Deception
A gripping new WW2 thriller for fans of Robert Harris and Rory Clements
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Deception
Narrated by:
Alex C. Stewart
Buy Now for £17.94
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Narrated by:
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Alex C. Stewart
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By:
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Alan Parks
New York, December 1941.
Joseph Gunner, former soldier, is off the front lines and on the streets of New York, tasked with helping tip America into the Second World War.
Working for a section of the British Secret Service, Gunner spends his days covertly encouraging pro-war sentiment through planted news stories, radio broadcasts and even blackmail.
But when a honeytrap mission with a prominent US politician goes wrong and the young woman involved is found dead, Gunner realises he has a target on his back. Who silenced her? Who knew their plan? And who has betrayed Gunner?
As he investigates, Gunner is plunged into the secretive world of Nazis in America, the NYPD and the mobs of New York, as the body count quickly stacks up. With world events accelerating, Gunner finds himself in a race against time before he becomes the next victim. Soon, he'll uncover a conspiracy that goes beyond what he thought was possible.
A riveting and atmospheric wartime thriller, Deception is the second novel in the acclaimed Joseph Gunner series.©2026 Alan Parks
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Critic reviews
Parks splendidly conjures up New York's nightlife, from the smoky jazz clubs of Harlem to WASP power brokers plotting over martinis. Gunner, badly wounded at Dunkirk and with a taste for heroin, is one of the genre's most original protagonists (Adam Le Bor)
Parks unfolds a compelling tale and Gunner proves and intriguing antihero
World War II may seem like an oversaturated setting for mystery novels, but a talented writer will always find a fresh way in. Parks introduced former Glasgow cop turned covert British operative Joe Gunner in the wonderfully grimy Gunner, and with Deception he moves the action to New York City, a place that seems both too much and not enough for our hero . . . Even though the reader knows what's ahead, Parks ably builds suspense so that the smaller snapshots of individual murders coalesce into the bigger picture of world war. Deception outdoes its series predecessor and sets things up nicely for future instalments
A hardboiled slice of espionage noir that perfectly captures New York City just before the US entry into World War II, Deception by Alan Parks takes us on a brutal journey through conspiracy, sabotage and murder as the outcome of the war balances on a knife edge. With our flawed hero Gunner caught between the darker, seedier sides of New York and the duplicity of his own leaders, this is a gritty and compelling spy story that's got plenty for crime fans too (David Goodman, author of A RELUCTANT SPY)
Deception is as good a thriller as any but what makes it special is the depiction of New York. Nickerson lives in the ultra-exclusive St Regis Hotel, but Gunner's work takes him everywhere, to the huge Brooklyn Naval Yards, to flop houses, to Harlem jazz, to blue-collar downtown. A great plot in a fabulous setting makes this a must-read
There is, inevitably, a murder. There are also Harlem jazz clubs, German spies and a sense that Parks knows exactly what he's doing. I'm thinking Tony Curran or James McArdle for the TV adaptation when it comes
Evocative, compelling and well worth a read
Parks is a natural storyteller. He has no problem slipping into the intricacies of World War II, or the New York setting. This is tense and gripping drama, a murder mystery with a strong espionage theme that really has an authentic feel
A very good read, tautly plotted and fast paced . . . Bring on the next one!
Praise for Gunner--
A notably original protagonist . . . swept up in a high-level conspiracy reaching from Whitehall's corridors of power to Berlin and Rudolf Hess's doomed flight to Scotland . . . enthralling
Perfectly captures the chaos, danger and moral mess of a world turned upside down by conflict
Parks's characters jump out at you and the story fizzes with history and colour. A brilliant thriller to kick off a new series
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