Deceptions

Laura Elliot

Language: English

Publisher: JuneConsidine

Published: Sep 12, 2012

Description:

A dark night, an illicit affair, a hit and run...

When the effects of an illicit love affair destroys Lorraine Cheevers' marriage, the artist and mother uproots her teenage daughter from their comfortable city-centre home to make a new life for themselves in the small seaside village of Trabawn. She is determined to forget the past but it is following her and catching up.

As Lorraine adjusts to her new surroundings, Killian Devine-O'Malley, the young victim of the hit and run, lies in a coma. His father, the well-known screen writer Michael Carmody, is determined to find the person responsible for his son's accident.

His search brings him to Trabawn where he comes into contact with Lorraine. Though she has resolved to be alone, she cannot deny the strong attraction she feels towards this troubled stranger who has appeared so suddenly in her life.

But why has Lorraine turned her back on friendship and love? What lies behind her flight from all that was once familiar? As the bond between her and Michael grows, the stakes rise. Because what neither of them know is just what the other is running from. Or why it matters.

Deceptions is a gripping tale of betrayal and consequence, love and illusion, and an unexpected attraction that won't be denied.

'From the opening section, this page-turner is gripping, all the more because it presents the dilemmas of betrayal with brutal honesty' - Irish Independent

'This well-crafted and compelling story traces the deceits which begin unnoticed but end in the destruction of friendships and lives' - The Irish Times

'A gripping tale of adultery and illusion'
Evening Herald

'Dealing with passion, adultery, deception and tragedy, and how the past has a way of creeping up on you, Deceptions is a really intriguing page-turner with a surprising twist.' - Evening Echo

'Gripping, heart-wrenching saga' - Books Ireland

'Beautifully written. A page-turner to savour.' - RTÉ

Review

Betrayal

Deceptions is a tale of betrayal and consequence, love and illusion, and an unexpected attraction that won't be denied. A past that won't stay in the past. This well-crafted and compelling story traces the deceits which begin unnoticed but end in destruction of friendships and lives.
From the opening section, this page-turner is gripping, all the more because it presents the dilemmas of betrayal with brutal honesty.
A very good story with a surprising twist.

From the Author

Secrets And Deceit On The Great South Wall 

Sometimes, when I finish a book, when the drafting, correcting and editing are done, I find it difficult to pinpoint the original idea that acted as my catalyst for beginning it. This was not the case with Deceptions.That seed was sown one night when I was commissioned by a daily newspaper to do a series of features on night life in Dublin City. I was working as a journalist at the time and the idea of writing a novel was nothing more than an ambitious glint in my eye. One of the features I wrote concerned homeless people. I spent the night on the streets with young men and women who had run away from home for various reasons. 

It was a disturbing night, edged with violence and extremely sad. I did one interview on the South Wall, an industrial area in Dublin's docklands. It has a famous pier overlooking Dublin Bay which is a popular place for walkers but that night  it was dark and desolate. When I returned to my car, having interviewed a young man who lived in a make-shift cement shelter, I noticed the dimmed headlights of a car in the car park. A second car arrived. A man and a woman emerged from both cars and embraced before walking into the deeper shadows. 

I wisely left them to their own devices but as I drove away I wondered why they had to meet in such an isolated, secret location.The reason seemed obvious and I assumed the couple were having an affair. I wondered what would happen if they were discovered. If, as they drove away, they were involved in a hit-and-run accident, what then? If they knocked down one of the homeless people on the edge of society, would anyone really care? But, even if they got away with it, what would it do to their relationship? 

This image of a couple embracing formed the spine of Deceptions when I began to write it some time later. Even though the novel developed its own creative momentum, that sense of intrigue, secrecy and deceit stayed at the forefront of my mind and created a cast of characters who answered the questions for me.