The Face Thief - by Eli Gottlieb (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published in hardcover in 2012 by William Morrow.

Book Synopsis

Author of the New York Times Notable Book The Boy Who Went Away--winner of the Rome Prize and the British Society of Authors' McKitterick Prize--Eli Gottlieb returns with The Face Thief. A powerfully dark and gripping tale of two men obsessed with one very charismatic, very damaged woman who's determined to con from each of them everything she needs to survive, The Face Thief offers highest quality psychological suspense--an ideal follow up to the author's masterful Now You See Him. A writer who can do no wrong, Eli Gottlieb shines with The Face Thief--an effective, provocative, and all around extraordinary novel, written with the literary flair and power of Ian McEwan and rich in its searing portraits of fallible lovers and marriages under siege.

From the Back Cover

Eli Gottlieb, acclaimed author of Now You See Me, returns with "a taut psychological thriller" (Publishers Weekly) "that pushes you down the stairs and never lets you get your feet back under you." (Daily News)

Margot is a charismatic, promising journalist who morphs into a grifter preying on men's weaknesses. An expert in the ancient Chinese art of face reading, Margot can assess vulnerabilities in others as she seamlessly rearranges her own look and persona to fit any situation. The Face Thief moves fluidly forward and back in time, drawing vivid portraits of Margot's rocky childhood and her adult victims: a newly married man, an esteemed teacher, and a well-meaning New York City cop.

Ingeniously constructed and exquisitely written, The Face Thief swirls a hypnotic dance of predator and prey. Rich in suspense, psychological depth, and nuance, this novel confirms Gottlieb's standing as "a master" (Denver Post) and, in the words of essayist Phillip Lopate, "an enthralling stylist who[se] . . . characters are shockingly, electrically alive."

Review Quotes

"Jaunty... suspenseful." - Kirkus Reviews
"[A] gorgeous, surprising novel, a look at how the ties that bind us can also be our undoing. Gottlieb winningly blends a mystery with the tale of an ugly, unraveling marriage, culminating in a finale you never see coming. . . . The writing is deft and sharp, and his characters so real and vivid they could be people you know. And he delivers a whopper of an ending, one that isn't neat or pretty but is totally satisfying and unexpected." - USA Today
"Suspenseful novels usually carry secrets, but few do so with the literary grace and intensity of "Now You See Him." Eli Gottlieb has crafted a work that is unique in that it propels the reader through the narrative using the nuance of character, not the sledgehammer of plot. . . . the work of a master . . . "Now You See Him" goes down with page-gulping ease, the stark simplicity of the prose standing in sharp contrast to the complexity of the story. Gottlieb is not a writer to pick a large word when a smaller one will do; the result is easy to read, yet packs a lot of punch." - Denver Post
"A work of literary suspense that brings unexpected surprises . . . a hypnotic read . . . Gottlieb makes each scene so deeply felt that when a pair of major secrets are revealed near the novel's end, their truth reverberates in our bones . . . a triumph." - Los Angeles Times
"Psychological depth and mystery cast in great sentences: the result is a suspenseful, beautifully achieved example of what happens when a serious novelist wants us to keep turning the pages." - Francine Prose, New York Times bestselling author of My New American Life
"A dark libido animates this novel that can't be resisted. The reward is an intimate literary encounter with a force that is beyond good and evil, and turns the mystical screws behind our unfathomable human destinies." - Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air and Lost in the Meritocracy
"The Face Thief is compulsively, irresistibly readable. ... Page-turning....Compelling.... Unparalleled sex-appeal... Gottlieb has a marvelous sense of suspense. " - Shelf Awareness
"The Face Thief pushes you down the stairs on the first page and never lets you get your feet back under you. Extraordinary characters... Gottlieb expertly guides you through the minds and emotions of the people who drive this crafty psychological thriller. This is a must-read." - The Daily News
"A remarkable book that sneaks up on the reader, startles, and remains memorable long after the last paragraph is read." - Bookreporter.com
"Never dull." - Daily Texan
"With words that trip smoothly across the page like stones skimming the surface of a still pond, Eli Gottlieb brings to life three main characters in the The Face Thief. ... A mesmerizing read." - Suspense Magazine
"One of those remarkable books that sneaks up on the reader, startles, and remains memorable long after the final paragraph is read." - Bookreporter.com
"Frightfully good...Gottlieb's writing is strong." - Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
"A sublime thriller...an elegant and profound novel of memory, perception and reinvention." - Salon.com
"A taut psychological thriller... Not just a gifted storyteller, Gottlieb provocatively explores human relationships and the lies we tell ourselves and each other." - Publishers Weekly
"An effective study of the effects of greed on the human psyche." - Romantic Times
"Gottlieb's stunning structural dynamics, stylistic virtuosity, and shrewd reading of contemporary culture make for a compelling, thought-provoking tale." - Sacramento/San Francisco Book Review
"A fast-paced and compelling story." - Library Journal