Reviewed by Alice H. for Readers' Favorite

Deceit by John Austin Sletten is an intriguing story of a man who worked for years as an undercover agent for the FBI. Primarily, the author worked in white collar crimes, and his book describes his last assignment prior to his resignation from the agency. Jack Oleson is sent to Atlantic States Securities, a company suspected of unethical and illegal financial practices. He is hired as the company controller and quickly learns of multiple unusual bookkeeping practices. Jack weaves his way into the confidence of his coworkers and gradually learns of the depth of the company's bogus dealings.

As the controller, Jack becomes the character of the criminal he plays in the company. He drives a luxury car and buys a house for cash. He drinks to excess and has women at his beck and call. He arranges one illegal money transfer after another, and he appears to enjoy the roll he plays. All this occurs while Jack attempts to keep his family together. The author says the story is true, and the reader cannot help but wonder how easily Jack fell into his role and what it cost those close to him.

John Sletten gives us an intriguing, but grim, picture of our tax dollars at work in the covert actions of a major government agency. His characters are nicely developed, and he has a fantastic story to tell. If this book were re-edited to remove ongoing errors and problems in organization, it would be a great read for those wanting inside information on the power and the corruption of secret government agencies.