Deadly Pretender [Hardcover]

Karen Kingsbury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1993

An account of the crimes of David Miller describes how, posing as, variously, a CIA agent, an attorney, and a lobbyist, he conned people out of their money and their lives.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell (December 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440215072
• ISBN-13: 978-0440215073
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,149,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's #1 inspirational novelist. There are nearly 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.

Karen's newest novel, Unlocked, released Oct. 12 and has stayed in Amazon's top fifty for the past few weeks. Unlocked debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times Bestsellers list. Another recent and popular title of Karen's is Shades of Blue - the story of a 28-year-old ad executive who is six weeks away from marrying the girl he loves. But as he prepares for his wedding, something brings up his past girlfriend - a girl he dated in high school. He realizes he can't go forward and say, "I do," until he goes back to Holden Beach, finds the girl he loved back then, and tell her he's sorry.

Karen's novel Like Dandelion Dust is the subject of a major motion picture currently in theaters. Like Dandelion Dust stars Academy Award winning Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper, along with Cole Hauser and Maxwell Perry Cotton. The film has received more than 30 awards in the Film Festival Circuit including numerous Best Picture awards. Several of Karen's books are currently under theatrical development.

Karen's most recent series - the Above the Line Series, which began with Take One, in March, 2009 and wrapped up in June, 2010 with Take Four. The series is about two producers looking to change the world with the power of film. The Above the Line series also includes Karen's popular characters from the fictitious Baxter Family. The Baxters were first introduced to readers through the five-book Redemption series, and then the five-book Firstborn series, and finally the four-book Sunrise series.

Dubbed by Time Magazine as the Queen of Christian Fiction, Karen has also been a featured guest on the Today Show, Fox News, USA Today, and numerous other television programs and magazines. Her fiction has made her one of the country's favorite storytellers. Others of her emotionally gripping titles include the 9-11 Series, Even Now, Ever After, and Between Sundays.

Karen is also a public speaker, reaching more than 100,000 women annually through various national events. Karen and her husband, Don, live in the Pacific Northwest with their six children, three of whom are adopted from Haiti.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stranger than fiction, by far! Bet you can't put it down!, April 30, 2004

By 

B.A.A. "A.H. Aficionado" (New Albany, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Pretender (Hardcover)

Like the equally fascinating true crime masterpiece, Final Vows, the book Deadly Pretender by Karen Kingsbury is too compelling a read to put down until you have devoured the very last page(I read through the night when I could never find a good stopping place!).

This is the story of David Miller, a successful political lobbyist who many would have envied--wealthy, reasonably attractive, good at his job, accepted in exciting social circles, he seemed to have it all. Yet, inexplicably, David isn't satisfied with these blessings and becomes increasingly addicted to a life of deceit. On his fateful course, he finds himself drawn to higher and higher levels of deception to feel challenged and fulfilled. While some of us are content to take a trip or find a new hobby if life feels flat and dull, not so for this guy. Instead, he raises the stakes all the time, weaving more and more intricate lies as he goes.

Deciding he was too special to be a mere bachelor OR just a married man, he decides he deserves to be both. This leads to his marrying Dorothy, and convincing his wife that he is an undercover agent to explain his extended absences from home. His ruse allows him to take cruises and enjoy every svelte young lady who meets his fancy, then rush home to Dorothy's arms after his "mission" is over. Had it stopped there, he may have been able to pull off the deception indefinitely, but his escalating need for risk drives him to unethical business practices, bigamy, and the expenses of a dual lifestyle with two different families, ultimately ending in a tragic murder of wife Jayne.

As hard as it is to believe that the entire twisted tale is true, court documents and trial transcripts support that in this case, fact is far and away more compelling than fiction. And sadly for Dorothy, only too real in the way it ruined her world, and even worse, deprived Jayne of her very life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, April 23, 2005

By 

Gil (Md) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Pretender (Hardcover)

Very true and shocking story of David Miller, who leads a life of greed and deception. This is my fifth time reading this, and itseems to get better each time. I guarantee you will shake your head when reading this book.

This would have made an OUTSTANDING made for TV or cable movie. I hope the author does consider this at some point.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UNBELIEVABLE, November 18, 2007

By 

CR "LOVE TO READ" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Pretender (Hardcover)

THIS WAS A GREAT TRUE CRIME BOOK. I COULD DEFINATELY NOT PUT IT DOWN. ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE READ IN A LONG WHILE. IF YOU ARE A TRUE CRIME BUFF, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!