Review: Deceived by Irene Hannon

I have a love/hate relationship with suspense novels. I love the intensity of the story and never knowing what will happen next. I hate that when I start one, I absolutely have to finish it as soon as possible. Every spare moment, my nose is in that book. I love how fast the story moves. I hate how fast I read them. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like I tend to savor the not so suspenseful books, but give me a suspense novel and I’m probably reading at olympic speeds.

A good suspense story should be hard to put down and making the reader want to know what happens next as fast as possible–it’s part of the tension of them and what makes them so enjoyable. I made sure to get some household tasks done before I started reading Deceived because I knew I wouldn’t get anything done otherwise. I even stayed up late to finish the book, because with only 60 pages or so left to read, there was no way I was going to go to bed. But I finished the book, and I’m excited about it.

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**I received a free copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review**

For three years, Kate Marshall has been grieving the loss of her husband and their four-year-old son in a boating accident. But when she spots a familiar-looking child on an escalator in the mall, she is convinced it is the son she thought was dead. With police skeptical of her story, she turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan. The former Secret Service agent is dubious but agrees to investigate. Digging into the case he discovers that the incident may have been no accident at all. But if Kate’s son is alive, someone is intent on keeping him hidden–and may be willing to go to lethal lengths to protect a sinister secret. As Irene Hannon’s many fans have come to expect, Deceived is filled with complex characters, unexpected twists, and a riveting plot line that accelerates to an explosive finish.

From the prologue to the epilogue, Deceived was a novel that kept me guessing what would happen next.

The storyline was compelling. What would happen when a mother spotted her son 3 years after he was presumed dead from a boating accident? The characters made this story. Kate Marshall, who spots a child she believes is her son, has moved on with her life. Her character is well developed in this novel, with a complex backstory. The hero, Connor, is just as complex, and the pair make quite the duo as they sort out the mystery surrounding the boy she spotted.

There were characters I felt for, and even some that I was surprised about my own sympathy for, and in many ways, I think that is one of the strongest aspects of this novel. Having a compelling storyline with quite a few surprises in it didn’t hurt either.

While this is the third novel in Irene Hannon’s Private Justice series, I don’t think they need to be read in order. I haven’t read the first two, and I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. There were a few references to the cases that I presume were the first two books, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this one. However, those two books are getting added to my list of books to read at some point, along with other novels by Irene Hannon. I’m excited to read some more novels from her in the future. I don’t think I will be disappointed.

I would love to hear from you! What novels have you had a hard time putting down or kept you awake late just so you could finish?

For more on the author or this book, please check out the following links:

• Irene Hannon’s Website
• Visit Irene Hannon on Facebook
• Follow Irene Hannon on Twitter
• Read what Irene Hannon is reading on GoodReads
• Check out Deceived on Amazon

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