基本信息出版社：Bantam
页码：464 页
出版日期：2007年05月
ISBN：0553804669
条形码：9780553804669
装帧：精装
正文语种：英语
内容简介 在线阅读本书
In Shadow Man, Cody McFadyen took the suspense thriller where other writers have feared to tread. He introduced readers to a heroine every bit as dark and edgy as the serial killers she hunts: Special Agent Smoky Barrett. Now, in his latest novel, McFadyen brings Agent Barrett back to track down a killer who breaks all the rules. Get ready for a shattering confrontation with the very essence of human evil.
“I want to talk to Smoky Barrett or I’ll kill myself.”
The girl is sixteen, at the scene of a grisly triple homicide, and has a gun to her head. She claims “The Stranger” killed her adoptive family, that he’s been following her all her life, killing everyone she ever loved, and that no one believes her.
No one has. Until now.
Special Agent Smoky Barrett is head of the violent crimes unit in Los Angeles, the part of the FBI reserved for tracking down the worst of the worst. Her team has been handpicked from among the nation’s elite law enforcement specialists and they are as obsessed and relentless as the psychos they hunt; they’ll have to be to deal with this case.
For another vicious double homicide reveals a killer embarked on a dark crusade of trauma and death: an “artist” who’s molding sixteen-year-old Sarah into the perfect victim—and the ultimate weapon. But Smoky Barrett has another, more personal reason for catching The Stranger—an adopted daughter and a new life that are worth protecting at any cost.
This time Smoky is going to have to put it all on the line. Because The Stranger is all too real, all too close, and all too relentless. And when he finally shows his face, if she’s not ready to confront her worst fear, Smoky won’t have time to do anything but die.
作者简介 Cody McFadyen lives with his family in California. He is also the author of Shadow Man.
编辑推荐 Amazon.com
A June 2007 Significant Seven Editors' Pick: Don't let the title fool you. Cody McFadyen's The Face of Death is not just another scary-as-hell serial killer novel (although it is that in spades). Drawing a chilling portrait of a child stalked by a serial killer seeking revenge, McFadyen's second novel is surprisingly moving, standing out in an already packed genre by focusing on victim Sarah Langstrom and her struggle to survive. McFadyen knocked our socks off with his first book Shadow Man, but this arguably better sequel gives readers more time with Special Agent Smoky Barrett (Harris fans should imagine a stronger, more deeply scarred Clarice Starling). Barrett is a remarkable character--a ferocious survivor and reluctant heroine who only realizes her true potential in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Shocking, gruesome, and terrifying as it may be, the big kicker of this second novel is that it may also move you to tears. Easily one of my favorite thrillers of the year so far, The Face of Death is a perfect book for fans of Deaver, Koontz and King. But don't let me convince you, have a gander at the first chapter and decide for yourself. --Daphne Durham
专业书评 From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. McFadyen's outstanding sequel to his debut, Shadow Man (2006), provides a chilling reminder: "However bad things may become, evil men only triumph in the most important ways when we let them." FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett is barely back in fighting form six months after killing the man who murdered her family and best friend before she must deal with another threat. "The Stranger," a serial killer seeking revenge for a miscarriage of justice, has targeted 16-year-old Sarah Langstrom, who asks for Smoky's help after the Stranger kills Sarah's latest foster family. The Stranger's murder spree actually began on Sarah's sixth birthday with her biological parents and dog. Smoky's crackerjack L.A. Violent Crimes Unit whirls into action to catch a monster who inflicts pain on Sarah by systematically killing anyone she loves. Smoky's fierce first-person narrative and Sarah's eerie diary excerpts, supplemented by a great cast, lift this scary thriller far above the usual serial-killer norm. (May)
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From AudioFile
This follow-up to the bestselling SHADOW MAN brings gifted FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett into another dark and twisted region where monsters feed. Narrator Joyce Bean injects a heartbreaking ache into her voice as she portrays the teenaged victim of a murderer known as The Stranger. The author ingeniously puts her characters into impossible situations and forces them into making extraordinary decisions involving murder and sacrifice. Bean uses her vocal prowess to wring emotion and pathos from every twist and turn. If youre up for a walk on the dark side, dont miss this. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
From Booklist
McFadyen builds on the strengths of his debut novel, Shadow Man (2006), which introduced the scarred FBI agent Smoky Barrett, who is still recovering from the slaughter of her husband and daughter at the hands of a serial killer. Now she's reached a turning point: she is ready to put away her family's clothes and possessions, to come to terms with the fact that they're gone. But her recovery is interrupted by a new case: a teenage girl who claims that her adopted family was murdered by a man who calls himself "The Stranger." Smoky, who herself has a young adopted daughter (the only survivor from a more recent case), pushes herself to her emotional and physical limits to catch the killer and to protect her new family. McFadyen writes like a veteran, and Smoky proves that she's a strong enough protagonist to support a series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
" McFadyen writes like a veteran, and Smoky proves that she’s a strong enough protagonist to support a series."—Booklist