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Call Girl Confidential: An Escort's Secret Life as an Undercover Agent
The jaw-dropping account of an escort who spent years working undercover as a criminal informant.You’ve probably heard of Anna Gristina, the notorious “Soccer Mom Madam,” who allegedly operated a multimillion-dollar escort service with clients from the Forbes billionaires list to Capitol Hill. But you haven’t heard of the woman who helped bring the Soccer Mom Madam down—until now. Call Girl Confidential is Rebecca Kade’s compelling, intimate account of her career as an escort...and her work as an undercover agent for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.Strictly raised as a Southern Baptist, Rebecca Kade never dreamed she would compromise her values by someday becoming a high-priced escort. But when her rock star former lover took her to court in a drawn-out custody battle for their daughter, Rebecca’s legit day job barely covered her exorbitant legal fees. She needed to make money and lots of it—fast.Rebecca first became an escort for Kristin Davis, aka “The Manhattan Madam,” and her classic beauty made her an instant favorite with the host of wealthy, powerful men who were willing to pay thousands to sleep with her. When she went to work for Anna Gristina, the stakes were even higher and the clientele more prominent. From Wall Street bankers and CEOs to famous U.S. politicians and Middle Eastern princes as well as Grammy winners, Rebecca met the world’s most influential movers and shakers. Then her deepest fears came true. Kristin Davis was arrested, and Anna Gristina also landed on authorities’ radar after going undetected for fifteen years.Rebecca had two refuse to cooperate and go to jail—risking never seeing her daughter again—or comply fully, even if it meant giving up Gristina, who trusted Rebecca implicitly. She agreed to go undercover for the DA’s office. And the more incriminating evidence she collected, the more she placed herself in danger.Candid and fascinating, this revealing memoir gives readers a glimpse into the little-known life of a high-priced escort turned confidential informant.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
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126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 13, 2014
It was a fast interesting read but I felt like it was an arms-length re-telling of the past. The title "Call Girl Confidential" makes it seem as if there will be a listing of salacious private details, but I found a lot of the seedy (and hence more interesting) details were glossed over - except for the part on Eliot Spitzer. It was interesting but I think it could have been much better.
February 5, 2014
Perfunctory, superficial and actually a tad boring. Not what it's cracked up to be based on the press you may have read on this book.
April 8, 2021
I was excited to read Rebecca Kade's book detailing her experience as being what she calls a 'high-priced call girl' who eventually became a police informant. But unfortunately she spends more time making excuses for herself than being genuinely accessible in her own memoir. Her stories are quite vague despite the advertising of the book as being really nitty-gritty and shocking.
More than anything, there was just something about Rebecca Kade that rubbed me the wrong way. She wasn't necessarily a completely unlikeable person, but I think it was how overzealous she was to paint herself as the ultimate victim that made me side-eye her several times throughout reading her book. Her story and what lead her to even consider escorting is really tough, and I definitely sympathize with her, but she acts as though she's the only sex worker to ever have sacrificed for her family, and that all the other women in the industry were just in it for designer clothes and vacations. She's a christian and a republican and she let's you know more than once, implying that she has much better morals and is nothing like other women who are sex workers. Not cool.
Don't get me wrong though - I didn't hate the book. I breezed through it within two days, so it's definitely readable. But it was all very shallow, and the most interesting aspects of Rebecca's call girl life weren't as forefront as you'd expect. For example, the way law enforcement jerked her around and were so lax on the dangers they put her in in order to build their case could've been its own book, yet she mostly just complains about the inconvenience of it and moves on. So, while it's not a totally useless book, and the writing is okay, there are much more interesting books out there written by former sex workers that offer much more insight into their experiences and feel a lot less trivial.
More than anything, there was just something about Rebecca Kade that rubbed me the wrong way. She wasn't necessarily a completely unlikeable person, but I think it was how overzealous she was to paint herself as the ultimate victim that made me side-eye her several times throughout reading her book. Her story and what lead her to even consider escorting is really tough, and I definitely sympathize with her, but she acts as though she's the only sex worker to ever have sacrificed for her family, and that all the other women in the industry were just in it for designer clothes and vacations. She's a christian and a republican and she let's you know more than once, implying that she has much better morals and is nothing like other women who are sex workers. Not cool.
Don't get me wrong though - I didn't hate the book. I breezed through it within two days, so it's definitely readable. But it was all very shallow, and the most interesting aspects of Rebecca's call girl life weren't as forefront as you'd expect. For example, the way law enforcement jerked her around and were so lax on the dangers they put her in in order to build their case could've been its own book, yet she mostly just complains about the inconvenience of it and moves on. So, while it's not a totally useless book, and the writing is okay, there are much more interesting books out there written by former sex workers that offer much more insight into their experiences and feel a lot less trivial.
