Ethan is a liar.He can’t help it, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, but he lies to everyone he meets, and he doesn’t know how to stop. Cut off from those around him, Ethan finds himself at the door of Dr. Wright, agreeing to a radical treatment. Ethan will leave his home of Boston behind to tour the world, and, given a plane ticket and a course of experimental medication, change his life … change his life forever.
But when, mid-treatment and a thousand miles from home, Ethan is accused of murder, how can he, or the embassy, or even his closest friends defend him? After all, Ethan can’t remember where he was the night the murder happened – all he knows for sure is he was with the woman just before she died.
With his freedom and sanity at stake, the truth seems to be further from Ethan’s grasp than ever. But then, if he wants to keep his freedom, perhaps lies are all he can depend on.
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What he doesn’t know…
won’t hurt 23-yr. old Ethan Jackson, a pathological liar who seeks a cure through psychotherapy—unconventional, at that! After coming up with a travel itinerary of his choosing, he’s sent around the world, monitored 24/7 by a mini-camera recording his every move. At the end of the day, Ethan recounts what he remembers in a diary. Every week, he receives the diary back with the corrected version of what actually occurred.
Long before Ethan’s 6-month tour is up, he gets more than he ever bargained for—good and bad.
Different from books that I typically like to sink my teeth into with complex characters, snappy dialogue, and detailed description—I still became a captive reader under the author’s influence.
Direct and to the point, the protagonist’s first-person narrative moves the plot along at a quick pace, while revealing innermost thoughts. For a time, the reader is just as much in the dark as Ethan.
The title, ‘Deadly Deception’ is no word of a lie! I highly recommend a book whose straightforward story never deceives or disappoints.
Ethan knows he recreates events in his mind that in turn creates a false version of the truth to those around him. Is it on purpose? Ethan seeks help puts his faith and trust into two doctors who promise to help him identify the truths from lies by having vacation while having a camera monitor his every move and then compare to a daily diary kept by Ethan without the use of the camera feeds. BUT do the doctors have his best interest in mind? I can easily say the plot twists in this book is nothing I have ever read before. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down!! A very fast read! Best part is there are two additional books in the series….
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story is based on a fascinating premise: if someone is a compulsive liar, how can they ever know if they are really telling the truth? The blurring of lines between truth and deceit is a key factor in this book, which drives the story and compels the main character in his choices and responses throughout the narrative.
Ethan is a very interesting character, given that he is just such that kind of liar, and yet he yearns to be truthful although he cannot. In telling the story from his point of view, the author causes the reader to be sympathetic to him and his condition. His experiences are certainly thought-provoking, given our human nature’s tendency to reject liars and distrust them completely. If such a condition is involuntary, how can we treat the deluded person with justice and yet protect ourselves and everyone else from their lies? In this regard, Ethan’s friend Stewart and his girlfriend Karen model acceptance and show how security and love can make a vital difference in someone’s life.
This story is quite well told, and the twist at the end is cleverly executed. There are a few instances where the grammar is slightly stilted, particularly when a question is being asked. Presumably, this is because English is not the author’s first language. This would easily be fixed with some editing, but does not cause such a problem that it cannot simply be overlooked. While I noticed those occasions, they did not impede my understanding or my enjoyment of the story.
An interesting and enjoyable read,