When First We Deceive

Charles Wilson, termed a "wizard plotter" by the Los Angeles Times and whose writings are compared by many to John D. McDonald, once again demonstrates why he has earned such critical acclaim in When First We Deceive, his best and most terrifying thriller to date. A most fearsome, crazed presence stalks the deep South, terrifying citizens in cities from Memphis to New Orleans to Mobile, and the FBI has set up local headquarters along the Mississippi Gulf Coast to try and put a stop to this madness. But as fearful as this lone, demented presence is, it does not compare to the evil born of a so-called sane mind bent on gratification, as all involved soon learn. Young police lieutenant Brett Dunnigan and his wife Paige Dunnigan, members of a small police force in a sleepy Mississippi coastal town, are steered to a last-minute prowler call as Brett's shift is about to end and he has already picked Paige up to celebrate their first anniversary. What they find that night changes their dreams to nightmares and starts them on an investigation fraught with terror - and ultimately puts both of their lives in danger from which there seems no escape.