The Great Deception

by Syd Moore

Enter a world of deceivers, age old magic, and a war-torn world from bestselling author Syd Moore

1940. Britain invades a neutral Iceland. Daphne Devine is dropped into occupied territory to track a clairvoyant suspected of collaborating with the Nazis. As an undercover operative Daphne must navigate her way through a strange and alien landscape, where not all visitors are welcomed with open arms. When a new lead takes her North into Strandir, the land of sorcerers, she discovers new threats and is now no longer the hunter, but the hunted. Daphne must use every ounce of cunning and craft to outwit enemy agents...

352 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Before embarking on a career in education, Syd worked extensively in the publishing industry, fronting Channel 4’s book programme, Pulp. She was the founding editor of Level 4, an arts and culture magazine, and is co-creator of Super Strumps, the game that reclaims female stereotypes.

Syd has also been a go go dancer, backing singer, subbuteo maker, children’s entertainer and performance poet, She now works for Metal Culture, an arts organisation, promoting arts and cultural events and developing literature programmes.

Syd is an out and proud Essex Girl and is lucky enough to live in that county where she spends her free time excavating old myths and listening out for things that go bump in the night.

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Great Deception, Syd Moore’s follow-up to The Grand Illusion, we’re reunited with magician’s-assistant-turned-war-spy Daphne Devine as she goes undercover in Iceland. Her mission: to investigate a stage clairvoyant who may be betraying his country, and retrieve a powerful grimoire before the Nazis get their hands on it.

As you’d expect, Daphne – still emotionally recovering from the events of the previous book – faces danger at every turn, whether that’s from hostile humans, the country’s unforgiving landscape, or even mystical forces that are bigger than both. Journeying into the wintery wilderness with her local contacts, can she keep the show on the road and achieve her objective?

When I reviewed The Grand Illusion, I described it as ‘fascinating’ and ‘exciting’. Exactly the same words came to mind as I read The Great Deception, and why find synonyms when the appropriate words are right there?

Having recently got a small taste of Iceland’s Second World War experience in Eva Björg Ægisdóttir’s Home Before Dark, I seized the chance to learn more about it. When Daphne arrives in 1940, the country has just been occupied by British and Canadian soldiers – a situation most, but not all, Icelanders find preferable to the alternative.

Hence, Daphne’s orders to look into Sindri Karlsson, a psychic suspected of being a Nazi sympathiser. In the guise of a journalist for The Times, Daphne – alongside her Icelandic contact, real journalist Anna Tómasdóttir – attends one of Karlsson’s shows, as well as a private séance.

On the surface, at least, Karlsson seems like the real deal, but because of her background, Daphne knows about cold reading and the arts of distraction and illusion, and (I found the way this was done so, so clever) she and Anna formulate a theory that he’s using his shows to pass traitorous messages to those who know where to look.

Even so, the possibility of the supernatural isn’t completely banished. Strange happenings at the show and séance, an alarmingly accurate vision, and even a sighting of a ghost aren’t entirely explained away by sleight of hand, lucky guesses, or a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And then there’s the grimoire that’s everyone’s focus, which is triply powerful in that it contains spells, is an enchanted object in and of itself (a magical book is literary catnip for me!), and is something Hitler is desperate to possess. Its present guardians absolutely believe in it, while Daphne and Anna concur that they don’t not believe in the supernatural.

Of course, Iceland’s early nights, Northern Lights, and unpredictable weather conditions and tectonic movements bolster the eerie atmosphere, transporting me to a place that’s so otherworldly in its stark beauty, anything could happen.

Daphne continues to be an appealing, sympathetic character who’s, refreshingly, no gung-ho war hero. She’s highly conscientious and cautious, often worrying that she’s not the right person for the job (her principal motivation is getting her Italian mother freed from an internment camp on the Isle of Wight), that she’ll accidentally blow her cover, or that she’ll have to resort to violence. She’s also highly resourceful, drawing on her stage skills when required, and struggles to be taken seriously by the men in charge, even though they deployed her for a reason.

Through Daphne, and more generally, The Great Deception never loses sight of the tragedy of war. As mentioned, Daphne is still mentally scarred by her experiences in The Grand Illusion, and anxious for her loved ones. Many of the people she meets have lost someone in the present or previous war, some bearing it stoically and others, like a woman she meets at the séance, becoming catatonic with grief. As Moore points out, with so much loss affecting everyone, it’s logical that psychic mediums were so popular during this period.

