Cruel Deception - by Gregg Olsen (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

From Gregg Olsen, bestselling author of If You Tell, comes the heartbreaking true story of a mother's darkest secrets coming to light in 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.

Review Quotes

"A tough new voice rises in the ranks of true-crime writers." --Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Gregg Olsen's work is absolutely top notch, masterful. With [Cruel Deception], Gregg takes his rightful place among crime masters." --Dennis McDougal, author of In the Best of Families and Whatever Mother Says

"Compelling...suspenseful...Gregg Olsen is masterful in creating this incredible story. As he brings his characters to life, he evokes emotions in us, as we hope against hope that the inevitable crime will not happen." --Rod Clovin, author of Evil Harvest

"A must read for all true-crime junkies...It picks up speed with each page and rapidly moves from absorbing to riveting, sweeping the reader along...Combines diligent, exhaustive research with a crisp, captivating style." --Steven Nickel, author of Torso

"A riveting, often horrifying, and important book...a much needed addition to the canon of serious criminal justice literature." --Joseph Bosco, author of Blood Will Tell and A Problem of Evidence: How the Prosecution Freed O.J. Simpson

"Intensely interesting and moving...eye opening and educational. An in-depth and sensitive analysis of this complex disorder." --Gary King, author of Web of Deceit and Blind Rage

"Gregg Olsen has a rare and unique talent for getting to the bottom of weird, complex cases and writing about them in an understated style that makes the readers eyeballs bulge. [Cruel Deception] is his best." --Jack Olsen, author of Doc

"A remarkable and amazing book...a piece of art in suspense and entertainment for the reader of crime books." --Thomas V. Hill, criminal justice consultant

"[Cruel Deception] is a fascinating and groundbreaking book. Through a riveting examination of harrowing psychological issues, Gregg Olsen has triumphed with both sensitivity and insight." --Elizabeth F. Loftus, Ph.D., coauthor of The Myth of Repressed Memory

"Illuminating. The most complete account of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy I have seen." --Murray Levine, J.D., Ph.D., codirector, Research Center for Children and Youth, adjunct professor of law

"Compelling...impossible to put down...the author deserves credit for writing a must-read book!" --Yvone M. Chase, ACSW, vice chair, U.S. Advisory Board of Child Abuse and Neglect

About the Author

#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gregg Olsen has written more than thirty books, including Lying Next to Me, The Last Thing She Ever Did, and two novels in the Nicole Foster series, The Sound of Rain and The Weight of Silence. Known for his ability to create vivid and fascinating narratives, he's appeared on multiple television and radio shows and news networks, such as Good Morning America, Dateline, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and MSNBC. In addition, Olsen has been featured in Redbook, People, and Salon magazine, as well as in the Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times, and New York Post. Both his fiction and nonfiction works have received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including prominence on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Washington State officially selected his young adult novel Envy for the National Book Festival, and The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year.

A Seattle native who lives with his wife in rural Washington State, Olsen's already at work on his next thriller.