The Face on the Wall

by Jane Langton

Book Overview

Children's book illustrator Annie Swann has built her dream house, where she's painting a thirty-five-foot wall with a rich, complex mural of fairy tales and folklore. But again and again--however... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670876747
• ISBN13: 9780670876747
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

An engaging story, Even Though It is Slightly Flawed

This is my first introduction to Homer and Mary Kelly. I enjoyed these characters verry much because of there realistic portrayal and commic banter with one another. I understand that "The Face On the Wall" is the thirteenth installment in Ms. Langton's series. The best thing about this set of books is that you do not have to read the books in chronological order. I was perfectly able to understand the story and the relationship between the characters without having to begin at the start of the series. "The Face On the Wall" is a gripping and mesmerizing read. The premise is that Mary Kelly's niece, childrens' book illustrator Annie Swann has recently had a new wing installed onto her house. Her dream of painting a thirty-foot wall mural with pictures of her favorite children's books is finally being realized. However, things are not going to smoothly fall in to place for Annie. As she begins to paint the mural, she becomes aware of a vicious and evil face which she has not painted that continuously appears on the wall. Even though she tries to sponge it away, it continues to reappear. Not only does this incident occur, but Annie, who has rented the second wing of her house to a family, is befriending there Down's Syndrome eight-year-old boy, Eddie, who comes daily to watch her paint and to listen to her stories. When Eddie is discovered dead from falling from the scaffolding which Annie uses for painting the mural, the tenant family accuse her of neglegence and sue her for everything she is worth. However, Annie knows that the family often neglected there son and she suspects them of trying to do him bodily harm. Now it is up to Homer and Mary Kelly to work together to clear Annie's name. This mystery novel is filled with many unforgettable characters, and has some interesting subplots. Could the handyman whom Annie has hired be all that he seems, or is he someone totally different? The only minor complaint I have is the the tenant family seem so unbelievable. The father and mother lavish there attention upon the ten-year-old girl, Charlene, but brutally ignore their son. It is impossible to feel any impathy towards them. Jane Langton presented a coldblooded family who will stop at nothing to obtain the American Dream. Her novel is a true morality drama about the danger of greed. Her "Bad Seed" character, Charleen, is a prime example of the danger of selfishness and greed upon everyone in the world. Despite the minor complaint I made, this work is well worth trying. It is both humorous and poignant. Reading it will make people aware of the importance of fighting good and maintaining innocence even while evil rages. Happy reading!

Always Enjoyable

What an amazing author Jane Langton is. One of the blurbs on my edition of this book states, "Today's best American mystery writer." I usually take such things as hyperbole but in this case, the reviewer may be right as I would certainly place Ms. Langton in the top three along with Elizabeth George and Elizabeth Peters. In this entry, Homer and Mary are helping with two mysteries, one involving an old student of Mary's and the other involving Mary's niece Anna who has just built a new house. Of course, the two different mysteries become one eventually. As always, the antics of Homer are fun to read and how Mary puts up with him, I will never figure out. I have read all but one of the Homer & Mary mysteries and am trying to find a copy of the one I have not read. I would recommend starting with this series from as close to the beginning as you can as the progression of the relationship between the two main characters is important.

Living with Nightmares and Villains

Caution: This book deals with some pretty ugly subjects including spousal and child abuse, and contains much coarse and foul language. The crimes are pretty graphically described, which may also make this book a little too gritty for sensitive readers. As a movie, this material would definitely earn the book an R rating. The Face on the Wall is the most subtle and rewarding Homer and Mary Kelly story in many years. I particularly liked the build up of suspense and tension as one calamity after another befalls children's book illustrator, Annie Swann, who is the Kelly's niece (on Mary's side of the family). Usually, the sense of drama in Ms. Langton's work is not nearly so palpable. The plot is much more complicated than usual, and intelligently involves a large number of interesting characters. As a result, the action moves along faster and in more interesting ways than we have come to expect from Ms. Langton's fiction. The book's major theme is about the vulnerabilities of innocence and goodness to those who are determined to do whatever it takes to succeed. In fact, the whole story can be read almost as though it is a morality play from the Middle Ages.As you may know, Ms. Langton likes to let her readers in on who the murderer is early on. So the mystery is often mostly of how the mystery will be solved or the misdirection overcome. In this book, there are many more mysteries that do not necessarily match up with murder. The book builds upon an opening in which Annie Swann is at the acme of her life. She has fame, fortune, talent, and rewarding work. Like many artists, she has conceived of a great masterpiece, a mural on the interior wall of a new wing she has built on her house. Obsessed with her creation, she finds herself pulled away from her goal by mysterious occurrences involving Eddy Gast, an 8 year-old boy with fine artistic talent who was born with Down's syndrome, and the unexplained appearances of menacing faces in her mural. Like an unstable scaffolding, the pieces of this self-perceived perfection suddenly begin to disintegrate around her.After finishing this book, think about those you know who are most popular. Why do you think they are popular? Do they ever misuse this popularity? Have you ever misused your popularity? How can we help those who are popular to play a more positive role?Seek first to do the right thing!

A fun introduction to the series.

It's been a few years since I've read one of Jane Langton's Homer and Mary Kelly books, but this was a welcome return to the series. Langton's style tends toward the humorously melodramatic, which fits this particular plotline well. While the conclusion was no huge surprise, getting there was the most fun. (I especially liked her "bad seed" child character, Charlene.)

delightfully refreshing,sur to garner author more fans

Renowned children's book illustrator, Annie Swann, has just added an addition to her home. The new area includes a wall mural that allows Annie to paint characters from children's stories on it. The new addition allows Annie to supplement her income by renting out the old section of her home to the opportunist Gast family. As she begins to paint the mural, two things occur. On the wall, a frightening face appears everyday that Annie cannot eradicate. Eddy Gast, a Down syndrome child mysteriously dies at the base of the mural. The Gasts quickly starts to sue their landlord for negligence and wrongful death. Annie turns to her Uncle Homer and Aunt Mary to prove her innocence and to learn why the visage keeps appearing on the wall. Thirteen is a lucky number for fans of New England cozies as the marvelous Homer and Mary Kelly mysteries obtain that number with one of its best entries ever. THE FACE ON THE WALL is a very exciting novel due to its brilliant characterizations. Annie, her sleuthing relatives, and her paramour are all wonderful characters, while the villainous Gast family comprise some of the nastiest and vilest villains to reside in a cozy. This is one series that is well worth obtaining the back issues to read because the entire collection is fun, refreshing, and great to read. Harriet Klausner