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T. O. Paine
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The Delusion: A Shocking Technothriller Kindle Edition

by T.O. Paine (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
See all formats and editions

EDITOR'S PICK BOOKLIFE REVIEW

"A wildly imaginative and often exhilarating conspiracy thriller about jealousy, fear and mass deception." ★★★★★ — BestThrillers.com

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It’ll drive you crazy. Literally.

Hotel ballroom lights flicker as the University of Baltimore announces the winner of this year’s Tiberian Research Award in Psychology. Years of toil and sacrifice weigh on Emma’s shoulders. Years of enduring her professor’s unearthly demands. Years of researching mass persuasion on the internet late into the night, living in a single-bedroom apartment on campus while her friends moved away and started families.

Years spent watching her mother die of cancer before Emma could give her the grandchildren she wanted.

Years.

But it all ends tonight.

Just not the way Emma thought it would . . .

When her professor suddenly goes missing, she realizes the power of her research. The power of persuasion. Gaslighting on a global scale.

Now, she must rescue her professor before sinister forces use her research to take over the minds of everyone on social media. And, because everyone is on social media, we’re all at risk. Look at your cell phone. Open your favorite social media app. Post pictures of your cat and catch up with trusted friends, but don’t doomscroll. Don’t believe everything you read.

That’s what he wants you to do.

Pre-order Your Copy Today!

"A wildly imaginative and often exhilarating conspiracy thriller about jealousy, fear and mass deception." ★★★★★ - BestThrillers.com

"Fastpaced and jam-packed with action." ★★★★★ - Readers' Favorite

"A page-turning technothriller with high suspense and intrigue." - The Prairies Book Review

"Technically detailed, perfectly paced, and psychologically gripping." ★★★★★ - Indies Today

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    426 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    March 16, 2024
  5. File size
    1234 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Delusion:

"Twisty, scarily plausible thriller that grips from page one."
— ★★★★★ - Booklife Review

"Fastpaced and jam-packed with action."
— ★★★★★ - Readers' Favorite

"A wildly imaginative and often exhilarating conspiracy thriller about jealousy, fear and mass deception."
— ★★★★★ - BestThrillers

"A page-turning technothriller with high suspense and intrigue."
— The Prairies Book Review

"Inescapably funny, even in some pretty dark moments."
— David Downing, Editor

"This is gaslighting on a truly global scale with potentially horrifying results."
— ★★★★★ - Readers' Favorite

"(The Delusion) thoroughly entertains with academic reveals about a culty genius who wants to do the unthinkable."
— ★★★★★ - BestThrillers

"Technically detailed, perfectly paced, and psychologically gripping."
— ★★★★★ - Indies Today

"The Delusion is a terrifyingly believable scenario that some may suggest is already taking place through social media."
— ★★★★★ - Readers' Favorite

"That rare manuscript that I couldn't stop bringing up in conversation with my wife and daughter and friends."
— David Downing, Editor

"The Delusion is a sleek novel that showcases how influencing can be a more lucrative path than any college degree."
— ★★★★★ - Indies Today

"A cautionary tale packed with suspense and thrills."
— ★★★★★ - Readers' Favorite

"The Delusion is an immersive, thought provoking journey of the beautiful yet destructive conductivity the internet can become."
— Goodreads Reviewer

"Reliable plot points are punctuated with unforeseeable turns that will keep audiences hungrily hanging on every word."
— ★★★★★ - Indies Today

"Compelling, intense, can't-put-it-down energy; very well done & highly recommended."
— Amazon Reviewer

"T.O. Paine has created a world of betrayal, guilt, and regret."
— ★★★★★ - Readers' Favorite

About the Author

T.O. Paine is an award-winning author of fast-paced thriller suspense novels. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and holds a master's degree in computer information systems. When he is not writing, you can find him running and cycling through the mountains of Colorado, USA. T.O. has run fifty marathons in fifty states, ridden his road bike over 10,000 miles up 10,000-foot mountains, and completed an IRONMAN. He resides with his wife, two children, and two Boston terriers: Fiona the Ogre and Rudy the Trickster. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CNY7MPC9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Swallow Books (March 16, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 16, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1234 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 426 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
T. O. Paine

T. O. Paine

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T.O. Paine is an award-winning author of fast-paced thriller suspense novels. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and holds a master’s degree in computer information systems. When he is not writing, you can find him running and cycling through the mountains of Colorado, USA. T.O. has run fifty marathons in fifty states, ridden his road bike over 10,000 miles up 10,000-foot mountains, and completed an IRONMAN.

He resides with his wife, two children, and two Boston terriers: Fiona the Ogre and Rudy the Trickster.

