First, I'd like to thank Netgalley, Bloodhound Books and Maggie James (the author) for allowing me to have this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Deception Wears Many Faces was an exciting and thrilling crime novel filled with suspense and plenty of twists.

**spoilers**

Lyddie returns home after her sister, Ellie, attempts suicide. Worried about her sister, Lyddie takes Ellie to Devon (where the family cottage is) for a little R & R. She learns that Ellie was dating a man who conned her out of all her money. Ashamed and betrayed, Ellie refuses police involvement.

Lyddie begins a journey to try and con the conman who did this to her sister. She joins a couple dating sites and also a site where scorned lovers unleash details of their terrible relationships. She learned through the latter site that her sister may have been conned by the same man who conned 2 other women. One woman posted the phone number and a drunk Lyddie couldn't resist texting the man.

It isn't long before Lyddie is contacted by 2 men she suspects could be the one. She goes out with both men and feels like she knows who Ellie's conman is. She's convinced until she notices someone following her, and the texts she keeps recieving from that man's phone are growing more and more menacing.

Will she be able to figure out the truth before it's to late? Or will she become a victim of a different crime? Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the twist was unleashed! Definitely a great thriller and one I would recommend!

As a result of Ellie attempting suicide, having been the victim of an online dating con artist who disappeared after stealing all of her savings, her sister Lyddie is driven by revenge on the scum bag who broke her sister’s heart, assuming a false identity in order to hunt this calculating, ruthless man down in the name of justice.

Assuming a false identity, she begins her hunt for a man she knows to be cold, calculating and ruthless. Will she be able to lure him out or is he that good at what he does that he'll always be one step ahead?

A delectably twisted thriller with a developing plot that kept me on my toes with its intriguing characters, red herrings, deceptions and hidden agendas, having eagerly flip them pages in order to devour the twists and turns in this cat and mouse chase, loving how it all fell into place with the final reveal.

This book was definitely right up my alley and certainly one I would recommend.

Many thank to Netgalley, Bloodhound Books and the author, Maggie James for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

I admit that this is my first Maggie James thriller, I am eager to seek out her others after reading this. A fantastic psychological suspense novel that I read over the course of a few hours and found it gripping from beginning to end. Extremely addictive and engrossing, don't you just love a book like that? It was the synopsis that first caught my attention, then the plot, the characters, and the twists. It's safe to say I enjoyed it!

This fast paced tale is one of manipulation, lies, deceit and betrayal and illustrates how sisters will do just about anything for one another. I had barely reached the third page and I knew i'd been nabbed, hook, line and sinker!

Lydia is worried about her sister, Ellie and decides to take her to Devon for a holiday away from it all. Ellie has had a difficult time recently having tried to commit suicide on several different occasions and Lydia hopes that by taking her somewhere unfamiliar she will open up to her and reveal why she wanted to do away with herself. It worked well and Ellie reveals that she had met a guy on a dating website who turned out to be a con artist. He proceeded to steal her savings and then disappeared without a trace. This makes Lydia furious, the thought that someone would scam her younger vulnerable sister shakes her to the core and she decides to devise a plan to get revenge. To carry out this daring plan Lydia assumes a false identity and begins her search to find this heartless conman. But are things really as they seem?

I have to say, I always wonder when I hear stories of women being conned out of all of their savings, quite how it happened. I tend to assume that they were naive and fell for stories that most intelligent folk would simply not fall for. I will say that I still feel this way but it certainly makes for an intriguing and original premise for a crime thriller. The vulnerabilities present in Ellie are exactly what con artists tend to look for in a target - someone they deem will be fairly easy to scam which is also why these types target the elderly. Sadly, this practice will continue and the only way we can protect ourselves is to be less gullible and get clued up on what scams are out there so that you recognise them straight away should someone try to pull one on you.

Although I was full of admiration for Lydia's love and concern for her sister and her desperation to avenge what happened to Ellie, she isn't a character who is likeable in any other way. She came across as very controlling and self-righteous and thought she was superior to others which I despise. Ellie was rather unlikeable too, although you did feel sympathy for the things she has gone through.

I am about to go looking for previous Maggie James books to invest in, I know that I will enjoy those too should they match up to the high standard "Deception Wears Many Faces" has set. An interesting read which highlights the issues we have with suicide in our society today for that reason I thought it was a brave subject to broach. Kudos to James for that!

