The Promise of a Lie

Howard Roughan's debut, The Up and Comer, was hailed as one of the most hip and entertaining thrillers of the year.

Now, Roughan returns at full stride with a scintillating novel of deception that begins when a gifted young psychologist becomes entangled in the life of a beautiful and calculating patient.

Nothing can prepare Dr. David Remler for the shocking phone call he receives from a patient named Samantha Kent.

Stunned and anxious to help, he rushes out into the Manhattan night to keep a bloody act of violence from spinning further out of control.

He knows he is too involved, that he's crossed a line, and that his professional reputation is at stake.

But he has no idea what awaits him at his destination...that he's become a pawn in a very deadly game of revenge.

Suddenly the focus of a criminal case that flares into an out-of-control media circus, David has only one shot to clear his name.

But first he has to clear up the mystery of his patient, - Samantha Kent.

Just who is she? And why did she choose to involve David?

Little by little, the outlines of a brilliant plot emerge - and, with it, the horrifying power of a single lie.

In this richly textured tale of a man's battle against the mother of all manipulations, the perfect setup is even more diabolical than it looks.