Customer Reviews

Deceit: A Novel

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Oh.....my.....gosh. This book was so unbelievably good that it could be said that I had no life outside of reading for the past 2 days! Of course, Brandilyn never disappoints with anything she writes, but this book was just all kinds of awesome!

I should've thought things through just a little bit more when I started on this one. Silly me decided it would be a great idea to start reading the book at night right before going to bed. And it wasn't long before the Hooded Man that's mentioned in the book's description decides to show up....at night, in a thunderstorm, on a winding road, and with a whole load of creepiness. I kid you not--in no time flat, my heart was just pounding in my chest! It got even more intense when Joanne finally makes it home after her run-in with the Hooded Man, and she thinks there might be someone in her house. Oh, and then the electricity goes out...and she thinks she's all alone. Yep, that's when I decided this book would be better read during the daytime. :o)

I'm not someone that reads a lot of suspense, mainly because I usually spoil the ending for myself by try too hard to figure out the "who-done-it." Well, if all books were crafted as great as this one was, maybe I should pick 'em up a little more often! Brandilyn's trademark Seatbelt Suspense is masterfully done is this novel, and it is not to be missed. Deceit was one of the BEST books I've read so far in 2010! 5 HUGE stars!

Six years ago in Vonita, California, Linda Jackson dies. Her fiftyish best friend skip tracer Joanne Weeks believes the husband affluent church elder Baxter Jackson killed his wife. She makes efforts to prove her assertion, but fails as everyone who knows Jackson consider him a great man.

When his second wife Cherise dies in what the corner ruled was an unfortunate accident, Joanne's belief that Jackson is a spousal killer reasserts itself. This time she plans to find proof by seeking someone who might have information on what happened to Linda six years ago. However, Joanne feels someone is stalking her. Feeling her life is in danger already, she is further stunned when a stranger leaps in front of her car on a wet road pleading with her to seek out the teenage foster child Melissa Harkoff who lived with the Jacksons when Linda vanished.

Few, if any writers combine inspirational messages with suspense as well as Brandilyn Collins consistently does (see Exposure). She proves this once again with Deceit. Her current tale is a superb thriller in which the heroine must peel away the deceitful masks everyone wraps themselves inside of to uncover the truth of what happened to Linda. Readers will consider what is acceptable in terms of societal deceit in terms of the family, the law and religion and what is not. However, Ms. Collins also takes her theme much deeper asking the audience to consider how will the Lord judge a person's deceits when he or she stands at the gates. The message is intertwined inside a powerful suspense thriller as the heroine peels away levels of deceit of others and the mythos she mentally spun as a psychological defense mechanism to get to the truth; if that is even truly attainable.

Harriet Klausner

Brandilyn Collins' DECEIT is a captivating thriller about the lure and power of success and the evil lurking behind even the brightest facades. Joanne Weeks has made the front page of the local paper for claiming Baxter Jackson killed his wife. The coroner ruled it an accident, but Joanne says this because in her heart she knows Baxter killed his first wife, and her friend, Linda. When a stranger contacts Joanne and tells her how to prove Baxter killed Linda, she jumps at the chance. All she has to do is find Melissa Harkoff, the sixteen year old foster child who was living with the Jacksons when Linda was murdered.

Collins creates two story lines. The first is in the present, tracking Joanne's quest to locate the missing Melissa. The stranger warns Joanne she is in danger, and sure enough, someone breaks into her house, and she is shot at. The second story line begins six years earlier, when Melissa moved in with Baxter and Linda. Melissa loves living with rich couple and going to church with them, but soon she learns that the easy life isn't real, and what lies beneath isn't all perfect and happy.

Fans of Collins will enjoy this novel. I found it to contain some darker elements as compared to some of her earlier books. While the ending is pretty easy to guess, I found this book to be a lot of fun and the spiritual message was one that I needed to hear. The only downside for me was that some of the "seatbelt suspense" really isn't that suspenseful (like the search for the intruder in her house early in the book) and those scenes have a tendency to drag on.

Brandilyn is known for her Seatbelt Suspense.

What would you do if your best friend was murdered and the killer remained free? Joanne Weeks is in this position and there is one person who can help her nail the guy.

Baxter Jackson is a respected member of the church. When Joanne blames Baxter for Linda's murder, there are repercussions. No one believes her. Joanne is more determined than ever to find Melissa, the sixteen-year old foster child that the Baxter's took in.

For the first time ever, Melissa Harkoff is treated like gold. She finally has escaped her past of brokenness. The Baxter's have saved her.

The book delves into the concept of Deceit. Is it acceptable to lie in order to help others? Is some deceit more sinful than others? Is a little white lie ok? Does it depend on the situation? The mere definition of deceit is fraud and dishonesty.

Brandilyn takes you on a Roller Coaster ride. You want to get off but you resist. You keep turning the pages. The story is a mystery. It's fun to try and figure it all out. What really happened in the Baxter household?

I had a 100 pages left and had to get up early for work. It didn't matter. I stayed up until past midnight because I kept saying a few more pages. Then I decided to ignore the clock and finish the book. Was it worth it? Without a shadow of a doubt, what's sleep anyway?