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC.

Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC.
Sorry it took so long for me to read it u got distracted by other books (oups..)

So to be honest, I found it to be really predictable. Don't get me wrong, I had a pit in my stomach for the last half but it turned out to be nothing.

From the dating sites meetings you can see how the story will unfold. It wasn't complicated and easy to figure out.

Quick read when you get into it... I was supposed to go to bed 1.5 hours ago.. :(

A really good read. Fast paced, full of twists and turns. A real page turner. Thank you to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. This summer's must read.

Huge praise to the author for writing a story line which not only raises awareness about suicide but to the darker site of dating websites Suicide is something that has never been really talked about, tending to be brushed under the carpet. It's great to see it brought up in television shows as well as now in books. Hope lives can be saved by getting people reading and talking about it

This is too much for me! I did not like either sister, the oldest one is the Alpha personality, she cusses like a sailor, not like a well brought up, educated young woman! How stupid was she,? If someone had followed me, I would have at least pepper spray, if not a concealed weapon! Why didn't she ask Richie for help? So, to me, she wasn't truly smart, just bossy! Her sister has so many issues before the wreck, that you can't lay the blame on that! This is a thriller, make no mistake, however, if you are stupid enough to date a guy you meet online, you get what you deserve! Especially, when friends you have known your life are warning you, and you listen to a complete stranger! I would not buy this book, however, it's my fault for feeling like I had to finish it. I should have stopped after the fifth f word! I read over 1200 books a year, if an author cannot come up with another word, they have grammar problems!
If you like profanity, stupid women, you will love this book!
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read it.
http://carolintallahassee.Wordpress.com

EXCERPT: 'I know lots about you, friend. More than you think.'

I shot bolt upright, whiskey spilling from my glass onto the sofa. Shit. Had I been right? Was this man a hacker? Had he uncovered my name, my address?

Screw not replying. 'OK, fucker. So what's my name?'

'You've got me there, I admit. But I 'm working on it, trust me. My shortlist of possibilities is down to two.'

A bluff on his part. My details couldn't have been hacked, because if he'd possessed the skills, he'd have done so already. Even so, his words scared me.

A final ping.

'And when I find you, and I will, you're dead, bitch.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Lyddie takes her sister to Devon to recover after a recent suicide attempt, it starts a train of events that will put their lives in grave danger.

Ellie has been the victim of a professional con artist, one who stole her savings, then disappeared from her life. Driven by her own history of failed relationships, Lyddie vows revenge on the man who broke her sister’s heart.

Soon she assumes a false identity and begins her hunt for a man she knows to be cold, calculating and ruthless. But who is fooling whom? And can Lyddie find the justice she seeks and heal her damaged sister?

MY THOUGHTS: An enthralling one sitting read that once started, I couldn't put down.

Taut. Tense. Twisty. Very twisty. Very plausible.

Maggie James knows a lot about deception and manipulation. I know there are conmen out there who do just what Maggie writes about. They prey on the lonely, the emotionally needy. But even the seemingly successful can get sucked in if the conman does his homework properly. All they need is one weakness, one chink in the armour to exploit, to worm their way in. These people are chameleons. They can morph into whatever their victim needs them to be. We read about them in the papers when someone is brave enough to admit that they have fallen prey to a conman, a seducer, in an effort to prevent them striking again. We all mostly scoff at the foolishness of the victims, vowing that we would never get caught up that way, that we could spot a conman a mile off. . . until it happens to us.

Thank you for a superb read Maggie James. I am going to be reading my way through your other books.

Thank you to Bloodhound Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Deception Wears Many Faces by Maggie James for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

5☆ A Taut Rollercoaster ride

Deception Wears Many Faces is a taut psychological thriller that I couldn't put down. It's dark undertones are simply perfect.

When Ellie, tries to commit suicide on several occasions her older sister Lyddie is so desperate to help Ellie she takes her away so she can help her.

Lyddie discovers that Ellie has been using a dating site and met someone who she believed to be genuine.
Wow how wrong could she be.
This scum bag has conned Ellie and cleared out her whole saving leaving her with nothing.
Ellie is vulnerable and just didn't know where to turn. So she tried to take her own life. My heart went out to Ellie.

It breaks my heart to think that this does happen it's very real. There are people who prey on vulnerable people.
It's a very difficult subject as you think to yourself how can you not know you was being conned! But honestly would you really be able to tell? These people are very good!