The Great Deception is fascinating, exciting – and more than a little eerie.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series starring Daphne Devine, a former magicians assistant now British Security Service agent, during WWII. This time Daphne Devine, aka Daphne Dione-Smith, has been sent to Iceland with a cover story of writing about the occupation for The Times. She is actually looking for an Icelandic national who is believed to be supplying information to Germany and a grimoire, a magical book, that Hitler wants, at any cost. Clearly well researched and fascinating in that I knew very little about Iceland during WWII.

Briefly, on 10 May 1940 Britain invaded neutral Iceland with the intention of keeping the Nazi regime out of the country, due to the island's strategic importance. Daphne is there looking for Sindri Karlsson, a clairvoyant, which seemed like a simple task. With the help of her translator, real journalist Anna Tómasdóttir, they work out how he is passing information on. But there are still occurrences not explainable rationally. With the grimoire still missing Daphne, Anna and Anna’s cousin travel to the inhospitable and mystical north in search of this magical item.

I’m really enjoying Daphnes adventures. She’s a great character, not a James Bond type spy she is considered, careful, courageous and very determined - and she has her own reasons for working undercover. The magical elements seem to fit perfectly with the cold barren landscape outside of the cities. A captivating historical fiction spy thriller with mystical elements and some great characters. An entertaining read.
4.5⭐️

[B.S. Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The simple fact of the matter is that Syd Moore is a witch. Back hundreds of years ago, she would’ve intimidated and scared men with her creativity, her ability to weave words and stories, her boldness and command of feminine power. Let’s be honest, men are probably still intimidated by her but we’re not locking people up in Colchester Gaol for witchcraft anymore.

Her writing is quite simply magical — it’s vivid, transporting you to other times and places in such visceral ways that are so captivating and inescapable. In the Great Deception, Moore reimagines one of the most devastating periods in human history in a world with hidden, secret powers to create an eerie, uncomfortable kind of blur between fiction and reality, drawing on the real-life panic about psychics and witches that always seems to rear it's head again in wartime.

Moore has nailed a historical wartime style, mixing an almost formal way of narrating with stunning detail and an emotive punch — but added her own flair, a way of bringing a fullness to characters, of having an air of mystery hanging over even the most mundane of scenes. Blending simple linear prose with snippets of media, it really captures the time period and the fear of the era. Another stellar story from Moore.

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in this enthralling historical story, based on real events, and the fabulous lead character Daphne is out on her own this time on a mission in Iceland. And I immediately found this a much clippier book to read than the first book which set the scene for the time in history and introduced us to the main characters.

She's in Iceland to investigate people in the area as the British have arrived to secure the area during the War and the local people are carrying on their lives as normal. She is paired up with Anne, a local, and I loved the dynamics between the 2 and you really get a better sense of Daphne as a character this story as she comes into her own while investigating a medium and I love how their minds worked to analyse all that they see, and hear!

Once again she's not afraid to put herself in harms way and there's some real cloak and dagger stuff going on and I also loved how the plot added various twists and looks at the more mystical aspects of the world, looking into Icelandic traditions too - the setting really adds such a wonderful backdrop to the story and made it such a delight to read! Really excited to see what she gets up to next as she's become a real favourite character of mine!

[Silver Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2nd instalment in this series about Daphne Devine, a former magician assistant turned secret undercover operative during WW2 is exciting, gripping and full of mystery.

In this story Daphne is sent to occupied & allied Iceland disguised as a journalist to write about a medium who claims to speak to the dead & uncover whether he is working secretly as an agent communicating with the Nazis. She ends up on the trail through northern Strandir and uncovers a lot more than she expected.

I really liked Daphne; resourceful, cunning and brave. I also enjoyed the exploration again of the Nazi obsession with the occult which was done so well in the first book.

The setting is like another character in the book with beautiful descriptions of the dark & shadowy landscape which reflects the secret filled, tense investigation.

Never read a WW2 book set in Iceland and I really enjoyed!
Thank you to Random Tours and the author for the free copy for an honest review.

[Ember · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was interested to see how the occult would entwine with such a well known historical event and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the story unravelled. Daphne is a strong, interesting character, as are several of the other main characters throughout the book. The storyline itself is very captivating, I managed to read the whole book in one sitting.

Usually I tend to guess the outcomes of a story but with The Great Deception I was constantly left guessing what happened next and how certain things that were said early on in the book would fall into place at the end. I would genuinely love to see a sequel and find out what awaits Daphne in the future after such an interesting ending!

