When Evil Changes Face

by Therese Szymanski and Aamna Qureshi

Book Overview

Something evil is happening at Alma High School, an evil so unthinkable that nothing in Brett Higgins criminal past could ever prepare her for it.

When a concerned teacher suspects that a drug ring is operating at her school, Brett Higgins and her lover Allie enroll at Alma High School disguised as a teenaged brother and sister. Against her better judgment, Brett soon finds herself returning the affections of luscious cheerleader, Kathy, while...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0967775337
• ISBN13: 9780967775333
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Bella Books
• Length: 195 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Review of "When Evil Changes Face" by Cheri

The fourth Brett Higgins' Motor City Thriller by Therese Szymanski, "When Evil Changes Face," is both gripping and sexy; Szymanski fans will be delighted to join Brett and Allie on yet another adventure. This time they are going back to high school. . .as students. The interwoven elements of the plot, a writing style that Szymanski is known for, keep the reader guessing, and glued to the pages. The main theme is evident, but there is much more to discover under the surface in this fast-paced, action-packed, high school sting. Something sinister lurks in a small Michigan town outside St. Louis at Alma High School. A dedicated teacher at the school, Leisa Kraft, is duly worried about her students. Leisa hopes to find out what is going on before someone gets hurt. . .or worse. She enlists the help of her friend Madeline; together they come up with a brilliant plan. Leisa and Madeline ask Brett, who made her money in organized crime but is no longer in the biz, and Allison, a ex-cop who has experience as a detective, to pose as high school students in order to solve the mysterious change in the students. Brett and Allie are reluctant to get involved at first but they relent. Madeline and Leisa convince Brett and Allie to go undercover as brother and sister. Brett does a very convincing imitation of a delinquent teenage boy and Allie joins the cheerleading squad. Once enrolled in the school Brett and Allie fit right in-but can a thirty-three year old and twenty-seven year old really pull off the charade and discover the truth about what is going down in Alma High? Brett Higgins was twenty-three when she met her lover Allison Sullivan, who was seventeen at the time. Brett and Allie have a wonderful relationship. Allie has no problem when Brett flirts with other women since the bottom line is that Brett is hers-all hers. But for how long and under what circumstances can even Brett's resolve to be faithful withstand the test? I highly recommend "When Evil Changes Face" to anyone who enjoys good mysteries, juicy love stories, and hot steamy sex. It is fun revisiting high school (from an adult's perspective) with all the raging hormones, turf battles, sports, dramas, and teenage angst. The story is more than just erotica with its multi-faceted plot and complex characters; it keeps the reader guessing all along. The author does an amazing job of tying up the loose ends while setting the stage for the fifth Brett Higgins' Motor City Thrillers, "When Good Girls Go Bad." You will not want to miss all six books in the Motor City Thriller series. The sixth title, "When the Corpse Lies (2004)," is the latest addition to the collection. Check out Therese Szymanski's other selections as well including, "Once Upon a Dyke: New Exploits of Fairy Tale Lesbians (2004)," which has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in 2005. "When Evil Changes Face" is a worthwhile read and rates five stars.

Complicated thriller!

I liked everything about this book, so much more than the previous ones in the series. Brett is a hard woman trying not to get hurt in a world that has knocked her around. She wants to play the field but has fallen in love. More than the mystery I like Brett's dilemma and how realistically she is pulled between her overt butch sexuality and her love for one woman. I can't wait to find out how Brett continues to walk that line.

Best in series

I wasn't all that fond of the first 3 Brett Higgins mysteries. [...] seemed to be included just for shock value, and the mysteries themselves were forced. The love relationship between Brett and Allie didn't ring true. They seemed all physical and no emotion.This installment seems like its almost written by a different person. Perhaps moving to a new press made the difference, but When Evil Changes Face was both a fast-paced, well-scripted mystery and a complete character study of Brett and Allie. For the first time I felt as if I knew them. Even the [...] seemed like an extension of their characters rather than just tacked on for reader titillation. Suspend your disbelief that Brett and Allie can pass for high school students. Just believe, and then enjoy the story. I also got a little tired of how "beautiful" and "good-looking" a woman had to be to interest Brett. A woman can be attractive without being beautiful and Brett's too smart not to know that.After the very disappointing When Some Body Disappears, I was going to give up on Brett Higgins, but When Evil Changes Face complete restored my interest. I look forward to the next installment with great anticipation.

Szymanski does it again!

I've read all the books in this series and they keep me guessing until the very end! Despite the problems with transitions and continuity (the jumping from one character's viewpoint to another with no warning can be a little confusing), Syzmanski's writing is fast paced and stark, and Brett always reminds me of a grownup Legs Sadovsky: tough, afraid of nothing, and when she loves it's with her whole heart. It's enough even to make a die-hard monogamist, anti-looksist feminist like me forgive the fact that Allie is the prototypical blonde bombshell and that despite Allie's good looks, intelligence, and strength Brett STILL has a great deal of trouble being faithful.I also like it that Allie is a well-developed character in her own right, more than capable of dealing with Brett and not just some silly bimbo. When I first began reading the books I didn't think I'd like her much, but I did. She's smart and strong and not at all dependent on Brett for love, money or self esteem. Yes, the idea that Brett and Allie can pass as teenagers requires some suspension of disbelief, but the action is so fast and exciting I was more interested in trying to figure out who the bad guy was than in seeing how realistic the story was! A great book to pass the time with!

Szymanski Strikes Again

Politically incorrect author Therese Szymanski strikes again with the latest Brett Higgins novel. In this one, Brett and Allie go undercover as a high school age brother and sister to get to the bottom of a drug ring. Szymanski is a master of creating suspense and full rounded characters. And her sex scenes rock. She is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated writers publishing today.