Guile

by Geoffrey Neil

What You Don't Know Will Hurt You.Ian Shaw's life completely unravels in the wake of a devastating breakup with Kate, the love of his life. Drowning in despair, Ian tries to numb his pain with alcohol, which only sends him spiraling deeper into depression and self-destruction. When his worried family arranges an intervention, Ian's fury clashes with their desperate concern, fracturing relationships. Reluctantly, Ian agrees to be whisked away to a secluded treatment center. Hidden in a rural haven, the luxurious resort promises to cure his addiction and rekindle his will to live. But the veneer of opulence at the far away paradise soon reveals sinister cracks. Ian grapples with inexplicable staff behavior and the peculiar restrictions imposed upon him. Day by day, the chilling truth behind his stay becomes clear, forcing Ian to unlock the secrets of his beguiling predicament before it exacts a price more horrific than he could have imagined.

Ian's race against time becomes a battle for his very survival as he navigates a deadly maze of deception and deceit. Will he unravel the malevolent truth hidden behind the facades of luxury and compassion? Or will he become yet another victim in a sticky web of guile? This story will grip you, keeping you riveted from cover to cover.

Brace yourself and take a heart-thumping ride through Guile, an immersive journey that will haunt your thoughts long after the final chapter.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2020

About the author

Geoffrey Neil, his wife and talkative son live in Los Angeles with a useless, ungrateful fish that Geoffrey threatens at least once daily. Completing a novel is a grueling process for Geoffrey, but he can't break his writing obsession even though he likes sleep, TV and people more than keyboards. His stories use disturbing implications more than graphic depictions to provide a satisfying thrill with little blood--a tactic many readers find equally assaulting on the senses. Geoffrey's overactive imagination and genuine fear of almost everything (You'd be shocked.) are tools that help him write thrillers, but also get him wound tighter than an eight-day clock. His wife calls him the mayor of Stress Town. That scares him. See?
Geoffrey is busy finishing his fourth novel, "Prey for Us", which will be released in 2016. For advance notice and other coveted perks, join his private Reader Group on his website. Meanwhile, why not try one of his other books? You never know ... that could boost Geoffrey's spirits enough to save a pathetic fish. Do the right thing. Do it for the fish.

Reviews

[Diana L. Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing is as it seems. Ian gets dumped by his longtime girlfriend and business partner Kate. He spirals into a drunken stalker until his parents hold an intervention and he is sent to what they believe to be a posh rehabilitation center, A Taste of Heaven, as described by Dagny. This turns out to be an elaborate ruse played out by a cult in search of their Beloved. Page after page describing his treatment, meals he is fed given paragraph long description. Locked in a room and waited on hand and foot by Amity. this will certainly keep you turning pages.

[Lee Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! My review is on Amazon.

[Karen Rega · Rating 5 out of 5]

It didn't take me long to figure out what was actually going on, and I enjoyed each clue very much. However, the brother coming to the rescue was a nice surprise. I wonder if there will be a sequel...

[Wendy Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

mind boggling!

So creepily believable, scary to think this could exist!
How does the author even imagine this? Just wow!
The end when all is revealed is wild.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very strange with a most macabre theme. The ending was a total surprise.

[Lisa A. Ricca · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

Just WOW! Been a while since I've read a book that's not boring, what a great read, could not put it down.