Kelley Armstrong (Visions) returns to Cainsville, Ill., for more mayhem and magic as her series continues to shift toward a more traditional urban fantasy than apparent in the beginning.
In the previous installments, Olivia Taylor Jones--born Eden Larsen--learned her biological parents are incarcerated serial killers, the town of Cainsville is host to two fae factions, and she has nascent supernatural powers because of a blood connection to them. Now living in Chicago and researching her parents' case with lawyer Gabriel Walsh, Olivia has to contend with her ex-fiancé, James, who stalks her, while trying to nurture her fledgling relationship with good-hearted biker Ricky and ignoring her romantic feelings for Gabriel. The mysteries of her past continue to tug at her in the form of gruesome, fever-inducing visions about figures from fae lore. To further complicate matters, the fae refuse to share information about Olivia's visions or her parents, and despite offers of protection or alliance, Gabriel and Olivia remain convinced none of them are trustworthy.
In Deceptions, Armstrong moves the series forward with a few startling revelations about Olivia's parents and childhood and with a game-changing disclosure that sets up the next volume in the planned series of five. Cainsville fans will welcome the growing tension in the Olivia-Gabriel-Ricky love triangle. While Armstrong doesn't forget to add plenty of action, her main emphasis is establishing characters' relationships as she sets the board for a latter half of a series already filled with twists. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads