With her latest novel, Deception, which is a one installment in a series, veteran writer and self-published author Kathryn Scarborough has penned a compelling narrative that captures the drama, frayed nerves, fear and human conflict of two young lovers caught up in the swirling maelstrom of a world plunging headlong into a world war. Elsbet von Rippenhoff is a propagandist working for Nazi Germany, and Ian Richardson is a fluent German-speaking intelligence analyst and a finder of spies, for Britain’s MI5. They are torn apart by a global conflict that he saw coming, but that she turned a blind eye and deaf ear to.

In November of 1939, just two months after Britain and France declared war on Germany, a daughter, Margaret, is born to Elsbet and Ian, prompting him to make a secret journey to Germany in a desperate effort to convince Elsbet to return with him to the safe haven of England. She is conflicted and chooses not to return with him. Working in the very center of the new and terrifying Germany that has an insatiable appetite for world domination, along the way she discovers the dark secret of a radical splinter group within the ranks of the fanatical S.S. Elsbet tries to blackmail the group in a frantic attempt to find an escape route for her daughter and herself, however, she makes the painful discovery that her efforts have come far too late in the day. Staring reality in the face, she realizes that she is trapped until the end.

Impeccably researched and carefully plotted, Scarborough delivers an atmospheric and evocative story that has the reader hanging on to the anticipation of what is unknown. As the story unfolds against the backdrop of a war raging across Europe like a wildfire, the cast of well-drawn characters seem to reach out from the pages, take you by the hand, and lead you back into a world that now lives only in the yellowed pages of history books. One can almost hear the air raid sirens howling and smell the rain-dampened streets and stale scent of tobacco that hung over wartime London.

At the same time, across the water in occupied Western Europe, the collective insanity that was Berlin under the iron boot of Hitler’s Third Reich also reaches out and wraps itself around you in a way that is palpable. Deception is a thriller that combines espionage, nail-biting suspense, a dash of romance, and international intrigue that hurtles along at breakneck speed. The author’s storytelling style allows her to effortlessly craft an intricate and exciting tale that is culled together with a host of credible and deftly drawn characters who are wrestling with deep and personal conflicts: people who are wrestling with life in a world that has gone crazy, and where there may be no tomorrows.

Scarborough was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of a career naval aviator. She grew up mostly in the American south, and today, this mother of four grown children resides in central North Carolina. Asked about her decision to become a writer, and from where she draws her inspiration she says, “Since I was a Navy junior, as they call them, we moved every 18 or so, Having to move around so often, living and making up stories inside your head is something I did for self-preservation. I am inspired by most things; things I read, things I see on TV, conversations I have with people, and sometimes I dream books.” On what it is that readers may like about Deception, she offers, “I hope World War II buffs, military history devotees, and thriller and mystery readers will enjoy the detail of the spy scenes, and feel the heartbreak that Ian goes through when his wife leaves him to work for the Third Reich.”

As for her own personal reading preferences, she explains, “I like to read a lot of different things, cozy mysteries, thrillers, historical, and I also read a great deal of nonfiction.” Her take on what people look for in a good book is interesting, as she says, “I think readers look for an interesting plot that might surprise or intrigue, and characters that are relatable. Characters should look like and sound like human beings with all the conflicts, warts and quirks of normal human beings.”

Kathryn Scarborough clearly practices what she preaches, as in weaving together a spellbinding tapestry of spies, star crossed lovers set against a world war, she has hit it out of the park. Where lesser spy-thriller writers too often rely on cheap surprises, poor quality plotting, Scarborough has a way with words. She draws readers in by crafting crisp dialogue between credible characters that she brings to life in a way that paints vivid pictures of them, and their circumstances, in the mind of the reader.

Deception is indeed at play in this captivating book. As I read it, a timeless lyric from Mick Jagger kept dancing around in my head. From the Stones classic song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Jagger sang out “She was practiced at the art of deception.” In creating this captivating book, Kathryn Scarborough shows that she is practiced at the art as well. So definitely put this book at the top of your reading list.

Paul Collins is a freelance writer from Southborough, Massachusetts.