptions and added details that took away from the story. This book ended up feeling like it was rushed and is a cover up to try to make her involvement look less than it was. When she willingly paid for parts of the trip, volunteering her cards and going on a trip like that should come with some liability of cost. I definitely feel like this book was the authors attempt to smooth out her image.