When the Past is All Deception, by R. Michael Cassidy

Professor Mark Price has been removed from the classroom due to an explosive conflict with his students over issues of political correctness. As his problems on campus escalate, they pose complex challenges for his spouse, Susan Price, a partner at a prestigious Boston law firm who has been nominated for an appointment to the State Supreme Court.

The Prices’ lives are tragically shattered by a gruesome stabbing in Harvard Square. The murder investigation unfolds through shifting perspectives: those of the Prices, their two teenage children, and the lead detective assigned to investigate the murder. Everyone is hiding something, but what? And why?

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“The proverbial bright light is shining down on the slick surface of Mark Price’s life and revealing all its cracks, ripples and rough edges. . . .Michael Cassidy’s new novel, When the Past is all Deception is a cautionary tale of secrets and assumptions. Can anyone’s life stand up to close scrutiny?”

— Lyn McCauley, author of Early Release

“Cassidy’s setting for The Past is all Deception comes alive, from local eateries to hot button campus conflicts. The plotting is so high-octane and the danger so unrelenting that almost anyone. . .might be to blame for a homicide, and anyone could be the next victim. I found it impossible to put the book down once the secrets began being unveiled.”

— Stephanie Martin Glennon, author of The Company of Ghosts and Watching the Detectives

“Cassidy’s novel weaves together a compelling murder investigation, family dysfunction, nuanced characters, and a fabulous Boston setting. . . . The twists and turns keep the suspense high and the reader hooked.”

— Nancy Geary, author of Misfortune, Redemption, Regrets Only and Being Mrs. Alcott