You can visit him on his website (topaine com), and enter to win a giveaway or download a copy of a FREE thriller.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
39 global ratings
Thought Provoking
4 Stars
Thought Provoking
I received this book as an ARC with no expectation from the author of a positive or negative review.It is a very thought-provoking novel, with some far-fetched actions by characters.After reading this book, you will come away with a question. Is this at all possible? I think it may be.
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Top reviews from the United States

J. G. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars High Tech Intrigue
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
I’m not usually a fan of books that jump back and forth in time, but this book did it very well and time merged about halfway through the book. Both Emma and Trey had me wondering what the heck they were thinking throughout most of the story. As we know, common sense and intelligence don’t always go hand in hand. A couple of the minor characters were easy to dislike which is always a plus for me.
I started reading only a couple of chapters at a time, but as the book progressed I found I wanted to read more each time I opened it. The pace was very good and several of the characters had me wondering if their true motives were good or not up to the end.
While I’m not a particularly tech savvy person, I found the story-line easy to follow and quite fascinating. It gave me a lot of food for thought around the subject of the internet and the influence it has on people. I highly recommend reading “The Delusion”.
One person found this helpful
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Kurban
5.0 out of 5 stars The Delusion by T.O. Paine
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
I would describe this book as "captivating" and a "real possibility" in today's society. Could something like The Delusion really happen? Its an intriguing thriller.
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Beth
4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
I wasn't familiar with T. O. Paine, but I found him on Facebook, and now I've read an early copy of his latest book, THE DELUSION. I am pleasantly surprised, i.e., because I hadn't heard of the author before, I wasn't expecting much; but the book exceeded my expectations.

Emma is part of a team working on an award-winning psychology research project. When the team leader is kidnapped, Emma learns that someone wants their information.

In alternate chapters that take place in the 1990s, Trey is trying to find employees and financing to start his business of "making the world a better place" through computer programming. But what are his plans, really?

Eventually, Trey's chapters catch up with Emma's. She sees a good-looking guy who is filthy rich and interested in her. But her perception turns out to be wrong.

I'll admit, these later chapters have some corny parts, especially those that have to do with Emma's friend Alyssa. Even though she is an adult, she doesn't usually talk like one. But, on the whole, I enjoyed THE DELUSION.
5 people found this helpful
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Doodle
5.0 out of 5 stars Yikes and Wow!
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
This was fantastic! Although I got lost in some of the computer speak technicalities, I still was able to stay on top of it and keep going. Amazing!
2 people found this helpful
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Steve Rufle
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
I received this book as an ARC with no expectation from the author of a positive or negative review.

It is a very thought-provoking novel, with some far-fetched actions by characters.

After reading this book, you will come away with a question. Is this at all possible? I think it may be.
Customer image
Steve Rufle
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
I received this book as an ARC with no expectation from the author of a positive or negative review.

It is a very thought-provoking novel, with some far-fetched actions by characters.

After reading this book, you will come away with a question. Is this at all possible? I think it may be.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
4 people found this helpful
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reneesnooky
4.0 out of 5 stars A thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
Emma has worked hard for four years researching mass persuasion on the internet. Awards night her professor goes missing. What happened. Enter T who wants to shut down the internet- how far will he go to succeed? Murder? Kidnapping? This was a thriller- no doubt!
3 people found this helpful
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MountainMaiden
5.0 out of 5 stars What if?
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
Warning, this book may cause brain 'paine'!
For me, it brought back some good memories and kept me up at night; well worth it tho 😊
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Kae Bender - Writer and former Editor
2.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Unbelieveable - 2½☆
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
The underlying premise is intriguing, and the writing isn’t badly done, but the story left me cringing. If you like plenty of violence, a plot driven by inane choices, and an incredibly stupid female MC, you may like this one. But for me, it starts with an incompetent research sidekick who wants equal credit but can’t complete a grant application on her own and goes downhill.

Emma is a wannabe psychology researcher, but she displays no common sense let alone psychological savvy — oh wait, the author remembered late in the book to give her a little manipulative cred. Mostly though, she second guesses her own gullibility in a self-defeating way. From the moment she fails to turn over to the police the phone her kidnapped boss calls on through an escalating series of bad decisions to keep pursuing the bad guys on her own, she makes choices guaranteed to endanger others if not herself.

I’d round up to 3☆ since I did keep wondering if she had more brains than I surmised and an actual plan for success. But each time I read on, she took another mindless step toward disaster. I was shaking my head the whole way to the showdown. In my estimation, it was a waste of my reading time, so no, it’s a 2☆.
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