The Face

A Novel

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Dylan Baker

Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Acknowledged as “America’s most popular suspense novelist”(Rolling Stone ) and as one of today’s most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers and listeners around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human. Now he delivers the thriller of the season, an unforgettable journey to the heart of darkness and to the pinnacle of grace, at once chilling and wickedly funny, a brilliantly observed chronicle of good and evil in our time, of illusion and everlasting truth. He’s Hollywood’s most dazzling star, whose flawless countenance inspires the worship of millions and fires the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existence is under siege as a series of terrifying, enigmatic “messages” breaches the exquisitely calibrated security systems of his legendary Bel Air estate.

The boxes arrive mysteriously, one by one, at Channing Manheim’s fortified compound. The threat implicit in their bizarre, disturbing contents seems to escalate with each new delivery. Manheim’s security chief, ex-cop Ethan Truman, is used to looking beneath the surface of things. But until he entered the orbit of a Hollywood icon, he had no idea just how slippery reality could be. Now this good man is all that stands in the way of an insidious killer—and forces that eclipse the most fevered fantasies of a city where dreams and nightmares are the stuff of daily life. As a seemingly endless and ominous rain falls over southern California, Ethan will test the limits of perception and endurance in a world where the truth is as thin as celluloid and answers can be found only in the illusory intersection of shadow and light.

Enter a world of marvelous invention, enchantment, and implacable intent, populated by murderous actors and the walking dead, hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never-dying hope. Here a magnificent mansion is presided over by a Scottish force of nature known as Mrs. McBee, before whom all men tremble. A mad French chef concocts feasts for the mighty and the malicious. Ming du Lac, spiritual adviser to the stars, has a direct line to the dead. An aptly named cop called Hazard will become Ethan’s ally, an anarchist will sow discord and despair, and a young boy named Fric, imprisoned by celebrity and loneliness, will hear a voice telling him of the approach of something unimaginably evil. Traversing this extraordinary landscape, Ethan will face the secrets of his own tragic past and the unmistakable premonition of his impending violent death as he races against time to solve the macabre riddles of a modern-day beast.

A riveting tour de force of suspense, mystery, and miraculous revelation, The Face is that rare novel that entertains, provokes, and uplifts at the same time. It will make you laugh. It will give you chills. It will fill you with hope.

©2003 Dean Koontz (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"...The suspense builds smoothly and steadily in [narrator Dylan] Baker's hands." —AudioFile

“Koontz has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.”—Los Angeles Times

"Both terrifying and amusing, The Face is classic Dean Koontz—a blend of murder, mystery and wit...Koontz's dialogue is sharp, his characters multidimensional, and the plot is tight."—New York Daily News

5th time reading/listening to this book.

I really love this story and believe that in another 3 or 4 years, I'll read it again.

A Master Wordsmith

The Face is Dean Koontz at his very best. For the sake of frame of reference, Dean Koontz at his worst is exceptional. His fluidity with the written word, his skill at character development, the stories that leave you guessing what comes next-I simply tip my hat and look forward to what comes next.

I read it and now I listend to it.....

I read it and now I listend to it and it was even better than the wonderful book that I first read a few years back. It is pretty long compared to a lot of his work but I was so glad for that because when the book started to flow it was a very enjoyable litarary ride. Five stars because it was well read and it left a great memory.

Too many notes?

Nine times out of ten, I choose the unabridged version wherever possible. Much as I enjoyed this story, and Dean Koontz books in general, I would choose the abridged version if available for this particular book. If Mr. Koontz was being paid by the word, he must have cashed in big this time! I think fully one third could have been left out. Many times I found myself tuning out - it was like the song that never ends!

Solid, Ultimately Enjoyable

I sometimes found myself wishing that the book would unfold a bit faster. It was occasionally like slogging through in slow motion. Overall, though, I was hooked, and I remain amazed at Koontz's ability to create characters and a story that creeps into you and snags your curiosity and by subtle magic makes you a very willing captive of his story. I was eventually willing to stay with Koontz for the duration, and feel well rewarded for doing so. The person who readers Koontz here deserves acolades, as well. He's very, very good.

Too Verbose!

This audio-book was a lot longer than it needed to be. It was verbose to a point of being ridiculous. Writing words for the sake of filling space. The story was interesting but this is an eight or nine hour book at the most. An abridged version would be more palatable.

He is a master

This story was great. I listen to/from work and I had a tough time putting this down. He is a master.

This is in contrast to a review I just made of the Lake House. The Lake House was the worst audiobook (out of about 100) that I had ever downloaded. I couldn't finish listening to it. The Face, on the otherhand is one of the best downloads.

I highly recommend this.

Very Entertaining

I liked this book a lot. Koontz is elequent in his descriptions of places and things to the point of being too verbose and I hope his next book is not so wordy. It does distract from the story but not to the point of ruining the suspence. I couldn't stop walking around with the ear plugs for days.

I'm not sure what to say.

It's been a while since I've read a Koontz book. This is my 11th I believe and it's definitely a Koontz book. I like Koontz books. I'm not sure this is a classic but it is a fine novel filled with interesting characters, compelling moments, and frustrating speed bumps. I didn't know what kind of book it was until about halfway through. Once I did know what kind of a book it was the major action still didn't start until the last 1/10th of the book. I liked it?

Not one of Koontz's better books

This was an interesting story, as I really enjoy most of Dean's offerings. However I thought this one had far more repetitive narrative than I can handle. I buy a book for moving and interesting dialogue and this one did not measure up to his other books, frankly it was driving me up a wall.
I liked the story layout and the conclusion, and it was very well read.