Synopses & Reviews
Even as he watches her being led to jail in handcuffs, Lachlan Harriot refuses to believe his wife, Susie, is guilty of murder. Yes, as his court-appointed psychologist, Susie worked closely with Andrew Gow, the paroled serial killer. And yes, she was found covered in blood near the spot where authorities discovered the bodies of Gow and his new wife, Donna. Still: Susie is no killer, Lachlan thinks. She's my wife. She's our child's mother. Together, he believes, they've built the ideal life: lovely home, adored young daughter, every outward sign of emotional and material well-being.
But secrets lurk behind closed doors, a dark truth made chillingly clear when, frantic to clear Susie's name, Lachlan searches her home office for proof of her innocence. In one small room he discovers an entire secret history: transcripts of private conversations, photographs, and letters betraying illicit affairs and false identities, all utterly unimaginable to Lachlan. For the first time, he is forced to question the nature of his seemingly happy marriage, the virtue of the bright young girl he married, and the possible malice of the woman she has become. Still, there is one off note, one loop he can't close. Desperate for answers, Lachlan follows an increasingly disturbing trail of clues.
That trail leads beyond reason, hope, and sanity, to a conclusion as shocking as it is ingenious. Relentlessly suspenseful, Deception is a thrilling read and irrefutable evidence of Denise Mina's considerable gifts as a novelist.
Review
"[A] series of dazzling, sinister revelations divulged in a howl of pain and grief. A memorable portrait of a foundering marriage, as well as an unnervingly accomplished puzzler: the best yet from a still-rising star." Kirkus Reviews
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"Denise Mina as though feeling liberated from her highly praised yet assiduously downbeat Garnethill trilogy has written a stand-alone shocker that's exhilarating in its energetic, witty sordidness. (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly
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"In her new novel, Mina executes a stunning shift in style and tone....Mina works an astonishing degree of tension and a lethal amount of savage humor into Lachlan's progressively unhinged behavior." Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
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"Mina's novel is a smart example of the crime novel as postmodern puzzle, a work that coolly offers to match wits with the unwary reader and is not likely to lose the game." Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post Book World
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"Mina shows mastery in developing characters and gradually unfolding their stories....[T]his dark tale with flashes of humor may not be the author's best work, but it should win her new fans." Library Journal
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"Wonderful....It's the twists and turns of Lachlan's mind as he struggles with deceiving us about Susie's deception that really make this a most satisfying reading experience." Chicago Tribune
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"[N]ot only one of the best crime writers going, but one of the best writers of any stripe....Mina's sharp observation and lovely prose shine a disturbingly bright light into dark corners of life. Don't miss this book." The Rocky Mountain News
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"Deception lives up to its title with a story that's equal parts entertainment and total surprise. With subtle humor and a keen eye for the darkness that lurks behind clean, well-lighted lives, Denise Mina delivers a fast-paced thriller and confirms her reputation as one of the genre's brightest new stars." George Pelecanos, author of Hard Revolution
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"A masterly psychological web of people on the edge and the devils that lie beneath their apparent respectability. Engrossing." Guardian (U.K.)
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"The plot is unrolled artfully...the characters breathe with an almost Dickensian life." The Sunday Times (London)
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"Confirms Mina's considerable ability as a writer." The Scotsman (U.K.)
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"Something special....A tour de force." Times Literary Supplement (U.K.)
Synopsis
Scotland's most exciting up-and-coming mystery novelist offers the story of a man's desperate search for evidence to overturn his wife's murder conviction. As Lachlan searches the forbidden sanctuary of Susie's home office for proof of her innocence, he uncovers evidence of her secret life.
Synopsis
Things like this don't happen to people like us. That's what Lachlan Harriot thinks as he watches his wife, Susie, led to jail in handcuffs. Yes, Susie, a psychologist, was found covered in blood near the spot where one of her clients appears to have been murdered. But Susie is not a killer, Lachlan thinks. She's my wife. She's our child's mother. Secrets lurk behind closed doors, however, a dark truth made chillingly clear as Lachlan's efforts to prove Susie's innocence uncover an entire secret history--illicit affairs, false identities, unimaginable deception--and this brilliantly acclaimed, page-turning novel speeds toward a conclusion as shocking as it is ingenious.
About the Author
Denise Mina is a "fearless" (GQ) writer "of stunning talent and accomplishment" (Publishers Weekly) and "the crown princess of crime" (Val McDermid). She is the author of Garnethill, which won the John Creasey Memorial Prize for best first crime novel, Exile, and Resolution. She lives in Glasgow.