ARA Review by biju123 of The Face of Fear

[biju123]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, The Face of Fear.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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The book starts with the dramatic kidnapping of a rich heiress on a Ferry to Long Island near New York. The case is assigned to the Suffolk County Police Department where the main protagonists, Paul Powers, and Bud Johnson, work as detectives. The case becomes complicated once a newspaper report about the kidnapping is published. The article is mysteriously followed is a series of murder and mayhem in the sleepy and otherwise crime-free County. The killing spree claims eight lives before the culmination of the mystery, where two more lives are lost. And curiously enough, in as many as five murders, the victims were the perpetrators themselves. Many of the slayings were done by people/ peoples wearing a mask that was made popular in a horror show. There comes a point when everyone appears to be a potential suspect, including Detective Powers himself. The manslaughters imply that now even the FBI is involved and at many places, the FBI appears to be restricting the investigations of Suffolk County Police.The mystery of the multiple murders is finally solved, thanks to some very ingenious thinking and maneuvering by the detectives of Suffolk County. who engage in a relentless mind game duel to the death, with the culprits and finally that there was also a ‘Good Killer’ acting in a capacity as a Vigilante, who was really finishing off the bad guys.


The Face of Fear is very intense action, suspense, and murder thriller. It starts on a very deceptive note where the reader begins to feel that the author has already spilled all the beans and now where are the suspense and the thrill. The average reader like yours truly may be forgiven for being misled into thinking that now only the ‘who done it’ part is to be resolved and that is what the book is all about. The kidnapping appeared to be almost waiting to happen. The fun part will be finding out the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.


It’s precisely at this place that the author shifts several gears and takes the story to an altogether different level. What appeared to be the main plot now suddenly becomes a subplot and new intrigues, surprises, and mysteries start cropping up at regular intervals. The riddle becomes even more confounding when after a failed assassination attempt of the reporter who first brought out the police theory of the crime to the public. It was from here that people from both sides of the fence, i.e. the “Good Guys”, as well as the “Bad Guys” start biting the dust in a most confounding and grisly manner. The enigma just deepens and very soon, it’s difficult to know as to who is on whose side. It appears that the kidnappers have turned against one another, while on the other hand there appear to be a few turncoats, particularly, Rachelle, who appears to be double-crossing her friends, including the cops.


Very soon, there comes a time when no one, absolutely no one appears to be above suspicion. This is the area that I really loved in this book. I was literally on my tenterhooks as everyone started assuming shades of grey including our protagonist Detective Powers. The author has excelled in creating a confusing conundrum here, which no average person will be able to figure out until the nail-biting finish. I was having serious doubts about even Detective Lieutenant Cronin, and in certain areas, it appeared that he was the mastermind. For me at least, this portion was the crowning glory of this entire work. The author has very graciously and thoughtfully left one murder open to your conjuncture. It’s left for you to solve, and I am still trying to. I am sure there is a clue somewhere.



In the end, I would like to mention a few things that I felt were not quite right. For one, there was an unnecessarily detailed description of New York, and at times, the reader may be forgiven for thinking that this book is a Tourist Guide or a Travelogue. There is a fair amount of page skipping to be done here. I personally also thought that the book is in need of one more round of editing, but the infelicities are of a very minor type and are not of the kind that would inhibit or take away from the reading pleasure. One of the murders that took place in a heavily guarded hospital was according to me a bit too farfetched and fanciful. So I give this book 3 out of 5.

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