ARA Review by JRRRjimHARDISON of The Face of Fear
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JRRRjimHARDISON
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ARA Review by JRRRjimHARDISON of The Face of Fear
[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, The Face of Fear.]
The Face of Fear: A Powers and Johnson Novel by R. J. Torbert
Deborah Lance is a sweet, pampered 26-year-old, enjoying a charmed life with her multi-millionaire father in the gated community of Belle Terre, Long Island. She’s such a good kid and her dad is so attentive and slightly over-protective that you just know something is about to go horribly wrong. It does. Kidnappers grab her before the end of the first chapter, kicking off a mysterious and ever-escalating series of crimes that upend the quiet and previously idyllic community. Our protagonists, police officers Paul Powers and Bud Johnson, find themselves enmeshed in a growing web of violence and murder that threatens not only their lives but their partnership as well. Oh, and some of the perpetrators wear the iconic Ghost Face mask made famous by the Scream movies, which is where the whole "Face of Fear" thing comes into it.
I have mixed feelings about The Face of Fear. The mystery at the center of the book is interesting and engaging and there are some nice moments of suspense, tension and humor but there are also a number of elements that distract from those strong points.
The plot and character development are good, but they frequently get sidelined by lengthy passages about local businesses, landmarks and other establishments in Port Jefferson and the surrounding areas that read like excerpts from tourism brochures. At first, these just seemed a little odd, but they got more and more distracting as the story progressed—particularly when this non-essential information was repeated. I’d love to see an edition of this book with most, or all, of these diversions removed.
Another element that detracts from the reading experience is the book’s confusing “head hopping”. I’m not against changing point of view in fiction but a lack of clear delineation between different characters’ thoughts can drop the reader out of the narrative. I found this to be the case with The Face of Fear. There were multiple times when I had to stop, back up and re-read a section in order to track a change in point of view (or sometimes a change in location or time). Most of these instances could have been fixed with simple adjustments to the layout of the text or the addition of transitional passages. I read the Kindle version of the book, so I’m not positive if this is as much of an issue in the print version.
While there are sections of The Face of Fear that are downright enjoyable, there are ultimately too many elements that derailed the story or seemed unbelievable for me to fully recommend the book. These range from things as big as significant turns in the plot that generate ludicrous overreactions and repercussions to things as small as weirdly stilted dialogue and the introduction of extraneous characters.
I was torn between giving this book 2 or 3 out of 5 stars but have ultimately decided to rate it 2 out of 5 stars. The deciding factor was that there are also multiple grammatical and typographic errors that make the text feel less than professional. The main characters are interesting, the mystery is mysterious and the action is entertaining. If just those elements could be distilled into a shorter book, I think it would be a stronger, more riveting story but at 466 pages, The Face of Fear felt slow and sometimes awkward to me.
***
View The Face of Fear on Bookshelves
The Face of Fear: A Powers and Johnson Novel by R. J. Torbert
Deborah Lance is a sweet, pampered 26-year-old, enjoying a charmed life with her multi-millionaire father in the gated community of Belle Terre, Long Island. She’s such a good kid and her dad is so attentive and slightly over-protective that you just know something is about to go horribly wrong. It does. Kidnappers grab her before the end of the first chapter, kicking off a mysterious and ever-escalating series of crimes that upend the quiet and previously idyllic community. Our protagonists, police officers Paul Powers and Bud Johnson, find themselves enmeshed in a growing web of violence and murder that threatens not only their lives but their partnership as well. Oh, and some of the perpetrators wear the iconic Ghost Face mask made famous by the Scream movies, which is where the whole "Face of Fear" thing comes into it.
I have mixed feelings about The Face of Fear. The mystery at the center of the book is interesting and engaging and there are some nice moments of suspense, tension and humor but there are also a number of elements that distract from those strong points.
The plot and character development are good, but they frequently get sidelined by lengthy passages about local businesses, landmarks and other establishments in Port Jefferson and the surrounding areas that read like excerpts from tourism brochures. At first, these just seemed a little odd, but they got more and more distracting as the story progressed—particularly when this non-essential information was repeated. I’d love to see an edition of this book with most, or all, of these diversions removed.
Another element that detracts from the reading experience is the book’s confusing “head hopping”. I’m not against changing point of view in fiction but a lack of clear delineation between different characters’ thoughts can drop the reader out of the narrative. I found this to be the case with The Face of Fear. There were multiple times when I had to stop, back up and re-read a section in order to track a change in point of view (or sometimes a change in location or time). Most of these instances could have been fixed with simple adjustments to the layout of the text or the addition of transitional passages. I read the Kindle version of the book, so I’m not positive if this is as much of an issue in the print version.
While there are sections of The Face of Fear that are downright enjoyable, there are ultimately too many elements that derailed the story or seemed unbelievable for me to fully recommend the book. These range from things as big as significant turns in the plot that generate ludicrous overreactions and repercussions to things as small as weirdly stilted dialogue and the introduction of extraneous characters.
I was torn between giving this book 2 or 3 out of 5 stars but have ultimately decided to rate it 2 out of 5 stars. The deciding factor was that there are also multiple grammatical and typographic errors that make the text feel less than professional. The main characters are interesting, the mystery is mysterious and the action is entertaining. If just those elements could be distilled into a shorter book, I think it would be a stronger, more riveting story but at 466 pages, The Face of Fear felt slow and sometimes awkward to me.
***
View The Face of Fear on Bookshelves
