The Art of Deception

by Ridley Pearson

First published 2004

Mary Ann Walker plunges from a Seattle bridge, drawing police psychologist Daphne Matthews and detective John LaMoia to what appears to be a domestic violence case. The victim's boyfriend has a history of beating her, and her furious brother Ferrell wants justice. But the investigation stalls as evidence proves elusive. Meanwhile, supervising officer Lou Boldt grapples with two vanished women and a road worker's suspicious death that may connect to the disappearances. A voyeur photographing naked women at hotels emerges as Boldt's prime suspect. Daphne faces her own nightmare when a stalker begins terrorizing her. As both cases intensify, so does the attraction between Matthews and LaMoia, pushing them into uncharted romantic waters. The investigation culminates in a frantic pursuit through Seattle's forgotten Underground, the century-old buried streets that lie beneath the modern city.

Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective

Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-lovers, police-procedural

Setting: Seattle, Seattle Underground

Period: 20th-century, 21st-century

MP3 CD · Brilliance Audio

Content warnings: domestic-violence

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