So this is where the story really ramps up as Lyddie, is determined to get revenge. She believes that she can lure the con man out and expose him.
But can Lyddie really be smarter than a con man, or is he one step ahead of the game. A cat and mouse chase.

I applaud Maggie for tackling such sensitive and current issues, she handles them realistically and with much sensitivity.

I absolutely adored Deception Wears Many Faces.
It's a dark deliciously twisty thriller, the plot and characters kept me on the edge of my seat ,a real suspenseful page turner i couldn't put down.

I urge you to give this book a read! Especially if you love taut Pyschological Thrillers.

Thank you to Bloodhound Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Wow! They are not wrong when they said it will keep you turning the pages! I was very impressed. At the centre of this story is online dating and a conman. This story kept changing and developing right to the end. An excellent page turning social comment.

Thank you first and foremost to Netgalley & Bloodhound Books for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review 🙏🏻❤️

This novel was extremely fast-paced & I never wanted to put it down! I found all of the characters extremely relatable and I felt their emotions as they felt them.

This novel has quite a few twists and turns and I would strongly recommend this one to those just dipping their toes into thrillers, or who like a suspenseful read that keeps you guessing but isn't graphic or gory.

I must admit that unfortunately I saw every plot twist coming before it happened, I read a LOT of thrillers since they are my favorite genre so my mind is rarely tricked. This is why it lost a star for me. I like to be shocked, or to get a crazy, unexpected cliffhanger ending. While it's a good thriller read, nothing blew me away.

The book was wonderfully written, I would most definitely pick up another book from this author!

Das Buch hält den Leser in Atem, man kann es nicht aus der Hand legen vor lauter Spannung.
Starke Charaktere, starke Handlung.

Deception Wears Many Faces by Maggie James is a fast-paced thriller that kept me reading through the night eager to reach the final conclusion.

When Lyddie Hunter's sister Ellie, attempts suicide again, she flies back home to be with her only to find that some guy on a dating site conned Ellie out of all her money. With only a few clues to go on, Lyddie takes it upon herself to hunt down Ellie's ex-boyfriend and con man through the dating site of which he uses to target unsuspecting women. Pretending to be a customer looking for love herself, Lyddie dates a few men trying to work out which guy is the one which conned her sister. But the con man regularly changes his identity as to not get caught. Will Lyddie find out which man he and expose him for who and what he really is, or has she just put herself and her sister in jeopardy and made them both a target? Who can be trusted when dating sites are rife with people reinventing themselves? What better way to target vulnerable women by hiding in plain site.

What a stonker of a book! The cat and mouse chase to find out who the ex-boyfriend is without exposing herself or her sister, had me breathlessly reading this twisty suspense, but who exactly does Lyddie really need to watch out for?

Maggie James has created a terrific tale, full of lies, secrets and hidden agendas, but just who is actually deceiving who? I loved the final reveal at the end and how it all fell into place. A nerve-jangling read!

Thanks to #NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for my arc of #DeceptionWearsManyFaces. My opinions are honest, unbiased and all my own.

What did I just read? This book completely blew off my mind. I have been wanting to read a revenge story for a long time. So when this book came up on my radar, I had to grab it. And I am glad I did! Not only is Deception Wears Many Faces an amazing revenge thriller, it is so much more and beyond your expectations. The moment our protagonist, Lyddie, takes it upon herself to extact revenge from the con man who broke her sister’s heart, I was pulled into the black hole. Never for a moment did my attention waver from the story. I just HAD to know how Lyddie will accomplish her plan and come out safe. But then the book starting taking dark turns and I started to having doubts that is Lyddie safe. Throughout the read I was shaking my head, things were too simple, too easy for Lyddie and I could see that Lyddie was in deeper trouble than she thought. I wanted to get hold of her shoulders and shake her, wanted her to see that she might not be going the right way. Also, I had a feeling that more to the story that what actually appears to be the case, and I was right! The book has amazing twists and shocking turns. At one point, I was walking in one direction and then the book made me do a 180. After some time, the book again tapped me on the shoulder and made me do another 180. And I was like, ‘Heck! What are you doing to me?’ What I didn’t know that the book had another surprise for me which would made me do a 360. And do you know what’s great? I loved all the 180s and 360s this book made do. It was all worth it! Need I say that this book is a must read? Get you hands on this book ASAP!

