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

Comparing this effort to James M. Cain or Ian McEwan, as the cover suggests, is an affront to both authors. This novel is a lingering shadow of what it MIGHT have been. There is an interesting idea here but what suspense there might have been was hampered by the author's lumbering style. It was slow going and the cutting back and forth between the three characters made for a very convoluted rythym. And once "who" dunnit was revealed, the ending was not at all satisfying. It sort of just ended...life goes on, I guess. I will not read this author again.

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.

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.

I just completed "The Face Thief" and loved the musical tone of Eli Gottlieb's prose. There are passages that's reminded me of the beautiful turn of phrases by James L. Burke. While certainly not a perfect read, it was quick, creative, engaging and kept me turning the pages, determined to find out how the story would end. The topic, shenanigans and manipulation in the financial world, is current and the story is plausible. The story does not end with everything tied up with a big red bow...but I appreciated that. The only character that did not resonated with me...Dan France, the cop. He was a bit too ingenuous. Otherwise, I really liked the book.

This psychological thriller had me from the very beginning. The story of the beautiful woman who manipulates and uses men and the consequence of her actions was almost painful to read. I felt that the author really knows how to write. It isn't a "fun" book, but I'm glad I read it.

The Face Thief is a compelling, beautifully written, heartbreaking tale of high level, sophisticated deceit where the author keeps us guessing, until the very end, about how three complex characters resolve their problems. It brings into question whether we are all face thieves.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring the inner working of the mind and the resultant behavior that follows.

The notion of Bernie Madoff as a femme fatale was interesting; however, the plot never moved much off the ground. The book focuses on Margot, a beautiful swindler who uses her sexual allure and ability to “read faces” as a way to cheat her male victims out of their investments. However, the story and the characters became increasingly bland as the book moved to a mild ending.