Published June 4th, 2026 by Simon & Schuster UK
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
A deadly game. The ultimate price. The Chain meets Squid Game meets Emily the Criminal in this pulse-pounding new thriller from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.
SOON TO BE ADAPTED FOR TV!
‘The most tense book I’ve ever read. Instantly gripping, utterly addictive’ ANDREA MARA
‘A blistering, nerve shredding thriller … Electrifying’ JOHN MARRS
‘A top-tier thriller. High-concept and brilliantly written … I could not stop turning the pages!’ C. M. EWAN
‘A thriller that reads like the plot of an action movie but with a thumping emotional heart’ NIKKI SMITH
Emma and Miles are out of options. Their son needs life-saving transplant surgery, but in a world of privatised healthcare and impossible costs, they can’t afford it.
Then comes the offer: a shadowy syndicate known only as The Levels promises them the exact amount of money they need. All they must do is complete a series of tasks.
The catch? Each task is a crime. With every level the stakes rise, the payout grows and the line between right and wrong blurs.
But Emma and Miles aren’t the only ones playing this deadly game. As the competition intensifies and they struggle under the weight of their choices, they’re faced with the ultimate question:
How far would you go to save the one you love?
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MY REVIEW:
The king of the moral-dilemma thriller is back with another hit to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Emma and Miles’ nine-year-old son, Ryan, needs a heart and lung transplant to save his life. But they live in the USA, where the cost of his healthcare is financially crippling. They are out of options and have no way to pay for the surgery he needs. But hope then comes in the form of an offer from a shadowy syndicate known as The Levels. They say they will give them the exact amount of money they need in return for them completing a series of tasks. The catch? The tasks are all crimes. With no other option, Emma and Miles decide they have no choice but to play. As they move up the levels the stakes increase, as does the payout. and they quickly find that the line between what’s right and wrong blurs. Then they find themselves faced with the ultimate question: how far will they go to save their son’s life?
Jack Jordan has done it again! This man seriously never misses and I feel like his books just get better and better. Jaw-dropping, propulsive and unbelievably tense, Deception is an action-packed thriller with an emotional heartbeat. It’s an impossible dilemma. And that’s what makes it so addictive. It will shatter your nerves, have your jaw on the floor and break your heart all at the same time. And I loved every minute, binging it in just two sittings.
Exquisitely written, expertly choreographed and perfectly paced, Jack had me in his thrall from start to finish. Emma and Miles are great protagonists. They are the everyman and woman, people we can see ourselves in and relate to. My heart shattered as Emma sat by Ryan’s bedside trying to find ways to save his life and for Miles as he worked to breaking point to try and pay for it all. Jack asks the questions I was thinking about private healthcare, exploring how a civilised country can treat their most vulnerable that way and prioritise profit over human life. By the time the offer from The Levels comes, you’re as beaten down and desperate as Emma and Miles and totally understand why they are considering it. After all, what parent wouldn’t do whatever it took to save their child? These are good people in a dire situation and it is easy to understand how they end up doing bad things. It is a reminder that things aren’t always black and white and that so much of life lives in the grey.
An astonishing masterpiece that will leave you breathless, this is a must-read for all thriller lovers.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
Thank you to The Likely Suspects for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jack Jordan is the global number one bestselling author of Anything for Her (2015), My Girl (2016), A Woman Scorned (2018), Before Her Eyes (2018), Night by Night (2019), Do No Harm (2022), Conviction (2023), and Redemption (2024).
His thriller, Do No Harm, was an instant Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Most Recommended Book in the DeadGood Reader Awards, coined the thriller of the summer for 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…
Jack’s book Redemption, was longlisted for Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year in 2024 and 2025, and shortlisted for the 2025 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, both Thriller of the Year and Crime Audiobook of the Year at London’s Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards, and the Most Recommended Book in the De.ad Good Reader Awards.
Jack’s upcoming thriller Deception is publishing with Simon & Schuster in June 2026
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx
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