Deception Wears Many Faces by Maggie James gets 5 out of 5 stars from me.

I thought I had this one all worked out...then I didn't...then I did again...then I didn't...but such is the amazing talent of Maggie James to drop in more red herrings than the fish quay at North Shields. So I gave up trying to work it out, and just went along for the ride!

Ellie and Lyddie are really close sisters, more so after Ellie attempted suicide on multiple occasions. Lyddie is understandably overprotective of Ellie so when Ellie is duped by a con-artist into giving him all of her inheritance, Lyddie vows revenge. Lyddie sets up a fake profile on some dating websites to lure the con-man into her web so she can get her revenge but he always seems to be one step ahead of her... Then Lyddie unexpectedly finds the man of her dreams but she worries that she will lose him when she comes clean about her fake dating profile. Lyddie might just have to choose between finding love for herself or getting revenge for her sister.

I loved how Maggie James so cleverly led me in one direction then blindfolded me, spun me around and sent me back to square one. I also think it's good to remind people about the dangerous predators lurking online. I've dabbled in online dating in the past but I can't bear dishonesty and there's always that fear that the person you are corresponding with is somebody else entirely. I'm sure that there are some honest people out there but I've never found one in the world of online dating.

Ellie's mental health is also a big part of the story and very topical at the moment as we are encouraged to be aware of mental health. I did feel that Lyddie mollycoddled her a bit and I wondered what Ellie's failed suicide attempts were really all about when she clearly has a family who love her. Maggie James is never one for leaving loose ends so all of this becomes clear as the story progresses and it's all beautifully wrapped up in a big bow at the end.

Deception Wears Many Faces is a fabulously entertaining, gripping and totally addictive book from the dark and twisty mind of the wonderful Maggie James. It's definitely a read-in-a-day kind of book as I couldn't bear to put it down once I'd picked it up; Maggie James has this amazing ability to tie your brain in knots so you know you're going to get a top-notch thrilling read when you pick up one of her books. There's a bit of a pattern forming here on The Book Magnet as Maggie James scoops another huge 5 stars from me.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Lyddie rushes back from Spain after her sister Ellie tries to commit suicide again. Due to a brain injury after a horrific car crash, that killer her best friend, Ellie has not been the same since. Trying to find out why, Ellie reveals that she’d had her money stolen by a man who she’d fallen in love with.

Heartbroken Lyddie digs deeper and finds other victims of the same con artist. Wanting justice for her sister, Lyddie assumes another identity of a wealthy woman thinking she can trap the con artist. But she finds herself caught up in a web of lies, can she even trust her sister was telling the truth?

This is the third book I’ve read by Maggie James. There’s no need to worry about reading the other as they are each stand-alones, although I think you should still check them out!

Wow, what a nail biter! (a cliché I know but well earned) I am never disappointed by the tension in Maggie James’ fiction, it never lets up. She always manages to give you that feeling of ‘uh oh, something bad is going to happen,’ but you have to read on to find out the who, what, where and why.

She writes such flawed and realistic characters like Lyddie and Ellie, which you may not always like them, but you can understand them and why they do what they do. It also shows the dark side of internet dating and how con men prey on the vulnerable or the lonely (even if they don’t realise it themselves) in our society and manage to convince them to part with lots of money.

I also salute her for showing how mental illness is an uphill struggle day after day with no quick and easy fix.

Yes, I did see a few of the twists coming but that is just because I have read so much crime fiction over the years, it’s quite hard to surprise me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves well written domestic noir with flawed, realistic characters.

Lyddie Hunter is flying back home after she receives the news that her younger sister, Ellie, has tried to commit suicide. This is not the first time Ellie has tried to kill herself, either. Ellie has been on a downwards spiral after a tragic accident that happened several years ago. Lyddie loves her sister and will do anything to protect her even if it means leaving her home in Spain for a while to take care of her. Soon, we learn the reason behind Ellie’s latest suicide attempt. Ellie was swindled out of all of her money by a suave con man. Determined to seek justice, Lyddie vows to herself to find the man responsible and make him pay for what he did to her sister.

Taking on a new identity, Lyddie puts up a fake profile on a dating website hoping to reel in the same con man who took advantage of her sister. But, has she now made herself a target to a thief that will do anything to keep his identity hidden?

