Get The BookBrowse Anthology, our 880 page collection of our past decade of Best of Year reviews, now available in hardcover!

What do readers think of The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb

The Face Thief

A Novel

by Eli Gottlieb

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Readers' Rating (31):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2012, 256 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 3 of 4
There are currently 31 reader reviews for The Face Thief
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

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.
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 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 rathermore
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 hadmore
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 intomore
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.
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.
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.

Read-Alikes

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Devil Finds Work
    by James Baldwin
    A book-length essay on racism in American films, by "the best essayist in this country" (The New York Times Book Review).

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    One Death at a Time
    by Abbi Waxman

    A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
    by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

    From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.

  • Book Jacket

    The Fairbanks Four
    by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

    One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

  • Book Jacket

    The Seven O'Clock Club
    by Amelia Ireland

    Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

Who Said...

Every good journalist has a novel in him - which is an excellent place for it.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

J of A T, M of N

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.