Wow, and really wow. I have read each and every one of Ms Barnes' books, and this was another killer!! The book was so well written, I couldn't put it down, and kept on turning pages, and turning pages.... the descriptions of prison life were well done, and I felt a lot of sympathy for the conditions that the women had to live under. I must however say... I did not see the ending coming. I really had a WTF moment.....
Highly, and I mean it sincerely, highly recommended!

This is a new brilliant modern thriller by this author. Full of excitement and a fast pace. Well worth reading.

It's difficult to believe I only read my first Kerry Barnes book at the beginning of this year. This is now the 4th one I have read. I have to say from first reading 'Cruel Secrets' I was blown away with the talent this author has for writing.
I am truly thankful that a twitter friend messaged me and told me I needed to read 'Cruel Secrets' that I would really enjoy it, because if he hadn't told me, then I would not have gone on to read some of the other books and I wouldn't have read this one yet.
​Deceit, compared to Kerry's other books, for me felt like a little bit of a slow starter, building up gradually getting you familiar with characters and surroundings. Engaging you slowly into a story that explodes and becomes gripping. I bought the Audible copy of the book so I could read when I felt like reading, and then continue to listen when I had things I needed to do. I flew through my whole house cleaning away while listening, and didn't feel as though I'd been cleaning. I loved listening it. I have to say though the accents done in the audio book at times really felt like I was listening to characters from EastEnders. Brilliantly done.
The tale of how life can change in a heartbeat. Not only for you, but for those around you. Who can be trusted, who should you believe.
I have to say the twists in this book were first class, just brilliant. I really wasn't expecting what I read.
Kerry has a great knack for engaging the reading, dragging you into the pages, becoming part of the story yourself.
There was some great turns in this story, that I just didn't see coming. Brilliantly put together tale of 'deceit'

This is a tale of betrayal, manipulation and deceit. Kara has the perfect job, house and boyfriend. Her life seems to be well planned and executed, at least from the outside. Inside is a different matter. In reality her life is slowly crumbling like a piece of old bread.

In the blink of an eye everything goes from rocky to complete destruction. Her boyfriend decides to leave her and that is the beginning of the end. The very next day Kara ends up behind bars. Perfect life waves bye bye, as it disappears into the distance.

Let me just say that although her lawyer mounts an interesting defence and yes it is a valid defence, I still think her actions show a level of worryingly destructive behaviour. Not just an accident or an afterthought. It is a planned annihilation.

Both Kara and Justin are unaware that their every move is being manipulated by someone who has an invested interest in keeping them apart. Someone who is capable of lying about everything.

I just have to have a little moan about the part in the story that infuriated me the most. (Without giving anything away) When Justin decides he can not only swoop in and take what is rightfully ‘his’, when he did it with the support of the newbie – I wanted to slap him round the head.

I can imagine estate dwellers feeling a wee bit stereotyped in this book. Not that there aren’t people who talk like that and swear a lot, and perhaps make up a large percentage of the prison population and or criminal element in the UK. There are also plenty who have careers and don’t aspire to be the next inmate in their local prison.

I absolutely understand that the author wanted to point out how strong the connections are between the people who live in environments that are often low socio-economic areas, and how strong bonds can be forged in prison.

Barnes places all her players on the table where the readers can see them and then proceeds to play a game of screwed-up chess. The reader can see what is coming, but isn’t able to predict everything because the author brings out the occasional twist in the story. It’s an emotional psychological thriller.

Loved this will definitely be seeking out more books from this author....definitely in the same league as Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole!

What a great story! This is a fast paced thriller which kept me in suspense right up until the end. Kerry Barnes has done a great job - a cleverly written plot, good characters and a twist at the end. What more could you want! Can thoroughly recommend this book and will be reading more from this author.

