I thought I understood the UK’s spy cops scandal, as it became known in the media, yet reading ‘Deep Deception’ made me realise that the undercover police operation lasted years longer than I thought. Co-written by Alison, Belinda, Helen Steel, Lisa, and Naomi, ‘Deep Deception’ unravels their experiences of romantic relationships with men they discovered were undercover police officers.

‘Deep Deception’ is a gripping insight into what it means to discover that everything you thought you understood was built on a house of lies. It also explores what it means to go up against the very systems—the Met police and, ultimately, the State—that many people believe should protect them.

Had to keep reminding myself that this was real life and not a fictional story because it was so unbelievable and shocking at times. Really gripping, and definitely deserves a bigger audience as the story is so important.

An interesting and gripping account which at times read like fiction rather than fact. This was eye opening and helped shed a light on a terrible problem.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

The years of deception alone is shocking. That these undercover officers targeted and formed intimate relationships with these law abiding women is horrific. A brave testament which should be read widely.
Thanks to the authors, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The Deception Is Astounding…
Five incredibly brave, tenacious women tell their story. Reading like a piece of psychological fiction of the worst and of the highest order, this is a true account. The deception is astounding, the sheer arrogance of these men in power is shameful, the coercive control and deliberate abusive manipulation both harrowing and unbelievable. That this could happen in a supposed democracy will leave the reader aghast. These incredible women then fought the system which was against them in an effort to get some sort of justice, although their lives were in pieces, They can never forget. We should make sure that they are not forgotten. I truly hope that this book is given the widest audience possible. Brava.

I've read quite a few books recently about brave undercover policemen risking their lives to bring down violent gangs and drug dealing rings. "Deep Deception" however is the shocking true story of how a number of undercover officers not only infiltrated various activist groups but entered into intimate relationships with female members of the groups they were surveilling ,sometimes for years,and even in some cases having children with their victims. These were not violent groups,they were protest groups and organisations like Greenpeace and the sheer number of such organisations under police surveillance as revealed in this book is mind-blowing and more the kind of thing most would associate with the Stasi.
The women were not revolutionaries threatening to overturn the state,they were people engaging in protest by legal means taken in by men trained to lie and use people.

The book is co-written by a group of women who were duped into relationships with undercover policemen and tells not only of the duplicitous way they were reeled in but also of their long fight afterwards to get the Metropolitan Police to acknowledge what had gone on,admit liability and apologise.. Sadly I don't think right now anyone will be surprised at how badly the Met handled the whole situation, trying to obfuscate,bully the brave women and generally fight tooth and nail to evade responsibility let alone show any contrition.

As I read this the words of Tony Blair were in my head when he once berated a journalist, "Is he trying to say this is a police state? ". Unknown to most the covert police operation targeting people and organisations who were mostly peaceful protesters, held meetings and handed out leaflets cost millions of pounds and went on for over 20 years was still ongoing at that time........so ,Tony, "he" was right. While the level of state surveillance revealed in this book is quite mind-blowing it's the story of those used and abused by various police officers for the sake of of credibility with their targets ,the psychological after-effects of that abuse and their fight for justice.

There are women who decided they were not going to accept that the state and its minions could treat them as they wished and leave them damaged, women who took on the force of the Met's whitewash team and a legal system stacked against those it claims to exist to protect.

As much as I respect the police,not least those brave and resourceful enough to go undercover, there is no police officer involved in this operation that shouldn't be hanging their head in shame.It's also (yet) another disgraceful chapter in the murky and squalid history of the Metropolitan Police.

The women who decided not to be victims fought long and hard just to be believed,this is their story and it deserves a wide audience.