Introduction

(DESCRIPTION: Things like this don't happen to people like us. That's what Lachlan Harriot thinks as he watches his wife, Susie, led to jail in handcuffs. Yes, Susie, a psychologist, was found covered in blood near the spot where one of her clients appears to have been murdered. But Susie is not a killer, Lachlan thinks. She's my wife. She's our child's mother.

Secrets lurk behind closed doors, however, a dark truth made chillingly clear as Lachlan's efforts to prove Susie's innocence uncover an entire secret history--illicit affairs, false identities, unimaginable deception--and this brilliantly acclaimed, page-turning novel speeds toward a conclusion as shocking as it is ingenious.

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Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE




Tuesday, November 3, 1998



I'M SHOCKED. I WOKE UP AFTER FOUR HOURS' SLEEP THIS MORNING still trembling. It feels as if there's a bubble of bile at the back of my throat, ready to splatter out through my mouth if I try to speak. I was exuberantly sick in the taxi on the way home, all hot browns and greens, which is odd because I have no memory of eating for the last three days. I tipped the driver twenty and apologized over and over. He said, don't worry, pal, no bother at all, just get out for fucksake, quick, before it happens again. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the Publisher:


1. Do you have to tell a long-term serious partner everything about yourself? What if the information you're holding back could only make your partner feel inadequate or insecure or, worse, end the relationship?

2. Susie's office is so off-limits that Lachlan hesitates to enter it even after she's convicted of murder. Is it wrong to ask for a private room in a family home? Can anyone truly expect that privacy be respected? Is it different for a man than for a woman?

3. The consequences of Susie's choices cannot be concealed and affect not only her relationship with Andrew Gow and "Donna," but ultimately her entire family. Do you agree with Susie's actions? Do we choose to fall in love — is there an element of volition — or is it an accident, like falling over? Can we really be responsible for the actions that love inspires us to commit?

4. Lachlan takes particular delight in sporting his new Armani coat during Susie's trial. Is it wrong to want to look good at tragic events like funerals? Is Lachlan's vanity an indication of his indifference, or just a by-product of his privileged existence? How do the luxuries Lachlan enjoys prevent him from understanding Susie's affiliation with Andrew Gow?

5. Marzipan fuels madness in Deception. Do you think eating a lot of sugar can enhance an erotic experience? or does it just make you feel suddenly tired? What other unlikely catalysts for romance appear in the novel?

6. Lachlan's diary entries are written as he would speak. If you kept a diary, would you alter your voice in any way? Would it be for others to read? Do you think people ever tell the truth about themselves, even in something as private as a journal?

7. Yeni and Lachlan make an unlikely but quite suitable pair. How can a woman so different from Susie take Susie's place? Does Lachlan's attraction to Yeni despite their obvious differences say anything about Susie's unusual and secret love? Is one right and the other wrong?

8. At the most difficult time in his life, Lachlan refuses the help of his extended family. If you were in his shoes, would you do the same, or do you think family is the only source of comfort and strength in trying times?

9. Think of your deepest, darkest secret. Is it hidden well? If circumstances were beyond your control, would someone be able to unearth a trail to the truth?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Denise Mina's web site

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