Deceptions Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Deceptions | 1982 | Buy |
| A Tangled Web | 1994 | Buy |
Standalone Novels
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Possessions | 1984 | Buy |
| Private Affairs | 1986 | Buy |
| Inheritance | 1988 | Buy |
| Ruling Passion | 1990 | Buy |
| Sleeping Beauty | 1991 | Buy |
| Acts of Love | 1991 | Buy |
| Pot of Gold | 1993 | Buy |
| A Certain Smile | 1999 | Buy |
| The Real Mother | 2005 | Buy |
Judith Barnard and Michael Fain wrote under the combined name Judith Michael from 1982 to 2005, producing eleven novels that were consistently popular on the bestseller lists. Their fiction tends to center on affluent protagonists navigating complex family relationships, professional ambition, and romantic entanglements, often with a thriller or suspense element. The books are set in recognizable upscale worlds – fashion, publishing, hotels, theater – and place considerable emphasis on their characters’ interior lives.
Their most successful period was the 1980s and early 1990s, when novels like Deceptions (1982), Possessions (1984), and Inheritance (1988) reached wide audiences. Deceptions introduces the concept of two women trading lives – a premise that carries considerable dramatic tension – and was later adapted for television. The standalone novels that followed share a similar interest in women’s choices, power, and desire.
The duo’s later work, including Acts of Love (1997) and The Real Mother (2005), shows a continued interest in professional women dealing with competing demands. Their fiction occupies a space between commercial romance and mainstream women’s fiction, appealing to readers who want emotional depth alongside plot-driven storytelling.