54 books like Deception

This novel is an invigorating thrill ride along the streets of “Old Brooklyn” in a modern-day setting. As a former New Yorker who once listed Brooklyn as a hangout, it is rather easy to empathize with Sydney Green while she witnesses her cherished neighborhood being overtaken by invader investors perusing the streets in the guise of tourists. Something strikes her as peculiar when For Sale signs continue popping up at the existing homes with long-time neighbors suspiciously relocating to the suburbs. 

Ironically, Sydney encounters an unlikely helpmate in the form of someone whom she considers one of the intruders; Theo, a new neighbor. There’s a mutual distrust between them but it is not enough to override their suspicions about the things that are taking place. Is it overly accentuated paranoia or a genuine fear that compels the unlikely pair of sleuths to discover what is actually happening? Will their homes… show more.

Sasha Leone displays her mastery of the ability to draw readers into the clutches of events transpiring throughout the novel beginning with the first pages. The irony of her chivalrous Cousin Rian, heir apparent to the family’s criminal empire, serving as protector to his not-so-innocent younger female cousin is the ultimate oxymoron. Enter Gabriel Corso, a mafia prince from a merciless rival family, who is the source of a bitterness Bianca can’t understand but, still, can’t shake. Yet, she is drawn to him like metal to an unsuspecting magnet. A forced marriage to secure the family’s legacy proves more than she can come to terms with…or does it? Having lived a life "teetering on the line" dividing legality and morality, I found myself subconsciously drawn to the story's principal characters; sometimes even "telling" them what should be their next moves.

Maddy Hart is an author who is having almost as much difficulty managing her seemingly dormant creative passion as she is in the troubling relationship from which an escape is desperately needed. Her hasty acceptance of employment as a live-in caretaker at the unappealing Lakeview House on the shore of Lake Thirlmere provides a way out of emotional turmoil but into physical danger. 

Things had changed considerably on the lake, in ways that neither she nor the other residents could ever imagine. Even her uncharacteristically cordial relationship with Alfie was a might peculiar, given the fact that she’d never really taken to kids. Whereas most people viewed children as innocent, she said they frightened her. 

The longer Maddy stayed, the more unsettling her accommodations became. Something about the Lake House was eerily familiar but strangely unsettling. The brisk, cool air was laden with her increasingly vague memories of a previous… show more.

Twenty-five years before Alexandra “Alex” Gaither graduated law school; her mother, Celina, had been brutally murdered. After being raised by her grandmother and graduating law school, the exceedingly attractive and equally accomplished attorney returns to the small rural Texas community in search of answers to secrets, it is soon discovered, that are best left uncovered. With permission from the Travis County District Attorney, her superior, Alex only has thirty days to walk a tightrope in the quest to find the killer; a feat that could serve to disrupt every aspect of life in the economically stressed town of Purcell. 

Alex has to push the buttons of the two suspects who have matured into well-known, influential citizens to include the sheriff and the son of the town’s wealthiest businessman. But she has very little concern about their positions, status, or reputations and is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to find… show more.

Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie in Julie Klassen’s Shadows of Swanford Abbey. Rebecca is bidden by her recluse brother to get his manuscript published by an author residing at the abbey. A mysterious death occurs for which Rebecca is a suspect. Even worse, the man she used to care for is the presiding magistrate. Klassen is always faithful in detailing Regency elements in every single area of her work from the clothing, jury procedures, customs, architecture, etc. The mystery was seamlessly woven into the history.

Ilona Andrews is a husband-and-wife team that writes realistic, diverse characters and edgy, complex storylines. From the unique, somewhat sci-fi Innkeeper Chronicles to the gritty post-shift world of the Kate Daniels series and the powerful families of the Hidden Legacy series, the Andrews team excels at next level world building, flawed, relatable characters, and I love every one of their books, but Blood Heir is my favorite because it has a strong grown-up street kid with a found family vibes and is a tension-filled slow burn romance, with a strong, intelligent, compassionate, witty female protagonist. 

This is the second book in the Texas Murder Files series and Griffin is the author who brought us the Tracers books (another great series. Go read it!) In Flight, Miranda is desperately trying to take a break and recoup from a far too stressful job. We can all relate. But when she stumbles upon a murder, her skills as a forensic photographer mean her break is over. Local Detective Joel is just the hero we need and the tension builds slowly and wonderfully. This is great romantic suspense!

Early on, what the then-publisher sought, and what the characters preferred apparently diverged, because a few of the titles have an “alternate universe” relationship with the main mystery world.

That didn’t bother me one bit, when the characters and the historical aspects of Napoleonic Britain are so well drawn. Grant is particularly adept at exploring the odd corners of this time period—the diplomatic convolutions, New World repercussions, and sociological upheaval in Britain itself following Waterloo.

As the series progresses, the main protagonists build a community of sleuths, and the relationships complexify right along with the politics. Absolutely wonderful!

Including novellas (two of them prequels), this series is closing in on 30 titles.

Frances lives in the Victorian Era in London, but in her hometown of New York, it’s the Gilded Age. This is her background in all its glittering and horrifying glory. 

Crime novels fit quite naturally in this era. I love a loathsome villain and Rosemary Simpson serves up some of the worst in her Gilded Age series. She uses actual events, like the great blizzard of 1888, as catalysts for some heinous crimes. If you needed to dispose of a body, what better place than a snowdrift? 

Prudence MacKenzie, the dead man’s fiancé and our sleuth, doesn’t seem to realize the danger she’s in. I spent the entire read on the edge of my seat wondering if she’d make it to the end of the book alive. This is historical noir in elegant Gilded Age style.

Dani Pettrey is the master of suspense and romance! So if you’re wanting a story that will thrill you in alllllll the feels, this is it! It’s the first of a trilogy and has characters you will fast be drawn to. She doesn’t hold back on the action or the suspense. Pettrey provides us with a story that is fast-paced and designed to be read with your eyes half-closed holding your breath for the next high-octane moment. And her heroes? Don’t get me started. (insert all the heart emojis here)