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Review Rating:  5 Stars - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on Artistic Deception

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite

Artistic Deception by C.A. Humer follows Sam, a Homeland Security officer investigating human trafficking and the exploitation of children. After the death of his mother from cancer, Sam maneuvers through his grief while making the best of his mother's last wish, reconciling with his estranged father. Sam's wife, Kate, writes articles about child exploitation and uncovers the horrific realities of the manipulation of vulnerable youth, including the case of young Angela, who becomes involved with a dangerous figure named Ricco. When Angela is lured into Ricco's world, the stakes are raised exponentially. Sam and Kate's relationship strains under the weight of their respective commitments in the lead-up to a risky infiltration of Ricco's network as Sam strives to protect his family while pursuing justice for victims of trafficking.

Artistic Deception by C.A. Humer is a thriller that hitches itself to a triple-threat plot: family, personal sacrifice, and the pervasive dangers of human trafficking. Humer’s writing is clean and well executed and balances the emotional depth of children being recruited from secondary schools with the suspense and action readers expect in a plot that targets this specific type of crime. I like Kate and the lengths she is willing to go to do what needs to be done and actually found her to be more of a main draw than Sam regarding the emotional toll such work takes on those investigating it. Vincent is also a sleeping tiger kind of character that I can see growing in the series, and one scene where he witnesses “girl chatter” shows how embedded the grooming is—it's shocking. Humer’s pacing is brisk and it's easy to lose track of time turning those pages. Overall, this is a solid standalone sequel to Art From Darkness. Very highly recommended.