In Duped, New York Times journalist Abby Ellin explores those lured in and betrayed by compulsive liars.

Why do some people lie habitually, even pathologically, and why do others fall for it?


While leading a double life would seem to be the exclusive domain of psychopaths and undercover agents, thousands of 'regular people' keep extraordinary secrets from those closest to them. Duped is an investigation of compulsive liars - and how they fool their loved ones - drawing on the author's own personal experience.


In Duped, award-winning journalist Abby Ellin explores the secret lives of pathological liars, and the tragedy of those who trust them - who have experienced severe, prolonged betrayal - and the terrible impact it has on their sense of reality and their ability to trust ever again. Studying the art and science of lying, talking to victims who've had their worlds turned upside down, and writing with great openness about her own mistakes, Ellin lays the phenomenon bare.


Duped offers us a shocking and intimate look not only at the damage that the duplicitous cause, but the painful reaction of a society that is all too quick to blame the believer.

[A] sassy shotgun blast of memoir