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Cruel Deception
In and out of hospitals since birth, angelic nine-month-old Morgan Reid finally succumbed to what appeared to be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Morgan's Texas-born mother Tanya, a nurse and devoted wife, pulled up stakes with her grieving husband Jim, and moved on. It was the best way to put the past behind them. Until their son Michael, a boy who by all accounts was terrified of his mother, began showing signs of the same affliction that stole the life of his baby sister...
First, the suspicion: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Then, Tanya was charged and convicted with felony child abuse of her son. She was later tried and ultimately convicted for first degree murder of Morgan. It would become a landmark trial that unfolded in a series of reversals and bizarre twists of fate as it gradually revealed another side of Tanya Reid-of her own troubling childhood and the dark secrets that drove a woman to the cruelest deception of all.
First, the suspicion: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Then, Tanya was charged and convicted with felony child abuse of her son. She was later tried and ultimately convicted for first degree murder of Morgan. It would become a landmark trial that unfolded in a series of reversals and bizarre twists of fate as it gradually revealed another side of Tanya Reid-of her own troubling childhood and the dark secrets that drove a woman to the cruelest deception of all.
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
About the author
Gregg Olsen
118 books7,347 followersThroughout his career, Gregg Olsen has demonstrated an ability to create a detailed narrative that offers readers fascinating insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances.
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Olsen has written ten nonfiction books, ten novels, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.
The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen’s Snapped, Court TV’s Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E’s Biography.
In addition to television and radio appearances, the award-winning author has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.
The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington’s Secretary of State for the book’s contribution to Washington state history and culture.
Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Olsen has written ten nonfiction books, ten novels, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.
The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen’s Snapped, Court TV’s Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E’s Biography.
In addition to television and radio appearances, the award-winning author has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.
The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington’s Secretary of State for the book’s contribution to Washington state history and culture.
Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
June 7, 2022
3.0 stars—In “Cruel Deception,”Gregg Olsen does his usual thorough job of covering the case of Tanya Thaxton Reid after she is arrested and tried for child abuse for repeatedly smothering/ suffocating her infant child, Michael. The author does an excellent job of giving equal coverage to both the prosecutor’s and the defendant’s perspective which allows the reader to decide for himself whether Tanya suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and intentionally smothered and then revived both her son and her daughter on repeated occasions. Despite doing as much as he could to move the book along, both the very boring details of Tanya Reid’s nomadic life and excruciating details from the medical records for both children keep this book from being a must read. The author does a great job of covering the trial of Tanya but the back and forth between doctors and attorneys can get tedious at times as well. All in all a valiant effort from the author, but unless you are very interested in a large amount of medical jargon and lengthy descriptions of the travels as well as the family and friends of the defendant, you would be wise to skip this one. Footnote— Gregg Olsen is still one of the best true crime writers that I have read.
February 22, 2022
Tanya's, a nurse and devoted wife, nine-month-old, daughter Morgan Reid finally succumbed to what appeared to be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. She had been in and out of the hospitals her whole life. Doctors were stumped and had no answers. A few months later, their son Michael, a boy who by all accounts was terrified of his mother, began showing signs of the same affliction that stole the life of his baby sister. Whispers of Munchhausen by Proxy began to fill the nurse's station. She was finally convicted for her crimes. Phelps did an awesome job following this case. It is hard to convict Munchhausen by Proxy cases. I am glad she is locked up forever.
June 29, 2010
4 - A MUST READ for all true crime fans!!
As a fan of true crime I thought this was one of the best books I have read. This is the second book I've read by Gregg Olsen and he is an excellent author. Some true crime novels are terrible because the author writes from the perspective of a journalist and not a story teller. Gregg Olsen, like Ann Rule, does both. The story he has weaved is sinister and heartbreaking.
Cruel Deception is the story of Tanya Thaxton Reid. A mother from Texas who "suffers" from Munchausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS). I say "suffers" because it is actually her children who do all of the suffering. Tanya is able to fool doctors in both Texas and Naperville, IL (Edward Hospital) into believing that her infant daughter and later infant son both suffer from a rare genetic seizure disorder that makes them stop breathing repeatedly. Luckily Tanya is a nurse and able to revive her children with CPR over and over. Unfortunately, there does come a day when little Morgan, her second born, is unable to be revived and passes away. Nobody suspects this loving mother . . . until the same pattern begins with her next child. A son born 15 months after the death of his sister.
The family makes a mistake in leaving Texas for Des Moines, Iowa. Child abuse laws in Iowa were much stricter in the 1980's than most other states and the city of Des Moines is home to one of the countries premier children's hospitals. After seeing Tanya's son time and again the younger doctors, who were educated in MBPS, contacted authorities and an investigation began into the abuse of the son and the death of the daughter.
Gregg Olsen does an excellent job of building the background story of Tanya Thaxton Reid and explaining to the reader how she is a classic case of MBPS. When I started reading I thought how horrible it would be if her children were truly ill. It became obvious early in the book that these innocent children were the victims of a very sick mother.
As a fan of true crime I thought this was one of the best books I have read. This is the second book I've read by Gregg Olsen and he is an excellent author. Some true crime novels are terrible because the author writes from the perspective of a journalist and not a story teller. Gregg Olsen, like Ann Rule, does both. The story he has weaved is sinister and heartbreaking.
Cruel Deception is the story of Tanya Thaxton Reid. A mother from Texas who "suffers" from Munchausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS). I say "suffers" because it is actually her children who do all of the suffering. Tanya is able to fool doctors in both Texas and Naperville, IL (Edward Hospital) into believing that her infant daughter and later infant son both suffer from a rare genetic seizure disorder that makes them stop breathing repeatedly. Luckily Tanya is a nurse and able to revive her children with CPR over and over. Unfortunately, there does come a day when little Morgan, her second born, is unable to be revived and passes away. Nobody suspects this loving mother . . . until the same pattern begins with her next child. A son born 15 months after the death of his sister.
The family makes a mistake in leaving Texas for Des Moines, Iowa. Child abuse laws in Iowa were much stricter in the 1980's than most other states and the city of Des Moines is home to one of the countries premier children's hospitals. After seeing Tanya's son time and again the younger doctors, who were educated in MBPS, contacted authorities and an investigation began into the abuse of the son and the death of the daughter.
Gregg Olsen does an excellent job of building the background story of Tanya Thaxton Reid and explaining to the reader how she is a classic case of MBPS. When I started reading I thought how horrible it would be if her children were truly ill. It became obvious early in the book that these innocent children were the victims of a very sick mother.
August 26, 2012
Probably 2 1/2 stars. If you're interested in the child abuse syndrome Munchausen's by proxy, in which parents create signs of illnesses and inflict injuries on their children to obtain medical attention, you might stumble across this book. For the most part, the gripping story of an investigation of a mother suspected of Munchausen's by proxy in the 1980s rises above the clunky writing. I wasn't sure I would make it past the heavy-handed prologue with its mockingbird metaphor and stereotypes of the Texas panhandle, but I did.
July 19, 2011
ok first off he jumped around to much... secondly it was like as soon as the book started getting good and he had me sucked into pages he ruined the moment and I quickly lost interest... it caused the book to drag on and it took way to long for me to read it cause he just kept dropping the ball...and i continued to lose interest
March 10, 2023
Thank god I'm finally done.. usually such a big fan of Gregg Olsen's books.. but this one just kept dragging on and on and on! Took me so long to finish, there were so many times I just wanted to put it aside and leave it unfinished, but I pushed through it. The book skipped around. A lot. Some parts didn't make sense to me, some parts seemed unnecessary, and often I was bored. Which again, is rare to me while reading Olsen's books. Not impressed. I thought the story sounded interesting and was something that would have been worthwhile to read, but I feel nothing. Honestly glad it's over. Read at your own risk!
April 23, 2025
"The Iowa mother wonders if the mother in Texas will ever admit, even to herself, what she has done to her son."
Even the most hardened killers for the most part draw the line at hurting babies, so I think it will always be a mystery how someone, anyone, but specially a mother could kill their own baby. The case of Tanya Reid is interesting but not unique, since unfortunately looking back on all of these terrible cases, you can't help but think that there were plenty of red flags, that if acted upon might have stopped this double tragedy.
God bless prosecutors like Melodee Hanes, a mother herself, who would not give up on justice for Little Morgan and Brandon Michael. As for Tanya Reid, she is right where she belongs.
Even the most hardened killers for the most part draw the line at hurting babies, so I think it will always be a mystery how someone, anyone, but specially a mother could kill their own baby. The case of Tanya Reid is interesting but not unique, since unfortunately looking back on all of these terrible cases, you can't help but think that there were plenty of red flags, that if acted upon might have stopped this double tragedy.
God bless prosecutors like Melodee Hanes, a mother herself, who would not give up on justice for Little Morgan and Brandon Michael. As for Tanya Reid, she is right where she belongs.
May 8, 2024
I am a fan of well done nonfiction and this fits the bill quite well.
It’s a true story of mother love or is it something else? Can a mother hurt her child in order to provide herself with recognition and acclaim? Is this a case of Munchausen by Proxy illness or is it a case where a defective gene causes a child to just stop breathing?
It’s hard to decide where the guilt lies but it seems to me that this particular mother did get what was fitting.
It’s a true story of mother love or is it something else? Can a mother hurt her child in order to provide herself with recognition and acclaim? Is this a case of Munchausen by Proxy illness or is it a case where a defective gene causes a child to just stop breathing?
It’s hard to decide where the guilt lies but it seems to me that this particular mother did get what was fitting.
May 22, 2017
Interesting and thorough account of Munchausen's by Proxy; however, very slow moving. I understand it was a true crime novel , but it was very slow during some parts. It did pick up speed toward the end, though.
May 10, 2022
Well written and fascinating
Munchausen’s is fascinating and this book was gripping. Gregg Olsen is skilled with his true crime books and yet again did not disappoint.
Munchausen’s is fascinating and this book was gripping. Gregg Olsen is skilled with his true crime books and yet again did not disappoint.
February 15, 2025
Gregg Olsen’s exhaustive research into Tanya Reid, found guilty of medical child abuse and manslaughter in CRUEL DECEPTION. What I liked about this nonfiction book was that it read like narrative nonfiction rather than a dry recounting of facts. What I didn’t like was the male narrator. Few men do women’s voices well. When a man has a very deep voice, he often sounds like a drag queen trying to voice women. This would have been five stars if it had a better narrator.
April 10, 2026
This mom was nuts. She really was looking for attention and hurt her children in the process. It's so sad. Olsen always does a great job of describing and explaining what happened.
January 11, 2023
Very interesting story, particularly as it happened during a time when munchausen by proxy wasn't nearly as well known or understood as it is now. It got pretty repetitive at times though and I would've preferred a mostly linear narrative.
And of course the recurrent fat shaming made it difficult to read at times. Knowing that Tanya gained 30lbs before her trial, or that the prosecutor got "fat and depressed" when she left ballet school, or that Tanya coukd be pretty "during one of her thinner phases" adds literally nothing to the story. It just makes the author sound like a pathetic creep. Will never read anything else by him again.
And of course the recurrent fat shaming made it difficult to read at times. Knowing that Tanya gained 30lbs before her trial, or that the prosecutor got "fat and depressed" when she left ballet school, or that Tanya coukd be pretty "during one of her thinner phases" adds literally nothing to the story. It just makes the author sound like a pathetic creep. Will never read anything else by him again.
May 19, 2009
This is one of the craziest stores I've ever come across. How this woman was left to do this for so long is beyond me. What must have been going on in her head is also beyond me. The epitome of true crime.
April 4, 2008
on Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Finished reading this book on December 10th.
Very good book.
I really like the way Gregg Olsen writes
One of my favorite reads of 2007
Finished reading this book on December 10th.
Very good book.
I really like the way Gregg Olsen writes
One of my favorite reads of 2007
June 10, 2011
Chilling! Another great non-fiction book by one of the masters of the genre. Highly recommended!
February 8, 2017
More like 2 and a half stars. Interesting subject but not the best delivery. Many details were repeated multiple times unnecessarily.
November 8, 2015
Fascinating true story of one of the first murder convictions due to Munchhausen Syndrome.
July 30, 2022
Thoroughly researched and written. Really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend to true crime fans.
May 8, 2026
It’s really difficult for me to rate a true crime. Not really sure what the stars are for, but there they are.
I have read one other true crime book and I’ve realized that true crime is not for me to read, but to watch. I didn’t like the format at all. I couldn’t understand half of it because of the mistakes. So many mistakes. The verdict is really all I need to know and the last bit had me nervous.
How incredibly tragic and heartbreaking that Morgan slipped through the cracks. There were signs and the gut feelings that people had about this woman. Not just doctors, but the neighbors. Why do we keep ignoring the signs and why don’t we follow through with our findings???
I was sick to my stomach. Poor babies. 💔
I have read one other true crime book and I’ve realized that true crime is not for me to read, but to watch. I didn’t like the format at all. I couldn’t understand half of it because of the mistakes. So many mistakes. The verdict is really all I need to know and the last bit had me nervous.
How incredibly tragic and heartbreaking that Morgan slipped through the cracks. There were signs and the gut feelings that people had about this woman. Not just doctors, but the neighbors. Why do we keep ignoring the signs and why don’t we follow through with our findings???
I was sick to my stomach. Poor babies. 💔
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2022
Tedious but interesting
I hate rating books this low, but while the case is interesting, the details are repeated over and over and over again.
Detailed medical records and interviews and case notes again and again. During the events, during investigation, the court room, each time a witness is interviewed. It's incredibly tedious. The book could have been half this length.
I'm personally not a fan of reading reports and prefer to hear the story, so if you're looking for that I would skip this one.
I hate rating books this low, but while the case is interesting, the details are repeated over and over and over again.
Detailed medical records and interviews and case notes again and again. During the events, during investigation, the court room, each time a witness is interviewed. It's incredibly tedious. The book could have been half this length.
I'm personally not a fan of reading reports and prefer to hear the story, so if you're looking for that I would skip this one.
January 17, 2024
This is an account of Munchaussen Syndrome by proxy and SBS. The book could have been about 100 pages shorter, but it was thorough and clear. This is a book obviously written by a man since it defends Jim Reid as a good person, even though he seems like a craphead father and lackluster husband. The beauty of Melodee Hanes was described ad nauseum. The ending was satisfying and tied the story together well.
May 12, 2026
**READ FOR BOOK CLUB **3⭐️**
Interesting story, but I didn’t love the writing style. It felt more like watching a TV show in book form, with a lot of spelling and punctuation issues. The kids were the real heartbreak, sad they had to go through all of that. The mother, though… what a piece of work.
Overall, it was a slow burn, and I could’ve done without some of the extra details, but I guess that comes with the true crime genre.
Interesting story, but I didn’t love the writing style. It felt more like watching a TV show in book form, with a lot of spelling and punctuation issues. The kids were the real heartbreak, sad they had to go through all of that. The mother, though… what a piece of work.
Overall, it was a slow burn, and I could’ve done without some of the extra details, but I guess that comes with the true crime genre.
May 13, 2026
Read for book club 📚
I’m going to give true crime one more shot and read another Gregg Olson book…
But for now maybe I just don’t like this genre. Writing was all over the place, timeline was too difficult to follow and I know this was someone’s real life but it just wasn’t written interestingly enough for me to like it.
I’m going to give true crime one more shot and read another Gregg Olson book…
But for now maybe I just don’t like this genre. Writing was all over the place, timeline was too difficult to follow and I know this was someone’s real life but it just wasn’t written interestingly enough for me to like it.
December 17, 2023
I still can’t believe that this is a true story…
January 24, 2025
miinusta siitä että samat asiat toistettiin monta kertaa
May 18, 2026
Book was written terrible and hard to read!
February 13, 2025
An okay read. Got lost in the constant descriptions over and over of the doctors opinions and timelines of all the incidents. Just a bit of overkill I thought. Such a horrific subject.
October 7, 2023
Sekava tarina. Melodee Haynes, syyttäjä, sai yllättävän paljon suitsutusta, mutta kirjan loppusanoissa sitten kiiteltiinkin häntä avusta. Jotenkin nyt vaan ei tullut tunne tietokirjasta, sellaiseksi tämä kuulemma luetaan. Eikä syyttteet, todisteet Tanya Reidia vastaan olleet kovin vahvat, mutta siellä se Tanya nyt istuu vankilassa 40 vuoden kakkua. Ärsyttävä kirja.
January 16, 2026
While the subject is noble and worthy the book is meh with a lot of writing repetition.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews