Never saw me coming How I outsmarted the FBI and the entire banking system--and pocketed $40 million

In this rollicking debut, Smith reflects on the crime spree that led a judge to label her "a threat to the United States of America." As a preteen in 1970s Minneapolis, Smith was so infatuated with Michael Jackson that she tracked down his grandfather's phone number. Wanting more, she called the phone company and got transferred between departments enough times that her call appeared to be coming from the billing division, at which point she pumped employees for Jackson's home address. Using the same method, Smith conned utility companies, pretending to pay off bills for family and friends, and eventually learned to fake bank transfers and pocket millions of dollars. Her purchases of diamonds and luxury cars caught the attention of the FBI, who started investigating Smith when she was in her teens but refused to believe a young Black woman could organize such a sophisticated scheme. Her run of luck first ended in 1986, when she was arrested and sentenced to 13 years in prison--then again in the early 1990s, after she'd escaped from prison and was arrested on new fraud charges. Smith is deliriously entertaining company, keeping her foot on the gas all the way through. It's a gripping real-life caper from a charismatic antihero. Agent: Christy Fletcher, Fletcher & Co. (Aug.)

The remarkable adventures of an expert grifter. Growing up in Minneapolis in the 1970s, Smith became aware of stark economic inequality. Her family was middle class, but her father, who owned a music venue, interacted with the superrich. "As a child," she recalls, "I was dazzled by their wondrous shows of glamour and seemingly carefree living." By the time she was a teenager, though, she was also dismayed by poverty in her community. In her debut memoir, Smith recounts her astounding career in crime, which began with her desire to help the needy. Honing computer skills, she became adept at fraudulent bank transfers. "Between the ages of fifteen and sixteen," she writes, "I managed to void people's utility bills, at least temporarily, around three hundred times. I also handled a few overdue mortgages." Soon, she began to covet money for herself, "caught up in the thrill of transactions, by what money could do and the men it could attract." Over one summer and fall, she made more than $2 million. She showered men with gifts, including designer clothes, cars, jewelry, and cash. One after another, she discovered they were cheating on her and stealing from her. With a cadre of accomplices, it was only a matter of time until someone slipped up, and soon the police and FBI got wind of her scams. They were sure, though, that she worked for a white mastermind. As one racist detective said, "Neeee-grroes murder, steal, and rob, but they don't have the brains to commit sophisticated crimes like this." Smith was convicted of bank and wire fraud, incurring a longer sentence than some famous white-collar criminals. "You know they're hassling you because you're Black and a genius," her lawyer told her, a conclusion that Smith does not dispute. An action-packed chronicle of deceit, betrayal, and greed. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.