The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb

Book Description
Gottlieb introduces the mystery of the charismatic Margot, a promising journalist who morphs—with stunning panache—from a high-achieving affluent twenty-something into a grifter making her living preying on the weaknesses of men. Having studied the ancient Chinese art of face reading, she becomes an expert at reading people and is also able to rearrange her look and persona with uncanny skill to fit any social situation. She is an avenging angel, shattering marriages and draining bank accounts.

What drives her quest to deceive and disarm? Exploring this question, The Face Thief moves fluidly forward and back in time, drawing vivid portraits of Margot’s rocky childhood and her adult victims: an amiable, newly married man enticed into a catastrophic fraud; an esteemed teacher outwitted by his most dangerous student; and a well-meaning New York City cop tripped up by his belief in redemption.

My thoughts
Margot is a grifter that has been pushed down the stairs and lost her memory. As the story unfolds we learn that she has swindled John Potash of his life savings. He is determined to get it back at any cost. She also learns from speaker Lawrence Billings who gives body language and face reading seminars. She becomes a private student and somewhere along the way their relationship turns bizarre.

At first, as I begin reading, I enjoyed what was going on but thought all in all it would be a different book. I didn’t feel for the characters except for John and the ending just whimpered out. It was an okay book.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.