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The Dancing Face
"This book is brutal, deep, cunning and unbearably beautiful"- The Independent
A blistering, original thriller that examines the powerful link between identity, sacrifice, and possession, as a Black university professor plans a burglary to “liberate” an African sculpture from a London museum . . .
University lecturer Gus knows that stealing the priceless Benin mask, the Dancing Face, from a museum at the heart of the British establishment will gain an avalanche of attention. Which is exactly what he wants.
But such a risky theft will also inevitably capture the attention of characters with more money, more power, and fewer morals.
Naively entangling his loved ones in his increasingly dangerous pursuit of righteous reparation, is Gus prepared for what it will cost him?
A blistering, original thriller that examines the powerful link between identity, sacrifice, and possession, as a Black university professor plans a burglary to “liberate” an African sculpture from a London museum . . .
University lecturer Gus knows that stealing the priceless Benin mask, the Dancing Face, from a museum at the heart of the British establishment will gain an avalanche of attention. Which is exactly what he wants.
But such a risky theft will also inevitably capture the attention of characters with more money, more power, and fewer morals.
Naively entangling his loved ones in his increasingly dangerous pursuit of righteous reparation, is Gus prepared for what it will cost him?
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
15 people are currently reading
559 people want to read
About the author
Mike Phillips
13 books8 followersMike Phillips was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He came to Britain as a child and grew up in London. He was educated at the University of London and the University of Essex, and gained a Postgraduate Certificate of Education at Goldsmiths College, London.
He worked for the BBC as a journalist and broadcaster between 1972 and 1983 on television programmes including The Late Show and Omnibus, before becoming a lecturer in media studies at the University of Westminster. He has written full-time since 1992. He is best known for his crime fiction, including four novels featuring black journalist Sam Dean: Blood Rights (1989), which was adapted for BBC television, The Late Candidate (1990), winner of the Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Point of Darkness (1994) and An Image to Die For (1995). The Dancing Face (1997) is a thriller centred on a priceless Benin mask. His most recent novel, A Shadow of Myself (2000), is a thriller about a black documentary filmmaker working in Prague and a man who claims to be his brother. He is currently working on a sequel.
Mike Phillips co-wrote Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain (1998) to accompany a BBC television series telling the story of the Caribbean migrant workers who settled in post-war Britain. His book, London Crossings: A Biography of Black Britain (2001), is a series of interlinked essays and stories, a portrait of the city seen from locations as diverse as New York and Nairobi, London and Lodz, Washington and Warsaw.
His latest book is Kind of Union (2005).
He worked for the BBC as a journalist and broadcaster between 1972 and 1983 on television programmes including The Late Show and Omnibus, before becoming a lecturer in media studies at the University of Westminster. He has written full-time since 1992. He is best known for his crime fiction, including four novels featuring black journalist Sam Dean: Blood Rights (1989), which was adapted for BBC television, The Late Candidate (1990), winner of the Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Point of Darkness (1994) and An Image to Die For (1995). The Dancing Face (1997) is a thriller centred on a priceless Benin mask. His most recent novel, A Shadow of Myself (2000), is a thriller about a black documentary filmmaker working in Prague and a man who claims to be his brother. He is currently working on a sequel.
Mike Phillips co-wrote Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain (1998) to accompany a BBC television series telling the story of the Caribbean migrant workers who settled in post-war Britain. His book, London Crossings: A Biography of Black Britain (2001), is a series of interlinked essays and stories, a portrait of the city seen from locations as diverse as New York and Nairobi, London and Lodz, Washington and Warsaw.
His latest book is Kind of Union (2005).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
October 8, 2021
This book started off slow and was a little hard to get into. By 1/3 of the way through, it had captured my imagination and had me wanting to come back for more. By 2/3 of the way through, I couldn’t put it down and binged the end.
At the heart of this book is a story about a theft of an object that different parties want for different reasons: political, monetary, bargaining power, prestige. There’s a heist, car chases, blackmail, violence, corruption.
The interesting parts of this book are the backgrounds of all the characters: all black but with different experiences of not only their ancestral countries but also of their lives in England too.
It’s quite academic in places, but given the educational backdrop, those parts don’t seem out of place in the book.
It’s an enjoyable read that gives the reader plenty of food for thought around British colonialism and the challenges around identity and belonging faced by Black Britons today.
At the heart of this book is a story about a theft of an object that different parties want for different reasons: political, monetary, bargaining power, prestige. There’s a heist, car chases, blackmail, violence, corruption.
The interesting parts of this book are the backgrounds of all the characters: all black but with different experiences of not only their ancestral countries but also of their lives in England too.
It’s quite academic in places, but given the educational backdrop, those parts don’t seem out of place in the book.
It’s an enjoyable read that gives the reader plenty of food for thought around British colonialism and the challenges around identity and belonging faced by Black Britons today.
July 15, 2023
This book has a captivating story line and great twists and turns whilst remaining culturally sensitive. First thriller I’ve read it a while and I really enjoyed it
February 27, 2021
I read the newly republish edition of this as part of the "Writing Back" series published by Penguin. I am so glad it was selected as I really enjoyed it.
This is the story of an academic Gus who orchestrates a theft of a valuable piece of art, a Benin mask, with the intention of raising awareness of the art stolen from Africa during the colonial period, and maybe more the lack of reparation awarded for these thefts. Then everything goes wrong.
The themes in this book are really interesting, especially when I think it was published in the 90s, when themes that are very current at the moment, would have been more provocative.
It mainly explores ingrained Colonial British attitudes such as the refusal to take responsibility or to pay reparation. It also talks a lot about Art and different cultural attitudes towards art. Much of this, I will be honest, was a bit over my head. "African art is different. It's about representing mythologies which are at the same time a way of turning the abstractions that people live by into reality. You know what I mean?" (P283).
Well no actually? 🤔 But that may just be me. I will see if I can find further reading on the subject.
Tied into this though, it really explored the selectivity of our historical narrative. There is a wonderful passage when he is telling the story of Oladapo the black man who discovered Blackpool which I really enjoyed.
There are also some lovely bits, which were a bit more throwaway, towards the end about the boys growing up in care and what the image of a family looked like, as well as a really poignant bit about Osman's period in the army, and what normal people can do when they are put in these situations. " what got me, what really blew me away, was that my men were normal young guys. Not like hard cases; most of them had never seen any action." (P302). I would have liked more of these elements.
I think for me where the book fell down a little was the dynamic of the narrative. It is pitched as a thriller. But it never really manages to muster up much mystery or suspense. Gus, who seems otherwise a quite sensible human being, organises this theft and then doesn't seem to have much of a plan as to what to do next. I felt some struggle from the happless Rodney, but everyone seems to crossing and recrossing each other without much conviction. You also don't get enough character development to really be that concerned about what happens to them.
I gave it 3 stars, as I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the other books in the Writing Back series, however it wasn't quite the page turner that the word "thriller" evokes. However, I totally agree it deserves to be read by more people!
This is the story of an academic Gus who orchestrates a theft of a valuable piece of art, a Benin mask, with the intention of raising awareness of the art stolen from Africa during the colonial period, and maybe more the lack of reparation awarded for these thefts. Then everything goes wrong.
The themes in this book are really interesting, especially when I think it was published in the 90s, when themes that are very current at the moment, would have been more provocative.
It mainly explores ingrained Colonial British attitudes such as the refusal to take responsibility or to pay reparation. It also talks a lot about Art and different cultural attitudes towards art. Much of this, I will be honest, was a bit over my head. "African art is different. It's about representing mythologies which are at the same time a way of turning the abstractions that people live by into reality. You know what I mean?" (P283).
Well no actually? 🤔 But that may just be me. I will see if I can find further reading on the subject.
Tied into this though, it really explored the selectivity of our historical narrative. There is a wonderful passage when he is telling the story of Oladapo the black man who discovered Blackpool which I really enjoyed.
There are also some lovely bits, which were a bit more throwaway, towards the end about the boys growing up in care and what the image of a family looked like, as well as a really poignant bit about Osman's period in the army, and what normal people can do when they are put in these situations. " what got me, what really blew me away, was that my men were normal young guys. Not like hard cases; most of them had never seen any action." (P302). I would have liked more of these elements.
I think for me where the book fell down a little was the dynamic of the narrative. It is pitched as a thriller. But it never really manages to muster up much mystery or suspense. Gus, who seems otherwise a quite sensible human being, organises this theft and then doesn't seem to have much of a plan as to what to do next. I felt some struggle from the happless Rodney, but everyone seems to crossing and recrossing each other without much conviction. You also don't get enough character development to really be that concerned about what happens to them.
I gave it 3 stars, as I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the other books in the Writing Back series, however it wasn't quite the page turner that the word "thriller" evokes. However, I totally agree it deserves to be read by more people!
July 17, 2021
Rep: biracial Caribbean British mcs, Nigerian mcs
CWs: violence, car crash, attempted rape, domestic abuse
CWs: violence, car crash, attempted rape, domestic abuse
December 29, 2022
I believe that I can only have an opinion on the literature itself rather than the political issues that are discussed. The importance of African culture is challenged by Phillips. He recognises that history is the past for a reason. Bringing forth the past embeds an awakening of disasters that impact those who have ancestral links to different countries in Africa.
