Real fraud lessons inside “Echoes of Deceit”

Tom Golden, CFE, CPA, has become a well-known storyteller for the fraud examination profession. His Sam Halloran trilogy, culminating with “Echoes of Deceit,” blends real-world experience with narrative insight to explore the ethical, emotional and personal costs of pursuing the truth.

Tom Golden, CFE, CPA, a longtime forensic accounting investigator and novelist, draws on his real-life fraud fighting career to inform his fiction and professional philosophy. The author of the Sam Halloran trilogy, which concludes with “Echoes of Deceit,” is a practitioner and evangelist for the fraud examination profession. His work highlights how creativity, communication and empathy complement analytical rigor.

Golden, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Regent Emeritus, is a retired forensic accounting leader. He began in sales at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company before working as a certified public accountant. He built and led one of the nation’s largest forensic accounting practices at PwC. Golden ultimately transitioned into fiction writing, drawing inspiration from real cases. His Sam Halloran trilogy — “Sunday Night Fears,” “One Honest Soul” and “Echoes of Deceit” — blends technical expertise with storytelling.

Halloran’s last case

The final installment in the Sam Halloran trilogy, “Echoes of Deceit,” released in December 2025, closes the series with a financial crime thriller drawn directly from Golden’s personal experience leading complex public corruption cases. The book provides an unusually authentic portrayal of the pressures fraud examiners face beyond spreadsheets and forensic accounting.

The story follows investigator Halloran as he returns to Chicago after a traumatic international case left him questioning the personal cost of his career. Assigned what initially appears to be a routine corruption investigation within a public school system, Halloran soon uncovers a much larger and more dangerous web of inflated contracts, political influence, organized crime pressure and individuals determined to protect power at any cost. As the case escalates, so do the ethical, emotional and professional stakes.

For Certified Fraud Examiners and fraud practitioners, the novel’s value lies in its emphasis on the human side of investigation. “Fraud is never just about numbers,” Golden says. “It’s about pressure, access, rationalization, fear, loyalty, betrayal and the difficult choices people make when the truth threatens their careers, families or freedom.” The story highlights how truth often comes not from data alone, but from people inside organizations who are afraid to speak out and the soft skills required to earn their trust. “That’s the world Halloran operates in,” Golden explains.

Lessons in credibility

Equally important is the book’s focus on independence and credibility. Halloran must confront how personal history, emotional entanglements and perception can influence investigative judgment. According to Golden, the lesson for practitioners is clear: “Once your credibility is compromised, the facts may no longer matter.” Ultimately, “Echoes of Deceit” serves as a suspense novel and a reflection of what fraud examination demands: skepticism, ethical resolve, sound judgment and the willingness to bear personal cost in pursuit of the truth.

Fraud is never just about numbers. It’s about pressure, access, rationalization, fear, loyalty, betrayal and the difficult choices people make when the truth threatens their careers, families or freedom.

“Investigators are human. We form impressions. We build relationships. We may sympathize with witnesses, dislike targets, or feel pressure from clients, attorneys, executives or powerful stakeholders. The danger comes when those human reactions start influencing our judgment or even appear to,” Golden says.

Before writing fiction, Golden was lead author of the professional reference book “A Guide to Forensic Accounting Investigation” and appeared in the documentary “All the Queen’s Horses,” which tells the story of convicted fraudster Rita Crundwell, the perpetrator of the largest case of municipal fraud in American history. Golden lives in rural Illinois with his wife, continues to speak and mentor professionals worldwide, and remains engaged with readers of his novels and blog, The Fraud Guy Blog.

Crystal Zuzek is associate editor of Fraud Magazine. Contact her at czuzek@acfe.com.