Ridley Pearson: Crime Novels for Adults

"A one-sitting read that shows why Ridley Pearson is the grandmaster of the police procedural...."
—The Midwest Book Review

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New York Times bestselling author, Ridley Pearson, "the best thriller writer alive," (Booklist) delivers a nail-biting crime novel of betrayal and deception.

Friendship comes at a cost. For beautiful Mary-Ann Walker, who struggled with the challenges of a difficult family history, that cost proves to be her life. With Mary-Ann's past as its only guideline, the Seattle homicide unit must delve into the relationships between a misguided young woman, her family, friends and lover. Let the psychological duels begin.

(paperback)

Seattle Police forensic psychologist Daphne Matthews, who volunteers as a teenage runaway counselor, is haunted by the loss of a suicide, a "jumper," of a year earlier. When a woman's body is found beneath the Aurora Bridge, Matthews is one of the first at the scene—and begins a puzzling investigation that is entangled with the pasts of Matthews, the victim, and even Seattle itself.

Mary-Ann's boyfriend has a record of physical abuse, and an attitude that Matthews finds difficult to crack. When the victim's grieving brother surfaces, throwing blame onto the boyfriend and craving revenge, Matthews gains an unstable ally she does not want.

Then the stalking begins: the eerie phone calls, the noises outside the house, the shadows that move in the night. Someone has their eye on Matthews—but to stop her, kill her, or to help her solve the crime?

While her colleagues, police lieutenant Lou Boldt and sergeant John LaMoia, pursue a hotel room peeper in hopes of solving a series of disappearances, the police and Matthews herself are led into the "Underground"—a perfectly preserved city-under-a-city, hidden beneath present-day Seattle.

Faced with the stalking that is wearing her down and terrifying her, Matthews engages in a mental game of cat-and-mouse, never knowing whom she can trust. She knows that she is caught up in something that could kill her if she can't solve the homicide. Crisscrossing Seattle, diving below the streets to ancient tunnels, running for her life, Matthews must unlock the psychological secrets behind Mary-Ann's death, before she herself is buried alongside her. Matthews' very survival will depend on her skills at the art of deception.

Filled with the kind of research and an eye for detail that has made Ridley Pearson's novels national best sellers, The Art Of Deception takes his writing and plotting to a new level. Spine-tingling, fascinating, and impossible to put down, The Art Of Deception is a novel not quickly forgotten.

EXCERPT

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"The Art Of Deception is a terrific book. I've been a Ridley Pearson fan for a long time—in the field of crime fiction he always plows new ground. And this one has got to be his best yet."
   —Michael Connelly

"Pearson's writing has never been more compelling...Pearson, already an excellent writer, continues to grow and to hone his sharp eye for description to an even finer edge."
   —BookReporter.com (full review)

"The pages turn themselves, the sense of unease and the fear increases and the reader won't be able to set the book down. Ridley Pearson has done a masterful job of this book. The details, the atmosphere, and the three-dimensional characters all combine for a fabulous read. I'd not only recommend The Art Of Deception, I also recommend anything that Ridley Pearson writes. His books are gritty and real, and his name on the cover almost guarantees a fine read."
   —ReviewingtheEvidence.com (full review)

"This book is a real psychological thriller and page-turner. It is a complex mystery with a great cast of characters. This has to be one of Ridley Pearson's best books, if not the best."
   —Nancy Eaton, BestSellersWorld.com (full review)

"My first experience with the work of Ridley Pearson definitely won't be my last. The Art Of Deception is a true psychological thriller. I simply could not put the book down, which automatically puts Pearson on my short list of favorite suspense authors."
   —Ann Coffin, Book Haven (full review)

"Unlike his normal trademark, Pearson does not place science or technology central to this novel's plot. We do benefit form Pearson's knack for in-depth investigation in the exploration of Seattle's Underground which is historically interesting.... The Art Of Deception is different than the previous novels in that it is more of a psychological thriller than a technological one."
   —MostlyFiction.com (full review)

"The Art Of Deception is as good as Pearson gets. You get action and suspense, twist and turns, and a good excuse to sit down to enjoy his work."
   —Angel L. Soto, ReviewingtheEvidence.com (full review)

"While Seattle's Underground has been the setting for several mysteries by other authors, Pearson makes the most of its creepy-crawly atmosphere in a gripping thriller whose solid plotting pulls all of Daphne's, LaMoia's, and Boldt's cases together. It also wisely reconfigures the personal relationships among the three central characters, which bodes well for their future adventures in this long-running series."
   —Amazon.com

"The mystery is complex, intricate and totally absorbing, a one sitting read that shows why Ridley Pearson is the grandmaster of the police procedural."
   —AllReaders.com

"The story of Daphne Matthews and the Seattle underground is one you won't soon forget. Characters and events that seem insignificant at the time play an intriguing role in the plot's progression."
   —FictionAddiction.net

"I just LOVE your books! I've read every one at our public library, and want more. I just finished The Art of Deception. Please keep writing!!!"
   —Joan Velde