What a story!!! Well probably better to say a whole host of stories that intertwine to make the main story!
A bit action, some suspense, some thriller, a dose of psychological, romance, murder, revenge and counter revenge!
It really is all here in this book, told in easy narrative and in a ‘real life’ gritty and uncensored style
I did think at times the book repeated itself and ‘went on a bit’ but with so many sub stories and plots this meant you had no chance of forgetting things, the language in keeping with the story was ‘ripe’! the part of the book set in a women’s prison may take a few chapters to adjust to the ‘prison lingo’ between characters ( as a Prisoner Cell Block H and Wentworth fan this didnt phase me )
The book ends with a real humdinger of a surprise and totally turns the tables on what I had been thinking about the main character and where the book was leading you to, the author very cleverly ‘deceievd’ the reader ....terrific ending 😃😎
An involved book yet it was easy to pick up and get back into, I would definitely read more from the author
9/10 4.5 stars ( rounded up to 5 on Amazon and Goodreads etc )

OMFG this book….. Left me speechless!
I have read all of Kerry’s books apart from her last one Wicked Lies which I am now dying to read. I had actually forgotten how good a writer Kerry is...who by the way, has totally smashed it. This is one of those books that I feel the need to shout from the rooftops about. It is absolutely freaking mind blowing.

I went into this not reading the blurb which is nothing new for me has most of you know. So I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I have to say that when I started it I kept thinking to myself, is this the right book that I'm reading because to me it didn't feel like a Kerry Barnes story at all. I actually thought for a moment that she had changed genre….Boy how wrong was I!!

Imagine living in a beautiful home, having brilliant job and a boyfriend to lose it all in a matter of three days. Well this is exactly what happens to Kara Bannon

Starting of a little slower than what I would normally expect from Kerry, Which gives us some brilliant character build up. The author leads the leads the reader into a false pretense. Then steps up a pace that hits you in the face.When the story takes a turn that I wasn't expecting, that was it for me I couldn't but it down. Unlucky for me I had to go to work though where I dying to get back from work to read it.

Has always Kerry does a brilliant job of bringing the characters to life and making them jump out the page.Feeling their emotions you cannot help but get totally wrapped up in this story. There are characters that you will love and hate. Without giving anything away there is one in particular who I just wanted to punch in the face. But you will have to read it for yourself to see who I am talking about.

Just when you think you have it all worked out BOOM the author throws in another shocking twist. Honestly I thought my heart was going to explode on more than one occasion. I lost count of how many times I said OH MY GOD and found myself screaming at my kindle.

Deceit has more twists and turns than a roller coaster, so be prepared for the white knuckle ride of your life. …..Oh and the ending! Kerry... what are you doing to me…. I wasn't expecting that. This is without a doubt her best book yet. I cannot recommend it enough giving it all the freaking stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Kara and Justin are living together when their lives are blown apart by his infidelity. Kara finds herself in prison after setting their house on fire. This is a story of secrets and betrayal. It is also a story of kinship and loyalty where Kara would least expect to find it.

Kara finds herself embraced by a group of women in the prison when she uses her medical skills to help the leader. This is a gritty portrayal of life in prison where you have to fight for everything, your food, your safety and especially for respect.

There are some seriously good twists in this story and the ending was very surprising. A very enjoyable read and I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.

What a cracking book, Kara & Justin are a couple that has everything, a nice home, good jobs, holidays.
Then Lucy comes into their lives!!!
From here the story takes some great twists and turns and becomes quite sinister. Ending up with Kara on remand in prison for burning down there home.
Here she meets Deni as well as some other great characters, who get her through and "toughen" her up.
The story is gripping and had me totally absorbed and at times made me gasp out loud. It had a great twist at the end just to keep us readers on our toes. Loved this book and highly recommend it.
Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity.

This is my first book from Kerry Barnes. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The author started the story off with a bang and the twists and turns continued throughout the story. If you are a fan of crime fiction, you should pick up DECEIT.

This is the first Kerry Barnes book that I have read and it will definitely not be the last. I was gripped from the start. There were so many twists that I did not see coming. I was totally immersed in this book. The plot is very clever and put together really well. There is a lot packed into this book. I was totally caught up in Karas story and what the ending would be.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book was very good .
Kara was mixed up and found she was pregnant .
She was put in Jail for putting her home up in flames .
Lucy was her sister and she was rotten .
Thank you for HQ Digital for the ARC

This is a new author for me. The fast paced thriller kept me guessing to the end. There were many twists and turns that caught me by surprise. The vulgar language was a huge turn off for me and the dialect was hard to decipher at times, The British prison system as described seemed very accommodating which I thought unusual. Overall, I did enjoy the book.

Kerry Barnes is a new author to me and I really enjoyed this book. With excellent characterisation, a well thought-out plot, great vivid descriptions and brilliant suspense, I found myself completely immersed in the story and read it over a couple of nights.
If you love a good crime thriller I would certainly recommend Deceit and look forward to reading more from this talented author.

