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If A Face Could Kill
272 pages, Hardcover
Published March 3, 2026
About the author
Becky Masterman
16 books347 followersBecky Masterman created her heroine, Brigid Quinn while working as an editor for a forensic science and law enforcement press. Her debut thriller, Rage Against the Dying, was a finalist for the Edgar Awards and the CWA Gold Dagger, as well as the Macavity, Barry, ITW and Anthony awards. Becky lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 1, 2026
A fast-paced thriller that acts well enough as a standalone, though I’m sure it would make more sense if you’d read the others in the series.
Our main character finds herself embroiled in a bizarre situation regarding a home for ex-criminals that her neighbours are hoping to close down. When she discovers that one of the home’s inhabitants is someone she has worked with previously it sets in place a strange turn of affairs.
A 3.5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.
Our main character finds herself embroiled in a bizarre situation regarding a home for ex-criminals that her neighbours are hoping to close down. When she discovers that one of the home’s inhabitants is someone she has worked with previously it sets in place a strange turn of affairs.
A 3.5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.
March 21, 2026
Brigid Quinn is a former FBI agent. She and her husband Carlo have retired to the rural community of Catalina in Arizona. At the end of their street is a property used by the authorities to house paroled offenders, one whom is a woman called Nicki, who went down for manslaughter after killing her abusive husband. The book begins with a botched burglary at this group house, which ends when the hapless was shot dead by a SWAT team after they were alerted by a 911 call from Nicki.After she retired from the FBI Brigid volunteered at Desert Doves, a refuge for victims of domestic violence, which is where she met the traumatised Nicki Gleason. There, she taught Nicki the basics of self defence, and it was that knowledge which resulted in jury foreman stating:
“We find Nicole Gleason guilty of one count of involuntary manslaughter, your Honor.”
One of Brigid’s neighbours, an unpleasant busybody called Dorita, is organising a petition to have the occupants housed elsewhere. Dorita is as unpleasant looking as her behaviour is ugly:
“It struck me that her large face wasn’t so much like the Red Queen’s as like a painting of Martin Luther..”
Dorita and Brigid are destined not to get on well together, but the neighbourhood spat ends violently when Dorita is found dead in her garden. It seems as though she has been held down in a barbecue fire pit. Face down. The result is graphically not pretty, but then there are few beautiful people in this novel.
This is Nikki’s probation officer/mentor:
“She was the ugliest butterfly you’d ever seen, startlingly ugly. She didn’t have a moustache, but it wouldn’t have surprised me.A long, gaunt face with uncooked dumplings under her eyes to make up for the lack of flesh elsewhere. Her lipstick appeared to be a gallant attempt at redeeming her face, but even that failed as the shade contrasted severely with the colors in her top. An overbite. That was my three-second observation, but I don’t think I’m missing anything.”
For those who enjoy such things, we witness the exquisitely grisly autopsy on poor Dorita Gordano. She was killed by blunt force trauma to the face, and a gasoline soaked plug of rag was forced into her throat. The facial burning was clearly post mortem, and some kind of statement. But of what, and by whom? Neither does Becky Masterman spare us the details of what a vile specimen Nicki’s husband was. Vincent was obsessed with video games to the extent that one afternoon, anxious to get to his games console, he left daughter Ramona strapped into her car seat one blazing Arizona afternoon. He was also casually brutal about where he stubbed out his cigarettes. There is, obviously, a broader moral argument about whether such men deserve to be killed with a two litre vodka bottle, but this book is crime fiction, not a philosophical treatise, so we can roll with it.
After some humming and hahing, the local police, led by Sheriff Max Coyote, a former friend of Brigid’s (they have fallen out, big time) decide that Nicki is a person of interest in the murder of Dorita Gordano. The pathologist believes that the initial injuries to Dorita’s face were caused by a large concrete block, and in the garden of the group house is a recently built wall. And one of the concrete blocks bears blood traces.
Masterman’s prose is as sharp as tacks. Sometimes, American CriFi can be too slick, too polished, and too predictable. Quinn’s observations are frequently acerbic, and scatter broken glass for us to tread on. Here, she catches the over-effusive Eleanore Turner in an unguarded moment.
“She looked like hell. She tried to sit up straighter and force the corners of her mouth into her standard smile, but the corners twitched with the effort, like those of a politician being asked the one question they could not answer. None of it worked. She was smaller than I’d seen her in our last several encounters, some giant thumb pressing down on her for too long, and she could no longer resist.”
The action accelerates. First, someone firebombs the group home, and one of the residents, a young man called Jackson is killed in the resultant explosion. Then, a local Home Owners Association meeting is called and, despite Max Coyote trying to reassure residents, the mood turns ugly. Brigid’s rather strange niece Gemma Kate is attacked as she sits watching a horror movie in a theatre where she and her attacker are the only customers.
There is a narrative shift late in the book. Hitherto, everything we have read is through the eyes of Brigid. Then, quite abruptly, we have a chapter describing the thoughts of Nicki Gleason, followed by those of Eleanore, abducted and imprisoned in a locked casita. Becky Masterman ends the novel with horror and violence, but also redemption. It is certainly a visceral read.
“We find Nicole Gleason guilty of one count of involuntary manslaughter, your Honor.”
One of Brigid’s neighbours, an unpleasant busybody called Dorita, is organising a petition to have the occupants housed elsewhere. Dorita is as unpleasant looking as her behaviour is ugly:
“It struck me that her large face wasn’t so much like the Red Queen’s as like a painting of Martin Luther..”