If you are looking for a book that mixes history and the occult in a very believable way then this is the book for you.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the first book The Grand Illusion yet so parts of the story lost me a little. I will be giving it a read at some point because I found Daphne a fascinating character, and I loved the occult elements of the story.

My first venture into a Syd Moore book was The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas, so I kinda new what to expect from her writing style...which is absolutely stunning! The world building, her characters and the plot (obviously) were insanely good and I couldn't tear myself away from the pages.

A mysterious and captivating read.

[Julie-ann Corrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite delight of a novel.
Sensory and tactile storytelling, thrilling, compelling and original.
Highly recommended.

[Emma Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

🧡 Blurb -
Enter a world of deceivers, age old magic, and a war-torn world from bestselling author Syd Moore
1940. Britain invades a neutral Iceland. Daphne Devine is dropped into occupied territory to track a clairvoyant suspected of collaborating with the Nazis. As an undercover operative Daphne must navigate her way through a strange and alien landscape, where not all visitors are welcomed with open arms. When a new lead takes her North into Strandir, the land of sorcerers, she discovers new threats and is now no longer the hunter, but the hunted. Daphne must use every ounce of cunning and craft to outwit enemy agents...
💙 Review -
Even though I hadn't read the first book in the series, I still enjoyed the novel and I soon understood what was going on. I found the story enjoyable and entertaining and it's obvious that the author has done their research for the book as the attention to detail was spot on. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to Random Things Tours, the author and publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm grateful to the publisher for sending me a copy of The Great Deception to consider for review, and to Anne Cater for inviting me to join the book's blogtour.

Sequel to The Grand Illusion, The Great Deception is Moore's continuation of the story of Daphne Devine. As prequels set several decades before her Essex Witches novels, I simply had to read to these book, and they don't disappoint.

The Great Deception finds Daphne assigned on a dangerous mission in Iceland as part of her work for Section W, the branch of Second World War British military intelligence tasked with all things supernatural - or potentially supernatural. Here, the ostensible target is a clairvoyant, Karlsson, who may or may not be able to foretell the future and may or may not be passing secrets to the Germans. Britain has occupied Ireland to prevent it being used as a German base, but the position of the island hangs in the balance, so anything that could tip things one way or another might be very important.

The story intrigues in a number of ways. First, Daphne herself, as Moore draws her, is a fascinating character, a very strong and strong-minded woman in an age which is still deeply, deeply patriarchal. The officers with whom she deals here are clearly not comfortable with an intelligent, assertive woman and even Septimus, who will be important to her future, doesn't treat her well. Yet Daphne persists. Next, this is a genuinely interesting and eye-opening exploration of a little known aspect of WW2. The whole occupation of Iceland, going rather against the grain of the early war, raises intriguing questions of power and collaboration which we normally see from a rather different perspective. The situation of Iceland itself is also interesting, a very poor country at the time and also a remote one but not, of course, subject to the same restrictions (or to attacks) as Britain itself so rather a haven for Daphne.

Finally, there's the whole magic/ supernatural angle. Books about WW2 magic are starting to appear in numbers, I think perhaps Syd Moore set a trend here, but readers of the earlier story and of course the Essex Witch novels will know that this author is then canny about how she uses the idea of magic. You never quite know what to believe - and that goes as much for Daphne as for us!

So when Daphne decides - and she does take the decision, in the end she choose not to trust the chain of command - that urgent action is needed, and forms her own small taskforce to undertake it, much of the focus in the story is on the material factors: the cold, availability of food, the strained relations between Daphne, her local contact Anna, their minder Björn and of course Karlssen. Daphne's forced to pick her way through what is a tense and thriller-y novel, chasing down leads and pursuing the truth - all while surviving threats from Nazi agents and the condescension of her own superiors.

Whether there's a real supernatural threat is another thing entirely, but even here, Daphne has her instincts which, we know, have guided her before. In the land of the Northern Lights, and approaching a a region rumoured to be the home of dark magic and of evil, anything may be possible.

I really enjoyed The Great Deception. It's a story with great drive - you WILL keep turning these pages - and very solidly located in its time and place, as well as having a real element of jeopardy and danger. Daphne's wrestling with guilt at some of the things she's done and at other she may have to: and there is business here that she darkly accepts she will have to deal with later, once the immediate danger is over. The story is also though, in places, very funny!