In 1968, Justin McLeod has been living an isolated existence as a reclusive painter for the past seven years, after a car accident that left him disfigured on the right side of his face, with chest burns sustained in the post-crash fire. Poole, Eric (2007-10-09), "Green Man filmmakers in town", Ellwood City Ledger, archived from the original on 10 July 2011

I've seen a man who could change his face, the way that other men change their clothes." ― Doreah [src] MY THOUGHTS: This is the second book I have read by this author in a short period of time. Peter May is a man who paints pictures, gloriously detailed pictures, with words. I could 'see' as I read. And although I did not enjoy this story as much as my previous read by this author, the writing remains superb.

This was an interesting read, occasionally slow in parts, it did hold a unique atmospheric, Brits being abroad, did give you a somewhat fish out of water feel, and the style of writing was very direct and the characters engaging, while not a classic, it was enjoyable, and I would be interested in following more of Mays work. To think that many things in this novel have been inspired by real events makes it even better. I like a dose of authenticity around the stories! Meanwhile, there is an assassin after arriving into Brussels with an agenda to take out two targets, a journalist and a British Cabinet minister. The journalist is question, being Tony Slater and the minister, a Robert Gryffe. Kale, the individual assigned with this task is a hardened war vet who suffered a very traumatic childhood. His experiences in the army and his difficult childhood left their mark on Kale, now a man with no conscience and no love for any person, not even himself, making him a very dangerous foe. But Kale hadn’t figured on leaving a witness behind after he had completed his task in hand. He never knew she was there……but Tania saw it all. She witnessed the cold-blooded murder of her father and the politician and drew a sketch detailing the scene. The one piece missing off the sketch is the face of the killer. In my recent review of Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book Six I noted that the storytelling from Alan Moore as he closed his run on the book felt tired, and that Moore had said all he had to say when it came to Swamp Thing. When Moore walked away from Swamp Thing he had been a part of the book for almost four years, having written 42 of the 44 issues published between taking over the book in issue #20 and when he walked away with issue #64. What does this have to do with Ed Brubaker? Well by the time we get around to The Man With No Face Brubaker had also been on Captain America for exactly 42 issues (43 if you want to count Winter Soldier: Winter Kills which is tangentially related to Captain America but lays some of the groundwork for "The Death of Captain America" arc. Unlike Moore, who seemed to be ambivalent at best toward the end of his Swamp Thing run, Brubaker's tank seems to be still full of gas. The Man With No Face is my first introduction to Peter May’s work and it’s easy to see why he’s an internationally bestselling author. This novel was first published in 1981 and it’s quite surprising (or maybe not) to see the political landscape has changed very little and The Man With No Face has stood the test of time quite brilliantly in that respect.

Though Steve Epting only draws the one issue, Luke Ross and Butch Guice produce some excellent fill-in issues and it helps that their styles are very similar to produce a consistent look throughout.

Meet me on the launch tour for “The Man With No Face”

No, The Man With No Face, with its mysterious title and beautiful cover, is a cleverly quiet tale of lives in 1979, with everything we knew at that time, and everything we didn’t. Old time and politics. A match? YES! After several chapters setting the tone of the novel following the steps of investigative journalist Bannerman, blood gets spilled. Journalism and government blood. Not a good mix if you want my opinion! It’s bound to make a lot of noise. But poor Brannerman was only in the European capital to dig up dirt… Only to find himself at the centre of an intricate web of secrecy and conspiracies. Human, accurate, and dirty indeed, this investigation brings the best of our main character and fully explores a world of scoops, money and corruption.

Neil Bannerman is tired. A journalist for many years he has seen it all. Now working for The Edinburgh Post, Bannerman is at odds with the newly appointed editor, Wilson Tait, ‘a hard newspaperman of the old school; a Fleet Street toughened Scot returning to his old hunting grounds and bringing with him his personal hard core of hatchet men whom he was moving into key editorial positions.’ Bannerman knows his days with the paper are numbered, as personalities clash and heads roll, but not before Tait gives him one more job. Bannerman is being sent to Brussels for a few weeks to get him out of the way, giving Tait the opportunity to figure out how to deal with him.

About Author Peter May

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the publisher and Agnes for inviting me to be part of this blog tour! Doctors Marvel That Boy Lives". The Daily Times. Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania: Adams Publishing Group. August 4, 1919. pp.1, 2.