What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Fraud
Zadie Smith · Book
If you loved The Fraud, start with Unravelling Amy — a podcast on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Fraud across media.
If you loved The Fraud, you were captivated by how class, deception, and identity collide within the rigid structures of history.
Films on the same thread
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Explores: Class Conflict, Gaslighting, Identity Theft.
Like The Fraud, this story explores the dangerous intersection of domestic service and hidden agendas, where power dynamics and identity theft unravel the lives of the wealthy.
Witness for the Prosecution
Film · 1957
Explores: Deception, Justice, Betrayal.
The Fraud captures the spectacle of the courtroom, and this film mirrors that intensity by focusing on the moral ambiguity and deception inherent in high-stakes legal proceedings.
The Handmaiden
Film · 2016
Explores: Deception, Forbidden Romance, Manipulation.
This period piece echoes The Fraud through its focus on manipulation and class-based deception, using a secluded estate to heighten the tension of a carefully constructed secret.
American Fiction
Cord Jefferson · Film · 2023
Explores: Authenticity, Identity, Hypocrisy.
Just as The Fraud examines the authenticity of historical figures, this satire dissects the performance of identity and the hypocrisy of the literary establishment with biting wit.
Series on the same thread
The Gilded Age
Julian Fellowes · Series · 2022
Explores: Social Class, New Money vs. Old Money, American Dream.
If you enjoyed the social maneuvering in The Fraud, you will appreciate how this series contrasts the aspirations of the new elite against established Victorian-era conventions.
Your Friends & Neighbors
Jonathan Tropper · Series · 2025
Explores: wealth inequality, midlife crisis, moral decay.
This dark comedy explores the same themes of class struggle found in The Fraud, showing how desperation and moral decay drive individuals to commit elaborate identity deceptions.
Alias Grace
Sarah Polley · Series · 2017
Explores: Female Protagonist, Memory and Trauma, Social Class.
Set in the same era as The Fraud, this drama centers on a housemaid whose ambiguous truth challenges the historical record, mirroring your interest in authentic versus constructed history.
Fingersmith
Aisling Walsh · Series · 2005
Explores: class deception, female relationships, forbidden love.
This adaptation shares the Victorian setting of The Fraud, focusing on the intersection of class deception and the unreliable nature of those caught in a web of lies.
Podcasts on the same thread
Unravelling Amy
Podcast
Explores: fraud, deception, identity theft.
The Fraud highlights the ease of identity theft, and this investigative series traces the real-world consequences of a lifelong fraudster who weaponizes deception against the social order.
Fame Under Fire
BBC Sounds · Podcast
Explores: Celebrity Culture, Misinformation, Media Ethics.
The Fraud examines how public perception creates a false narrative, and this podcast deepens that critique by analyzing how celebrity culture relies on misinformation and manipulated public images.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Fraud based on a historical event?
Yes, The Fraud is set in 1873 and centers on a real-life legal trial involving a butcher from Australia who claimed to be the rightful heir to a significant estate and title, a case that captivated the public and the novel's protagonist during that era.
Who is the main character in The Fraud?
The protagonist of The Fraud is a Scottish housekeeper who works for a once-famous novelist. She becomes deeply fascinated by the high-profile court case involving a butcher from Australia claiming to be an heir, which drives the narrative focus of the book.
Does The Fraud take place in Australia?
While the central mystery in The Fraud involves a butcher who claims to be an heir from Australia, the primary setting of the story is centered around the Scottish housekeeper and the novelist she serves in England during the year 1873.
What is the central conflict in The Fraud?
The central conflict in The Fraud revolves around the authenticity of a butcher from Australia who claims to be the rightful heir to a title and estate. This trial becomes the primary obsession of the housekeeper who serves as the novel's central viewpoint character.