The Lens of Deception

A Novel of Memory, Surveillance, and the Ghosts We Choose to FollowMatthew Whitford once captured life through a lens with reverence and clarity. But when the woman he loved—Katie—vanishes without a trace on a routine field research trip, his world fractures. All that remains are fragments: a damaged notebook, whispers of covert technology, and photographs that feel more like warnings than memories.Two years later, an unexpected photograph wins Matthew a spot at an exclusive retreat in Patagonia. But what begins as a chance to reclaim his creative spark spirals into a shadowed conspiracy. A woman appears—wearing Katie’s face. A photo disappears. And the line between truth and illusion begins to unravel.As Matthew follows a trail of haunting images and encoded memories, he must confront the most dangerous question of all: what if the person you loved is no longer the one standing before you?Taut, lyrical, and deeply unsettling, The Lens of Deception is a psychological thriller for a surveillance age—where love can be programmed, and grief is just another vulnerability to exploit.