Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Torrance Grayson has forged a solid independent journalism career with help from his friend and mentor, Felix Salinger, and he's relished being the face of the Salinger crew, exposing the corruption of the powerful while keeping his friends safe in their anonymity. But being face to face with the worst in the world takes its toll, and when Tor has a moment of weakness, it's the Salingers who come to bail him out.

During his recovery, Tor makes friends with the household's confident, charismatic young chef, Marco. Their quiet conversations make Marco more and more reluctant to confront Tor on the grave mistake the man is about to make in his current exposé—a mistake that can harm Marco's loud, boisterous family irrecoverably.

Tor is more than willing to listen—and to correct any mistakes. He's seen graphic proof that he's not infallible, and he'll go to any lengths to avert tragedy. But as Tor works toward the truth of what's happening with Marco's family, Marco begins to develop deep suspicions about the people they both work for. Torrance Grayson is in deep with the Salingers, and Marco isn't sure he should know any more than necessary about people who seem to be great bosses but shady citizens.

In order to help Marco, Tor needs to trust him—and that means to trust him with the truth of the Salinger Crew, as well as with his heart. But in a world of capers and crimefighting, trust, it appears, is worth more than gold and jewels. Tor can expose crime and injustice with impunity, but can he expose his heart to Marco, a man who desperately wants in?

 

Book Review

I cannot tell a lie—I absolutely love this series, and I’m continually surprised when each time a new story comes out, I fall in love with Danny, Felix, Julia, and their gang all over again. The “gang” is a group of young men and women who have been at loose ends and sometimes on the fringes of the law before finding their way to this modern-day Robin Hood clan where they all have one thing in common: a deep desire to do right and bring justice, sometimes with a side of calamity, to those who do harm.

 

This installment features Tor, the independent investigative reporter and “face man” for the group. He’s helped the Salingers in their latest adventure: bringing justice, shame, and havoc to those responsible for Molly and Stirling’s adoptive parents’ deaths. Marco, the new chef in the household, is the perfect partner for Tor, once Tor realizes he’s being seduced by the man who will secure his future happiness. There’s plenty of push-pull as Tor tries to shy away from commitment and Marco is all in. But there’s also plenty of danger and intrigue as Marco brings a family concern to the group, and Julia, Danny, Felix, and their son, Josh, realize there’s much more to the issue than what meets the eye and so the adventure begins.

 

What I love about this series most is the intrigue and complexity of each story as the group plots a long con and more characters are added to the mix in each book. I also love the “rob from the rich and give to the poor” aspect of the adventures. They always manage to take from the bad guy—usually hitting them in their deep money pockets—and then they give back to the good—to the victims or to charity. Also, so far, each character pair has been very interesting both individually and as a couple, and they all appear at least once in each subsequent story, so we have a large “family of the heart,” each of whom are now burrowed into my own heart. The only negative, and it’s not really very negative, is that we’ve had to wait for Josh’s own story. Maybe next time, Ms. Lane? Please?

 

I definitely recommend this book to those who love a complex con, and most certainly encourage others to start with the first, ‘The Mastermind’, and read the entire series.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 293 pages/115301 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	31-October-2023
Price	$6.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-face-man-by-amy-lane-12388-b