August 5, 2016
If you expect this book to dish on Eliot Spitzer as most articles/promos had led you to believe, you would be sadly disappointed, even feel cheated . I bought this book on that premise, only to find out that the wily ex-Governor was hardly a big player in Rebecca Kade's tale of high class prostitution. Although Spitzer was once the author's client and had even written about his proclivity for role playing, he was only briefly and sporadically mentioned. If you blink while reading, you might miss the reference entirely. As you go along you would begin to suspect that this book was attempting to ride on the coattails of Spitzer's notoriety to generate interest. In the world of prostitution nothing in the book was new or explosive, we all had heard it before. However, if you strip the trappings of glitz and glamour courtesy of wealthy clients, you would find a mother who was left with no choice- who got involved in sex trade as a last resort to support the costly fight for custody of her child and a woman living the consequences of her choices. For that, I give it 3 stars.
February 20, 2014
This was....interesting. It shed some light on a profession that I know very little about. I liked the contrast between what Rebecca did for a living and how much she was just trying to be a good mom. I wouldn't do the same if I were in her shoes, but this is me saying this when I've never been in a situation like that. The book as a whole was pretty anti-climatic, but it's an easy, quick read if you're looking for something different.
January 29, 2014
Shallow, excuse-riddled, slanted retelling of the past. I both pitied and despised Rebecca by the end of the book, and not because of her chosen profession but her outlook on life and inability to be truthful with herself.
April 26, 2014
Needed better editing. Slightly repetitive, would have benefited from better editing. Some of the self reflection part is interesting (why she got into, how she felt being an escort), but the ending is pretty boring. Wouldn't bother with it.
March 30, 2014
This may be the worst book of the sex worker memoir genre I've read. I barely made it to the end. It has no wit and no insight.
December 18, 2017
The author plays the vicitm card but I doubt if many readers will be sympathetic to her plight. Not a great book by any means (it promises far more than it delivers), but it is a quick and harmless read. The funniest part is the author's use of a nom de plume and pseudonyms. In this Internet age it took about thirty seconds to figure out who everyone was.
April 25, 2014
" You’ve probably heard of Anna Gristina, the notorious “Soccer Mom Madam,” who allegedly operated a multimillion-dollar escort service with clients from the Forbes billionaires list to Capitol Hill. But you haven’t heard of the woman who helped bring the Soccer Mom Madam down—until now. Call Girl Confidential is Rebecca Kade’s compelling, intimate account of her career as an escort . . . and her work as an undercover agent for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. " ~ Amazon
What I liked about the book was it was a quick easy read, almost too easy because I could go a day without reading it, and pick right back up where I had left off. Not much filler in this one.
Basically Rebecca is saying she got into high end prostitution when her boyfriend took custody of their daughter and only allowed her limited visitation rights. Rebecca, needing cash for high legal fees, immediately jumps to prostitution as the means to get the cash. She starts out with a smaller scale pimp- Kristin but soon jumps to the pony club with Anna aka "Soccer Mom Madam".
Rebecca states in her book money was the driving factor for her to choose this lifestyle and then she goes on to say how she was flown to exotic vacations, and other countries for clients such as Tokyo, Vera Cruz, ect. She also states that her clients paid for her expensive wardrobe- she would literally shop until she dropped and thought nothing of putting it on their tab.
Where is her daughter when she is out jet-setting around the world or dropping thousands of dollars in Chanel?
Rebecca also says she went undercover for the ADA when they were gathering evidence to prosecute Anna - and that the ADA wanted her to keep prostituting, in effect break the law, while she was working undercover for them.
Rebecca included several pages of secretly taped dialogue in her book- information she had secretly taped - recording, a conversation with her and Anna. I skipped that because after a page or two, it was boring.
There was also mention in the book that one of Rebecca's clients had requested a young male boy = now Rebecca claims to have left in disgust and never saw him again.
Later in the book she claims to have met up with the man and tried to get him to admit on tape he had requested a young boy
This left me puzzled because no where else in the book was child prostitution even discussed except in this one scene in the book, and the man admitted to nothing and even knew she was wired- .
I think this was Rebecca's twist to turn herself into the victim and willing to work with the law when busted and not thinking twice about taking everyone else down with her.
What I liked about the book was it was a quick easy read, almost too easy because I could go a day without reading it, and pick right back up where I had left off. Not much filler in this one.
