In Your Face

by Scarlett Thomas

Book Overview

Lily has received a phone call from Jess who has written a feature on three women who were victims of stalking-and on the day of publication, all three woman were found dead. Lily arrives to find Jess missing and has left behind a mysterious trail of clues.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932112081
• ISBN13: 9781932112085
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Kate's Mystery Books
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Psycho

This twisted tale is far-fetched, but the internal logic is impeccable. Scarlett Thomas always involves the reader with a level of intimacy in her characters that is not only endearing, but quite involving: don't be surprised if you begin to fall for Lily Pascale!

Clever and hip!

Scarlett Thomas has a very clear, enjoyable writing style that lends itself well to the mystery genre. Her characters are interesting and complicated, her stories are tricky (in the end), but easy to follow. A joy from start to finish and recommended even to those who don't usually dip into the mystery genre, as I myself do not, except for this series.

Well written, with intelligent and engaging main character

In Your Face features Lily Pascale, a lecturer in English Literature with a reputation for solving crimes (Dead Clever). In this second installment, Lily travels to London in response to a plea for help from a friend she has not seen since university, Jess. Stirring Lily's curiosity is the strange story Jess tells about writing a freelance article about three women who have been stalked, all of whom are murdered on the same day. However, Lily is also trying to escape the emotional turmoil of watching the man she thinks she loves marry a student that became pregnant after a one-night stand. The background of In Your Face is Lily's decision to stay with her father, who she does not know very well. Long divorced from Lily's mother, her father has found a new girlfriend, Star, a doctor specializing in psychopathy. Lily's conversations with Star help put Lily's efforts into a professional context, especially once Lily discovers Jess has disappeared. In Your Face is a finely written mystery with an intelligent and likable main character. The turmoil in Lily's personal life is a consistent theme with the mystery, and helps the reader to empathize with Lily's emotions and actions. The plot has enough action to keep the reader engaged, and brief glimpses into the mind of the murderer add a new perspective. I would strongly recommend this book to readers that enjoy female crime solvers or literary mysteries.

a riveting and engrossing read

University lecturer, Lily Pascale, hasn't heard from her old university friend, Jess Mallone, in years, so she's rather surprised when she receives a frantic 'phone call from Jess begging for help. Jess is now a freelance journalist based in London. Her latest article, (which she sold to Smile magazine) was about stalking -- about three women who were all stalked, and how they suffered, coped and survived their experiences. But on the very day that the magazine hits the streets, all three women are found murdered. Now the police are looking to Jess for answers and Jess is feeling guilty and scared. Having read about Lily's successful exploits in solving a crime that the police were unable to ("Dead Clever"), Jess begs Lily to come down to London and to help her sort out this mess. With the summer term having just ended, and needing space and time in order to sort out her feeling for colleague, Fenn, who's getting married soon, Lily is nothing loath to leave Devon for London. But she arrives to find Jess missing and the police's number one suspect. Feeling that the girl she knew couldn't be capable of murder, Lily sets out to discover what the three victims had in common that would have made them some madman's target, and to discover what has become of Jess. But as she tries to sort her way through all the misleading clues, lies and incongruities, Lily begins to feel as if she is being stalked herself. Could the killer be on her trial?Scarlett Thomas has written an incredibly swiftly paced mystery novel, that also possess believable and credible characters and a supremely clever and intriguing plot. In fact mystery fans may be reminded of Sarah Lacey's excellent Leah Hunter novels. Like the Leah Hunter mystery series, Thomas's Lily Pascale books are fresh, vibrant, modern and loads of fun to read. In short, "In Your Face" is a treat not to be missed, and I'm truly indebted to the I Love a Mystery newsletter website for having turned me onto this incredibly riveting find.