Overview

Recounted for the first time and in detail, this is the unbelievable true story of the Edwardian confidence trickster who fooled the world – three times. Violet Charlesworth, the beautiful young heiress to a fortune was briefly the most famous woman in the world, hunted across the globe, pursued by the press, and living the life of royalty. With country estates, fast cars, furs, fabulous jewels, and expensive tastes, she lived life in the fast lane until her lifestyle – and her creditors – finally caught up with her on a lonely, clifftop road in North Wales. Clever, resourceful, cunning, ruthless and beautiful, Violet Charlesworth had it all, until her luxurious motorcar smashed through a low wall on a dangerous bend in a moonlit clifftop road, hurling her into the waves below.  As the search for her body continued, the shocking truth about her life finally emerged. In the era of the Suffragettes, Violet found another way to beat male-dominated society at its own game. Setting the bar for all female con artists to follow, she changed women’s fashion, her exploits entered the lexicon of the English language, and she rapidly became more famous than the King and the Prime Minister. She even had a racehorse named after her.  She ruined lives and reputations, broke promises and shattered dreams but, like all great con artists, left us guessing until the end. And she did it all with style and panache.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mark Bridgeman
Publisher:   Porto Press Ltd
Imprint:   Whittles Publishing
Weight:   0.711kg
ISBN:  

9781849955973

ISBN 10:   1849955972
Pages:   324
Publication Date:   11 April 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction The Language Of The Fraudster 1: The Bait 2: The Tease 3: The Switch 4: The Foundation 5: The Convincer 6: Salting The City 7: Dressing The Part 8: The Extras 9: The Mark 10: The Melon Drop 11: The Ticking Clock 12: The Shut-Out 13: The Flaw 14: The Game 15: The Reveal 16: The Counter-Bluff 17: The Upper Hand 18: The Pay-Off 19: The Money Box 20: The Hurrah 21: The Short Count 22: The Tell 23: The Getaway 24: Find The Lady Postscript Appendices Appendix A: Violet’s known creditors Appendix B: Violet’s Daily Mail interview Appendix C: Pleading with her stockbroker Appendix D: Violet the songwriter Appendix E: Violet’s short story, ‘A Heart of Gold’ Appendix F: Smoke and mirrors: Violet in her own words Appendix G: Violet’s inspiration Bibliography

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Author Information

Mark is a successful author and has appeared on ITV, Channel 5, the History Channel and BBC TV and radio. He is the author of The Nearly Man which was nominated for the John Byrne Award and the James Tait Black Award and this is currently in development with a leading Hollywood studio for TV/film.

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