Basically Rebecca is saying she got into high end prostitution when her boyfriend took custody of their daughter and only allowed her limited visitation rights. Rebecca, needing cash for high legal fees, immediately jumps to prostitution as the means to get the cash. She starts out with a smaller scale pimp- Kristin but soon jumps to the pony club with Anna aka "Soccer Mom Madam".
Rebecca states in her book money was the driving factor for her to choose this lifestyle and then she goes on to say how she was flown to exotic vacations, and other countries for clients such as Tokyo, Vera Cruz, ect. She also states that her clients paid for her expensive wardrobe- she would literally shop until she dropped and thought nothing of putting it on their tab.
Where is her daughter when she is out jet-setting around the world or dropping thousands of dollars in Chanel?
Rebecca also says she went undercover for the ADA when they were gathering evidence to prosecute Anna - and that the ADA wanted her to keep prostituting, in effect break the law, while she was working undercover for them.
Rebecca included several pages of secretly taped dialogue in her book- information she had secretly taped - recording, a conversation with her and Anna. I skipped that because after a page or two, it was boring.
There was also mention in the book that one of Rebecca's clients had requested a young male boy = now Rebecca claims to have left in disgust and never saw him again.
Later in the book she claims to have met up with the man and tried to get him to admit on tape he had requested a young boy
This left me puzzled because no where else in the book was child prostitution even discussed except in this one scene in the book, and the man admitted to nothing and even knew she was wired- .
I think this was Rebecca's twist to turn herself into the victim and willing to work with the law when busted and not thinking twice about taking everyone else down with her.
March 25, 2014
This is a book about an expensive prostitute and wealthy and influential men who are willing to pay lots for sex and related conduct. I don't judge Kade for her profession- it should be regulated and legal (Hopefully, this would eliminate some of the real dangers of a business that is unlikely to go away). Rather, the book just isn't that unique or interesting- it is yet another pallid description of prostitution with higher price tags. Her alleged motive for entering the business- get money for the lawyer to win custody of her daughter seems suspect; Didn't she reach that goal after a couple of "gigs"? Wouldn't at least one of these mega-rich dudes float her cash for the lawyer? Moreover, her "snitch" disposition seems to run contrary to her ending "Whole new life" attitude- she could have fessed-up and spread the word about the woes of prostitution and shelved the "victim" card. I do give her credit for exposing the workings of some of the cops, silliness of the bail-setting judge, and some media personalities.
June 23, 2014
Rebecca Kade was a high-paid prostitute whose participation in the investigation of high-profile madame helped expose the likes of Elliot Spitzer. Kade's real contribution to this exposure is questionable. This memoir was written from a "poor me" angle and focused on a series of bad decisions leading to no real point. Kade "had" to become an escort to pay for legal services required to help her regain custody of her daughter. The book swims through "I was just doing what I had to do" with the finger pointing at her daughter's father, the legal system, the DOA, her madam, etc. In summarizing her childhood , Kade tells of an unaccompanied trip to Europe she and her sister took at ages 13 and 14 that is so unbelievable it made me question every other word in the book.
February 9, 2016
I gave this book a two because I am almost resentful at the fact that this woman tries to play the hero.
While I have so much more to say in response to this book, I will be saving my passion for my blog page.
While I have so much more to say in response to this book, I will be saving my passion for my blog page.
January 20, 2014
It was really interesting to hear a new perspective on the sex industry and on life as a confidential informant.
February 10, 2014
Garbage. Look, I don't mind a fun juicy read, but this was neither.
February 18, 2014
Good book with dirt on what it takes to be a high priced call girl in NY.
February 22, 2014
Read for true crime month at book club. The writing is painful. The story is boring. I would recommend you save your money and not help this prostitute continue to make money from her activities.
March 31, 2014
Don't expect much - Kade's lack of writing and storytelling skills are evident through the whole book. Skip.
abandoned
February 22, 2015Interesting topic, not written well enough. And says things like "she was more intelligent than she looked."
July 16, 2016
I'm not too proud to admit that I was expecting WAY MORE DIRT. Disappointing.
June 25, 2018
Poorly written, but seriously, that shouldn’t be a surprise, right?? Unfortunately, it’s also quite boring. The first third of the book was mildly interesting in the sense of what it’s like to be a (really) high end call girl. But, the details are minimal, if that’s what you’re looking for. And why else would one really be reading this book? After that, the second two-thirds are very boring, lots of verbatim (supposedly) wire-taped conversations. In the end, nothing much really happens, in the sense of prosecution and her assistance with the case. Also, nothing really changes with her daughters situation either. Her attempt today garner sympathy is weak and I didn’t find her to be a very likable character. In fact, I found her personal story to be somewhat suspect. Thank goodness it was a quick and easy breeze-through book from a library sale.
