Face Blind [Paperback]

Raymond Benson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2003

From Raymond Benson, author of the acclaimed James Bond continuation novels between 1996-2002 and other works of suspense, comes a new and edgy noir thriller.

Imagine a world where you don't recognize the human face. That's Hannah's condition--"prosopagnosia," or "face blindness"--when the brain center that recognizes faces is inoperable. The onset of the condition occurred when she was attacked by an unknown assailant in the inner lobby of her New York City apartment building. And now she thinks he's back, and not just in her dreams.

When she also attracts the attention of a psychopathic predator and becomes the unwitting target of a Mafia drug ring, the scene is set for a thrill ride of mistaken identity, cat-and-mouse pursuit, and murder.

FACE BLIND is a twisting, turning tale of suspense in which every character has a dark side. The novel will keep the reader surprised and intrigued until the final violent catharsis.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From the pen of Raymond Benson, author of the acclaimed original James Bond continuation novels (Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death, High Time to Kill, DoubleShot, Never Dream of Dying, and The Man With the Red Tattoo) and the novel Evil Hours, comes a new and edgy noir thriller.

Imagine a world where you don’t recognize the human face. That’s Hannah’s condition - prosopagnosia, or "face blindness" - when the brain center that recognizes faces is inoperable. The onset of the condition occurred when she was attacked and nearly raped by an unknown assailant in the inner lobby of her New York City apartment building. And now she thinks he’s back, and not just in her dreams.

When she also attracts the attention of a psychopathic predator and becomes the unwitting target of a Mafia drug ring, the scene is set for a thrill ride of mistaken identity, cat-and-mouse pursuit, and murder.

Face Blind is a twisting, turning tale of suspense in which every character has a dark side. The novel will keep the reader surprised and intrigued until the final violent catharsis.

About the Author

Raymond Benson is the author of the James Bond novels The Man With the Red Tattoo, Never Dream of Dying, DoubleShot, High Time to Kill, The Facts of Death, and Zero Minus Ten, as well as the novelizations of the films Die Another Day, The World is Not Enough, and Tomorrow Never Dies.

His Bond short stories have been published in Playboy and TV Guide magazines. He is also the author of the suspense novels, Face Blind and Evil Hours, and the non-fiction books The Pocket Essentials Guide to Jethro Tull and The James Bond Bedside Companion (the latter was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Biographical/Critical Work in 1984). Raymond also has extensive experience directing stage plays, composing music, and designing and writing adventure computer games. He is married, has one son, and is based in the Chicago area.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Twenty First Century Publishers Ltd (November 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904433103
• ISBN-13: 978-1904433101
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,699,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As of January 2011, Raymond Benson is the author of twenty-four published books. These include six original JAMES BOND novels (now collected in the recent anthologies THE UNION TRILOGY and CHOICE OF WEAPONS), three 007 film novelizations, and the first two TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL novels (for the latter he used the pseudonym of "David Michaels"). With John Milius he penned HOMEFRONT: THE VOICE OF FREEDOM. He also wrote the novelizations of the popular videogames--METAL GEAR SOLID and METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY. Raymond writes his own original suspense books as well--stand alone thrillers such as TORMENT, ARTIFACT OF EVIL, SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS, FACE BLIND, and EVIL HOURS, or his two "Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll Hits" featuring a music industry detective--A HARD DAY'S DEATH and DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE. Coming soon--Raymond's entry in the "Gabriel Hunt" adventures, HUNT THROUGH NAPOLEON'S WEB, and an original thriller, THE BLACK STILETTO. There's a lot more, so if you want the full story visit the author at his website... www.raymondbenson.com!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and suspenseful!, November 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Face Blind (Paperback)

Raymond Benson has shown that he can create suspense away from his James Bond novels. "Face Blind" kept me glued to the page. The plot deals with a woman who has "prosopagnosia," or "face blindness"--this means she can't recognize faces except within the context of location or by voice. This of course leads to a lot of mistaken identity twists. What's brilliant about the story is that Benson turns this concept around and shows how other characters in the story are also "face blind" in their own way. The bad guys mistake *her* for someone they're looking for. Another creepy guy in the story preys on victim by means of medical transcription tapes, something that makes you stop and think about who's really doing that kind of work for your doctors! "Face Blind" has surprises at every turn and it would also make a great movie.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastically woven tale with research that shows through the pages!, January 25, 2007

By 

Glenn Alperin "[e-mail]" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Face Blind (Paperback)

I'll start off by saying that I have prosopagnosia. In fact, I've had it for as long as I can remember. Mine was one of the first personal web sites on the web which discussed it. Anyway, I have some authority to write this review, both as a reader and as an interested person.

That being said, it is often extremely difficult to communicate some of the subtleties involved in living with prosopagnosia. Benson managed to vividly capture some of those difficulties in this book. I almost found myself literally crying with the sincerity of some of the descriptions of situations Hannah experienced. Most people have a very difficult time grappling with the social nuances of "not being able to recognize people", but Benson did a masterful job of this through relating some of Hannah's day-to-day struggles as well as those exceptional circumstances which arise throughout the book.

For those who are interested in just a glimpse of what life can be like for a person with prosopagnosia, this is a magnificent starting point. True, it is a work of fiction, but I can tell that it was also a work of sincere care crafted by Benson. If you want the real deal about "life with prosopagnosia", even though the story is fiction, BUY THIS BOOK, because the experiences could just as easily have really happened.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, March 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Face Blind (Paperback)

I just read "Face Blind" and came to leave my own 5-star review, and then saw the ridiculous review from "the reader from Illinois"--which doesn't review the book at all but rather gives a 2-star review to the "reviewer from New York." Sheesh, get a life. Did you like the book or not? I guess you really didn't read it. Anyway, I thought Benson's new book was very suspenseful. It had me up all night! I recommend it to anyone who like suspense books with strange, twisted characters.