One of Those Faces

A Novel

By: Elle Grawl

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

From debut author Elle Grawl comes a psychological thriller about an insomniac artist who discovers a shocking truth about a recent spate of murders in her city: the victims all look just like her.

Years after escaping her abusive childhood, Harper Mallen has only ever known sleepless nights—or terrifying nightmares. She’s struggling to survive as an artist in a trendy Chicago neighborhood, getting by on freelance gigs, when she’s suddenly confronted with the worst fears from her past.

A young woman is killed outside Harper’s apartment—a woman who chillingly resembles her. As Harper searches for information about the victim, she discovers unsettling links to two other murders. Upon discovering another doppelgänger, Harper realizes her life is not the only one hanging in the balance.

As her obsession and paranoia deepen, everyone is a suspect: the handsome stranger in the café, customers at the painting studio, even the ghosts from her past. The closer she comes to unraveling the truth behind the murders, the more Harper realizes there is no one she can trust—not even herself.

©2022 Elle Grawl (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“What an insidious, creepy page-turner Elle Grawl has created! A completely assured debut that will send chills down your spine and keep you looking over your shoulder.”—J. T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author

“One of Those Faces delivers an unreliable narrator whose paranoia is shaped by past trauma, a killer targeting women who look like her, and plenty of twists that tighten as the atmosphere closes in. This taut, chilling, page-turning psychological thriller is sure to put debut author Elle Grawl on the map.”—Loreth Anne White, Washington Post, Amazon Charts, and Bild bestselling author of The Patient’s Secret

“Taut with suspense, One of Those Faces is a slow burn thriller that will make you deadbolt your door during the day. Grawl’s debut hypnotized me from start to finish.”—Elle Marr, Amazon Charts bestselling author of Strangers We Know

The end

The ending was very vague it left me wanting a complete closure, not a like the way it ended.

I feel like there’s a chapter missing

I had to get online to see what I missed at the end of the book and it seems most people are as confused as me. This was a tough main character to stick with and then end didn’t make it feel worth it.

Lots of twists and turns

Perhaps too many but it did keep me guessing throughout the book. I loved that there was a minimal use of profanity and I don’t think even one F word which made the book easy to listen to!

Too many lookalikes

The story itself was good. the narration was perfect. The writing was good. Grawl's present in the story was always very descriptive. he knew where the characters were and what was happening around them and how they felt about it. what? she doesn't touch on too much. I mean she touches on it but she doesn't go into detail about the main characters. abusive childhood. It's not mentioned if she was just beat if she had broken bones if she was sexually abused by her father. if anybody else was aware of the situation, if it happened while her mother was still alive, we don't know any of those little details. So basically what I'm trying to say is that the writer only touched on the background of the main character and sort of left it up to the reader to surmise what they would out of the details that she did give.

The storyline based on the fact that there are approximately three other women besides her twin making that four other people in the same city as the main character that look so much like her that people confuse them all in the street and call the women by different names. That's a little far-fetched a little hard to believe. That being said, however, the book did keep my interest the entire time. the narrator was fantastic, even doing her different voices. very entertaining. I finished the book (listening - not reading) in about 2 or 3 evenings whilst painting a dresser. it did keep me entertained and I was never in a rush to fast forward or just listen to the last chapter.

Skip it

Do you like mysteries with many holes, unanswered questions and an ending that makes no sense? If so, ONE OF THOSE FACES might be for you.

Simply awful

One of the worst books I’ve read or listened to in a very long time. So many long, boring descriptions of coffee, unbelievably stupid protagonist, and not one likable character in the whole long drawn out mess. Avoid.

Lack Luster

Save your credits. The story was unbelievable and the main character was impossible to root for, whiny and childish, making one illogical decision after another that didn’t add to the publication. Even at the end, when all details were revealed, the story didn’t make much sense.

Don't bother

I read on (& on) hoping the story & characters would just get on with it.
The main character is not believable, and the storyline drags until the abrupt ending.