Deceptions (2026)

Jeffery Deaver returns with a devious collection of previously published short stories, plus two never-before published stories in which fan favorites Colter Shaw, adapted for TV (CBS’s Tracker, starring Justin Hartley), and Lincoln Rhyme are featured.

A murder at a crime writers’ conference. The method is entirely literary, the motive seems obvious—but can the detective who was first on the scene puzzle out what needs reading between the lines?

A brilliant sleuth, obsessed with Sherlock Holmes’s mysteries, turns his attention to a serial killer stalking the streets of New York City. But as his deductions bring him closer to his prey, he starts to wonder who is really doing the hunting.

A mysterious woman has gone into hiding and Colter Shaw is tasked with bringing her to a safe house. But with a hitman on his trails, the race toward safety takes on a whole new meaning.

A serial killer with a motive never before seen in the history of crime challenges Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to rethink everything they know about the nature of evil—and the evidence its perpetrators leave at the scenes.

No stranger to the cat-and-mouse chase or our favorite twists and turns, Jeffery Deaver brings his chops to Deceptions, where every story unearths trickery and the truths that lie buried deep under.

Out in the USA & Canada. The stories in the collection are:
Forgotten, a Colter Shaw story
Hard to Get
The Writers’ Conference
An Acceptable Sacrifice
The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman
Where the Evidence Lies, a Lincoln Rhyme story
A Woman of Mystery
The Bookkeeper, a brand new Colter Shaw story. Also available as a standalone eBook.
The Deadliest Sense, a brand new Lincoln Rhyme story. Also available as a standalone eBook.

Deceptions Q&A With Jeffery Deaver

Why do you like writing short stories?

For those of you who know my writing, you understand that for me the twist—and the more shocking the better—is the name of the game. All of my novels have at least two or three surprise endings. That’s wonderful, but the surprises in long-form fiction are shared with the emotional satisfaction of the other elements we’re familiar with in novels: character development, rich setting, detailed esoterica gleaned from research. But a short story? It exists solely for the twist—which is pure popcorn for me!  Readers don’t have to fall in love with the characters or form opinions about geopolitical affairs. My sole mission is that gasp in the last paragraph or two, and when it works, there’s nothing better.

Why do you like reading short stories?

For two reasons: One is the aforementioned twist. I grew up on Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, and O. Henry, all of whom were masters of the twist, a convention in fiction that I fell in love with at an early age. The second reason is because of this fact: so many tales, so little time. There is a wealth of wonderful writing out there, in all genres. Being so busy, I have trouble finding the time to commit to an entire novel by a new author. Reading an author’s short fiction gives me a good idea of their approach to storytelling and assures me that this is someone whose whole body of work I will probably enjoy.

When does an idea become a short story versus a novel? 

Students sometimes ask me if they should turn their short story into a novel. I think this looks at the creation of fiction the wrong way. An idea for a novel will present itself with several plots and subplots, an opportunity for character arcs, a chance to create a richly imagined setting and motifs that expand the story off the immediate page into areas of society, politics, history, etc. A concept for a short story will embrace merely one goal: a satisfying twist, with only adjunct elements (character development and plot) necessary to make that twist work. In other words, regarding the difference, you know it when you see it!