I am delighted to feature another great Orenda Blog tour. Faceless by Vanda Symon is published in paperback on 17th March but is available now in digital format.
Publication coincides with International Women’s Month and
Homeless Women’s Day, with a percentage of profits to SHELTER
I also have a great giveaway and the chance for you to win a print copy of Faceless. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
Worn down by a job he hates, and a stressful family life,
middle-aged, middle-class Bradley picks up a teenage escort and commits
an unspeakable crime. Now she’s tied up in his warehouse, and he doesn’t
know what to do.
Max is homeless, eating from rubbish bins,
sleeping rough and barely existing – known for cadging a cigarette from
anyone passing, and occasionally even the footpath. Nobody really sees
Max, but he has one friend, and she’s gone missing.
In order to
find her, Max is going to have to call on some people from his past, and
reopen wounds that have remained unhealed for a very long time, and the
clock is ticking…
Hard-hitting, fast-paced and immensely thought-provoking, Faceless – the startling new standalone thriller from New Zealand’s ‘Queen of Crime’ – will leave you breathless.
My Thoughts
This tense crime thriller is a standalone story, set in Auckland, New Zealand and features three central characters who present an image to the world which is by no means the whole picture. Billy is a young, troubled teenager who lives on the streets but harbours a huge desire to be an artist and her street art points to her hidden depths. She has been befriended by Max, a down and out who looks out for her and they seem to have developed a good understanding that they will be there for each other. They live in squalor on the streets, overlooked by most people. Then there is Bradley who is a run of the mill office worker who is overworked and seemingly disregarded by work and his family. He has a resentment at his own powerlessness but discovers a way to exert control which has chilling results.
The tension is maintained throughout the story as Max doggedly searches for Billy after her disappearance. You also are forced to address how society judges on appearance. I found Max's character really grabbed my attention and as the story developed, I realised that there was a huge reason behind his life on the streets. There are some shocking moments of cruelty which just seem to get worse. There is no let up! The ending contains quite a shocker - be warned!
In short: An electrifying read
About the Author
Vanda Symon is a crime writer, TV presenter and radio host
from
Dunedin, New Zealand, and the chair of the Otago Southland branch of the
New Zealand Society of Authors. The Sam Shephard series has climbed to number
one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and also been shortlisted for the Ngaio
Marsh Award for best crime novel. She currently lives in Dunedin, with her
husband and two sons.
You can read my review of Overkill here
Thanks to Vanda Symon, and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out these great bloggers!
Giveaway (UKonly)
To win a print copy of Faceless, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
Closing Date is March 13th 2022
and there is one winner.
*Terms and Conditions –UK only. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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