She has someone looking out for her, and he has friends, and so a chain of events is set in motion that quickly spiral out of control. Unluckily for him, the girl is not the friendless, lost soul he assumes. What happens next takes this man further and further away from where he started. An ordinary family man picks up a teenage prostitute on the streets of Auckland, an action completely out of character. Told in the voices of the four main protagonists, we get the story from every angle. I’m really glad I did because, despite the Sam-shaped hole, this is an excellent book. Was I going to enjoy one of Vanda’s book as much without Sam? No, Julie, I chided myself, keep an open mind and don’t go into the book loaded down with prejudices. Wah, where is Sam? That was my first thought when I heard that Vanda Symon’s latest novel didn’t feature the detective in whom I have become so invested.

Vanda Symon has become one of my favourite authors over the last few years so I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour today for her new release, Faceless. My thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in the tour and to the publisher for my digital copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and impartially. 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 Nobody really sees Max, but he has one friend, and she’s gone missing. 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. Now she’s tied up in his warehouse, and he doesn’t know what to do. 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.

Faceless vanda symon