The Man With No Face: A powerful and prescient crime thriller from the author of The Lewis Trilogy

Published in 1981, The Man with No Face is a standalone novel by Scottish author, Peter May – and it’s stood up well to the tests of time.

Investigative journalist Neil Bannerman is off to Brussels to try and find a scoop that will save his career. Bannerman arrives in Brussels as a jaded and fed-up journalist, hated by his Editor who’s looking for any excuse to terminate his employment.

He hasn't been in Brussels long before two men are murdered and the only witness is an autistic child who can't speak. The case is mysteriously closed, but Bannerman suspects foul-play and won't give up until he's unearthed the truth. Putting his life at risk, and the life of the girl, he sets about untangling the mystery.

The girl can only communicate by drawing, and she produces a highly detailed picture of the killer; the only problem is she’s interrupted before she can complete it. Traumatised by what she’s witnessed, the girl cannot bring herself to give the killer a face.

Bannerman works tirelessly to solve the case, eventually unlocking a shocking conspiracy that threatens to rock the Establishment and unexpectedly learns more than he thought about himself. He had been reluctant to travel to Europe, but by the time he returns home, he appears re-energised and has had time to reflect not only his career but his private life too.

The story is set in the late '70s with none of today's must-have technology and depicts a time of political and social unrest.

The characters are well defined and believable, although the murderer while ruthless seems to have his own inner turmoil and softer side. Bannerman's character grows with the story, and you will want to find out if there is a happy ending. At times the plot seems a little slow, but nevertheless, it’s still a page-turner and definitely worth 4-Stars.
Review by: Pink Alpaca

I was a bit dubious when I realised that this was written nearly 40 years ago, but given May’s excellent writing skills it really didn’t make a difference.
It was interesting to read about the political situation at the time, quite comparative to now actually.
A good twisty read.