The Man with No Face

By: Peter May

Narrated by: Peter Forbes

There are two men on their way to Brussels from the UK: Neil Bannerman, an iconoclastic journalist for Scotland's Daily Standard whose irate editor wants him out of the way, and Kale - a professional assassin.

A classic early Peter May novel situated among the political intrigue of 1979. Expecting to find only a difficult, dreary political investigation in Belgium, Bannerman has barely settled in when tragedy strikes. His host, a fellow journalist, along with a British Cabinet minister, are discovered dead in the minister's elegant Brussels townhouse.

It appears that they have shot each other. But the dead journalist's young autistic daughter, Tania, was hidden in a closet during the killings, and when she draws a chilling picture of a third party - a man with no face - Bannerman suddenly finds himself a reluctant participant in a desperate murder investigation.

As the facts slowly begin to emerge under Bannerman's scrutiny, he comes to suspect that the shootings may have a deep and foul link with the rotten politics that brought him to Brussels in the first place.

And as Kale threatens to strike again, Bannerman begins to feel a change within himself. His jaded professionalism is transforming into a growing concern for the lonely and frightened Tania, and a strong attraction to a courageous woman named Sally - drawing him out of himself and into the very heart of a profound, cold-blooded, and infinitely dangerous conspiracy.

"Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth." (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times)

©1981 Peter May (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Unnerving nail-biter." (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times)

"May keeps the stories clear and the pace fast." (Booklist)

"No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May. His prose evokes a setting that is almost mystical in its untamed beauty." (New York Journal of Books)

"May's lyrical prose brings full color to the scenery, and the narrative intrigues from start to finish." (Shelf Awareness)

One of his best

So glad they decided to release as an audible. I found I liked it better than the China series which often strays of into fanciful science.

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either

Story moves along slowly and then very much towards the end of the book so many loose ends are explained and put together. An example of this is the love interest which seems fairly benign until she decides close to the end that she loves him and starts following his journey. Not to knock falling in love but part of me says--where did this come from?

I am not a terribly patient person and considered giving up partway through the book. Glad I stuck it out so at least I had the answers to a lot of my questions. Maybe being a Yank, UK politics tends to confuse me and this book did very little to clarify that.

Wonderful book

This book is as relevant today as when Peter May wrote it 20 years ago. With its riveting international plot interwoven with human emotion it is definitely worth reading.

Early Peter May

I have enjoyed all the Peter May books I've read. This one was good, but not as good as others such as Lewis Trilogy. In my opinion, his absolute best is Entry Island.
The plot was interesting but had many predictable incidents. I'm still glad that I read it.
The narrator is the same as his other books, and he did a fine job with all the accents---French, Scottish, English, English cab driver and train porter.

Im giving it 5 stars

because he was only 27 when he wrote it, which is hard to believe. And it was still very good, entertaining, no glaring immaturity. But many of his later books r better.

SUPERB!!

This book kept my husband riveted. And the narrator was awesome as always!! Rent it. buy it, READ It!!