“You never know what’s going on in someone’s life. You never know what’s really going on behind what they present.”
The above quote rings true in the 2016 psychological thriller, DECEPTION: A Love of Lies.
When you wander past someone on a stroll, do you greet them? It’s polite, so why wouldn’t you.
I don’t know why we do it, but consider the amount of strangers you’ve greeted, you haven’t known any of them. But they all seemed nice enough on the surface, right?
I’ve always been intrigued by people; the way they behave, the decisions they make, how cruel a person can be, how kind someone can be, how a person can treat another person.
Humans are complex, and that’s the driving force behind the main protagonist in DECEPTION, Billy. To be honest, it’s essential for every character in my novels. I like to play on the psychology of a person and really dig deep into the mindset of a person.
For DECEPTION, it’s a small world from the point of view of one person. That person is most likely one of those people you have greeted on a morning stroll.
What is DECEPTION about?
DECEPTION is a psychological thriller based on Billy, a dog walker, who walks in his woodlands daily. He knows the woodlands like the back of his hand, and he has really taken a liking to a fellow female dog walker.
“Through the stark and leafless trees, I see her.
I remember the first day I saw her; an instant attraction. I think she’s beautiful. She has such pensive blue eyes; they remind me of a blue sky right before the sun descends. Every time I see her I want to talk to her, I want to get to know her, and I want to be her friend.
She usually completes the lower woodland walk in six minutes and forty-two seconds; she misses the deeper woodlands and goes home, I believe.
I walk down the road at the same speed as her. She reaches the crossroads at the bottom of the road, looks both ways, and then jogs across into the garden of a house. I stop walking and concentrate on which house is hers.
I can’t stare too long but I am intrigued already, I will come back.”
Now we’re all on the same page, let’s look at Billy. After all, DECEPTION is told from his point of view.
How often do you wander by a dog walker?
I don’t know about you, but I see them all the time. Whenever I go for a walk, or even a run (when I’m not being lazy), I pass at least a couple of them en route.
When I pass an owner and their furry friend, I play with their pooch of course, but after that, I do sometimes wonder about them.
Who are they? What’s their name? What do they do for a living? Married? Kids? Do they have hobbies?
Walking your dog is the perfect cover story 👀
What I like most about a dog walker is that, from the point of view of the dog walker, you can be on your own in a woodlands (with your dog of course!) and no one would bat an eyelid. Be seen walking in the woods on your own, it’s a different story.
This was the inspiration for Billy Allen – he’s a man who lives with his dog, Ella. He knows the woodlands like the back of his hand, after all, he walks there every day. More importantly, he has an infatuation for a fellow female dog walker.
No one knows of his motive (except the reader), but what Billy has going for him is that he is a dog walker and he can wander around and watch the woman without being judged.
Even in other situations, Billy knows that by taking Ella with him he has a cover.
Early into the book, Billy heads to the woman’s house one night, he watches her through the window. Of course he has Ella with him, and like a good dog, she waits for him at the end of the drive.
If you want to know if Billy gets caught, you’ll have to read the book!
Do we ever truly know someone?
A question for you to think about. How well do you know your friends? What about your colleagues – how well do you know them?
What about the people closest to you, your family? Your partner?
How well do we truly know a person?
Sorry if this is making you paranoid that’s not the aim here. But it does make you think, doesn’t it?
If you like a psychological thriller read that will play with your mind and digs deep into a dark psychology of a person, then DECEPTION: A Love of Lies is certainly a great read – I’m not being biased!
The DECEPTION audiobook is coming soon.
T. J. Blake #Author 