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This book has been sitting idle on my kindle since Nov 2010 when it was offered for FREE (now it's 9.99). I guess this is the reason I missed the Christian Mystery part of the description. However despite that it was a well written mystery/ who done it book. Normally I do not enjoy going past to present to past to present, but Collins did it so smoothly I could not image it being done any other way. It's a quick read and you finish it feeling all answers to your questions are answered.

The "bad" guy in the book (Baxter) is a real life bad guy one most people can relate to. The victims, some will relate to some will wonder (like myself) why did they stay in their situations. Either way the story can be related to quite easily....

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was my first time reading this author, but it definitely won't be my last! Joanne's best friend, Linda Jackson, dies and Joanne believes Linda's husband Baxter murdered her but no one will listen to her. Baxter is a 'wonderful' man according to everyone who knows him. When his second wife dies, that is two wives in six years, Linda is determined to find the truth, but it may cost her life...
Every character in this book was realistic and so well developed that you honestly believe they could be someone you know! I loved how Joanne is so determined and loyal. The flashbacks keep you guessing and thinking you know exactly what is going to happen next but then there is a huge twist that leaves you quickly turning to read more. The way the spiritual aspect of the story comes at you makes you reevaluate your life and it just fits so well into the story line!
This book is a 5/5. Go get it and read it!
Thank you to Zondervan for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

I really enjoyed this suspense filled book. The ending offered a twist that I did not expect. I will definitely read books by this author again.

I picked this book because one, it was free, and two, thriller/mysteries are my favorite genre of books. As I read, I was constantly hooked! The only complain is that I hit two typo speed bumps; the word "we" instead of "be" and missing an "e" on "because", but those are very minor flaws and should not affect my rating.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term "skip tracer" (as I was), this is primarily an information-based occupation that exists for the sole purpose of hunting down people who have disappeared. This involves taking out contracts on finding "skips," sometimes put out by the police and presumably for private cases, too. Runners nearly always leave a meandering, nearly invisible trail of material evidence to track, but a good skip tracer knows surprising secrets of the trade. Does this work make the world a better place?

Often, yes. Joanne Weeks's cases are personally satisfying and lead to some long-deserved justice. Inevitably, this lets people move on with their lives and certainly changes outcomes. But Joanne's cases involve some inevitable deceit on her part and are always emotionally draining. Many times she can't foresee the consequences in bringing in a skip who has gone to great lengths to disappear.

Joanne's current case begins when she hits a pedestrian on the road one stormy night, a stranger who has been looking for her. He is hooded and wears a mask, a disturbing figure who seems overly concerned about hiding his identity and ignores his injuries from the impact. He implores Joanne to hunt down the murderer of her missing best friend Linda and supplies her with covert information about a potential witness; this is Melissa, Linda's foster daughter at the time, a troubled girl who only just came to live with them before Linda's disappearance, after surviving a living hell at the hands of her biological mother. Melissa is now a grown woman who has been careful not to leave any recent traces of her whereabouts. But Joanne's substantial occupational skills lead her to the girl and the secrets she holds.

Joanne's accident with the pedestrian occurred just after the news hit Vonita that Baxter Jackson, Linda's widower, had lost his second wife in some household accident. Linda's disappearance had occurred six years prior, but the death of this second woman has raised enough suspicion for Joanne to step forward. She accosts the sheriff and publicly accuses Baxter of killing his first wife, vehement in her desire to see justice done. She's been trying to get the investigation reopened, without success. The entire town is backing Baxter blindly. One hungry reporter apparently found her ideas interesting enough to publish in the paper. But there aren't many who would dare question or suspect him of anything criminal; Baxter is admired and has an impeccable reputation as a church leader and community supporter. Only Joanne knows something no one else does: that Baxter had been despicably cruel and abusive to Linda behind closed doors.

DECEIT is a stand-alone novel by experienced thriller writer Brandilyn Collins, centering on a strong and independent heroine who has an interesting occupation. The little-known information revealed about skip tracers here is reason enough to read the book; the protagonist is another. It's fun to experience this kind of story through Joanne's eyes as she's a strong and caring woman who risks her life repeatedly to find justice for her friend. She's also just beginning to think about a potential love interest after being a widow for quite some time, and it's enjoyable to watch her slowly expand her horizons and accept a man into her life again.

The book is unexpectedly contemplative in that it is not just a Christian inspirational but is also very introspective. It hones in not only on violence itself but on the consequences of the initial deceit that caused it --- those first threads of dishonesty that led to a spiraling cycle of brutality and bloodshed. DECEIT is an intense, fast-paced inspirational that will satisfy fans of thrillers and also those who appreciate deeper introspection in what they read.

--- Reviewed by Melanie Smith

Deceit was a great disappointment for me. The story was painstakingly slow moving, the sexual innuendo too great, and the plot a little too thin for my taste. Joanne's angst and motives just weren't "real" to me. The story really didn't start moving until half way through the book and it was still filled with thoughts and motives to which I just couldn't relate. Since I love Christian fiction, I feel badly about not liking this but it was just not a good story.