Great pace, indestructible hero, fine twists. Little bit sketchy at the end, but well worth reading. ( )

The Man With No Face was first released around 40 years ago. This political thriller is a wonderful retrospective novel to a bygone time. Sure, 40 years ago doesn't sound that long ago, but as Peter May wrote in the intro, so much has changed. Just think about the hassle of trying to phone someone back then, no quick SMS to anyone. The political landscape is the same with backstabbing and money being the goal.

Peter May is a favorite author of mine and I'm glad to say that this book is really good! I found the story to be very interesting and really liked how Bannerman bonded with the Tania, the autistic girl of the murdered journalist. To have Kale, the killers POV especially when he started to have some doubts about his mission felt like a great addition to the story. How far would Kale go?

The Man With No Face may be 40 years old, but it has aged well. It's a strong book and I really loved reading a book set at the end of the 70s.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

A nice touch in Peter May’s writing skills.

Still fresh, and quite amusing, a dive in the near past, when mobile phones and google were not part of the world, giving to the story totally different twists.

It’s possible to spot the ability of mr. May to get under the skin of characters, something that is really well defined and mastered in later works.

Still, a refresher, waiting to get more to Hebrides together! ( )

This is one of Peter Mays early books. Reissued it remains relevant as the vortex of political shenanigans continues to cause problems. Choosing an unlikeable newspaper reporter as the protagonist, creating an interesting love interest for him, and the inclusion of an autistic child adds to this story of greed and murder set in Brussels. I like his later books better, but I enjoyed this book. ( )

This is a re-issue of Peter May’s 1981 novel originally called ‘Hidden Faces’ and, in a preface to this new edition, May himself notes just how ‘topical’ the book is in the atmosphere of today’s fevered political machinations between the UK and Europe (well, fevered if you live in the Westminster bubble, for the rest of us, meh.)

A British politician and a journalist are murdered in Brussels, to where Neil Bannerman – erstwhile journalist and anti-establishment figure – has been banished by his editor. Bannerman finds himself investigating the deaths as the political forces of Belgium and Britain seek to shut down any possible scandal in the run-up to the 1979 General Election. The rest is an enjoyable thriller with our doughty hero being beaten up, shot at, breaking and entering, falling in love – oh, and becoming a father-figure to the autistic daughter of the murdered journalist. And all taking place against a snow-covered cityscape to set a suitable mood and tone.

Whilst May calls it ‘topical’ the book is, nonetheless, very much of its time. Every stereotype you can imagine is wheeled out: hard-drinking, hard-smoking journalists who are bitter at careers going down the pan; the enigmatic, world-weary local detective who does his best to help Bannerman; a hired assassin who turns out to have emotions after all; the love-interest who herself carries a burden of mistrust from a previous relationship; financial misdeeds from the Eurocrats…… And the topicality of the book is very much in the background – there seemed precious little about the election and even less about the relationship between the UK and Europe.

That’s not to say this isn’t a decent page-turner and an enjoyable romp, but it does read like a bit of a period piece and Peter May has gone on to write much better books and much more rounded characters in the years since. However, if you want a diverting read that will pass away a cosy winter’s evening, then you could do much worse than this. And it is interesting sometimes to revisit the early works of authors to see how they have progressed over time. 3.5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this edition in return for an honest and unbiased review.) ( )