Helen H. Durrant's The Faceless Man introduces readers to the dynamic duo of Detectives Harry Lennox and Jess Wilde in a fast-paced and suspenseful crime thriller that captivates from the very first page. Set against the backdrop of a chilling murder in a local park, the novel weaves a web of intrigue and mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly unraveling the clues alongside the determined detectives.

Durrant's adept storytelling and skillful pacing create a sense of urgency and anticipation, drawing readers into a world of stunning twists and unexpected turns. The intricate plot, adorned with a gallery of unsolved murders and a mysterious figure known only as the faceless man, adds layers of complexity and depth to the narrative, ensuring a captivating and immersive reading experience.

While The Faceless Man maintains an engaging pace and a suspenseful plot, a slight deduction from a perfect rating is attributed to certain elements that could have been further explored to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the characters' motivations and emotional depth. Additionally, the development of certain plot points could have been streamlined to ensure a more seamless progression of the story's central themes and revelations.

In conclusion, The Faceless Man stands as a gripping and intricately woven crime thriller that keeps readers guessing until the final revelation. Helen H. Durrant's masterful storytelling and the compelling dynamic between Detectives Lennox and Wilde create a captivating narrative that resonates with readers long after the final page. With its blend of suspense, mystery, and stunning twists, The Faceless Man serves as a testament to the author's ability to craft a compelling and immersive tale of intrigue, suspense, and the relentless pursuit of justice in the face of dark and enigmatic adversaries.

It's an okay book but I found it slow and it didn't engage me. I figured out the ending so it was kind of anticlimactic.

With thanks to the author, publishers Joffe Books, and NetGalley for giving me a digital copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

An entertaining enough read, but not a stand-out book for me. I enjoyed how the story evolved through the shifting perspectives of the different characters, in particular the assassin. However, the big twist never came for me as I had worked out who the killer was by about halfway through. Also, the constant referring back to Harry's past added very little to the story for me, and in the end was more of a distraction than anything else. I hadn't read the first instalment in the series, so perhaps that strand of the story would have made more sense if I had.

Reading Between the Wines book review #15/135 for 2022:
Rating: 2 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The Faceless Man
Author: Helen H. Durrant
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: The plot and beginning of the book had so much potential but it just fell short the last 25%. It is a short read so don’t take it from me, see if you like it better.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @JoffeBooks for an advanced copy of @TheFacelessMan

A good read which I would recommend. The characters need to be developed but I am sure that this will happen as the series progresses.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffre Books for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.

Thanks to NegGalley and the publishers for the chance to read this novel.
I had not read the first in this series by Helen H Durrant and I am not sure that I will. I found The Faceless Man a bit slow and plodding. In the end I had worked out who he was and I also found the novel's ending a bit of an anti-climax. It is OK but not mindblowing.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

The Faceless Man by Helen H. Durrant is the second book in the (DI Harry Lennox and DS Jess Wilde series and I have really enjoyed this series so far. This book could also be read as a stand alone book as well.
DS Jess Wilde and DI Harry Lennox are called to a death of a teenager, Dean Greenwood from a stabbing and they have a really difficult case on their hands After finding his identity, they visit his home, his mother is destroyed. and kept on saying "He was a good boy." DS Jess Wilde and DI Harry Lennox go and search Dean's bedroom for clues and they find a startling wall display. Dean, has pictures of and articles of dead persons. There are also pictures of people who are still alive!.
Who are they and why are they on the wall display?
Then, DS Jess Wilde and DI Harry Lennox are called to Manchester, they know that this is a special case. Called "Operation Songbird", it's a very complex investigation into certain individuals they have been investigating. Some of the Manchester Police Force are glad to have them join in, however, some are not so happy and want them to go back home!.

I am enjoying this series and highly recommend all of Helen H Durrant's books.

Big thank you to NetGalley,Joffe Books and the author Helen H Durrant for my ARC The Faceless Man in exchange for an honest review

I found it entertaining but I struggle to keep reading at times as it's a bit confused.
I like this author's mysteries but this one wasn't my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Faceless Man by Helen H. Durrant is the second in the Detectives Lennox & Wilde series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Joffe Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books
DI Harry Lennox and DS Jess Wilde are detectives in Ryebridge in Northern England.  They have been working together for the last couple of years.  Harry's past is slowly coming to light, as we have learned that both his twin brother Paul and his father were killed in a suspicious fire in Scotland, while Harry was trying to take down a crime lord.  He doesn't talk about it, and his true identity is being brought into question.  He has recently had to find other sleeping arrangements as his friend's campervan was set ablaze, hoping for Harry's demise.  Jess is living with her parents, but saving for a house of her own.  Their boss is Superintendent Roderick Croft.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When the body of teenager Dean Greenwood  is found stabbed to death in a local park, Harry and Jess  learn that the young man felt he was on the hunt for a serial killer.  It looks like he may have been right, and it got him killed.  Dean's bedroom walls and computers were a wealth of information, and identifying the pictures on his boards lead them to other murders and to three as-yet  unidentified people that may be the killer's next victims.  One of them is just a blank cut-out of a faceless man.

