There is a lie behind every crime.'

Why is it that lies prise open the worst aspects of human conduct? Drawing on the author's own experiences in the criminal courts, and using a fascinating series of historical and psychological examples, this book argues that deceit and lies are the engines of evil.

Lying myths are the driving force behind the most extreme forms of violence. The author sees this as a timeless pattern, from the persecution of the Christians in the second century to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Where does this patterns come from? The author confronts the central mystery of why hatred changes the face of our enemy into an image that must be destroyed.