It was difficult for me to continue reading this novel as the sentence structure can often been confusing and misleading. I believe it’s on my behalf that this was a challenge for me rather than the author.
For anyone who wants to read this novel I’d advise you to understand that there are many triggering topics seen including: Sexual Assault, Racism, Sexism, Misogynistic values that can result in the abuse for women.
It was difficult for me to continue reading this novel as the sentence structure can often been confusing and misleading. I believe it’s on my behalf that this was a challenge for me rather than the author.
For anyone who wants to read this novel I’d advise you to understand that there are many triggering topics seen including: Sexual Assault, Racism, Sexism, Misogynistic values that can result in the abuse for women.
November 11, 2021
I normally avoid reading crime fiction and thrillers as they’re both genres I don’t particularly enjoy. However as this was the selection for Shelter Box Book Club I thought I would give it a, somewhat tentative, go. I’m so glad I did as I ended up really enjoying it. The first chapters are a little slow but then all of a sudden lots of unexpected things start to happen and you realise that you just have to know what is going to happen. I loved the originality of this story and how completely unpredictable it was. I loved the many themes and layers in the story also. While I’m not completely converted to crime as a genre, I would definitely like to read more of Mike Phillips books.
October 19, 2021
A proper page turner. A brilliant cast of characters. It was very cinematic to me, each character was cast in my head, the scenes were clear in my mind, and As a visual reader I love a book which can come alive so easily in my mind.
Lots of important meditations on race, class, history, morality - identity is at the heart of this book. It didn’t get my shelterbox vote but I’m glad it won as as always, I wouldn’t usually have gone for this.
Lots of important meditations on race, class, history, morality - identity is at the heart of this book. It didn’t get my shelterbox vote but I’m glad it won as as always, I wouldn’t usually have gone for this.
October 24, 2021
Not a book I would have come across by myself, but I read this through Shelterbox book club. As others have mentioned, it started slowly but was going fine. I then didn't have a chance to read for a couple of weeks and when I picked it up again I struggled with the range of characters and where the story was going. A couple of train rides and a morning to myself and I finished the book. The pace really improved and I was eager to find out what would happen. I've not read many crime/thrillers but I enjoyed this.
October 12, 2021
3.5 rounded up. Like others, I found it slow to get into but the first big twist hit me hard and from then on I was hooked and stayed up late to finish it. Loved reading a voice I don't usually hear. Thanks to Bernadine Evaristo for championing it.
February 19, 2022
Part of the Black Britain Writes Back series from Penguin, this is an excellent stand alone thriller from a critically acclaimed author.
When a looted piece of West African art goes on display at a London museum a plot unfolds to steal it as a piece of political theatre.
When a looted piece of West African art goes on display at a London museum a plot unfolds to steal it as a piece of political theatre.
October 10, 2021
A really exciting piece of crime fiction - very tense with lots of twists and turns and a political motivation, but a serious page-turner.
October 28, 2021
Read in October 2021 for ShelterBox Book Club.
February 4, 2022
Interesting story -a little long winded .
October 21, 2021
The Dancing Face is an African Mask that is surrounded by history and it is priceless. Gus knows that stealing the artefact will create a lot of attention and that is exactly what he wants. What he doesn’t expect though is the attention it receives from some rather important, wealthy people that you really wouldn’t want to mess with.
The hold the mask has over its owner leads back to its roots. For Gus, this mask belongs to his people of Africa, not a British museum. In an attempt to reunite the Mask with a worthy owner Gus will endanger his loved ones and his self.
This was a great thriller and I loved how the book combined a modern day multi-cultural Britain with African history. Confronting persecution this book gives a real insight into what it’s like to have a love for a heritage ripped apart by the very country you live in. Capturing the possessive nature that can overcome those seeking retribution for their ancestors.
Although this is fiction the point behind Gus’ actions are very real. For that it made the book that much more enjoyable. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read.
The hold the mask has over its owner leads back to its roots. For Gus, this mask belongs to his people of Africa, not a British museum. In an attempt to reunite the Mask with a worthy owner Gus will endanger his loved ones and his self.
This was a great thriller and I loved how the book combined a modern day multi-cultural Britain with African history. Confronting persecution this book gives a real insight into what it’s like to have a love for a heritage ripped apart by the very country you live in. Capturing the possessive nature that can overcome those seeking retribution for their ancestors.
