Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The Face

The Face
The Face
Author: Dean Koontz
ISBN-13: 9780553840452
ISBN-10: 0553840452
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 649
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 3

4.2 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Bantam
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

92 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Face on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Good book with a good ending. You just keep guessing through the whole thing. Typical Koontz!!
VivaLaVole avatar reviewed The Face on + 119 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Couldn't put it down -- my favorite of the many Koontz novels I've read. A very engaging read with wonderful characters and a fast-paced plot. Very highly recommended!
Piper avatar reviewed The Face on
Helpful Score: 4
I was worried that this was going to be about the famous movie star described on the book jacket. I was so pleased to find out that he never materializes as a character. The Face is about something entirely different. I loved this book. I really really liked the good guys and I really really hated the bad guys. I found it also had a very statisfying ending. Mr Koontz has yet to displease me or let me down. Thank you Mr Koontz!
reviewed The Face on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Great read! If you like Dean Koontz, you'll luv this one!
reviewed The Face on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
What can I say? Another page-turner full of twists and turns. Very good book.
reviewed The Face on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
many twists and turns, kept you wondering from start to finish. one of koontz's best in my opinion. A++++++++
reviewed The Face on + 62 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A great mix of Thrills and Chills
Granites2001 avatar reviewed The Face on + 88 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I love Koontz. This one was NOT one of my favorites. I just couldn't get into it.
reviewed The Face on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent reading
reviewed The Face on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A great suspense story.
reviewed The Face on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The Hollywood star is loved by million and hated by one maniac.
reviewed The Face on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An actor is pursued by a killer, and the only one who can help him is a weary ex-cop who has already seen his own death.
reviewed The Face on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Another awesome book from Koontz.
reviewed The Face on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
One of Dean Koontz's best novels.
reviewed The Face on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
3 stars = enjoyed reading it. I like all of Dean Koontz books. They always shock/engross me. This is true to his style.
reviewed The Face on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
One of my favorites. Very hard to put down.
reviewed The Face on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Definatly a page turner, but then which Koontz book isn't?
reviewed The Face on
Helpful Score: 1
Koontz delivers a freaky story (as usual!)
You won't be able to put this one down!!! EEEEK!
reviewed The Face on + 23 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Really good book! I was hooked all the way through.
reviewed The Face on + 264 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Ten-year-old Aelfric Manheim is home alone when he receives a call from a stranger with a simple and terrifying message, "There is trouble coming, young Fric...You're going to need a place to hide." Meanwhile, security chief for the Manheim estate, former detective Ethan Truman, is tailing a "deader than dead" body that got up and left the morgue when he vividly experiences his own death--twice. In The Face, Dean Koontz delivers yet another spellbinding and chilling novel, where real and imagined monsters walk the streets, ghosts travel through mirrors, and the devil makes house calls. Stalked by both real and supernatural evil, the bright and sensitive Fric, virtually orphaned by his A-list Hollywood parents, and the brave but disillusioned former detective Ethan Truman, himself suffering from the loss of his wife, must rely on their wits and each other to escape a dark and disturbing fate.

The supernatural lurks just beneath the surface of the "real" in Koontz's novels, and The Face is no exception. Ghosts, angels, demons, child predators and serial anarchists run rampant in Koontz's tale--the unsuspecting reader never knows what is real or imagined until the characters themselves know--creating a disorienting and frightening experience, and one that is vintage Koontz. Whether it be the real-life "agents of chaos" who roam the world creating mayhem and death or the phone lines that carry words of the dead to the living, this is Koontz at his most powerful and terrifying.
reviewed The Face on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great story
reviewed The Face on + 63 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A Modern Swift...a master satitist
reviewed The Face on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good read
reviewed The Face on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Couldn't get through it.
reviewed The Face on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
OMG I loved this book so much!It was a wonderful read!
reviewed The Face on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I am not a fan of horror, but this was an okay read.
reviewed The Face on + 45 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK.
lcsaved avatar reviewed The Face on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of Koontz'a better books. A page burner to read...didn't want to put it down.
Kmarie avatar reviewed The Face on + 529 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Another great read by Koontz!
hollielazor avatar reviewed The Face on + 83 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Enter a world of marvelous invention, enchantment, and implacable intent, populated by hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never dying hope. Another great read from Koontz.
reviewed The Face on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book is one of my favorites Koontz tales. Almost as good as "Whispers".
reviewed The Face on + 114 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Enjoyable, exciting read. Storyline moves along quickly, and this book is scary!
afritt avatar reviewed The Face on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
As always, Dean Koontz delivers! Wonderful twists, turns, and so wonderful that it sucks you in and you can't put it down.
Dove avatar reviewed The Face on + 262 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Koontz always provides a thriller!
reviewed The Face on
Helpful Score: 1
Great mystery by koontz. i've read everything by him.
AvoidinReality avatar reviewed The Face on
Helpful Score: 1
A very good book! There were times that I had to force myself through it, when it seemed as if things were never going to be resolved, but I'm glad I stuck with it. This is definately a Koontz book I would recommend to those interested in paranormal activities or thriller type books.
reviewed The Face on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Kind of slow throughout the book until the very last.
HeatherKGW avatar reviewed The Face on
I loved this book! I think Koontz is a great author who writes new and different books at a very fast rate. If you are unto thrillers with a hint of supernatural give this book a try.
Cycle304 avatar reviewed The Face on + 135 more book reviews
Very good book - keeps you guessing throughout!
reviewed The Face on + 16 more book reviews
Not one of his best, but still a good read.
dragoneyes avatar reviewed The Face on + 841 more book reviews
I must say this is not one of my favorites. With most of Koontz's books they grab ahold of you and don't let go. You tend to lose many of nights sleep. This one did not do that to me. Even though it was a good read, it wasn't an "exciting" one until the last few chapters.
heatherhitchcock avatar reviewed The Face on + 8 more book reviews
Not my type, but I know of many that really enjoy Koontz books.
pommesdeterre8 avatar reviewed The Face on
I love how Mr koontz is always weaveing some incredible stories
reviewed The Face on + 9 more book reviews
Hard at first but worth the wait.
reviewed The Face on + 3 more book reviews
This was a very interesting plot line about a person who is trying to redeem himself for past mistakes, but more like a guardian angel meets a demon sort of way. Includes supernatural forces like most Koontz books and is a good easy read that is enjoyable from beginning to end.
reviewed The Face on + 204 more book reviews
What an emotional rollercoaster with all the twists and turns. This is a very good short read which is fast paced and non-stop action.
renegadespiritcat avatar reviewed The Face on + 198 more book reviews
Likeable characters that at first seem disjointed but they all come together nicely in a well wrapped up ending. Wonderful story line that brings out the human side of all of us even those of whom have made mistakes and perhaps have felt destroyed by life's stresses, twists and death etc. Dean Koontz NEVER fails to make me lose sleep in anticipation of the endings. He is vastly superior to Steven King.
reviewed The Face on
it was very good
reviewed The Face on + 33 more book reviews
Good read. Wordsmith Koontz does it again. Full of mayhem and bad guys, the good guy wins, and this is a very good, interesting book. If you like Dean Koontz, you will enjoy this book.
reviewed The Face on + 31 more book reviews
A Must Read!! Fast Paced
reviewed The Face on + 2 more book reviews
An interesting novel. It was a bit different than his last novel, but I fully enjoyed reading it.
freeverse071681 avatar reviewed The Face on + 609 more book reviews
Ten-year-old Aelfric Manheim is home alone when he receives a call from a stranger with a simple and terrifying message, "There is trouble coming, young Fric...You're going to need a place to hide." Meanwhile, security chief for the Manheim estate, former detective Ethan Truman, is tailing a "deader than dead" body that got up and left the morgue when he vividly experiences his own death--twice. In The Face, Dean Koontz delivers yet another spellbinding and chilling novel, where real and imagined monsters walk the streets, ghosts travel through mirrors, and the devil makes house calls. Stalked by both real and supernatural evil, the bright and sensitive Fric, virtually orphaned by his A-list Hollywood parents, and the brave but disillusioned former detective Ethan Truman, himself suffering from the loss of his wife, must rely on their wits and each other to escape a dark and disturbing fate.
The supernatural lurks just beneath the surface of the "real" in Koontz's novels, and The Face is no exception. Ghosts, angels, demons, child predators and serial anarchists run rampant in Koontz's tale--the unsuspecting reader never knows what is real or imagined until the characters themselves know--creating a disorienting and frightening experience, and one that is vintage Koontz. Whether it be the real-life "agents of chaos" who roam the world creating mayhem and death or the phone lines that carry words of the dead to the living, this is Koontz at his most powerful and terrifying.
reviewed The Face on + 79 more book reviews
Ok, this one was creepy. But I love those!! Dean Koontz didn't disappoint.
haggatha avatar reviewed The Face on + 55 more book reviews
great horror writer. great book
reviewed The Face on
Read ALL of Dean Koontz's books, loved this one. It was a page turner that kept it interesting and new. Is a "feel-good" book, or as feel-good as Koontz will get.
reviewed The Face on
Great Dean Koontz book. Could not stop reading this one.
reviewed The Face on
enjoyed this dark story by Dean Koontz. Exciting from beginning to end.
reviewed The Face on + 59 more book reviews
He's Hollywoods most dazzling star, who inspires the worship of millions and the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existence is under siege as a series of terrifying "messages" penetrates the security of his legendary estate. All that stands between him and an insidious killer is a weary ex-cop who has already seen his own death.
reviewed The Face on + 90 more book reviews
Classic Koontz
reviewed The Face on + 50 more book reviews
He's Hollywood's most dazzling star, who inspires the worship of millions and the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existence is under siege as a series of terrifying "messages" penetrates the security of his legendary estate. All that stands between him and an insidious killer is a weary ex-cop who has already seen his own death.
reviewed The Face on + 9 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this one. I had not read too much by Koontz but this has encouraged me to read more.
reviewed The Face on + 7 more book reviews
The title of The Face didn't refer to what I thought it did. I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It makes you think when your all done reading. It has many of the aspects we expect from Koontz. A riveting story, believeable characters, and something to be afraid of in the dark.
Booknose avatar reviewed The Face on + 63 more book reviews
Awesome book, I love Koontz, but this one was spectacular even for him. A must read for any fan and a great one to start with for those who haven't yet read him.
reviewed The Face on + 1568 more book reviews
For once, the commercial blurb really tells it like it is! Chills down the back, goosebumps, the skin tightening between your shoulderblades... What's that? I think I hear something at the window! ...

Commercial blurb:
Hes Hollywoods most dazzling star, whose flawless countenance inspires the worship of millions and fires the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existence is under siege as a series of terrifying, enigmatic messages breaches the exquisitely calibrated security systems of his legendary Bel Air estate.
The boxes arrive mysteriously, one by one, at Channing Manheims fortified compound. The threat implicit in their bizarre, disturbing contents seems to escalate with each new delivery. Manheims security chief, ex-cop Ethan Truman, is used to looking beneath the surface of things. But until he entered the orbit of a Hollywood icon, he had no idea just how slippery reality could be. Now this good man is all that stands in the way of an insidious killerand forces that eclipse the most fevered fantasies of a city where dreams and nightmares are the stuff of daily life. As a seemingly endless and ominous rain falls over southern California, Ethan will test the limits of perception and endurance in a world where the truth is as thin as celluloid and answers can be found only in the illusory intersection of shadow and light.
Enter a world of marvelous invention, enchantment, and implacable intent, populated by murderous actors and the walking dead, hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never-dying hope.
Here a magnificent mansion is presided over by a Scottish force of nature known as Mrs. McBee, before whom all men tremble. A mad French chef concocts feasts for the mighty and the malicious. Ming du Lac, spiritual adviser to the stars, has a direct line to the dead. An aptly named cop called Hazard will become Ethans ally, an anarchist will sow discord and despair, and a young boy named Fric, imprisoned by celebrity and loneliness, will hear a voice telling him of the approach of something unimaginably evil. Traversing this extraordinary landscape, Ethan will face the secrets of his own tragic past and the unmistakable premonition of his impending violent death as he races against time to solve the macabre riddles of a modern-day beast.
reviewed The Face on + 404 more book reviews
In The Face, Koontz has created a modern fable for adults, taking the bones from tales of old and breathing new life into the characters. Clearly written for adults, The Face nevertheless channels the wit and wisdom of Aesop as well as the violence and villainy of the Brothers Grimm. Amazon review
reviewed The Face on + 64 more book reviews
interesting book
reviewed The Face on + 40 more book reviews
This is typical Koontz. I like them all.
reviewed The Face on + 10 more book reviews
Creepy, as expected from Dean Koontz, yet laugh-out-loud funny in some places. Stinky Cheese Man - eeeew!
reviewed The Face on + 9 more book reviews
One of the best Koontz books I've read.
reviewed The Face on + 296 more book reviews
I'm not a big fan of Koontz, but thought someone would like this one.
00JOANNE00 avatar reviewed The Face on + 65 more book reviews
Enter a world of marvelous inventions, populated by murderous actors and the walking dead, hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never-dying hope. An unforgettable journey to the heart of darkness.
reviewed The Face on + 62 more book reviews
He's Hollywood's most dazzling star, who inspires the worship of millions and the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered exsistence is under siege as a series of terrifying messages penetrates the security of his legendary estate. All that stands between him and the insisdious killer is a weary ex-cop who has already seen his own death.
reviewed The Face on + 30 more book reviews
This is a good book for late night reading. You may need to leave the light on though!
reviewed The Face on + 38 more book reviews
Loved it! Koontz is getting much more positive and light with his writing, sometimes with definite religious overtones, such as this book. Maybe not so much religious as morally conscious. Easy read, took me a few days.
reviewed The Face on + 5 more book reviews
I never had the chance to read this book.
reviewed The Face on + 24 more book reviews
Another interesting evening with Mr. Koontz!!
reviewed The Face on + 130 more book reviews
Dean Koontz at his finest. A real page turner, story was sad in some parts.
reviewed The Face on
a great read! one of his best!
reviewed The Face on + 32 more book reviews
This is really one of Dean Koontz's best books! I felt such compassion for the child caught up in a big star's life, yet it was amusing from the child's point of view with lots of mystery thrown in. I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I could hardly put it down.
reviewed The Face on + 3 more book reviews
From the cover: Enter the world of marvelous invention, enchantment, and implacable intent, populated by murderous actors and the walking dead, hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never-dying hope. Dean Koontz takes readers on an unforgettable journey to the heart of darkness and to the pinnacle of grace, with a brilliantly observed chronicle of good and evil in our time, of illusion and everlasting truth.
reviewed The Face on + 11 more book reviews
Typical Dean Koontz
heyjude54321 avatar reviewed The Face on + 5 more book reviews
From Back Cover
He's Hollywood's most dazzling star, who inspires the worship of millions and the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existnece is under siege as a series of terrifying messages penetrates the security of his legendary estate. All that stands between him and an insidious killer is a weary ex-cop who has already seen his own death.
carriej73 avatar reviewed The Face on + 34 more book reviews
This is a suspense novel about a famous movie star, his son and the threats they receive. An ex-cop is his bodyguard.
Linda avatar reviewed The Face on + 770 more book reviews
One of his best!
reviewed The Face on + 19 more book reviews
One of the best Koontz books I've ever read!
reviewed The Face on + 134 more book reviews
Not Koontz's best.. but still a good read.
mcpenguin5 avatar reviewed The Face on + 93 more book reviews
A disturbing story about a psychopath... More of Dean Koontz and the terrors of the almost-familiar.
reviewed The Face on + 121 more book reviews
Ten-year-old Aelfric Manheim is home alone when he receives a call from a stranger with a simple and terrifying message, "There is trouble coming, young Fric...You're going to need a place to hide." Meanwhile, security chief for the Manheim estate, former detective Ethan Truman, is tailing a "deader than dead" body that got up and left the morgue when he vividly experiences his own death--twice. In The Face, Dean Koontz delivers yet another spellbinding and chilling novel, where real and imagined monsters walk the streets, ghosts travel through mirrors, and the devil makes house calls. Stalked by both real and supernatural evil, the bright and sensitive Fric, virtually orphaned by his A-list Hollywood parents, and the brave but disillusioned former detective Ethan Truman, himself suffering from the loss of his wife, must rely on their wits and each other to escape a dark and disturbing fate
reviewed The Face on + 97 more book reviews
loved it!
reviewed The Face on + 18 more book reviews
Dean Koontz reminds me increasingly of Stephen King (except King wrote very few complete, tedious flops, of course. None that I can think of off the top of my head.) He writes a pretty good yarn for 500 pages, then puts a bad taste in your mouth at the very end. King used to have trouble ending a book's plot. But the bad taste in a Koontz book usually comes from his going overboard on schmaltz or cliche. Most of this book is excellent.
solarawynn avatar reviewed The Face on + 724 more book reviews
My husband recommended this to me. I liked it .
reviewed The Face on + 52 more book reviews
Not one of his best books but it is very good though.