A Master of Deception

"A Master of Deception" by Richard Marsh is a novel written in the early 20th century. It follows the story of Rodney Elmore, a young man whose life is marked by a web of deceit and moral conflict. As he navigates his relationships with several women and his manipulative uncle, themes of dishonesty, ambition, and familial ties unfold, suggesting a complex exploration of identity and integrity. The opening of the novel introduces Rodney Elmore as a young boy fascinated by a circus, setting the stage for his adventurous spirit. The narrative quickly chronicles his transition to adolescence, marked by small acts of theft and a developing charm that endears him to the women in his life. He experiences an invitation from his father’s brother, who presents conflicting feelings of familial loyalty against a backdrop of burgeoning moral dilemmas. As he grows older, the pressure of expectations—both from his deceased mother and his uncle—compounds his internal conflict, suggesting that much of his life will be spent balancing the truths he hides with the facades he builds. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Richard Marsh was the pseudonym of the English author born Richard Bernard Heldmann. A best-selling and prolific author of the late 19th century and the Edwardian period, Marsh is best known now for his supernatural thriller novel The Beetle, which was published the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), and was initially even more popular, outselling Dracula six times over. The Beetle remained in print until 1960. Marsh produced nearly 80 volumes of fiction and numerous short stories, in genres including horror, crime, romance and humour. Many of these have been republished recently, beginning with The Beetle in 2004. Marsh's grandson Robert Aickman was a notable writer of short "strange stories".