The Deception: A Novel

A sleight of hand. A trick up the sleeve. A call for the dead. It’s all part of the game in this twisty tale by the bestselling author of After Alice Fell.New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called “Maid of Light” is desperate to regain her reputation―but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others.Clementine Watkins, known in spiritualist circles for her bag of tricks and utmost discretion, creates the sort of theatrics that can fill Maud’s parlor again, and with each misdirection, Maud’s fame is restored. But her guilt is a heavy burden. And the ruse has become a risk. Others are plotting to expose the fraud, and Clem can’t allow anyone―even Maud―to jeopardize the fortune the hoax has made her.When the deception hints at a possible murder, Maud realizes how dangerous a game she’s playing. But to return to the light from which she’s strayed, she must first survive the darkness created by Clem’s smoke and mirrors.

Historical Novels Review

“Blakemore’s exquisite pacing and clever dialogue push the tension to the sharp edge in this plot of ambitious deceit and surprising consequences.”

Lydia Kang, author of The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding

“Kim Taylor Blakemore’s The Deception captures the fascinating world of nineteenth-century mediums in this story of intrigue, deceit, and the otherworldly. Historical fiction lovers will delight in the wonderfully captured details and the mystical elements at the center of this novel. A must-read!”

Paulette Kennedy, author of Parting the Veil and The Witch of Tin Mountain

“Delightfully wry as it is unsettling, The Deception had me turning pages at a blistering pace. Blakemore bewitches with her shrewd, incisive look at the Spiritualist movement and two down-on-their-luck heroines bound in an unlikely partnership. Teeming with intrigue, seething jealousies, and theatrical atmosphere. Absolutely impossible to put down!”

Robert Gwaltney, award-winning author of The Cicada Tree

“A sinuous tale of deception amidst the fascinating backdrop of post-Civil War Spiritualism, The Deception seethes from the very first sentence all the way through to its riveting conclusion. Blakemore, a modern day Brontë, gleams in dark, moldering, claustrophobic places.”

Carole Lawrence, author of Cleopatra’s Dagger

“Suspense, romance, spirits, both living and dead―The Deception has it all, as well as a loving recreation of late nineteenth century New England. Kim Taylor Blakemore has created the kind of spooky, riveting story readers of this genre will love. The Deception delivers all the thrills and chills of a great séance, in a world where ghosts walk the earth, and the truly evil spirits may just be the ones in your own house.”

Liza Nash Taylor, author of In All Good Faith

“With a magician’s brilliant sleight of hand, Kim Taylor Blakemore weaves an intricate plot that is at once playful, moody, sinister, and deliciously clever. The Deception crackles with intrigue and richly detailed historical atmosphere.”

About the Author

Kim Taylor Blakemore is the bestselling author of After Alice Fell and The Companion, as well as young adult novels Bowery Girl and Cissy Funk, winner of the WILLA Literary Award. She is also the recipient of a Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award and three Regional Arts & Culture Council grants. In addition to writing historical novels about fierce and dangerous women, Kim is the founder of Novelitics, which provides coaching, developmental editing, workshops, and community to writers from around the US and Canada. A history nerd and gothic novel lover, Kim lives with her family in a small town in the Pacific Northwest and loves the rain. Truly. For more information, visit www.kimtaylorblakemore.com.

Reviews

News