Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Face Thief-Eli Gottlieb

The Face Thief


Eli Gottlieb

Morrow, Jan 17 2012, $24.99

ISBN: 9780061735059



In New York, the Jane Doe falls down a flight of stairs. She suffers severe injuries as she slowly recovers in a hospital.



Before her precarious tumble, the unidentified female was twenty-something former reporter Margot Lassiter, a sly devious con artist who can get almost any male to give her what she covets. To enhance her charm, Margot hired married Lawrence Billings, body language guru to teach her to read the non-verbal cues. She successfully tested her new skill on her instructor. Soon after that Margot under a different name seduces married fortyish high school Vice Principal John Potash to invest his family fortune in a fraudulent financial scheme. Meanwhile, NYPD detective Dan France obsesses over the still hospitalized Margot.



This is a terrific tense psychological thriller starring a fascinating femme fatale (think of Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity) and the males craving her affection even when they know she is conning them. With a profound look at manipulating obsessiveness to control a relationship and a nod to Tom Jones’ song “Delilah”, fans will appreciate this dark character driven tale while wondering who “couldn’t take anymore”?



Harriet Klausner



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