So Jess and Harry, with the assistance of officer Colin Vance, are trying to track down these people before they are the next victims of this killer.

Meanwhile, Harry is still being hounded by his past.


My Opinions:   
Still not positive I like the characters.  Harry works on "instinct", and Jess works with facts.  That sounds great, but they are often at odds with each other, which sometimes makes for tense reading.  Harry is still hiding stuff about his past, and Jess is still nit-picking.  By the end of the book things were a bit better.

Again, a couple of things were dropped, for example did they ever look into what officer took and ignored Dean's original call?

I'm still not convinced this series is going to live up to my expectations.  I love the author, and her writing is good.  The plot was interesting and the twists good,  but I think it's just that I'm not sure about the characters.   They aren't really growing on me.

However, it was still a fast and entertaining read.

DI Harry Lennox and DS Jess Wilde are investigating the death of Dean Greenwood. While looking through Deans bedroom, the find a murder wall, listing victims and their possible killer - the faceless man. However the faceless man leaves behind no evidence of his identity.
A good read, it did struggle to keep my attention places.

This was almost a "did not finish". It just didn't click for me and felt like the author was just trying too hard to wangle in too much back story for Harry (but barely bothered with Jess??). The plot was kind of predictable and the prose pretty stinted.

The Faceless Man is the second instalment in Helen H. Durrant's series set in the rundown town of Ryebridge, Northern England, featuring DI Harry Lennox and DS Jess Wilde.

A teenager has been found by a passer-by in Cheetham Park having been stabbed and burned. He is named as Dean Greenwood so Jess and Harry make the journey to his home to break the dreaded news to his family. After learning the details of her son's final moments his mother becomes distraught. Whilst there they examine his bedroom to see if anything could be worth following up that links to his slaying. Shockingly Dean’s walls feature a large display of photographs and articles of murder victims that are known to the police but whose cases have not been solved. Three of the photographs are of particular interest and one of them, depicted as faceless, is thought to be an unidentified serial killer on the loose.

Blackmail, corruption and ruthless criminals all have a place in The Faceless Man. It was an absorbing and riveting read with a plot that gripped me. As the pace galloped along I was racing to find out what would be occurring next. It was a terrifying and creepy police procedural with multiple storylines that were equally engrossing. With many twists I didn't see coming, I was regularly caught off-guard. Helen H. Durrant has really taken time to create her deep and complex main characters and I was rooting for them all the way. A good, menacing, tension-filled story with a cracking unexpected ending, I can't wait to see what treats will be in store when book three is released. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Lennox and Wilde evolve. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Joffe Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

THE FACELESS MAN is the second book in a new crime fiction series, (DI Harry Lennox/DS Jess Wilde #1 by best-selling author Helen H. Durrant. Having enjoyed the first book in the series, The Guilty Man, and her other series, I was looking forward to continuing with this new series.

THE DETECTIVES LENNOX & WILDE SERIES
Book1: The Guilty Man (2020)
Book2: The Faceless Man (2021)

THE DETECTIVES

DI HARRY LENNOX began his career in Glasgow, but due to a traumatic incident, transferred to West Yorkshire and then Ryebridge. Harry is single, thirty-five and has a chaotic lifestyle. Currently living on a mate’s drive in a campervan. This is down to his girlfriend throwing him out. Harry’s life is a mess…he is living in a beat-up camper van, little facilities and drunk most nights, and had split up with his partner a month ago.

DS JESS WILDE is thirty and still lives with her parents. She is unattached and keen to progress in her career. She gets on well with Harry. He doesn’t have much time for protocol, and this suits her. She is critical of how he lives. She is about to buy her first property locally.

Now in book 2, Jess continues to learn more about her partner, Harry, but he has at least moved out of his camper and is now sharing a flat share with DC Colin Vance.

Harry Lennox and DS Jess Wilde are called to investigate the discovery of a teenage boy found stabbed and burned in a boat.

The victim was Dean Greenwood and he lived with his mother.

When Harry and Jess begin their investigation into Dean’s death they find that Dean’s laptop and cell phone are both missing. On the wall of Dean’s bedroom was a board listing victims and possible killers, a series of murders carried out by a paid assassin. All the detectives had to do was to find a killer known as the faceless man. This person is very careful to not leave evidence behind to identify him.

This was a good suspense read, with the plot centering around drugs, murder, and blackmail. A great continuation to a promising series.

Many thanks to the author, Joffe Books and Netgalley for my digital copy.

Police thriller with lots of twists and turns and plenty of surprises. Good characters who worked well,fast paced storyline.

This book got lots of reviews about it being 'unputdownable'. On the contrary, I found it very putdownable. I put it down countless times before I finally gave up.

There are several parallel mysteries going on - murder and identity. Who is Harry, really? Who is the faceless killer? And why did a young man take such a blatant risk by confronting a killer alone at night in an isolated place?

I found that I just didn't really care whether or not I found out, and I ended up abandoning the book before the end. That's not to say it's a bad book. It's a perfectly decent, albeit rather formulaic, mystery novel. Maybe the fact that it's book 2 and that I haven't read book 1 is part of the problem. Perhaps I'd be more invested in the characters if I'd started at the start. Maybe it was just the wrong book at the wrong time. Maybe the final pages pull it all together in an unexpectedly grand finale. I'll never know.