Although this is fiction the point behind Gus’ actions are very real. For that it made the book that much more enjoyable. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read.
December 30, 2021
This was yet another shelterbox book club read. A book I definitely would not have found without the club! If I'm honest, just over a day ago I did not think I would finish this before the end of the year but the last 200 pages soon changed that 😊
The first 1/3 (or just over) of the book was confusing and didn't pull me in at all. It was written in a way I found hard to follow and honestly I had no clue what was going on. I think this was just a set up for the rest of the story snd eventually it did all make sense to me. The next (almost) 2/3 of the book I whizzed through in about 24 hours and actually found myself really enjoying. It was an interesting novel and I learned a lot along the way. Certainly different to anything else I've ever read 📚
I wasn't sure how to rate this, but looking back at my previous ratings and considering how much I enjoyed it overall and how it eventually hooked me in, I've decided to go for 4 stars🌟 It's also nice to read something pre 2000's for a change!
P.S I thought it had a fitting ending!
The first 1/3 (or just over) of the book was confusing and didn't pull me in at all. It was written in a way I found hard to follow and honestly I had no clue what was going on. I think this was just a set up for the rest of the story snd eventually it did all make sense to me. The next (almost) 2/3 of the book I whizzed through in about 24 hours and actually found myself really enjoying. It was an interesting novel and I learned a lot along the way. Certainly different to anything else I've ever read 📚
I wasn't sure how to rate this, but looking back at my previous ratings and considering how much I enjoyed it overall and how it eventually hooked me in, I've decided to go for 4 stars🌟 It's also nice to read something pre 2000's for a change!
P.S I thought it had a fitting ending!
October 17, 2021
Read as part of Shelterbox book club in the ‘Black Britain Writing Back’ edition. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, which seemed to be a straightforward thriller (not my usual read). However it evolved partly into more of an academic exercise on various of the cast’s experiments or opinions of Africa and art. This didn’t sit too happily with the narrative for me, though there were some interesting ideas. In such a short account it’s hard not to have some level of stereotyping ( e.g, black small time drug dealer beating his partner, homosexuality at boarding school, bouncers with criminal connections but hearts of gold), even though some of the characters are clearly challenging this, this aspect of the writing is the most problematic for me. However I recognise this book was written in the 90s so that is probably a reflection of its time.
October 4, 2021
Found this difficult to get into at first. Uninspiring characters and a plot that didn't ' grab me. But after around 80 pages I started to get hooked and wanted to know where it was going. By 200 I wouldn't say I couldn't put it down but I'd stopped reading other books to focus on it. I was getting pretty annoyed about the portrayal of women though, just like with Nigerian literature I've read the women never fully emerge and their 'stories' seem dependent on the men. Actually the women characters generally seem to have the potential to be much more interesting than the men. So it's an entertaining enough novel, something you could imagine being serialised for TV but by no means a great read.
October 24, 2021
I read this as part of the Writing Back series which aims to bring some of the lost black British classics back into circulation.
This had a very interesting initial storyline, about the theft of a significant piece of African art from a British museum, which was stolen by the British in the first place.
However I found the plot wandered a little with it becoming more about various characters that wanted the mask and the original colonialism / theft issue not centre stage apart from some discussions between the characters.
The way women were portrayed was also a difficult read for me at times.
A difficult one to rate as some parts I really enjoyed such as the first twist and the final twist.
This had a very interesting initial storyline, about the theft of a significant piece of African art from a British museum, which was stolen by the British in the first place.
However I found the plot wandered a little with it becoming more about various characters that wanted the mask and the original colonialism / theft issue not centre stage apart from some discussions between the characters.
The way women were portrayed was also a difficult read for me at times.
A difficult one to rate as some parts I really enjoyed such as the first twist and the final twist.
August 8, 2023
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book, and it was also enjoyable reading a book set in 90s London.
Also interesting was the take on arts, especially African arts that were booted during colonialism.
However, what dampened this one for me is how the author writes about women. It just reminded me that even some of the most brilliant male writers out there never know how to craft a female character well, without sexualising them — and they always have this obsession with boobs and thighs 🤮
None of the female characters in this book, even when they are brilliant, strong or successful, escaped sexualisation. Not one single scene featuring any of these female characters didn’t have a reference to their physical appearance. That was disappointing.
Also interesting was the take on arts, especially African arts that were booted during colonialism.
However, what dampened this one for me is how the author writes about women. It just reminded me that even some of the most brilliant male writers out there never know how to craft a female character well, without sexualising them — and they always have this obsession with boobs and thighs 🤮
None of the female characters in this book, even when they are brilliant, strong or successful, escaped sexualisation. Not one single scene featuring any of these female characters didn’t have a reference to their physical appearance. That was disappointing.
