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The Face Thief: A Novel
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

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Published:
HarperCollins 2012
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Available from OverDrive
Description

Eli Gottlieb’s previous novel, Now You See Him, was acclaimed by reviewers as “irresistible … moving” (New York Times Book Review), “a triumph…of literary suspense” (Los Angeles Times), and “gorgeous” (USA Today). With The Face Thief, he returns with a driving, compulsively readable novel that probes the wellsprings of human greed and loyalty beset by temptation.

Gottlieb introduces the mystery of the charismatic Margot, a promising journalist who morphs—with stunning panache—from a high-achieving affluent twentysomething into a grifter making her living preying on the weaknesses of men. Having studied the ancient Chinese art of face reading, she becomes an expert at reading people and is also able to rearrange her look and persona with uncanny skill to fit any social situation. She is an avenging angel, shattering marriages and draining bank accounts.

What drives her quest to deceive and disarm? Exploring this question, The Face Thief moves fluidly forward and back in time, drawing vivid portraits of Margot’s rocky childhood and her adult victims: an amiable, newly married man enticed into a catastrophic fraud; an esteemed teacher outwitted by his most dangerous student; and a well-meaning New York City cop tripped up by his belief in redemption.

Ingeniously constructed and exquisitely written, The Face Thief swirls a hypnotic dance of predator and prey, creating a contemporary landscape where the educated are violent, the beautiful ugly, and the well-intentioned hapless. And yet we never give way to despair, because the protagonists of the book push back against the maelstrom and attempt tirelessly to right their toppled lives. Rich in suspense, psychological depth, and nuance, The Face Thief 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.”

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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
01/17/2012
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780062100856
ASIN:
B005LC1MXQ
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Eli Gottlieb. (2012). The Face Thief: A Novel. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Eli Gottlieb. 2012. The Face Thief: A Novel. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Eli Gottlieb, The Face Thief: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2012.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Eli Gottlieb. The Face Thief: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2012.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 16:28:09
Date Updated:
Jan 25, 2024 17:25:21
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OverDrive Product Record

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        Eli Gottlieb's New York Times Notable Book, The Boy Who Went Away, won the Rome Prize and the 1998 McKitterick Prize from the British Society of Authors. His second novel, Now You See Him, has been translated into eleven languages. He lives in New York City.www.eligottlieb.com

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fullDescription

Eli Gottlieb’s previous novel, Now You See Him, was acclaimed by reviewers as “irresistible … moving” (New York Times Book Review), “a triumph…of literary suspense” (Los Angeles Times), and “gorgeous” (USA Today). With The Face Thief, he returns with a driving, compulsively readable novel that probes the wellsprings of human greed and loyalty beset by temptation.

Gottlieb introduces the mystery of the charismatic Margot, a promising journalist who morphs—with stunning panache—from a high-achieving affluent twentysomething into a grifter making her living preying on the weaknesses of men. Having studied the ancient Chinese art of face reading, she becomes an expert at reading people and is also able to rearrange her look and persona with uncanny skill to fit any social situation. She is an avenging angel, shattering marriages and draining bank accounts.

What drives her quest to deceive and disarm? Exploring this question, The Face Thief moves fluidly forward and back in time, drawing vivid portraits of Margot’s rocky childhood and her adult victims: an amiable, newly married man enticed into a catastrophic fraud; an esteemed teacher outwitted by his most dangerous student; and a well-meaning New York City cop tripped up by his belief in redemption.

Ingeniously constructed and exquisitely written, The Face Thief swirls a hypnotic dance of predator and prey, creating a contemporary landscape where the educated are violent, the beautiful ugly, and the well-intentioned hapless. And yet we never give way to despair, because the protagonists of the book push back against the maelstrom and attempt tirelessly to right their toppled lives. Rich in suspense, psychological depth, and nuance, The Face Thief 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.”

reviews
      • premium: False
      • source: Francine Prose, New York Times bestselling author of My New American Life
      • content:

        "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

        "One of those remarkable books that sneaks up on the reader, startles, and remains memorable long after the final paragraph is read." — Bookreporter.com

        "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

        "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

        "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

        "The Face Thief is compulsively, irresistibly readable. ... Page-turning....Compelling.... Unparalleled sex-appeal... Gottlieb has a marvelous sense of suspense. " — Shelf Awareness

        "Frightfully good...Gottlieb's writing is strong." — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

        "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

        "A remarkable book that sneaks up on the reader, startles, and remains memorable long after the last paragraph is read." — Bookreporter.com

        "Jaunty... suspenseful." — Kirkus Reviews

        "An effective study of the effects of greed on the human psyche." — Romantic Times

        "Never dull." — Daily Texan

      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        November 21, 2011
        At the start of Gottlieb’s third novel, a taut psychological thriller, an unnamed woman, later identified as Margot Lassiter, sustains grievous injuries as she tumbles down a long flight of stairs. Flashbacks reveal the enigmatic and charismatic Margot, before her near fatal fall, as a consummate schemer. Soon after Margot hired Lawrence Billings, a self-professed expert at reading body language, to give her private instruction, she tried to seduce him. Also, under an alias, Margot enticed 42-year-old John Potash, who spent most of his career as the vice principal of a small alternative Manhattan high school, to invest much of his family’s fortune in a fraudulent financial firm. Meanwhile, in the present, police detective Dan France takes a deep interest in Margot’s well-being as she recovers in the hospital. Not just a gifted storyteller, Gottlieb (Now You See Him) provocatively explores human relationships and the lies we tell ourselves and each other. Agent: Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.

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Gottlieb introduces the mystery of the charismatic Margot, a promising journalist who morphs—with stunning panache—from a high-achieving affluent twentysomething into a grifter making her living preying on the weaknesses of men. Having studied the ancient Chinese art of face reading, she becomes an expert at reading people and is also able to rearrange her look and persona with uncanny skill to fit any social situation. She is an avenging angel, shattering marriages and draining bank accounts.

What drives...

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