June 10, 2018
Country girl moves to NYC and meets a real life rock-n-roll star, she does not know who he is. The have a daughter and after six years of paying child support he does not want to pay any more. He take the daughter. the mom needs $ so she decides to... be an escort! Occasionally interesting.
Eventually she is contacted by law enforcement and they want her to help them get the madam.
Eventually she is contacted by law enforcement and they want her to help them get the madam.
November 12, 2017
This was a great fast read - but it lacked the details people not living in the “call girl” world want to read about. I felt a little short changed with that - but it was interesting hearing about being undercover.
August 29, 2022
This kept my interest the whole way through. It was a quick read. But I found myself not believing alot of what was written. The story was interesting for sure and it was definitely a free book shack treasure, but I will be donating it back to the local book exchange. Reading this once was enough.
August 13, 2025
This has such bad reviews. I found it interesting. She's not going to give up client names but I wouldn't expect that. This was a spot in time for the author and one she did for a reason. I understood her reasoning and respect her decision to tell the truth.
September 5, 2018
I really enjoyed this book but I was under the impression it would be more about her undercover part and it was more of her story rather than being undercover. It was still a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2021
This book was very eye catching and read the whole book in one day. I highly recommend it.
February 18, 2024
1.5 Stars
February 11, 2024
Incredibly bizarre book where a longtime hooker plays the victim. In a misguided attempt at sympathy, "Kade" (not her real name--look it up online) claims she went into prostitution to try to pay the legal bills to win back the child that she lost when she allowed a convicted rapist to live with them! HUH?
So this woman isn't playing with a full deck from the start. She gets pregnant by a fling with a rock star, ends up raising the daughter in a home with an old friend who was convicted of assaulting a woman, loses her daughter and can't afford to fight for custody even though she has fancy New York City jobs. So she does what anyone would do to earn a little extra cash--she starts making thousands a week having illegal sex with rich men!
It makes no sense and she plays the victim card so often that it makes her repugnant. Then when she gets to the really interesting parts of the book, including wearing wires for the D.A., we have no sympathy for her.
What a horribly immoral person. Raised a Christian, thanking God in the credits. There is something seriously mentally wrong with her, and the courts are right to keep her daughter from living with her full time.
Some of the book is well written, almost like a TV crime drama with her sneaking recording devices into meetings with billionaire clients. The mid-section of the book might even have been written by someone else since it seems better organized. But the beginning and end chapters are pretty bad, and she fails to show any remorse for anything she has done.
It's also nice to see a strong pro-life message, with her keeping the child instead of succumbing to pressure for an abortion, but it's incredibly hypocritical for her to then sleep with dozens of men and allow abuse of her own body.
Ultimately the book is a failure. It's incomplete, frustratingly anonymous, and often deceptive. She should have named names, especially now that we know about some of the famous politicians and Wall Street managers that have used underage hookers. If you look online you'll also discover a number of things that the author failed to mention in the book that would make her look bad.
Her life seems to have no moral foundation or purpose other than to make money and blame others for her own bad choices. It's a testament to why women should not sell their bodies to make a living.
So this woman isn't playing with a full deck from the start. She gets pregnant by a fling with a rock star, ends up raising the daughter in a home with an old friend who was convicted of assaulting a woman, loses her daughter and can't afford to fight for custody even though she has fancy New York City jobs. So she does what anyone would do to earn a little extra cash--she starts making thousands a week having illegal sex with rich men!
It makes no sense and she plays the victim card so often that it makes her repugnant. Then when she gets to the really interesting parts of the book, including wearing wires for the D.A., we have no sympathy for her.
What a horribly immoral person. Raised a Christian, thanking God in the credits. There is something seriously mentally wrong with her, and the courts are right to keep her daughter from living with her full time.
Some of the book is well written, almost like a TV crime drama with her sneaking recording devices into meetings with billionaire clients. The mid-section of the book might even have been written by someone else since it seems better organized. But the beginning and end chapters are pretty bad, and she fails to show any remorse for anything she has done.
It's also nice to see a strong pro-life message, with her keeping the child instead of succumbing to pressure for an abortion, but it's incredibly hypocritical for her to then sleep with dozens of men and allow abuse of her own body.
Ultimately the book is a failure. It's incomplete, frustratingly anonymous, and often deceptive. She should have named names, especially now that we know about some of the famous politicians and Wall Street managers that have used underage hookers. If you look online you'll also discover a number of things that the author failed to mention in the book that would make her look bad.
Her life seems to have no moral foundation or purpose other than to make money and blame others for her own bad choices. It's a testament to why women should not sell their bodies to make a living.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews