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There are currently 31 member reviews
for The Face Thief
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Lesley M. (Mesa, AZ)
Chasing Dreams
I enjoyed reading "The Face Thief". It was an interesting story that looked at people's greed, motives and lies all wrapped up in a mystery. These themes are universal and easily relate-able. The characters were well drawn and the book was an easy read, so many people would like this book.
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Sandy P. (Gainesville, FL)
OK, but.....
Story line was interesting, going between the grifter (Janelle aka Margot), the victim (John Potash) and Lawrence Billings (the teacher of 'face stealing'). For me, the loose ends finale was not very satisfying. There was some closure, i.e. John finding a way to recoup his losses (although through sad circumstances), but not the vindication I was hoping for.
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Bess W. (Marlton, NJ)
The Face Thief
Loved the beginning of the book and couldn't wait to get into the story. The "study of faces" sounded quite interesting. As the story went on I felt there were too many jumps in scenes. The characters were interesting but not likeable. The story never picked up momentum and the ending was rather disappointing.
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Susan S. (Lakeville, MA)
Difficult to get into
I had a very difficult time with this book. I couldn't get into it -- in fact, I started it three times. I had difficulty following the plot and I had to force myself to finish it. The reason why I was initially interested in reading The Face Thief was because of the concept of face reading, but I found the whole idea silly and therefore, could not take this book seriously.
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Lauren C. (Los Angeles, CA)
Unthrilling thriller
A good thriller moves quickly, taking its characters through lots of twists and turns and keeping the reader second guessing. The author gives enough backstory to each character to make them interesting. Unfortunately, this book has none of these elements.
Almost nothing happens in this book, which is about a woman who may or may not have been murdered and who may or may not have done it. The characters were so uninteresting that I didn't really care who did it, and so few characters were in this book that it had absolutely no suspense. Saying that the plot was thin would be an understatement.
The author also had an annoying habit of having each character think through what previously happened to them instead of actually putting the characters in present tense and making them move around and do something, or finding more subtle and varied ways to insert some backstory.
Skip this book.
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Michael F. (Providence, RI)
A premise unrequited
There is an art to writing a short novel; every word and every character must matter. Unfortunately, the FACE THIEF is filled with characters that are undeveloped and with language that is inelegant, often clumsy. The protagonists do not inspire sympathy or empathy from the reader, and they often act or speak in ways that are just not believable. Most importantly, the promise of a first-rate mystery is never fulfilled. Instead, the story line merely feels disjointed, vague, and unprovocative. The novel reads like a first draft that, with a strong editorial hand, could have been developed into something more interesting.
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Kathryn W. (Beaumont, TX)
Nobody to Like
This book reads quickly due to a smooth writing style, but the structure is confusing and complicated. There is really no one in this book to like or with whom one might make a connection. And at the end of the book, I was unsure what had really happened. Maybe it is me, but deliberate obfuscation seems pointless.
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