The Deceivers

Written by John Masters

Narrated by Patrick Tull

Around a low-burning fire in a jungle clearing, a small group of late travelers huddles: a merchant, a Sikh with his son, a farmer. Silently, two men, flanking one of the travelers, crouch forward. A dirty cloth flashes momentarily and jerks around the traveler's neck. One of the men tugs the cloth, the other forces the traveler's head over to one side. Thuggee death has struck; Kali is assuaged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781461811312

John Masters

John Masters was commissioned into the Gurkha Rifles on the eve of the Second World War and rose to command one of the Chindit columns fighting behind the lines against the Japanese in Burma. He left the Army after the war to pursue a very profitable career as a novelist.

Reviews for The Deceivers

[lara335 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

William Savage, an area official in the East India Company discovers a mass grave. When his superiors show little interest he decides to hunt down and infiltrate the murderers. Part boys-own-adventure channelling Lawrentian-like mystical experiences, William’s story brings a version of 1820’s India to life. A country that tolerated the act of Suttee & the putting to death of some prisoners by reluctant trampling elephant.Apparently over 1 million travellers were murdered by Thuggee followers, who raised the act of befriending and then mugging into a quasi-religious experience.A fascinating story, but I couldn’t quite believe the characters of William & his incredibly understanding wife, and this wasn’t a page-turner for me.

[Alexander Anderson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An unexpectedly good book.

Written in 1952, this work could have been written in one of many eras, perhaps excluding the politically correct one that we currently find ourselves imprisoned in.

Master makes the point that he itches to make about Man & War & Death and how all of these ingredients are inextricably combined in the soup of existence.

He also does a fairly good job of representing the ambivalent mechanisms and mindset of British Imperialism in a relatively unjudgemental way that Allows the reader scope for his own interpretations that I found refreshing.

The finish was rather abrupt, not particularly smooth or brilliant. But other than this flaw, which is substantial, the book is a good bit of writing.

The narrator, Patrick Tull, was the right choice for this style of writing.