Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Deceptions (A Cainsville Novel, 3)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Sphere (20th August 2015)
Blurb:

TRUST NO ONE

Olivia Jones is desperate for the truth. The daughter of convicted serial killers, she has begun to suspect that her parents are innocent of their crimes. But who can she trust, in a world where betrayal and deception hide in every shadow?

RISK EVERYTHING

Liv does have one secret weapon: a mysterious sixth sense that helps her to anticipate danger. The trouble is, this rare power comes with its own risks. There are dark forces that want to exploit Liv’s talents – and will stop at nothing to win her to their side.

FACE THE TRUTH

Now Live must decide, before it’s too late. Who does she love? Who is really on her side? And can she save herself without burning down everything that matters most?

A twisting and atmospheric thriller, Deceptions is a fast-paced, gothic tale laced with passion, mystery and murder.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

DECEPTIONS is the third title in Kelley Armstrong’s gothic thriller series Cainsville. This novel continues the story of Olivia Jones, as she unravels more about her past and the secrets of Cainsville. Armstrong reveals more of the secrets of Cainsville and of Olivia’s past in this book.

On the whole I enjoyed reading this book. Armstrong did the urban fantasy aspect of this novel brilliantly – I really appreciated the way that Armstrong wove the world of the fay and the human world together. It seemed really believable and vivid on the page. In a lot of ways this element is one of the strongest aspects of the novel, and has allowed Armstrong to create a really interesting world. I think this book, more than the previous two, relies on this framework and for me it works well.

Through Liv’s journey in the book Armstrong has DECEPTIONS ask – and to be fair, answer – a lot of questions. This book is kind of a “big reveal” in that we get a lot of information allowing us a better picture of what it going on in the series – but I am sure there are a lot of twists to come, based on Armstrong’s other series. Having read the short story collection LED ASTRAY (review) the revelation wasn’t too much of a surprise, but I did never the less enjoy it.

Although there are many aspects of DECEPTIONS that I enjoyed, there was one aspect that made me uncomfortable and made me hesitant to pick up the book. I’m not entirely sure that Armstrong didn’t do it on purpose, but it grated at me. And I’m trying to think how to put it, without risking spoilers . . . There was a friendship dynamic in the book that, for me anyway, seemed to be very controlling and it just made me feel uneasy. Having said that, I think it works well in the overall plot of the book – which is why I think Armstrong wrote it that way purposefully.

If you have enjoyed The Cainsville Series so far, then DECEPTIONS is a fantastic addition to the series. Kelley Armstrong brings an interesting and complicated new novel to the series.