#BookReview The Man With No Face by Peter May @authorpetermay @QuercusBooks

The Man With No Face by Peter May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are two men on their way to Brussels from the UK: Neil Bannerman, an iconoclastic journalist for Scotland's Daily Standard whose irate editor wants him out of the way, and Kale--a professional assassin.

Expecting to find only a difficult, dreary political investigation in Belgium, Bannerman has barely settled in when tragedy strikes. His host, a fellow journalist, along with a British Cabinet minister, are discovered dead in the minister's elegant Brussels townhouse. It appears that they have shot each other. But the dead journalist's young autistic daughter, Tania, was hidden in a closet during the killings, and when she draws a chilling picture of a third party--a man with no face--Bannerman suddenly finds himself a reluctant participant in a desperate murder investigation.

As the facts slowly begin to emerge under Bannerman's scrutiny, he comes to suspect that the shootings may have a deep and foul link with the rotten politics that brought him to Brussels in the first place. And as Kale threatens to strike again, Bannerman begins to feel a change within himself. His jaded professionalism is transforming into a growing concern for the lonely and frightened Tania, and a strong attraction to a courageous woman named Sally--drawing him out of himself and into the very heart of a profound, cold-blooded, and infinitely dangerous conspiracy.

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The Man With No Face was first released around 40 years ago. This political thriller is a wonderful retrospective novel to a bygone time. Sure, 40 years ago doesn't sound that long ago, but as Peter May wrote in the intro, so much has changed. Just think about the hassle of trying to phone someone back then, no quick SMS to anyone. The political landscape is the same with backstabbing and money being the goal.

Peter May is a favorite author of mine and I'm glad to say that this book is really good! I found the story to be very interesting and really liked how Bannerman bonded with the Tania, the autistic girl of the murdered journalist. To have Kale, the killers POV especially when he started to have some doubts about his mission felt like a great addition to the story. How far would Kale go?

The Man With No Face may be 40 years old, but it has aged well. It's a strong book and I really loved reading a book set at the end of the 70s.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!