Razz James should have been the toast of Manhattan society. At twenty-eight, with an Ivy League pedigree, a prominent family name, and inherent charm, he was poised for flight. But six years after his twin brother's death, Razz is trapped in a black hole of grief. His days are a blur of gin, video games, and denial, while his two lifelong best friends, Hatcher Boudreaux, a shining star at an elite hedge fund, and Archie Stonebridge, a cybersecurity expert, quietly brace for the moment Razz doesn't come back from the brink.

Then Hatcher receives a cryptic invitation...

...an offer to join Scepter & Scythe, an exclusive secret society.

The initiation challenge is a task so daring few would ever attempt it: steal a memento from Apollo Peck, Hatcher's infamous billionaire boss. Peck's residence, a fantastical mansion perched atop New York City's poshest building, is impenetrable. Fearful of losing his job, Hatcher refuses the assignment, but Razz, intrigued and desperate for a distraction, volunteers.

Razz thinks he's executed the perfect crime...

...then someone turns up dead.

What started as a lark quickly spirals into a far more devious and deadly plot with Razz in the crosshairs. In a world where power buys innocence, and the truth is subjective, Razz must unmask the mastermind before he becomes the next pawn sacrificed on the board.

Fans of Riley Sager, Freida McFadden, and Sandra Brown will love The Architect of Deception.

This book contains explicit consensual sexual situations and violence equivalent to that in an R-rated movie.