In Your Face (Lily Pascale Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Scarlett Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lily Pascale Mysteries | Publication Date: January 14, 2004

Lily has received a phone call from Jess who has written a feature on three women who were victims of stalking-and on the day of publication, all three woman were found dead. Lily arrives to find Jess missing and has left behind a mysterious trail of clues.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alternating between the first-person narrative of her amateur-sleuth heroine and an interview with a serial killer describing each of his murders, Thomas's fresh and sexy contemporary English mystery, the second in a trilogy (after 2003's Dead Clever), keeps the reader riveted. Partly out of curiosity and partly to escape a would-be lover and colleague's marriage to a young student, crime-fiction lecturer Lily Pascale agrees to leave rural Devon to go up to London to help a former university friend, Jess Mallone. Jess has written an article on three women, all stalking victims who get murdered the same day the article appears in Smile! magazine. In her university days, Jess wore designer clothes and drove a BMW, so Lily is surprised to find that her old friend resides in a rundown, dreary flat. Worse, Jess has disappeared, leaving only a brief note. In her pursuit of the truth through the glamorous magazine world and London art scene, Lily comes up with a lot of connections but seemingly no suspects. The suspense builds as Lily and the killer's paths converge in an unpredictable climax.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Given that the author is only 26, it's easy to forgive any minor inconsistencies in what is, overall, a really fine thriller. Strong characterizations, believable dialogue, and an intricately constructed plot with plenty of twists result in a suspenseful and entertaining roller-coaster ride of a book. Lily Pascale, onetime actress turned university lecturer and amateur sleuth, has already solved one high-profile case. When she receives a call from her long-lost friend, Jess, asking for help in tracking down a murderer, Lily can't resist getting involved. Hoping that the case will take her mind off the fact that the man she loves is marrying someone else, Lily starts investigating. She learns that three young women have been brutally murdered and that the common thread connecting them is that all three were featured in a magazine article written by Jess. Then Jess herself disappears, and Lily fears the worst. A gripping read that will fit comfortably in most mystery collections. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Justin, Charles & Co. (January 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932112081
• ISBN-13: 978-1932112085
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scarlett Thomas was born in London in 1972. Her other novels include Bright Young Things, Going Out, PopCo and The End of Mr.Y, which was longlisted for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007. She teaches creative writing at the University of Kent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a riveting and engrossing read, March 18, 2004

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Your Face (Lily Pascale Mysteries) (Hardcover)

University lecturer, Lily Pascale, hasn't heard from her old university friend, Jess Mallone, in years, so she's rather surprised when she receives a frantic 'phone call from Jess begging for help. Jess is now a freelance journalist based in London. Her latest article, (which she sold to Smile magazine) was about stalking -- about three women who were all stalked, and how they suffered, coped and survived their experiences. But on the very day that the magazine hits the streets, all three women are found murdered. Now the police are looking to Jess for answers and Jess is feeling guilty and scared. Having read about Lily's successful exploits in solving a crime that the police were unable to ("Dead Clever"), Jess begs Lily to come down to London and to help her sort out this mess. With the summer term having just ended, and needing space and time in order to sort out her feeling for colleague, Fenn, who's getting married soon, Lily is nothing loath to leave Devon for London. But she arrives to find Jess missing and the police's number one suspect. Feeling that the girl she knew couldn't be capable of murder, Lily sets out to discover what the three victims had in common that would have made them some madman's target, and to discover what has become of Jess. But as she tries to sort her way through all the misleading clues, lies and incongruities, Lily begins to feel as if she is being stalked herself. Could the killer be on her trial?

Scarlett Thomas has written an incredibly swiftly paced mystery novel, that also possess believable and credible characters and a supremely clever and intriguing plot. In fact mystery fans may be reminded of Sarah Lacey's excellent Leah Hunter novels. Like the Leah Hunter mystery series, Thomas's Lily Pascale books are fresh, vibrant, modern and loads of fun to read. In short, "In Your Face" is a treat not to be missed, and I'm truly indebted to the I Love a Mystery newsletter website for having turned me onto this incredibly riveting find.

4.0 out of 5 stars Psycho, April 6, 2008

By 

Peter Fletcher - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Your Face (Lily Pascale Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This twisted tale is far-fetched, but the internal logic is impeccable.

Scarlett Thomas always involves the reader with a level of intimacy in her characters that is not only endearing, but quite involving: don't be surprised if you begin to fall for Lily Pascale!

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and hip!, November 5, 2006

By 

Ahniwa D. Ferrari "librarian" (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Your Face (Lily Pascale Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Scarlett Thomas has a very clear, enjoyable writing style that lends itself well to the mystery genre. Her characters are interesting and complicated, her stories are tricky (in the end), but easy to follow. A joy from start to finish and recommended even to those who don't usually dip into the mystery genre, as I myself do not, except for this series.