Explores the author's theorized evolutionary basis for self-deception, which he says is tied to group conflict, courtship, neurophysiology, and immunology, but can be negated by awareness of it and its results.

"From the New York Times-bestselling author and host of NPR's Hidden Brain comes a counterintuitive, thought-provoking exploration of deception's role in human success. Everyone agrees that lies and self-deception can do terrible harm to our lives, to ourcommunities, and to the planet. But in Useful Delusions, host of NPR's Hidden Brain Shankar Vedantam argues that, paradoxically, deceiving ourselves and others can also play a vital role in human...

"Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he's trying to ignore, and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, however, it's hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she's also down-to-earth and considerate, and he can't help flirting a little. . . . Anna Gardiner is on a mission:...

Jimmy is a New York con man fleeing the United States for Bangkok in order to avoid an insurance scam investigation. He goes to Cambodia to meet up with his former business partner and mentor, Marvin, to collect his half of the money. Along the way, he makes friends with local man, Sok, and romances Sophie, but is drawn into a lethal web of deceit and murder.

A young woman is left devastated by the unexpected death of her husband and child. She retreats from the world around her, but is soon reluctantly drawn into an ever-widening web of lies and passion as the dark, secret life of her husband begins to unravel.

As Myra Harper dances and romances one young man after another under New York's Biltmore clock, she is transformed from a fresh teenager into a jaded 21-year-old. When she becomes engaged to wealthy Knowleton Whitney, she encounters a bizarre plot to discourage her from fortune hunting.

Explains what lying is and why people do it; then discusses trust, living responsibly, and the value of telling the truth.

"When Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher is summoned to the home of Judge Cato Laird in the middle of the night to investigate a fatal shooting, he knows that discretion and kid-glove treatment are the keys to staying in the judge's good graces and keeping his job. At first glance, the case appears open-and-shut: Elise, the judge's trophy wife, interrupted a burglary in progress and killed the intruder in self-defense. But Duncan is immediately suspicious...

Six separate stories tell tales of revenge.

Julia Carver, a twenty-four-year-old model and aspiring actress, has always had a difficult relationship with her mother, Cindy. So when her daughter disappears, Cindy assumes that Julia is just being Julia. But after a day and night passes with no word, Cindy suspects that something terrible has happened, and begins a frantic search. As the days pass, secrets are revealed, lives are forever altered, and Cindy is forced to acknowledge the disturbing...