• The Face of Death

  • Smoky Barrett, Book 2
  • By: Cody McFadyen
  • Narrated by: Joyce Bean
  • Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (222 ratings)

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The Face of Death  By  cover art

The Face of Death

By: Cody McFadyen
Narrated by: Joyce Bean
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Publisher's summary

“I want to talk to Smoky Barrett or I’ll kill myself.” The girl is sixteen, at the scene of a grisly triple homicide, and has a gun to her head. She claims “The Stranger” killed her adoptive family, that he’s been following her all her life, killing everyone she ever loved, and that no one believes her. No one has.

Until now.

Special Agent Smoky Barrett is head of the violent crimes unit in Los Angeles, the part of the FBI reserved for tracking down the worst of the worst. Her team has been handpicked from among the nation’s elite law enforcement specialists and they are as obsessed and relentless as the psychos they hunt; they’ll have to be to deal with this case.

For another vicious double homicide reveals a killer embarked on a dark crusade of trauma and death: an “artist” who’s molding sixteen-year-old Sarah into the perfect victim – and the ultimate weapon. But Smoky Barrett has another, more personal reason for catching The Stranger – an adopted daughter and a new life that are worth protecting at any cost.

This time Smoky is going to have to put it all on the line. Because The Stranger is all too real, all too close, and all too relentless. And when he finally shows his face, if she’s not ready to confront her worst fear, Smoky won’t have time to do anything but die.

©2007 Cody McFadyen (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Face of Death

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    115
  • 4 Stars
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    21
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    14
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    57
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    18
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    9
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    8

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I just can't get through this book!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different narrator.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Changed the narrator. This one was a bowl of oatmeal.

What didn’t you like about Joyce Bean’s performance?

Her cadence was off. Her male voices were absurd.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not sure. I may listen from time to time when I can tolerate the narrator just to hear how it ends.

Any additional comments?

I guess you can't always get the real picture from reviews. I doubt I will try another Joyce Bean book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

totally unbelievable

I will be asking for a return on this book. I could not finish this and would not wish this on my worst enemy. When I listened to the first chapter of this book I actually laughed outright and immediately paused the book to share with my daughter the ridiculousness of what I had just heard. The author of this book seems to think that every person in law enforcement has either been shot; has shot someone; has killed someone; has had a friend or family member killed in front of them because they were a cop; or has had a partner die and/or commit suicide. This is just a really bad book. I would suggest that you not waste your time.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WONDERFUL!!!

Omg..tis book wasso good! One of my best pick thus far. I actually read Abandoned first and I really didnt like it as much as this one. But I found this story amazing to the very end. The story line wasso different from anything I read. The ending and the how and why the killer did what he did was brilliant..the ending..OMG!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love this Writer!!!! He makes you share the Pain

What did you love best about The Face of Death?

This Author is probably my all time favorite writer. This is the second book by this author on this series and it is Awesome. The way he lines up the characters lives & aims to hit you in the right place, your most sympathetic place, is incredible...
I would like to see books that do not carry content about Animals being Slaughtered. It really affected me to hear all the dogs being killed.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Face of Death?

The chapter where young Sara's parents are killed. The Dogs body in the bed...

What about Joyce Bean’s performance did you like?

I don't like the way she presents some of the men. They seem to sound like demons from another planet...

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Feel My Pain

Any additional comments?

**Please do not kills dogs and everything is amazing. I don't like having to skip an entire chapter just to avoid a killing. I may miss something important! :-)**

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Damaged Goods

A psychopath is after FBI Special Agent Smokey Barrett and he is using innocent people to get to her.

Sarah is a young girl who has been haunted her whole life by a man who has chosen to kill everyone she becomes remotely attached to. At his most recent killing of the family she had been fostering with, Sarah is found unharmed but despondent and keeps asking for Smokey. In the past atrocities the authorities have not believed Sarah about what had happened because of her young age and over whelming evidence, however, this time it is very evident that the killer wants to change that. Sarah has been composing a diary of her horrendous life and it is up to Smokey's crack team to read between the lines before it is too late for other innocents.

I am getting more attached to the characters of Smokeys eclectic team, they each have very specific strengths that are vital in helping her to solve her cases. Looking forward to our buddy read of book three.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Very dark thriller

This book was particularly dark and disturbing, even for a thriller. While the overall plot had potential, there were scenes that went into specific detail about child abuse and torture. I love a good thriller, but this wasn't even entertaining, it was just twisted.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great book in the Smoky Barrett Series!!

I must say this series has made me a huge Cody McFayden fan! I love this series! Smoky Barrett is the perfect heroine. She is intelligent, fearless and a champion to all victims. She will stop at nothing to bring these monsters to justice! I have already bought the remaining books in the series so I am off to listen to them. It will be hard for me to get anything else done till I finish them! This is a must read/ listen series!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

In all fairness

I couldn't finish. I gave up after about an hour and a half. It's just so much. Gruesome already, and I'm just not buying it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

enjoyed

I enjoyed this book, however, it didn't grab me from the start as the first book in the series did. It had a good story and surprise ending. I look forward to the next book.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Just had to stop listening. Gross.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More mystery solving, less graphic, detailed, unnecessary torture descriptions.

Would you ever listen to anything by Cody McFadyen again?

Doubt it, too disturbing to get past this.

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