Thank you!

"Deceit" is the six crime thriller from writer Kerry Barnes that is perfect for fans of Jacqui Rose, Kimberley Chambers, and Martina Cole. Many of her books feature stories that have their basis in gangs and the "laws" of gangland warfare and the lifestyle that comes as a result. Her background is in science, namely medicine but she has more reccently discovered that she has a deep love for both reading and writing. She highlights that her stories feature some of her life experiences although she likes to leave the matter of which of those storylines have elements based in reality to us, her readers!

Usually, when I read books that are heavily gang-based, they tend to be written be men so I am pleasantly surprised to find a title in a similar vein written by a woman and - most importantly - it is just as downright thrilling as anything a man can write! The story had me engaged and interested within a few pages of picking it up and the author's writing stype definitely helped in that. It's very easy-to-follow and flowed well. I'll tell you how gripped I was - I missed the television programmes I usually watch religiously because I simply couldn't stop thinking about what would happen. Constantly exploring the possible options in my mind to the point where I may have been watching the T.V. but in name only. So, I went right back to reading and knew there wouldn't be much point trying to sleep before finishing it as my mind would be racing, as before.

I really appreciated how Barnes made the gang world seem more feminine than it actually is. She main topics she explores is that of revenge as well as the often associated causes and effects - lies, secrets, manipulation - DECEIT! Deeper issues with a tie to gangs are also looked at such as class and racial prejudice, which can be both causes of becoming involved in a less than moral lifestyle or effects too.

One last word, if you're not a fan of books steeped in vulgar language then maybe give this one a miss. That being said, I don't feel the author overused it or used it gratuitously and I can see why she decided to use it in the places she did. It fits the story too. Hard-hitting, intelligently written, with characters who are both deeply flawed and realistic and a thoroughly enjoyable conclusion. I truly loved this story.

Many thanks to HQ Digital for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed reading this although I did find it a little predictable and far-fetched. I read this on Kindle and noted that there were some formatting problems with many words running into each other. I am sure the publisher will address this prior to publication.

Still a good read in the crime genre category. Recommended.

Deceit was a good, addictive read by Kerry Barnes. I always enjoy reading these books and this one kept me engrossed, especially the second half of the book. Plenty of twists and a good plot but I really wanted to shake Kara! Take this on holiday with you. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook, Amazon to follow.

Wow another great page turner by Kerry I couldn’t put it down. This is a gripping riveting read from page one and twists and turns right to the end. I highly recommend this book.

Deceit by Kerry Barnes, oh wow what an amazing, heart racing, fabulous contemporary psychological thriller. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down.
The novel breaks down long held preconceptions as we enter the world of a women's psyche and see inside the prison walls - both literal and psychological. The walls we build in our mind are as much a barrier as actual brick walls. Life deals us a certain hand, what we do with it is up to us but we must remember "actions have consequences." No matter how much "I wish I could turn the clock back," we cannot.
The novel is about truth and lies. "Plotting the next lie." It is up to the reader to work out the fact from the fiction. The problem with lies, is the more we tell, the deeper we go until even we find it hard to distinguish the truth.
There is the "power of knowledge." An education informs but knowledge can be "good and bad... [it] can heal and can kill." It is up to us to behave morally and conscientiously.
Class prejudices and misconceptions are broken down. There is a wonderful unity and camaraderie of the women in the novel. Those who have it all, seem to keep it all. Those who have nothing, are generous with the little they have. "When you have [nothing]... you tend to share what you have."
Envy is a dangerous thing. Envy is not a good motivator. Beware of wanting to walk in another's shoes, the walk is not always as rosy as you think. We all hide secrets.
A word of caution - there is a lot of bad language in this novel but it does add to the realism. The characters would not be speaking the Queen's English. Their manner of speech merely serves to produce characters in glorious 3D.
I absolutely loved Deceit. I thought the plotline was cleverly constructed. The ending was brilliant, very cleverly conceived by Kerry Barnes. I loved the characters - tough, rough and ready, strong women with mouths like sewers but with hearts of pure gold.
Deceit would make a fabulous ITV drama - producers out there please take note. I can picture Joanne Froggatt in the leading role.
Absolutely fantastic. I will be reading more by Kerry Barnes.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.