Stealing Faces [Paperback]

Michael Prescott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

John Cray has a secret. For twelve years he has stalked and kidnapped women, setting them loose in the mountains of eastern Arizona, hunting them like animals, and taking their lives. He has left no clues. He is suspected by no one. Or so he thinks.

But now he has a problem. Somebody -- a woman whose name he doesn't know -- is stalking him.

She follows him when he makes his nightly rounds in Tucson. She watches him on busy streetcorners and in shadowy restaurants. She seems to know his secret. But if so, why hasn't she gone to the police?

Cray plans to turn the tables on his mysterious pursuer. He will become the predator, and she -- the prey. Once she's in his power, she will tell him who she is and what she's after. And then she will die.

But even Cray isn't prepared to confront the truth when he discovers it -- or to deal with the shattering implications of a past he had thought long buried and an obsessive madness he cannot control ...

"Stealing Faces is truly thrilling as well as chilling: I could not put this book down. Reading the first few chapters of this tale is like reading the climax for most thrillers and the excitement just keeps building. Michael Prescott knows how to keep readers' eyes glued to his pages.... I was completely hooked. Actually, more than completely hooked, I thought the lightning-paced thrills were going to give me a heart attack!" - Judith Flavell, The Mystery Reader

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Signet (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451198514
• ISBN-13: 978-0451198518
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1960, I grew up in New Jersey and attended Wesleyan University, majoring in Film Studies. After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, where I wrote scripts for several independent producers. I also worked as a magazine freelancer and archival researcher, and eventually started writing books. I authored six titles under the pseudonym Brian Harper before switching to my new identity as Michael Prescott.

My first Michael Prescott novel, COMES THE DARK, grew out of my interest in ancient religion and mythology. I followed up with STEALING FACES, which made its debut as an electronic book and became the bestselling e-book in the U.S. way back in 1999, and THE SHADOW HUNTER, which was praised by Publishers Weekly for its "brilliant elements of psychological horror." Publishers Weekly also had kind words for LAST BREATH ("a chilling, character-driven tale") and NEXT VICTIM ("unrelentingly suspenseful"). IN DARK PLACES was called a "dark, compulsive read" (Publishers Weekly), a "gripping new drama" (Cemetary Dance), and "hard to predict and thoroughly absorbing ... Michael Prescott at his best" (Round Table Reviews). With DANGEROUS GAMES, I began a trilogy about two female characters, Tess McCallum and Abby Sinclair, who had appeared separately in two of my earlier books. The trilogy continued with MORTAL FAULTS and FINAL SINS. Collectively those three books are my personal favorites.

Changes in the publishing industry made it hard for me to get a print deal after FINAL SINS. Ebooks, however, are more than taking up the slack. In 2010, I self-published RIPTIDE as an ebook and a print-on-demand paperback. This was followed by new ebook editions of SHIVER, MORTAL PURSUIT, and BLIND PURSUIT (three Brian Harper titles), as well as STEALING FACES. All have risen into the Top 100 bestsellers among Kindle's paid titles, with most making it into the top ten. By the end of July 2011 I plan to release my first book written directly for the ebook market, a comedy called DIE STUPID.

In addition, E-Reads has put out ebook editions of NEXT VICTIM, IN DARK PLACES, and DANGEROUS GAMES, and Penguin Books offers an ebook edition of FINAL SINS. Before too long I hope to have all my titles available in ebook form, and to write some new ones for this rapidly expanding market.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very high three and a half stars, August 11, 2000

By 

J. Surowiecki (Hanover Park, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stealing Faces (Paperback)

I must admit that Michael Prescott has a knack for writing a very entertaining prologue! Readers arrive on the scene smack dab in the middle of single mom Sharon Andrews bloodied and running for her life. Unfortunately for Sharon, she's in the prologue...we know what's going to happen to her. And very quickly, so does she.

From a writing standpoint "Stealing Faces" is crisp and reads quickly. A definite plus in this form of novel. The major players of the story are deftly crafted. Poor Elizabeth Palmer, a.k.a. Ellen Pendleton , a.k.a. Paula Nielson, but in reality Kaylie McMillan has been on the run for the better part of twelve years. She is of the opinion that Dr. John Cray is the unstoppable White Mountain Killer. She's absolutely correct, of course. She's also the murderess of her husband Justin McMillan. What Cray does as the White Mountain Killer is rather obvious from the book's title.

Kaylie and Cray play a lot of physical tag in the first portion of the novel. Each trying to remain one step ahead of the other. They spend the second half of the novel playing mental tag. Kaylie and Cray encounter several other interesting people in the course of the story. Namely, Tucson Detective Roy Shepherd and Kaylie's ex-father-in-law Anson McMillan.

My only ever so MINUSCULE complaint is that they really weren't given any more to do but play hide and seek with one another. To go any further into what precisely goes on would be to give away too many spoilers in this well written novel. It's just that things become a bit formulaic towards the end. Cray makes a mistake or two that seem out of character for someone who throughout the rest of the story takes great pride in his meticulousness.

This still does not take away from the fact that there are some clever twists and turns in this story. A fast read that I think many people will find very enjoyable.

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sensational, December 3, 2002

By 

Bruce White (Auchenflower, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stealing Faces (Paperback)

i have only recently found Michael Prescott, & i cannot get enough of his writing. his character development, the twists & turns he provides make for an incredibly believable read. The Shadow Hunter & Stealing Faces are 2 of the best reads i have ever read & if he keeps this style up , guys like James Patterson & Geoffery Deaver will, in my humble opinion, have a serious contender. Cant wait to read Comes The Dark.

116 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsmiling Faces Sometimes, October 6, 2000

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stealing Faces (Paperback)

Imagine running for twelve years, harboring the deepest darkest secret as to why you shot your husband dead. !

Such is the plight of Kaylie McMillan (Elizabeth Palmer, etc.) in this suspenseful second effort from Michael Prescott.

As in "Comes the Dark," this is a gripping, suspenseful thriller. John Cray is a nasty, irreprehensible villain, smooth and relentlessly evil. Again, Prescott delves into Cray's youth to show us the reason, but again, not the justification, for his actions.

The physical and psychological "hunt" between Kaylie and Cray is tense, and frustrating, as Kaylie appears to be losing the match, and Dr. Cray may finally get his revenge.

A stunning book in many ways, it will keep you riveted. The supporting characters, as in Prescott's first novel, are very interesting, even if the hero (Roy Shepherd) and Kaylie are very similar thematically to the two heroes in "Comes the Dark."

But, this is a minor complaint---just read it and be enthralled!