The Face of Fear (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Wary, not actually expecting trouble but prepared for it, he parked his car across the street from the four-story brownstone apartment house..." (more)
Key Phrases: safety tether, elevator alcove, fortieth floor, Graham Harris, Lexington Avenue, Bowerton Building (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You and your friend Sarah are being chased by a homicidal maniac through an office building in the middle of the night. You take refuge in an empty office like frightened cockroaches, but the doors are forced open, revealing your antenna-quivering vulnerability. In desperation, you scramble up and down elevator shafts with one lame leg dangling helplessly behind, and try other life-threatening feats that seem to be more appealing than getting an ice-pick through your skull.

The most horrifying thing about this scenario: the person chasing you is not a disgruntled co-worker, and it's not your boss! It's a notoriously murderous rapist, and he's just about to get you or Sarah every turn of the way. And then you remember the terror of falling while climbing Mount Everest and you think you've figured out how to escape... but have you? You still haven't figured out who will be crushed by the monster snow-plow!

I've never read many thrillers before--much less Koontz--but I was trapped with this book in a strange hotel in a strange city, and was then kept awake the rest of the night wondering what those noises were outside my door. Koontz has, apparently, done it again. And I fear I may now be hooked on thrillers.

Review

Real suspense... tension upon tension! -- The New York Times

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 13th THUS edition (May 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042511984X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425119846
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,158 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars mature but well-written, February 25, 1999

By A Customer

I am thirteen years old, and I read Face of Fear by Dean Koontz this year. I found it, in the end, to be a very suspensful and intiguing book. I must warn though, that this piece of literature is not for the faint-stomached, or the easily offened. It involves discusions and descriptions of very pornographic scenes, and has parts involving the mind of a phychopath and descriptions of murder. However, to get past these details to the story, this book is a quickly read, don't-want-to-put-it-down thriller. It may get a tad boring a chapter or two near the end (descriptions of rock-climbing techniques and equipment), but it makes up for these flaws in a wonderfully told, fast-paced tale of a hero, a villan, and a girl. The story is about a phychic who sees murders take place in his mind, discovers he is being stalked by the killer acting on these murders, and him getting trapped in a skyscraper which he and his girlfriend are forced to rappel down the side of. However, he is paralysed with fear from a climbing accident on Everest years ago... I rate this book with 4/5 stars, because of the minor flaws mentioned earlier. If you are a fan of any other Dean Koontz novels or like modern horror movies like Scream and H20: Halloween, read this book. I hope you enjoy it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another plot driven, suspense filled thriller from Koontz., June 8, 2006

By	Ben Stubbs "Horror / Metal Enthusiast" (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having just finished reading "The Vision" when I picked up this novel, I was shocked to find that the main character once again has psychic powers which cause them to witness (experience) the murders of a serial killer as they occur. Not only that, the main characters in each story have also suffered a great trauma at some point in their life and the events that unfold within the stories force them to face the fears that have haunted them ever since. It's as though while writing the first book, he came up with what he thought was a better idea and started on it straight afterwards. "The Face of Fear" thankfully turned out to be quite a different book to "The Vision" though, being a far more action orientated, movie-like experience.

In "The Face of Fear", Graham Harris witnesses the murders of "The Butcher", as he rapes and slaughters women around New York City, through psychic visions. After it becomes apparent that Harris is able to give police information on the murders, "The Butcher" decides to go after him and his girlfriend Connie. What we end up with is a couple of hundred page climax where Graham and Connie are hunted from floor to floor of an office building, with occasional glimpses into the mind (or is that minds) of a murderer.

I enjoyed this book as much as any of the other Koontz books that I've read so far. His books are very plot driven and straight to the point. He never gets bogged down with long dialogues or character studies and instead chooses to focus on the action and the events that drive the plot forward. This can be seen as a good or a bad thing in my opinion. They're like Hollywood blockbusters where you leave your brain at the door. There are plot holes and bad decisions, yet you hardly have time to think about them as you turn the page to find out what happens next. Having read only 4 of his novels so far, I'm starting to tire of his formula though and hope that there are some added variations to my next choices.

Overall, "The Face of Fear" is a good, tense read and recommended for thriller / action fans. The ending is totally and terribly contrived and you'll know who the killer is early on, but that doesn't prohibit this book from successfully keeping you gripped and taking you on a suspense-filled ride.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Intense, Scary if you're a woman!, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

I personally thought this was a scary book, that I would not have read if I knew about it more. It scared me because the main character, "The Butcher," was a rapist who killed many woman. It was scary and kind of disgusting to hear about these women being raped, and it felt as if you were there, watching it in person. It makes you want to cry, it's so intense. - But you do hear about a couple, Graham and Connie, who barely survived, because of the Butcher and his evil gun. The only part I enjoyed was when you hear about Ira Preduski, the detective, who seemed to be so nice and caring towards these people. He was kind and warm hearted. He made the day. - So, if you are looking for a more scary, thriller book, check into this one. If you are like me, then STAY AWAY!