The works of Tatyana Chekasina, from the smallest short story to large stories and novels, represent prose of great depth. Each work reflects the life, if not of an era, then of a huge layer of life in our country. Studies of man, his soul, are presented in the comprehensiveness that is inherent in great Russian literature. This is a serious reading that can transform the reader’s soul, make it better and purer, and life happier and more joyful. The book “The Deceiver” contains two works, and both are about writers. This book is about freedom of creativity, about patriotism, which is inseparable from it. This is what the little novel “The Deceiver” and the writer’s story “Drafts” are about. “Drafts” is based on the real story of the search for Mikhail Sholokhov’s drafts. This is a writer’s detective story in which there are both criminals and those who oppose them. Despite the seriousness of the problems raised, both works are full of humor, written lightly and cheerfully, and therefore will undoubtedly appeal to the hearts of the widest reader. Cover design by artist Maron Kazak.