King of Sting: The Story of Australian Conman Peter Foster

by Justin Armsden

Peter Foster is a career conman who charmed his way into the lives of the rich and famous around the world. Justin Armsden is the reporter who’s been on his tail for 25 years. In King Of Sting, the two play cat and mouse as Armsden retraces Foster’s merciless series of stings....

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Audiobook, Crime, Biography, Australia

Audible Audio

Reviews

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok collection of podcasts about a seemingly unstoppable conman and thief.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realize this was a podcast, which is not my preferred media but the story was interesting. As I'm not english or australian some of the accents required a couple listens to understand, but that was part of the fun

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating piece about the conman Peter Foster. It is stunning that he has continued to escape jail...even now. He's still on the run after authorities keep letting him go after arresting him. It also shows how white collar criminals are treated more lightly. Unfortunately, like so many true crime podcasts and documentaries, it ends abruptly with no resolution.

[Zoe (didyoumeanbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this one, but it was kind of my own fault. I rate books on here for myself mostly (which I know isn't the intended function); this is a record of my experience with the books more than it is about sharing with others (sorry lol) or giving a representation of an "accurate"/"objective" evaluation of the work. That is to say: I rated it two stars, but it wasn't bad.

I read this when I wasn't exactly in the mood for a true crime con man podcast, and since that's exactly what this is, it didn't hit. Again: literally my fault😅.

I think this would well work for someone already interested in this topic or in Peter Foster; otherwise, I'm not sure there's enough here to really hook or fascinate someone just passing through. There are some interesting topics/points made throughout, and I think this story (esp concerning "miracle" diet/weight loss fads) is important and should be discussed. Perhaps for someone like myself less invested in Peter Foster individually, there were too many specifics about him and his cons and not enough discussion of the big questions and recurring themes throughout. I would have wanted some more depth maybe?

Again, this is literally about Peter Foster--it's in the title--so my rating & review are bc I picked up a book that was actually a podcast about an in-depth discussion of a topic in which I wasn't rly invested.

[Kris Roedig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bunch of podcasts edited together. I truly wish they would have edited out the opening of each episode. I mean, why not do that?

The story/investigation of Peter Foster is aggravating simply because so many people fall for his bulls***. How are so many people so gullible? And why do people like him get away with it so long?

I can’t say I’d listen to it again, nor would I recommend it too much simply because it’s the most frustrating story. There are enough crooks who keep making the news, Foster is just another sewer-dwelling jerk.

Anyway, on to the next book. Hopefully I will not take forever with that one.

[Damana Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

King of Sting is five episodes of a long podcast. True Crime, yes. This is about a Aussie conman.

I have heard about this guy through the years but it all came together listening to it.

Written by a journalist obsessed with Peter Foster and based on years of research. It is biased in some ways but that works for the story.

This is absolutely worth the read. The fact that this guy never gets caught and commits the same crimes again and again is fascinating.

Take the time. It is well done.

4 scams out of 5.

[Blaine Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this audiobook over a week. In this format, it is amalgamation of a podcast series in which the author details the life and crimes of Peter Foster, a notorious Australian conman. The guy was uniquely skilled and addicted to the chase of the con. I found the small section about his use of voice, tone, questions and speech pattern really interesting in relation to storytelling. Fascinating story, but gave only four stars to repetitive trailer used between each episode.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.9 stars. Cool production. Had not known of Peter Foster before. The level of narcissism and pathology is incredible and how he just keeps getting away with cons and the lack of follow through from so many agencies is astonishing. The ending just abruptly stopped. I thought maybe I had skipped a whole piece of the story and rewinded. It really does deserve a follow up episode or wrap up epilogue.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and maddening story. The fact that he was able to elude any real consequences for so long is mind-boggling. The fact that he is (I believe) currently in jail doesn't seem to say much considering all he's done in the past. A podcast was the perfect vehicle for this story with all of the recordings and interviews bringing these people he swindled to life. There is some profanity, but mainly in the recordings (and mainly from Foster).

[Zac Stojcevski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Podcast series that makes a fair effort to convert MSM into something deeper with mixed success. A psychologist, a voice expert and the like with some good editing and questioning. The analysis of this obviously connected and bank rolled con man seems at times narrowly focussed and repetitive. Nevertheless, what a fiend this guy is and my unanswered question remains what can’t we see under the surface for this guy to be on the brighter side of a prison cell? Even satan is not that diabolical.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

True crime is a favorite genre of mine, and following the cunning trail of Peter Foster and his frauds was at times a slow listen - I think there are blocks of time I couldn’t tell you what happened because I tuned it out. I was most interested and enthralled in the story when the author describes Oeter’s con over Samantha Fox, and his weight loss schemes. This man is evil!

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a podcast packaged like an audiobook so that took me a while to get into, but some of the audio is such poor quality it was hard to follow (it would have been better if it was left out and just summarized) and at the end it was like sweet they're finally going to catch him and then.. it just ends? It was an interesting story to follow though

[Niki Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never heard of Peter Foster before, and this was an interesting dive into a man who conned so many people. HOW WAS HE FREE FOR SO LONG?!

The audio production wasn't bad, but there was a lot of real time audio or recordings that were very hard to listen.

The ending ended very abruptly. I blinked and not sure how this saga ended.

[Susan Marano · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard for me to believe that this man is not behind bars. I saw in the news recently that he was back in court in Australia. He is trouble with a capital T and should pay for all of the suffering he has caused others.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a con man that has been around for decades and used celebrities in his cons I am surprised I never heard of him. Add to the fact that he's been caught many times, served time in jail, and has been arrested again as recently as 2020 during Australia's draconian lockdown.

His cons range from diet pills, to messing around with Fiji politics, to sports betting and bitcoin.

He's been a sociopath since he was 10 years old and it was interesting to hear how he managed it over and over again.

3 out of 5 Diet Pills.

[Marylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same s#it, different continent.

It’s somewhat difficult to feel shocked and horrified about the ruthless, evil escapades of an amoral Australian con man when the crude, bullying leader of the United States makes the Aussie look like an amateur. Unsatisfying finale.

[Sandra Fairbanks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of book.

[Hannah McKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and infuriating. Loved it.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this is hard to hear with the phone calls and first hand accounts. The content was solid and the research was good. Be prepared to hate this guy while you tip your hat to his intelligence.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy true crime stories when they are well organized and well told. This hit both. These stories tend to be scarier than fiction.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get out of the first chapter.
jumped around. Hard to follow.
Not done in a manner to get my interest.

[Jeffry · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can replace "Peter Foster" with "Donald Trump" and have an eerily similar picture of the man.

[Chris Roome · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story that could have been told a little bit more succinctly. Or maybe told with a little bit more intrigued and mystery

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a podcast...but if you aren't familiar with the principle in the story, Peter Foster, it's hard to follow.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unbelievable story of major deception/ fraud - I'll never understand how con men can escape justice for years!

I was in total shock at the Samatha Fox scandal!!

[Kara Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting look into con man Peter Foster. The format which was more podcast like was a little off putting at times.

[Beth (FebruaryFilly) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been about 2.5 episodes shorter than it was given the repeated material.

[Chelsey Carroll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. The audio production aspect of it was really well-done, though.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was decently entertaining, but the lack of resolution and truly abysmal audio quality definitely affected my enjoyment. I hope this guy gets what he deserves one of these days.