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The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb

The Face Thief

A Novel

by Eli Gottlieb

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2012, 256 pages
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There are currently 31 member reviews
for The Face Thief
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  • Linda P. (Rockport, ME)
    The Face Thief
    An engaging opening introduces the main female character. Her story is intriguing, but the author then mixes in the tales of the other characters, all at once it seems, and I kept trying to figure out how they all related to each other. I struggled to keep the characters straight until about a third of the way through the book, when I figured out where the story might be heading. There were moments when I was reminded of the con artists in Sideways or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels although the plot of The Face Thief is not at all like either of those movies. Very engaging and well-written story, right to the end. Younger readers and mystery novel hounds especially, I expect, would love the book.
  • Malinda N. (Wheeling, WV)
    The Face Thief
    I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. I'm not usually a big fan of this genre but I found the characters to be well defined and interesting for the most part. I was very curious to find out the conclusion...it was an interesting end to the story. The only criticism I had was that I felt the author developed the main character in order for the reader to feel that she was a sophisticated and intelligent woman but some of the scenes in the book didn't jive with that illusion. At times she appeared to be an immature, young girl with common language. This might have been purposeful but it is hard to believe that such an accomplished monetary scam artist would use the word the word "way".
  • Carol G. (Little Egg Harbor, NJ)
    The Face Thief
    A great psychological & mystery read which is page-turning suspenseful.
    However, I was disappointed with the flat ending.
    The flashback style may disarm some readers and be bothersome; but I do not have a problem with a flashback approach.
    This was an emotional read which made it a somewhat slow paced mystery for those looking for faster action.
    I have never read this author before but will definitely read the previous "Now You See Him".
  • Judy G. (Carmel, IN)
    Calculation & Cunning
    The Face Thief provides a delightful journey of calculation & cunning most readers never experience in a lifetime. The author's character craftsmanship is superb and I found it to be a quite enjoyable read.
  • Judy M. (East Haven, CT)
    The Face Thief
    I was immediately drawn into this book within the first few pages and found it to be an enticing mystery of which I unable to tie up all the pieces too early on in the novel.
    The author does a great job in both his descriptive writing and in keeping the plots of the main characters (there are about 5-6 to follow) as seperate entities throughout. The chapters bounce back and forth between these stories. I was intrigued knowing that at some point it would all come together, which it does,but not really until the end.
    I did find my attention waining a little toward last few chapters though.
    The Face Thief is a rather quick read,and engrossing enough as a mystery novel. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book with a few twists and turns, and a plot that is atypical for this genre.
  • Shirley F. (Franksville, WI)
    Thief of my time
    I thought this book would be a fast and exciting study of a sociopathic female. Although the premise of face reading is a little out dated, just like the yoga retreat for sex, the "psychological thriller" aspect kept me going back to the book. For me, however, the aura of mystery presented in the beginning never got off the ground and the characters never really came to life. The story lacked momentum - while there were some background details, the reactions of the characters felt disconnected and most were never explained. By the end of the book, I still had a lot of questions, and it felt like the author had to hurry to finish the story so he introduced a bunch of possible endings to let the reader come to his/her own conclusions.
  • Jen W. (Denver, CO)
    The Steam Engine
    One of the best sounds of impending excitement or suspense is that of a steam engine getting ready to launch off. It starts out with a slow, chug, chug and builds to a whistling hum. Reading the Face Thief, I kept thinking about this metaphor. This book has all the right parts. An interesting plot, really well designed characters and a strong writing style. I started chugging along in this book and was drawn into the different characters, wondering how they would converge together. Each character had their own distinct level of intrigue. Thinking about the connections between them at first created momentum into the story. But, the book never really got whistling. Perhaps because it alternates perspectives, the author never crafted enough coherence to make the story live up to its potential. The characters would sometimes carry from one chapter to the next, but would ultimately lose its steam as it shifted perspectives. The writer left off with a cliffhanger of sorts at the end of the chapters, but this became more predictable than intriguing. The book as a suspenseful thriller is one of "almost". It almost gets going, but not quite.

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