Book Description:
‘No one knows this horrifying true crime case better than the detective who cracked it. Kim Booth will take you on an unforgettable journey into lies, deceit, cunning and malice.’ Nick Louth
For Joan and Ted Warner, an innocent and trusting couple, a chance encounter with Barbara Hendry, a cunning con-woman who turned their settled lives into a living nightmare
The Warners were not victims of a remote scam, carried out over the internet by fraudsters from afar. For six years, faking a friendship face-to-face, this plausible woman carried off the impersonation of a member of the nobility fallen on hard times, manipulating the emotions of her victims, deceitfully draining them of every penny they had set aside for their retirement, and plunging them into debt.
Hendrys intention was to slip away, having sucked the Warners dry of all their hard-earned savings. But for some dogged investigative work by a determined detective she would have succeeded- and remained free to prey on other vulnerable victims.
Follow this journey of fraud and depravity in the company of the one man who knows the full story – the British detective who cracked the case and brought Barbara Hendry to justice.
A Cruel Deception is an insightful and gripping work of true crime, which illustrates the depth of wickedness and the possibility that we can all be deceived.
The author retired from the Lincolnshire Police as Detective Inspector in charge of the Lincolnshire Police Economic Crime Unit. He now provides anti-fraud advice and fraud investigation on a consultancy basis together with assisting authors with police procedural issues and story lines.
My Thoughts:
A Cruel Deception is the true story of how an ordinary couple were taken in by a fraudster who conned them out of all their savings over several years. Told by the detective who made it his mission to solve the case, this will really open your eyes to how easily people can be taken in by con artists.
The story is told in a matter of fact way with interviews made up of people who worked in the bank, interviews with Ted and Joan Warner as well as with Barbara and her husband, of which Barbara was the brains behind the whole con.
The only thing Ted and Joan are guilty of is being compassionate people, of which last time I checked, isn’t a crime. It was actually quite sad to see how trusting this pair are. Even when the possibility of what Barbara has been doing to them is first discovered, they are reluctant to believe the authorities rather taking this con woman’s word. The fact that she has bled them dry and taken every penny they had as well as getting loans to try and help this woman was just shocking.
Barbara I had absolutely no sympathy for. To prey on nice innocent people for your own gain leaving them pretty much in dire needs, she deserved everything she had coming to her. Scary to think if it hadn’t of been for this keen detective, she would probably have got away with it and who knows how many more peoples lives she would have ruined.
A Cruel Deception is a sad reminder of the world we live in and how we can’t always take people at face value. It was certainly an enlightening read in how these con artists work and makes for some scary reading in just how much they can get away with. It was also sad to see the decline in health of Ted whilst the case was going on and through the chapters where we see Kim visiting the couple, the reader gets the chance to see what this type of crime does to it’s victims. This isn’t some fast paced crime read, rather a factual look at a heinous act by a despicable woman with no remorse for the crimes she pulled off. Frank, honest and a must read for lovers of true crime.
My thanks to the author for a readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
A Cruel Deception is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).
bytheletterbookreviews 