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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 rather
…more 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. (less)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
…more to hurry to finish the story so he introduced a bunch of possible endings to let the reader come to his/her own conclusions. (less)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
…more 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. (less)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.
