I immediately d Liesl when I met her on the pages of book one, so I have been looking forward to spending time with her again in Show Me Deceit. The great old house she lives in and the supporting characters in her life are further reasons to keep up with this series, not to mention the layered mysteries that Withers constructs across two separate timelines.

One of my favorite things about Show Me Deceit was the first POV from the villains in each timeline – an unrepentant thief in the present day thread and the spy in the historical. The author’s choice to write their perspective this way kept me so intrigued and made me even more invested in figuring out who belonged to each moniker. I was picking up subtle clues in the 1st person monologues and would then try to catch the other characters giving something away in the regular, third person narrative. TRY being the operative word there because I just ended up feeling I couldn’t trust anyone haha. The mark of a well-plotted mystery! Plus, who knew Missouri had a Graceland too??

Some other fave aspects of Show Me Deceit centered around Kurt, Liesl’s high school sweetheart who hasn’t stopped loving her despite the rocky end to their relationship years ago. Along those lines, my ‘team Kurt-and-Liesl-forever’ heart had much to rejoice over in this book, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. You’ll have to discover any developments in the romance department for yourself! But in addition to that, I laughed out loud at a certain conversation between Kurt and the crochety Mrs. Sizemore. Hands down, my fave scene in the book – I could see the whole thing playing out in my head as I read.

Bottom Line: Be prepared to trust no one as you dive into the mysteries waiting for you in Show Me Deceit by Ellen E. Withers! No matter which timeline you’re in – present day or 1862 – your sleuthing senses will be buzzing as you try to root out the persons who aren’t who they claim to be. They’ve fooled a lot of people so far – will they fool you too? Once again, Liesl is a strong heroine with a determined spirit and a warm heart, and I enjoyed reacquainting myself with her & other characters I met in book one. I also enjoyed meeting new faces Enid, who is equally as brave and kind in 1862 as Liesl is in the present day. The dialogue is sometimes too formal or does too much ‘telling’ in places, but it’s easy to overlook those minor preference issues when the mysteries and the characters are so engaging. Looking forward to more visits to past & present Mexico, Missouri, with this series!

(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited.)

first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower1800s blog-reviewed christian-fiction ...more Yavonda Chase16

Ellen E. Withers is back with the second installment of her "Show Me Mysteries" series and better than ever! Show Me Deceit is set in Mexico, Missouri, shortly after Show Me Betrayal concludes. Very quickly, we're reintroduced to Kurt, Liesl and Nicole, and it's we never left Mexico.

This time the gang is trying to solve the mystery of a dead man whose body was found after hours in the Audrain County Agricultural Museum. Was he a would-be thief who died during the act? Or was he killed? How did he get into the museum? Did he have a co-conspirator who gave him access? Withers skillfully answers these questions and more.

Show Me Deceit is a great follow up to Show Me Betrayal. If you haven't read that one yet, get it ASAP.

I was provided an advance copy of this novel by the author, and this is my honest opinion. Beth WestcottAuthor 3 books23

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