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The Bald-Faced Deception
In New York’s Finger Lakes region, danger lurks amid the small, lakeside community of Romulus.
Nick Sutton, an Army veteran, vanishes without a trace, leaving his loving wife Lindsay desperate for answers. The daughter of the town pariah, Lindsay is accustomed to gossip and ridicule, but she is stunned to discover the local mayor has motive to kill her husband. When the police and her family don’t believe her, Lindsay hatches a plan to find Nick, and pleads for help from Claudia Marton, the editor of a popular online news site.
Claudia is a crime victim herself, grappling with alopecia and a mountain of insecurity. Lindsay Sutton’s allegation piques her interest. Where is Nick Sutton, and why doesn’t anyone believe Lindsay? Is there a potential cover-up? Sparked by a cyber tip, Claudia unearths a sinister Nick Sutton’s disappearance links to a deadly plot, where people are dying, only their murders are cloaked by a clever veil.
As the body count in the Finger Lakes escalates, both Lindsay and Claudia must overcome mounting peril to expose a deceptive killer masquerading in their midst and operating on a lethal deadline.
Nick Sutton, an Army veteran, vanishes without a trace, leaving his loving wife Lindsay desperate for answers. The daughter of the town pariah, Lindsay is accustomed to gossip and ridicule, but she is stunned to discover the local mayor has motive to kill her husband. When the police and her family don’t believe her, Lindsay hatches a plan to find Nick, and pleads for help from Claudia Marton, the editor of a popular online news site.
Claudia is a crime victim herself, grappling with alopecia and a mountain of insecurity. Lindsay Sutton’s allegation piques her interest. Where is Nick Sutton, and why doesn’t anyone believe Lindsay? Is there a potential cover-up? Sparked by a cyber tip, Claudia unearths a sinister Nick Sutton’s disappearance links to a deadly plot, where people are dying, only their murders are cloaked by a clever veil.
As the body count in the Finger Lakes escalates, both Lindsay and Claudia must overcome mounting peril to expose a deceptive killer masquerading in their midst and operating on a lethal deadline.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2025
28 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 1, 2025
I am very very careful giving out 5 stars, only give a few a year max (and I read a ton) but I loved this! Read it in a little over 24 hours. I subscribe to the authors Patreon and have been dying to get my hands on the book and it did not disappoint!
May 25, 2025
Nail biter!
I couldn’t put it down! So many twists and turns, I had to keep reading to figure it out! I did not see the ending coming!
I couldn’t put it down! So many twists and turns, I had to keep reading to figure it out! I did not see the ending coming!
July 17, 2025
Great first novel. Had a lot of elements and was not predictable as some mysteries tend to be.
May 30, 2025
If you love a good mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page, The Bald-Faced Deception is a must-read. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist would throw me off track. The author does an incredible job of building suspense without giving anything away too soon. I was hooked from the first chapter, and the final reveal? Totally worth the wait. Highly recommend for fans of clever, keep you guessing reads! Try not to start the book at night, because you will stay awake way too late. Can't wait for the next book from this author.
May 28, 2025
Full disclosure: I listen to the author’s Caught In My Web podcast (an excellent podcast, btw) so I am familiar with her and her background. I didn’t know what to expect from her first book and I was pleasantly surprised at this well-written and well-plotted thriller.
Since I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, I’ll just say the story features various interconnected individuals in New York’s finger lakes region and a mystery that people will kill to keep secret. The setting is described lushly, with enough zest to make you long to be in upstate New York. The characters are nicely fleshed out, and the tie to 9/11 responders and their mysterious ailments as well as survivor’s guilt definitely raises this book above any standard mystery/thriller.
This was a good, solid read, and I’m already looking forward to Jodi’s next book!
Since I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, I’ll just say the story features various interconnected individuals in New York’s finger lakes region and a mystery that people will kill to keep secret. The setting is described lushly, with enough zest to make you long to be in upstate New York. The characters are nicely fleshed out, and the tie to 9/11 responders and their mysterious ailments as well as survivor’s guilt definitely raises this book above any standard mystery/thriller.
This was a good, solid read, and I’m already looking forward to Jodi’s next book!
July 9, 2025
Enjoyed the never ending twists in the mystery of who did it
God bless you Jodene. I wish you a long healthy life, with many more stories to come. Sorry for your struggles after 9-11. Thank you for your service and fight for justice.
God bless you Jodene. I wish you a long healthy life, with many more stories to come. Sorry for your struggles after 9-11. Thank you for your service and fight for justice.
June 12, 2025
A gripping small-town thriller, this suspenseful mystery delivers sharp twists, rich characters, and a chilling plot that keeps you guessing until the very last page.
August 18, 2025
Excellent read!!! I look forward to future novels by this author.
July 25, 2025
What a ride!! I normally a non fiction fan, so if I'm going to read a fiction novel I want it to be a page turner, intelligently written and unpredictable. This book was that and more! I loved the format of each chapter toggling between the two main characters. Their two stories cleverly woven into each other while being completely separate in a way that all makes sense in the end. Every peripheral character was specific to the overall story, not just ornamental, which made it all the more entertaining. With never ending twists, there were a couple times I said out loud to myself "What?!?" as the shock of a new revelation ended a chapter, naturally making the need to start the next chapter immediate. As I said, a page this book is a page turner, intelligent, and unpredictable.
In the acknowledgements, this debut author tells the story of her career and life experiences that lead to framework of this novel. Using her heartbreaking set of circumstances as the backstory for one of the characters really shines a light on something we should all know about but few of us think about. I applaud her vulnerability in highlighting this and hope this book brings it more to the forefront.
I can't wait to read her next book!
In the acknowledgements, this debut author tells the story of her career and life experiences that lead to framework of this novel. Using her heartbreaking set of circumstances as the backstory for one of the characters really shines a light on something we should all know about but few of us think about. I applaud her vulnerability in highlighting this and hope this book brings it more to the forefront.
I can't wait to read her next book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews