Deception People: Telling the truth can be fatal

by Réal Laplaine

An out-of-body action thriller.When Troy Evans fell from that tree and nearly cracked his skull at the age of five, little did he know that 25 years later, the ability he developed as a result of that near-death incident, would inadvertently lead him to discovering a terrorist plot, one that would make 9/11 look like a walk in the park, and one planned by the very stanchions of America's governance. Troy, and his psychiatrist, Dr. Melanie Cross, the only person who believes his story, find themselves running for their lives as a special-ops team hunts them down, while desperately trying to find someone who can help them avert the attack before it is too late. A thriller and the first book in the Out-Step Series."Riveting from beginning to end, make sure you set aside a weekend once you start reading." Eric Richard Dallaire, author "The Deception People is a well written novel that is nerve-wrackingly real, and suspenseful.""An Intelligent and Thoughtful Roller Coaster Ride with a Rare Twist...""R�al has again created a thriller you don't want to put down until the end."

174 pages, Paperback

Published February 12, 2017

About the author

I have always been inspired by the under-dog; stories about the average man or woman who refuses to be "normal", who refuses to give up on their dream, who doesn't seem to fit into any square hole, or simply, who steps up and does what others, particularly those in positions of power, will not do.

​​I think we all possess incredible potential and how that manifests can differ greatly person to person; and I am a passionate believer that people should not be marginalized by ideology - whether religious or political, nor should people be viewed as simply cogs in a wheel, or squeezed into someone's concept of normality - a one-size-shoe that fits all.

​​I have never met two people who were identical in nature or ability, but I have certainly crossed paths with enough narcissistic and power-driven ones, those who hide behind a veil of lies and corruption in order to forward their own agendas.

​​In my books, thrillers ranging from crime, geopolitical, speculative fiction as well as literary fiction, I love telling a story where the most unexpected person is suddenly tasked to do the impossible; whether they are an engineer from Sweden, a graphic designer from Minneapolis, a teenage girl living in Ireland, a journalist from the Netherlands, or a lone astronaut on Mars. 

​You may even glimpse a little of yourself in my books.

Réal Laplaine
Author of high-concept thrillers
www.reallaplaine.com

Reviews

[Aaron]

The story threw too many underlying plotlines together for my taste. Government conspiracy, corporate collusion and paranormal powers. Had the story left out the 9/11 & terrorist conspiracy portions, I would have felt more involved. As it was, the story was bookended by these two separate subjects and detracted from the heart of the story.
The last chapter, if factual, provides one of the best parts to the whole story leaving the reader desiring to delve a little deeper into the subject.

* This book was received as a free copy through Goodreads giveaways *

[Dennis Reagan]

It's a fast read and that's good. The storyline was decent but predictable. Not much of an ending.

[Frank]

The Deception People is a speculative fiction political thriller set in a USA where most conspiracy theories are true. From the first page to the end either some member or group in the government or a corporation or both are out to get you. The novel, which seemed to me like the script for a movie or mini-series, is short, fast-paced, and an easy read, following an action sequence that matches most thrillers.

The only character that is fleshed out is the protagonist. Troy Evans has a special skill that inadvertently gives him information about a plot to unleash deadly malware that will disable all computers on the internet, leaving nothing traceable to its origin. In trying to make this information public, Troy is apprehended by elements of the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. They place him a psychiatric center where he is psycho-analyzed to learn what he knows and how he got the knowledge. He convinces his psychiatrist that there is a conspiracy. She breaks him out and the chase is on.

Meanwhile, the clock for the conspirators to release the malware into the wild counts down. Can a coalition of governments find the malware?

Expanding the use of out-of-body experiences and expanding the novel with more detail on the conspirators and their motives, the direction of government under the president, and more interaction between Troy and the other characters could have made it more engaging beyond the chase.

The interview at the beginning of the novel is an exposition of some conspiracy theories ranging from the 1950's to 9/11 and later. Some readers may find this exposition as a distraction from the story.

[Debbie Payne]

I received this book from a Goodreads' giveaway and I enjoyed it. The premise was intriguing and I liked the character of Tony Evans. The action was entertaining and it was a well-written, tight book. I would have given this one a 3.5 if I could have but I didn't think it was quite worthy of a four. As a couple of others said, I do think this would make a good mini-series about fighting the bad guys using OOBE. You have to extend beyond what is normal and what might be probable to subscribe to the whole series. Of course, as this book was meant to be a lead-in to future books; the end was not really an ending. Normally, I do not ask to review series books and perhaps that is why I gave this book a three. However, I know a lot of people that just love to read on and on over the course of up to eight books in a series. So, I suppose that this could be a good experience for those folks who follow this genre. I prefer to read stand-alone novels and because this was the first one, and because there was not a "#" behind it, I didn't realize what I was reading. Albeit, I did enjoy the premise and enjoyed the 2 1/2 hour read while on the way to the mountains to see fall colors. I do agree that Real Laplaine is a masterful author who weaves a good tale!

[Dwayne Wojtowicz]

Overall, I felt that the story was well written, the plot was well developed, as well as the characters.

"The Deception People" is a story about a young man, Troy Evans, with a extra-ordinary talent that helps a member from Homeland Security stop another 9/11 attack. Along the way, the doctor, who is assigned to Troy, starts to believe that he has a "special" talent, and is drawn into the web of mystery and deceit.

However, there are a few things that were wrong:

1 - The author has a tendency to use numbers and spelling them out. You should actually use one format and stick with it. This is the first time that I've ever seen this.

2 - The author has misspelled the name of the second largest airport. Chicago's International Airport is called "O'Hare," not "O'Hara." He does get it right on the last time he refers to the airport.

3 - The author was confused with the word "creditable." I believe that he meant to use "credible" instead when discussing Troy's special talent.

Again, overall, the story was well written and developed; however, if these minor errors were caught and corrected, I would of given the story 4 stars.

[William Mehl]

Won this on goodreads. Really enjoyed and it was very thought provoking. Would definitely recommend.

[Judy Ann]

I won this as a goodreads winner. Very good and interesting book. I rated it as a 4.5. I definitely going to look for more of his books to read.

[Tab!tha]

I won this book in a giveaway. The cover made me want to read it right away. It was a really good book. The storyline was great. One of those "well that could actually happen" and the characters were believable. I passed it on to my teenage son and he's enjoying it too!

[Howard Katzoff]

Totally engrossing story

What a riveting story filled with all kinds of twists and turns. Great characters and lots of action. Good read.

[Shelley]

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/09...

[J. Lynne]

This book started slow for me. I wanted to focus on our main characters and I struggled to figure out who they were. The first chapter was a lengthy scientific lecture, which I understand the need for but would've rather dived right into the story with Troy Evans.

This story isn't just a political thriller but a love story between Troy Evans and his psychiatrist Melanie Cross. His "special talent" is interesting and has gotten him into a situation that no one would want to find themselves in! Can you really escape the NSA?

It was a well-written book! Though, I do think that the love angle took away some believability to the character of Melanie. She's a career woman with a boyfriend--albeit, one who is supposedly cheating according to Troy--and develops a romantic crush on him very quickly. I think this story will also appeal to the romance reader who enjoys an intellectual read.

Disclaimer: I won this book via Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to the author!

[Jules]

I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway, and I am so glad I did. I am a mother of 3, so it can be difficult for me to sit and read for extended periods of time. Because of the short sections in the book (often times only 3 pages long), I was able to read for short amounts of time and break often to tend to my kids without stopping in the middle of the action. Even with my "bite-size" reading technique, I was still able to finish the book in a day. It was a joy to read, and I look forward to reading more books by Laplaine.

[Michelle]

A wonderful mystery/suspense novel.I think this author has a good sense of how to keep us on our toes and knows how to make us not want to put a book down and enter our daily lives.I felt for Troy and the situation he was in.Do the right thing or do the thing that keeps you safe from others scrutiny-that is a hard thing to decide.We all have been there and he made the right choice even though it brought a world of trouble to his door.He got his just desserts in the end and that was good.