Darkest Deceit: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by Michael Layne

When Gale Foster enters the abandoned old mansion on Halloween night, she’s ready to celebrate her 26th birthday with her new boyfriend and a couple of friends. But as they explore the ancient house, Gale begins to question her companions’ intentions and loyalties.

As her paranoia deepens, she becomes more and more convinced that no one is who they say they are and that a dark figure from a fateful night in her past is inside the mansion with them, hungry for vengeance.

Will Gale be forced to relive the deadly events that changed her life forever and hope she can survive a second time? Or will she at last reveal the horrible secret she’s kept locked inside for the last ten years and finally embrace her own darkest deceit?

Genres: Thriller

271 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2024

About the author

Michael Layne lives in Ashburn, VA where he writes psychological and other thrillers. He also writes under M.W. Layne

Reviews

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Michael Layne and Netgalley.
Short review for a darned good tale!
I thought this was one nicely effed up story. Man oh man! The different levels of deceit and funked-up-edn
ess....
I had a great time with this.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great mystery with lots of suspense and interesting characters! I had a hard time putting this down because I wanted to know what would happen! If you enjoy thrillers I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Michael Lane and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Tara Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel and it kept me engaged the entire time. The different character POVs and Timeline changes were easy to follow. The characters were all interesting and got more intriguing as the story unfolded. The setting was intense, spooky and really helped keep me on edge.

I absolutely recommend reading this book.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, MW Layne, for entrusting me to be a beta reader for Darkest Deceit. I've read several of the authors books, and I am astounded how engaging and addictive each book that he writes. The premise immediately immerses you into a relentless and exciting ride. The complex, strong characters, masterfully placed clues, suspense builds steadily, and shocking ending. It was impossible to put down. A must read.

[Kalah · Rating 5 out of 5]

First all, thank you MW Layne for letting me be a beta reader for Darkest Deceit! This is the second psychological thriller of his that I've read and it's just as good as The Control ( if you haven't tried it out, definitely check it out!)

Darkest Deceit tells the story of Gale who gets an unexpected visit from a high school friend, Mary on her birthday. Gale, Dan, her boyfriend, and Mary and Bob, her boyfriend, all go to visit a local haunted house that is set to be torn down soon. While there, Mary's boyfriend goes missing. The rest of the group sets out to find out where Bob has disappeared to and to determine if tonight's events are linked to Gale and Mary' high school past....

The characters in the story are all very well written. From the start, you immediately get vibes about the characters. The house is described so well that I was able to imagine the rooms as they were going through them and was able to smell the musty air. While the book does go from different POVs and time frames, Layne has written it in a way that is easy to follow. And the twist at the end was so far from expected! 🤯

I highly highly recommend this one!

[Rachel M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you very much, NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
I found this to be an excellent and engrossing story with well-developed characters. The narrative is presented from the perspectives of various characters and across different timelines, yet it remains easy to follow. It is a thrilling journey with numerous unexpected twists and a mind-blowing conclusion. I highly recommend this thrilling read!

[TheLisaD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was soooo good like watching a slasher movie but in book form. I was hooked from the start and with everything going on it was super easy to not want to put the book down. I feel like this was such a different story from other thriller types I’ve read and I’m very excited to see what’s else Michael Layne has.

[Monique Aronsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book had me hooked from the beginning!!
Excellent

[kimberly schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good thriller

[Jordan Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you MW for this ARC!

This was a ride from start to finish. I wasn’t sure what the expect when it first began, since it started at a gym. But the story picks up really quickly and the pace doesn’t slow down.

I really have come to enjoy books that have alternating perspectives, and I think this book handles it really well in helping you get more insight, without fully spoiling any reveals. This book had a lot of twists - and I don’t think I was right about any of them (which I love). You go through the book, anticipating a reveal - but for most of the characters, I definitely didn’t expect it.

What kind of took me out of it a little bit was how much some of the characters can endure… not saying this book was going for realism, but it just felt like some of it felt a bit unrealistic.

But other than that, I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author!

[Destini Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was such a good book!! Sooo many good twists! I read it in 3 days, it had me hooked!! The author did an amazing job at keeping you engaged. Also one of the easiest books to follow that I’ve read. It does switch between person and timeline sometimes but the author puts in parenthesis if it’s a flashback which made it so easy to keep up with, I really appreciated that because sometimes books get really confusing when they switch between different timelines, but not this one. It also switches narrative to all of the different characters at some point which is really awesome and executed extremely well. It really makes you feel connected to each and every person. I loved this book and I’m already recommended it to my friends! And the ending…mind blown!! I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for any story involving an abandoned mansion, and this one did not disappoint! It centers on Gale, whose boyfriend takes her to an old mansion that had been used as a haunted house for her birthday/Halloween before it gets torn down. Her former best friend and her boyfriend show up out of the blue so they come along. Once they are all inside, Gale realizes that everyone she is with has some kind of ulterior motive and she must outsmart them to make it out alive. You also get some chapters told from when Gale and Mary were in high school relating to events that happened then which are now seemingly catching up with them.

This was a quick read that was action-packed the whole way through. I thought that the mixture of the old mansion and the abandoned haunted house materials made for a creepy experience. While I liked Gale, I did think that the thought processes of some of the other characters were flawed. I thought the author did a good job of tying the different pieces of the storyline together in a cohesive manner, though. I could have done without so many fight scenes; that is not really my cup of tea and there were a great deal of them, which felt a bit repetitive. I liked the ending, which contained a surprise twist. Though it verged on unrealistic, it was a good way to wrap up the story.

Overall, fun read with a great creepy setting. I'd recommend it to those who like haunted house type books. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel had me from the first page, something about the authors writing style and his approach to the story, I couldn't put it down. The twists in this novel are crazy, you can't even count them, haha.
The novel is told in present and past tense and in a few of the characters voices. It's all really easy to follow. The story takes place over the course of less than 24 hours and it's such a wild ride. Every time you think you know what will happen next, nope something else happens. I loved the setting and loved and hated the characters, in a good way, all at the same time
This is the first novel by Michael Layne but certainly not the last!

[Hijabi_booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is narrated in the voices of a few characters in both the present and past tenses. It's all quite simple to understand. The story is such an incredible roller coaster, taking place in less than a day. Every time you believe you know what's going to happen next, something unexpected always occurs. I simultaneously adored and detested the characters in a positive sense, as well as the surroundings. This is my first book by this author, I am in an indie group that promotes authors, when he announced this book. I was so excited to get my hands on an ARC, thank you for giving me the change to read a copy of this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[LittleMiss_BookBetch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure three can keep a secret if two of them are dead…but there’s more than 3 people and everyone has multiple secrets! This was a twisted plot with slasher vibes. I really enjoyed reading it can’t say I enjoyed all the characters but the story kept me intrigued and then ending tied everything up very well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Layne for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
I am definitely in the minority here according to the reviews. But this was just a pass for me. I felt like I was reading a teenagers diary entry and the characters were all a bit over the top unrealistic and annoying really. I feel like it is very rushed. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Alora Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn’t enjoy this book. The plot was a little convoluted and ridiculous. The characters were honestly a bit intolerable, and I couldn’t find myself rooting for any of them. Also the twists were just not good.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

[Alicia L · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just not for me, but may be for others. It was violent and gory with characters surviving with what seemed to be superhuman strength. If you like that kind of thing, this is the book for you.

[Dana Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
When you’re locked in an abandoned haunted house with people you probably shouldn’t trust on Halloween, what could possibly go wrong?
Short answer-all the things!