A to Z Blogfest: O is for an Objective Book Review: Depth of Deceipt

O is also for Orange, the color of the cover of Betty Briggs' new book, Depth of Deceit, a fun book I've reviewed as part of her blog tour.

I was a bit leery when I picked up Depth of Deceit to read. Though I love horses—at a distance, grazing in the fields—I have never been a fan of the National Velvet-type books. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book by Betty Briggs. Almost immediately the story pulled me into its intrique and mystery.


Beautiful Stephanie Saunders is a junior attorney at an established law firm. She feels like she always gets stuck with the less-than-desirable jobs, such as public defender for scum. Stephanie has no family, as she was orphaned at a young age. Her job gives her hope of a bright future, but at the moment very little comfort. The only thing that keeps Stephanie sane is the horses she loves but does not own. A court assigned client comes along that seems different somehow. At first she thinks he is following her. Then she begins to be attracted to him. But the more the story unravels the more the reader discovers and intricate web of deceit woven by the people Stephanie has come to trust.

I was glad to see that horses were not the main theme of this book. They were merely an extension of the main character, serving to warm the reader up to Stephanie and bring out the loving qualities she herself did not think she possessed. I kept the pages turning as discovery after discovery led me to ache for this young woman whose life had been turned upside down by forces completely out of her control. Everything came to a head in a climax that truly had me on the edge of my seat.

My only major disappointment in the book was the way the author didn’t take advantage of her brilliantly constructed climax and kept the story going long after it felt like it should be over. A few pages after the climax was all that would be needed to tie up the loose ends and make sure you knew the girl gets the guy. But she dragged the story on, telling me superfluous details that only distracted from the invigorating story I had just experienced.

I would still heartily recommend this book, especially to those who love a good romantic suspense novel.

If you would like a purchase link for the book click here.
I encourage you to visit Betty Briggs' web site to learn more about her and her other great books.