Synopsis

Lily Anderson has it all. A beautiful son, a wealthy fiancé, and a luxury apartment in Edinburgh. But Lily is living a lie. Estranged from her family, she’s tired of covering up the truth about her relationship with Nathan Collesso.

Meanwhile, her friend Sam is being pursued mercilessly by a rogue cop determined to silence him. Living on the streets, Sam sees and knows too much.

As Lily’s wedding approaches, a desperate attempt to escape leaves her with a head injury and a missing fiancé. Did she harm Nathan? Did she kill him? She can’t remember…

Review

Like many cities, Edinburgh is beautiful and historic. But when the sun goes down, darkness hides those that wish to come out and play. And they don’t play nice.

Gripping and disturbing, Deception looks at police corruption, self-esteem and unusual friendships.

Forbes’ unique array of raw, broken characters keep the story interesting, because each one has a backstory and it is never clear whose side they are on. The title of this novel is apt; looks can be deceiving and we should never judge anyone or anything on their appearance.

Sam is a delight. Through his character, Forbes brings the harsh reality of street sleepers to the fore, showing that it’s often a combination of factors out of their control that results in a new and dangerous life. Sam is flawed and misguided with a guilty conscience, but at the same time he is an avid reader and devoted to Lily and her son.

Lily herself is perhaps less feisty than she could have been, but she is doing what she can to save her son. We see several sides to her throughout, but first and foremost she is a loving mother and a loyal friend.

The synopsis is a little misleading and parts of the book feel a little unrealistic; however they do provide a dramatic conclusion and tidy up some loose ends. Other elements of the story raise some important questions about corruption, exploitation and control

Overall an excellent crime novel and a new author’s backlist to peruse.

I was provided with a copy of the book by Random Things Tours. Opinions my own.

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