‘Deception Wears Many Faces’ by Maggie James

Deception Wears Many Faces

Ex-pat artist Lyddie comes home to her native Bristol after her younger sister attempts suicide. But Ellie’s state of mind turns out to be the result of a con-man who has stolen both her savings and her confidence. Vowing revenge, Lyddie determines to track down the villain and bring him to justice, setting herself up with a new identity to lure the smooth-tongued trickster into her trap. But working out who the bad guy is turns out to be more difficult than she’d thought, and Lyddie soon discovers she’s weaving her own web of deceit.

Maggie James has done it again – she’s taken a straightforward plot and fashioned it into twisty-turny thing that keeps the reader guessing from start to finish. There’s a wonderful undercurrent of uncertainty that runs throughout the book, leaving a trail of clues and blind alleys that could stop Poirot in his tracks. What I also loved was the way the author doesn’t just tell a story but explores the dark nature and psychological traits of her characters, creating a believable and, at times, scarily real suspense that will appeal to anyone who loves a nice murderous plot.