Deception by Jack Jordan review

About The Book

Book: Deception
Author: Jack Jordan
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date (UK): 4th June 2026

My Review

I absolutely adored Redemption, so I was really looking forward to reading more from Jordan, especially with the comparisons to Adrian McKinty’s brilliant The Chain being made!

The first 70 pages introduce us to parents Emma and Miles and set the stage. Their son Ryan is in the hospital and the prognosis isn’t good if he doesn’t receive the life-saving surgery he so desperately needs.

Only this is the US, Emma and Miles’ health insurance has recently run out and their circumstances mean they’re unable to reapply. This section is very heavy and hard hitting. You absolutely feel for Emma and Miles, I found this particular dialogue between the pair particularly heartbreaking: “He’s always been sick, and because of that, he’s never been able to become his own person … He’s so sick that he can’t be himself or even learn who that is.”

The opening really grounds their situation in believability and makes it understandable why they’d be vulnerable and receptive to what comes next….

Emma receives a mysterious invite, a sketchy syndicate is promising to fund Ryan’s very expensive surgery. The catch? Emma and Miles are to complete a series of Levels, each being more dangerous and challenging than the last. How far will they go to save their son?

I personally love books that take an everyday situation and twist it to the extremes so I really enjoyed this tense ride!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Tandem Collective for the proof.