The Faceless Man is one of those books that I actually had to stop reading and double-check the front cover as I really thought I had opened the wrong book and was reading something else at first. I have read many books by this author and have enjoyed them tremendously, but this one was different right from the get-go. And I don't mean the story, as of course that would be different, but the whole tone as well as the whole writing style was...off. I really felt like I was reading a book by a completely different author.

I will admit that I did not read the first book in this series so I did feel at a disadvantage, but at this point I am in no hurry to read it as I wasn't invested enough in this one to do so. While I was intrigued by the mystery presented by Harry and his twin, Paul, and what that might represent, I just didn't connect with him personally and his struggles. Usually when a character is harbouring a big secret, I get invested in what is happening as I love secrets and look for those clues that may give it away. However, his character was a little blah and didn't really grow or progress throughout the book and I thought the focus on this 'big secret' was a little much. It should have been woven throughout the story rather than thrown in your face so much, with characters even from his past showing up to threaten him with the truth being outed as if the reader couldn't figure out there was a big problem.

I love police procedurals and tend to gravitate towards them like bees to honey. Although it was quite easy to figure out who was the culprit, which is often the case for me, I love to follow along and see how the police / detectives / investigators get to the truth as I find it interesting. While the race to find the killer is always fun, there were times when I felt the author was trying too hard to build up a mystery that was thin at best by putting in filler stuff that was, quite frankly, useless. And while I am not against characters who are awful as I find them intriguing, I am against using them just to create angst in a book which doesn't usually work all that well.

The Faceless Man is one of those books I wish I could have liked a bit more than I did. While some of the aspects of the case were intriguing, I thought the actual mystery was quite thin and very easy to figure out. I also thought the characters were quite one-dimensional, with little growth to them. I do recommend you try one of the books in another series (Calladine & Bayliss is a great one) by this author however, as I did enjoy them very much and it would be a great place to start if you are not familiar with her work.

I used to love this author. Everything they wrote I read in one (maybe two) sittings and adored. But then I realized there was nothing that separated one book from the next. I get it, formula books work for a reason, but when it makes it so easy to decipher who the bad guys are? That's when it becomes a problem. Sadly, that is how it was with this book. Early on, I figured out who was behind things (even though the author tried to throw in red herrings along the way), so nothing that happened after that was a surprise to me.

Another problem I had is the fact that even though this is only book number two, I don't feel like the characters had any character development. They still appear very one dimensional, and even though Harry may or may not be harboring a big secret, it was brought up so often that it became tedious. At this point I don't care if its true or it isn't, I just hope it gets wrapped up soon so I don't have to read about it anymore.

While I do believe this book will appeal to those who enjoy police procedural novels, and prior fans of this author, I think I will take a break from this author and come back to them again at a later date.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

As always a great read, this is the second book in this series and I am liking the character development of Harry.
Harry is keeping secrets, but how much will his secrets impact his job?
Can he solve the case at hand while also fighting personal battles?
I look forward to seeing what is next for Harry Lennox as he is certainly an interesting character.

Best-selling author Helen H Durrant is the queen of unputdownable crime thrillers and she is back with a superb page-turner I read in one go: The Faceless Man.

Detectives Harry Lennox and Jess Wilde are back on the case and they find themselves immersed in a new investigation that will take them down many a dark and dangerous avenue. When a teenage boy is found murdered in the local park and then set alight to destroy the evidence, the detectives know that they’ve got their work cut out for them. With the teenager’s identity still shrouded in mystery and secrecy, Lennox and Wilde realize that finding out what the young lad was involved in and what drove the murderer to kill him in cold blood could lead them not just to the killer, but to untangling a twisted web spun by ruthless and dangerous criminals who will not let anyone or anything stand in their way. However, this investigation looks like it’s going to be full of shocks and surprises as when they finally discover the victim’s identity, they find his bedroom wall covered with photographs of victims of unsolved murders. Just what are Lennox and Wilde dealing with here?

The shocks and surprises don’t show any signs of abating as there are further images which come to light which only serve to make this mystery even more tangled and twisted. Three pictures are discovered which appear to point to the next three victims the killer has in his sights, but what is even stranger is the image of a faceless man, a blank cut-out with no features. Lennox and Wilde believe that this faceless man could lead them to solving this mystery, but they must work fast because time is not on their side – and the killer could strike at any second..

Will Lennox and Wilde find the murderer in time before more lives are lost? Or will Harry’s dangerous secret end up putting their investigation in jeopardy?

Helen H Durrant’s thrillers just keep getting better and better and when readers see her name on a book cover, they know that they are in for a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride and The Faceless Man is no different. A brilliant thriller that grips like a vise from the first page and keeps readers hooked until the early hours of the morning, The Faceless Man is a dark, disturbing and fast-paced mystery featuring two detectives who are nuanced, flawed and brilliantly drawn.

A first class crime thriller from a writer at the top of her game, Helen H Durrant’s The Faceless Man is simply fantastic.