I am beyond excited to say I am part of the Orenda book tour for Faceless by Vanda Symon. Many thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Orenda Books for the copy of the book to take part in the tour. All opinions and views are my own.
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…
Orenda Books is definitely one of my favourite publishers. They have the most outstanding collection of authors, and I can’t even really pick a favourite.
Vanda Symon knows exactly how to grab the reader and keep them hooked! I am familiar with her Sam Shepard police procedural series. It is an excellent series that is set in New Zealand.
Faceless is a standalone book that is truly different to her Sam Shepard series. It is crime fiction that is dark, violent, and shocking for the reader.
There are three main characters: Billy, Max, and Bradley that we are introduced to. Billy has been living on the streets for the past year. She turns turns tricks to buy spray paint for her passion, street art, and for food and the other bare minimum things she can get. She is friends with Max, who has been living on the streets since something terrible happened to him.When Billy goes missing, Max is determined to find her, no matter what it costs.
Bradley picks up Billy, and she finds herself being held captive by him in a warehouse. What follows is for you to discover, will Max find Billy, or will it cost him everything?
A dark,gritty, tense, and very emotional book. As the reader is thrown into the world of the homeless, we learn about the discrimination and danger that they live with every second of each day.
This book broke me; that is the power of Vanda Symon’s writing. I adore her Sam Shepard series,but Faceless is one that you just can’t put down. A compelling, twisty, and terrifying read.
Author Bio
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.
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