August 20, 2023
3.5 Rounded up to 4 stars
Yet another very good read rescued from undeserved obscurity by Bernadine Everisto's excellent Black Britain Writes Back series. Disenchanted academic Gus plans to steal the centrepiece of a new exhibition of African art: a mask from Benin called The Dancing Face. He's not the only one who wants the mask as several others want to harness its powers.
Originally written in the late 90s, this is a very timely book. As a thriller, it starts strongly but fades towards the end as the plot begins to depend more on characters than actions. Still, this is an enjoyable book and should whet the appetite of many for Phillips' work.
Yet another very good read rescued from undeserved obscurity by Bernadine Everisto's excellent Black Britain Writes Back series. Disenchanted academic Gus plans to steal the centrepiece of a new exhibition of African art: a mask from Benin called The Dancing Face. He's not the only one who wants the mask as several others want to harness its powers.
Originally written in the late 90s, this is a very timely book. As a thriller, it starts strongly but fades towards the end as the plot begins to depend more on characters than actions. Still, this is an enjoyable book and should whet the appetite of many for Phillips' work.
March 15, 2022
The Dancing Face would make a fantastic TV adaptation as it has great characters, an exciting plot & the issue of African masks in British museums & galleries is still a hot topic that deserves to be more widely known about. Mike Phillip's wonderful novel is very impressive & kudos to Bernardine Evaristo for getting it back into print & bringing it to wider readership. The writing style feels very modern & has hardly dated at all since publication & I admired the deftly drawn characters & quick moving plot.
May 19, 2024
Part of the Black Britain / Write Black collection curated by Bernardine Evaristo.
Read on a visit to London as v. relevent themes prior to my visit to the British Museum. To give my 3* some backing, I don't usually read or enjoy crime/thriller however the exploration of identity and ownership appealed too much for me to pass it over. A timely reminder of the discussion regarding stolen cultural pieces still residing in the UK, delving into all the shades of grey I hadn't thought about in my personal opinions on the matter. Interesting, albeit in a style not to my personal taste.
Read on a visit to London as v. relevent themes prior to my visit to the British Museum. To give my 3* some backing, I don't usually read or enjoy crime/thriller however the exploration of identity and ownership appealed too much for me to pass it over. A timely reminder of the discussion regarding stolen cultural pieces still residing in the UK, delving into all the shades of grey I hadn't thought about in my personal opinions on the matter. Interesting, albeit in a style not to my personal taste.
February 13, 2022
The Dancing Face is a multilayered crime thriller set in the context of the restitution of African artefacts held in Europe. I enjoyed the plot and found the political content of the novel very engaging. However, I felt that the first part of the story was rather disjointed with disparate characters and a sequence of vaguely connected events. The novel seemed to work better once Danny was clearly established as the main character and story was better developed.
September 8, 2024
Horrible book.
The way women were presented was absolutely disgusting, he sexualised young girls and included horrible stuff about females.
Picked this book up from the library (thankfully didn’t pay for it) because it looked like a cool book about how the british museum is holding so many stolen items. But just ended up reading straight misogynist rhetoric. Gross and whoever has rated this 4 or 5 is seriously crazy
The way women were presented was absolutely disgusting, he sexualised young girls and included horrible stuff about females.
Picked this book up from the library (thankfully didn’t pay for it) because it looked like a cool book about how the british museum is holding so many stolen items. But just ended up reading straight misogynist rhetoric. Gross and whoever has rated this 4 or 5 is seriously crazy
February 22, 2021
I found this difficult to get into. There wasn't a sense of suspense and the individuals felt annoying. But then after about 100 pages something very unexpected happened and the pace changed and it got interesting.
There were some interesting questions posed and some amusing segments, but it was really the pacing that I had most trouble with.
There were some interesting questions posed and some amusing segments, but it was really the pacing that I had most trouble with.
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November 6, 2025Similar to another reader, this book singlehandedly put me in a weeks-long reading slump. The book itself I found inconsistent; part thriller, part treatise on post-colonial Black identity; its plot and characters (Osman, in particular) certainly held my attention but Phillips' clear disdain for his women characters was hard to overlook or countenance, and it soured the whole thing for me.
February 23, 2021
An exciting read which also explored some interesting politics that still seem very relevant. There was a lot of ogling the women characters when I would rather have heard more about them. I wasn't a big fan of the ending but I think that was just my personal taste.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews