Deceit [Hardcover]

James Siegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2006

From the bestselling author of "Derailed" comes an explosive new thriller about a disgraced journalist who stumbles upon an unimaginable conspiracy--but will anyone believe him?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Contemporary thriller master Siegel (Detour) will doubtless have another bestseller with this superb novel. His flawed protagonist, Tom Valle, is a journalist in exile after writing more than 50 fake stories for a major New York City newspaper, a scandal that led to criminal charges for him and disgrace for the respected editor blamed for not having caught his lies. Now, Valle toils for a small California paper, covering mall openings and the birthdays of elderly locals. One such fluff assignment, which entails a visit to a senior citizen home whose oldest resident just turned 100, gives Valle a chance at redemption when he suspects that the woman's recollection of a recent visit from her long-dead son is more than a senile delusion. Using his atrophied investigative skills, Valle finds a connection to a 50-year-old catastrophe, even as twists in the trail echo elements of his own faked reports, causing him to question his sanity. The word play and atmosphere of paranoia will remind some of Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island. Even those new to genre will find it hard to stop turning the pages.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In his fourth outing, thriller writer Siegel seems to be fine-tuning his technique. His inventive plotting and delicious humor are in the forefront, while his fluid writing masks a multitude of sins in characterization and dialogue, resulting in first-rate entertainment. Reporter Tom Valle once worked for the most storied newspaper in the nation (read New York Times). But it seems he had a small problem with fabrication in some of his stories--56 to be exact. Now he's doing penance, covering bronco-busting tournaments for a small-town newspaper in California. That's when he stumbles on the biggest story of his life--but who will believe him? A car accident morphs into a case of stolen identity, and the next thing Tom knows, his phone is tapped and his colleague is shot. A reclusive ex-reporter and a very scary psychiatric hospital seem to hold the answers, and they all point Tom toward a nuclear reactor out in the desert. Siegel keeps the paranoia level high even as he imbues his story with ethical overtones and a hilariously snarky sense of humor. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition; First Printing edition (August 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446531863
• ISBN-13: 978-0446531863
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,644,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing novel from a very talented author., August 16, 2006

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deceit (Hardcover)

Tom Valle, once a star reporter for a popular paper, is trying to put his life, and career back on track when his boss assigns him the story of a traffic accident, but this is no ordinary story...

It seems to be like every other car crash, but one driver is left dead, and things on the surface just don't look right to Tom. As Tom starts investigating the "accident" he finds it may not have been an accident at all. Knowing this could be the story to bring his career back on track, Tom dives head-first into the story and uncovers a conspiracy of corruption and murder...a conspiracy that someone will stop at nothing to keep from being exposed.

'Deceit' starts off fast, and then slows down as the plot develops. Things get crazy as the main character starts to uncover the conspiracy plot...a simple accident begins the novel, and there are some nice plot twists along the way, but the connection to an ages-old cover up makes the novel fall apart. James Siegel's two previous novels, 'Detour' and 'Derailed', were well-written, original page-turners, and even though his newest novel continues the trend of being well-written,and original it falls flat in the page-turning department.

Nick Gonnella

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Original!, February 19, 2009

By 

Matthew Hunt (Salem, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deceit (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first Siegel novel, and after reading this one I had to get my hands on another one, which I ended up getting the same day. I couldn't wait to pick this one back up every time I had to lay it down. Great story, one of those that brings to light a small detail from 80 pages ago that you wish you would have paid more attention to. Everything written in the book has a purpose - there are not pages and pages of mindless details that mean nothing to the story. This is the work of a truly great writer and I can't wait to dive into the next book by him I've got. The only thing for me that kept me from giving the book 5 stars is that it does read kind of choppy in some parts. Like when you have a thought that indirectly leads to another - thats hard to put on paper, and even more hard for a reader to exactly follow. All in all though a great read, very entertaining and suspenseful - certainly recommend getting this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Stars -- Holds your Interest But Not Up To Par For Siegel!, July 31, 2007

By 

bobbewig (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Deceit (Hardcover)

Let me start off by saying that Deceit holds your attention from beginning to end, and is a worthwhile read. That being said, Deceit is not as good as Detour and, in particular, Derailed. The strengh of Deceit is Siegel's writing style moreso than the plot itself. Siegel has developed a main character that despite his faults, is interesting and likable. The plot, which involves a disgraced journalist investigating an auto accident and ultimately leads to his unovering the scoop of a lifetime, is also interesting, albeit it a bit far-fetched. What keeps me from giving Deceit more than a 3 1/2 star rating is that while Siegel allows his protagonist to come up with the solution to the mystery, Siegel doesn't present clearly enough to the reader (or at least this reader) as to how the "hero" was able to uncover the specific facts behind the solution. While, as I said, Deceit is not Siegel's best book, it is enjoyable, and I am looking forward to his next book.