Deception
A gripping new WW2 thriller for fans of Robert Harris and Rory Clements
$46.80
- Hardcover
352 pages
- Release Date
13 October 2026
Summary
The second instalment in the thrilling WW2 Joseph Gunner series, from the award-winning author of the Harry McCoy books
New York, December 1941.
Joseph Gunner, former soldier, is off the front lines and on the streets of New York, tasked with helping tip America into the Second World War.
Working for a section of the British Secret Service, Gunner spends his days covertly encouraging pro-war sentiment through planted news stories, radio broadcasts and even blackmail.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781399819718 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1399819712 |
| Author: | Alan Parks |
| Publisher: | John Murray Press |
| Imprint: | Baskerville |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 13 October 2026 |
| Weight: | 564g |
| Dimensions: | 34mm x 160mm x 236mm |
| Series: | The Joseph Gunner Thrillers |
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Critics Review
Parks unfolds a compelling tale and Gunner proves and intriguing antihero * Sunday Times *
A hardboiled slice of espionage noir that perfectly captures New York City just before the US entry into World War II, Deception by Alan Parks takes us on a brutal journey through conspiracy, sabotage and murder as the outcome of the war balances on a knife edge. With our flawed hero Gunner caught between the darker, seedier sides of New York and the duplicity of his own leaders, this is a gritty and compelling spy story that’s got plenty for crime fans too – David Goodman, author of * A Reluctant Spy *
Deception is as good a thriller as any but what makes it special is the depiction of New York. Nickerson lives in the ultra-exclusive St Regis Hotel, but Gunner’s work takes him everywhere, to the huge Brooklyn Naval Yards, to flop houses, to Harlem jazz, to blue-collar downtown. A great plot in a fabulous setting makes this a must-read * Sunday Independent *
There is, inevitably, a murder. There are also Harlem jazz clubs, German spies and a sense that Parks knows exactly what he’s doing. I’m thinking Tony Curran or James McArdle for the TV adaptation when it comes * The Herald *
Evocative, compelling and well worth a read * Historical Novel Society *
Parks is a natural storyteller. He has no problem slipping into the intricacies of World War II, or the New York setting. This is tense and gripping drama, a murder mystery with a strong espionage theme that really has an authentic feel * Crime Fiction Lover *
A very good read, tautly plotted and fast paced … Bring on the next one! * Afterword *
Praise for Gunner–
A notably original protagonist … swept up in a high-level conspiracy reaching from Whitehall’s corridors of power to Berlin and Rudolf Hess’s doomed flight to Scotland … enthralling
* Financial Times *Perfectly captures the chaos, danger and moral mess of a world turned upside down by conflict * Guardian *
Parks’s characters jump out at you and the story fizzes with history and colour. A brilliant thriller to kick off a new series * Sun *
[A] compelling story … Foyle’s War, but with a sharper, darker edge * Scottish Daily Mail *
Great storytelling … I loved it – Peter James, #1 bestselling author of the Roy Grace series
Great stuff … a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character! – Ian Rankin, #1 bestselling author of the Rebus series
Alan Parks
Alan Parks is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of the Harry McCoy series, which has won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year, the Prix Mystere de la Critique award, and an Edgar Award.
Gunner is the first in a new and thrilling international crime series set during the Second World War featuring Joseph Gunner. Alan worked in the music industry for over twenty years before turning to writing. He now lives and works in Glasgow.
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