Lyddie seems like such a strong character and her determination to help her sister is admirable, but when it comes to men, Lyddie sometimes doesn’t always make the best decisions. So I was kind of torn as to how I actually felt about her joining dating websites because her track record with men is shaky at best. I felt that she was very flighty when it came to love and romance and made some pretty stupid decisions right from the beginning. Don’t get me wrong. She is very smart, but I don’t feel she was experienced enough with men to recognize a con man.

Maggie James takes the perils of internet dating and writes about it in such a realistic way showing the ups and downs and how easy it is to be snowed by a swindler. These guys have many many years of experience conning money from women. You hear about women falling victim to a scammer over and over again and sometimes I ask myself how anyone could fall for the lies and manipulation. Many times women are sending money to guys that haven’t even met in person and sometimes live in another country. I can’t even fathom doing something like that.

The plot of Deception Wears many faces really starts off strong and that prologue…omg! You know Lyddie is going to be way over her head especially since she is getting threats. As the story moves along, I was back and forth trying to figure out who was behind it all, but Maggie James throws out so many red herrings that I had a hard time figuring out the truth through all of the lies. I found myself really engrossed in the story and not able to put it down. I did have a few issues with Lyddie and how quickly she falls for a man she meets…a little too quickly for my liking and kind of borders on insta-love.

Deception Wears Many Faces really lives up to its title. There is deception around every corner you turn. You are left trying to piece together all of the information and just when you have it all figured out it gets shot down forcing you to question what is really going on. All in all, it is an intense, mind bending thriller that takes you down a windy road filled with secrets, lies, and manipulation that will make you question who to believe and who not to believe.

An easy read. Keeps you guessing through out the story. Kept me gripped! Good read loved the twists. Recomend giving it a read

Brilliantly written, cleverly plotted and shockingly twisted, Deception Wears Many Faces is a stunning psychological thriller guaranteed to have readers chewing their nails to the elbow. A must-read for fans of domestic suspense, Deception Wears Many Faces is sure to propel Maggie James to the very top of the genre.

The past couple of years have been anything but easy for Lyddie and her sister, Ellie. A trip to Devon to rest, recuperate and recover from the horrific ordeal Ellie has gone through is just what the doctor ordered, so the two sisters head off for some time away from their ordinary lives and their problems to recharge their batteries and figure out what they will do next. However, what neither sister imagined when they were planning this trip was that their lives were going to be jeopardized by a chain of traumatic events that could end up costing them everything…

When Ellie had fallen victim to a professional con artist who had stolen every last penny of her savings and then disappeared from her life, Ellie had been distraught, desperate and devastated that somebody she trusted so much could betray her in such a callous and mercenary manner. Feeling as if she had fallen down a black hole with no way up, Ellie had seen no other option available to her but to take her own life. Luckily, Ellie’s suicide attempt had failed and her sister Lyddie had vowed to get her sister the help she so desperately needs and to wreak revenge upon the shameless criminal who had preyed upon her sister.

Lyddie has also had quite a tough time lately. Despite her best efforts to make a go of her relationships, Lyddie’s track record in that department is long, acrimonious and woeful, but she cannot afford to wallow in self-pity. She must find the man who broke her sister’s heart and make him pay for all the anguish and suffering Ellie has endured, so she assumes a false identity and begins to hunt for this ruthless and vicious monster who had driven Ellie to suicide.

But has Lyddie bitten off more than she can chew? Will she get the justice she so desperately seeks for her sister? Or will Lyddie and Ellie end up paying the ultimate price?

A thrilling roller-coaster ride of a book that I just couldn’t put down, Deception Wears Many Faces is a nerve-shredding and heart-pounding chiller packed with shocking twists and turns, hair-raising red herrings and jaw-dropping suspense. A book that should be read with the lights on, Deception Wears Many Faces is an outstanding thriller that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night.

A first-rate domestic noir novel that will appeal to fans of B A Paris and Paula Hawkins, Deception Wears Many Faces will terrify, captivate and mesmerize readers and have them eagerly awaiting the next pulse-racing tale from Maggie James’ dark and twisted pen!

This is the story of a woman trying to take revenge on behalf of her sister who has been badly used and abused, and who attempts a third suicide as a result. At least that is where it starts. There are lots of twists and turns in this suspenseful thriller and, just when you think you know where it is leading, off it snakes again in another direction. The book is well written and keeps the reader turning the pages to find out if justice will eventually prevail and all the deceptions will finally be seen through.