Faceless by Vanda Symon
Worn down by a job he hates, and a stressful family life, middle-aged, middle- class Bradley picks up a teenage escort and commits an unspeakable crime. Now she’s tied up in his warehouse, and he doesn’t know what to do.
Max is homeless, eating from rubbish bins, sleeping rough and barely existing – known for cadging a cigarette from anyone passing, and occasionally even the footpath. Nobody really sees Max, but he has one friend, and she’s gone missing.
In order to find her, Max is going to have to call on some people from his past, and reopen wounds that have remained unhealed for a very long time - and the clock is ticking...
About Vanda
Vanda Symon is a crime writer, TV presenter and radio host from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors. The Sam Shephard series, which includes Overkill, The Ringmaster, Containment and Bound, hit number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and has also been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award. Overkill was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger.
Twitter @vandasymon, Instagram @vanda-symon, Facebook, @vandasymonauthor, www.vandasymon.com.
Review
‘Faceless’ is an outstanding standalone thriller that delves deep into the reasons behind homelessness and what happens when people are forgotten about. It literally took my breath away and I inhaled it in one evening as I could not put this story down until I found out what the resolution was going to be. I love Vanda’s work and the Sam Shephard series is one of my favourite crime series out there but this book was a level above for me. It hurt my soul and although I found it heartbreaking and hard to read in places it deals with an extremely important topic and is hard-hitting for a reason. But it is this intensity that gives it its brilliance and the tension and emotions pulsated off the pages.
This was originally published in Vanda’s native New Zealand under the title ‘The Faceless’ in 2012 and I am shocked it has taken 10 years for it to be published in the UK as it is for me her best book. Do you ever read a book that affects you so much that you find it hard to formulate words that do it justice? This is me now! I read this book back in December as Karen from Orenda Books kindly spent me a proof and this book still gives me goosebumps when I think it about now. It's thought-provoking, chilling, sinister, surprising, provides a very nuanced social commentary and leaves you speechless.
The narrative is split between Billy a talented young street artist who is living on the streets, Max an older man who clearly has mental health problems and is someone who Billy looks out for. Bradley - the bad guy and Meredith the detective who looks into the events. There is a lot of stigma when it comes to homelessness and although there will be differences between our countries I would say there is a lot of judgement towards this group of society. Most people look at them as drug addicts and failures and are not able to see them as individuals and human. Most people can walk by them and not see them at all. I particularly liked how Vanda showcased the diversity of the homeless - all ages, all walks of life, the range of mental health problems etc.
This is just a stunning book - you NEED to read it!