Dorita and Brigid are destined not to get on well together, but the neighbourhood spat ends violently when Dorita is found dead in her garden. It seems as though she has been held down in a barbecue fire pit. Face down. The result is graphically not pretty, but then there are few beautiful people in this novel.
This is Nikki’s probation officer/mentor:
“She was the ugliest butterfly you’d ever seen, startlingly ugly. She didn’t have a moustache, but it wouldn’t have surprised me.A long, gaunt face with uncooked dumplings under her eyes to make up for the lack of flesh elsewhere. Her lipstick appeared to be a gallant attempt at redeeming her face, but even that failed as the shade contrasted severely with the colors in her top. An overbite. That was my three-second observation, but I don’t think I’m missing anything.”
For those who enjoy such things, we witness the exquisitely grisly autopsy on poor Dorita Gordano. She was killed by blunt force trauma to the face, and a gasoline soaked plug of rag was forced into her throat. The facial burning was clearly post mortem, and some kind of statement. But of what, and by whom? Neither does Becky Masterman spare us the details of what a vile specimen Nicki’s husband was. Vincent was obsessed with video games to the extent that one afternoon, anxious to get to his games console, he left daughter Ramona strapped into her car seat one blazing Arizona afternoon. He was also casually brutal about where he stubbed out his cigarettes. There is, obviously, a broader moral argument about whether such men deserve to be killed with a two litre vodka bottle, but this book is crime fiction, not a philosophical treatise, so we can roll with it.
After some humming and hahing, the local police, led by Sheriff Max Coyote, a former friend of Brigid’s (they have fallen out, big time) decide that Nicki is a person of interest in the murder of Dorita Gordano. The pathologist believes that the initial injuries to Dorita’s face were caused by a large concrete block, and in the garden of the group house is a recently built wall. And one of the concrete blocks bears blood traces.
Masterman’s prose is as sharp as tacks. Sometimes, American CriFi can be too slick, too polished, and too predictable. Quinn’s observations are frequently acerbic, and scatter broken glass for us to tread on. Here, she catches the over-effusive Eleanore Turner in an unguarded moment.
“She looked like hell. She tried to sit up straighter and force the corners of her mouth into her standard smile, but the corners twitched with the effort, like those of a politician being asked the one question they could not answer. None of it worked. She was smaller than I’d seen her in our last several encounters, some giant thumb pressing down on her for too long, and she could no longer resist.”
The action accelerates. First, someone firebombs the group home, and one of the residents, a young man called Jackson is killed in the resultant explosion. Then, a local Home Owners Association meeting is called and, despite Max Coyote trying to reassure residents, the mood turns ugly. Brigid’s rather strange niece Gemma Kate is attacked as she sits watching a horror movie in a theatre where she and her attacker are the only customers.
There is a narrative shift late in the book. Hitherto, everything we have read is through the eyes of Brigid. Then, quite abruptly, we have a chapter describing the thoughts of Nicki Gleason, followed by those of Eleanore, abducted and imprisoned in a locked casita. Becky Masterman ends the novel with horror and violence, but also redemption. It is certainly a visceral read.
March 21, 2026
The Brigid Quinn series from author Becky Masterman has consistently been one of the most engaging and deeply layered recurring series in the business. Brigid Quinn is an aging former FBI agent who now devotes herself primarily to assisting women who are abused or in trouble and there is unfortunately never a shortage of cases for her to deal with.
IF A FACE COULD KILL focuses on a moment from Brigid Quinn’s past that she is not proud pertaining to an abused woman who she believes she let down. She will have the opportunity to redeem herself when this very same woman ends up being a lead suspect in a murder in Brigid’s Arizona neighborhood that she is confident she did not commit.
The event from the past which Brigid is ruing involved a woman named Nicole Gleason who had once come to her for assistance with an abusive husband. When Nicole is convicted of manslaughter defending herself utilizing defensive tactics Brigid had taught her, she cannot live with the results of Nicole’s imprisonment. Now, following her incarceration and release, Nicole is living in a group home for felons within Brigid’s neighborhood, a fact that does not have all of the neighbors happy.
One particular resident is the most vocal against the existence of this group home --- Dorita Gordino whom Brigid lovingly refers to as ‘Dorito.’ When an attempted burglary takes place at the home, with Nicole at the center of the event, Dorita is forcefully moving towards an active protest to have the community home disbanded. Nicole or Nicki was the darling of the group home and there is no suspicion of anything untoward regarding her involvement in this recent situation. However, everything will change when the severely burned body of Dorita is found outside her home, her body disfigured and posed in a horrific manner.
Brigid immediately inserts herself into the investigation being led by local Detective Max Coyote as she is determined to not let Nicki down again. As Brigid does her own work all of her former FBI instincts are at play. I also enjoyed the shout out that Masterman gives to her late fellow author Ken Bruen when she indicates that Brigid was settling into his latest Jack Taylor novel.
Our protagonist is indeed a force to be reckoned with, and nothing will keep her from working this situation across the finish line and clearing Nicki from any suspicion. The novel continues to replay the events of Nicki’s trial from years earlier which details the manner in which the case perhaps unjustly found her to be guilty. It is apparent that Brigid cannot clear her conscience about allegedly giving Nicki the skills and tools to kill her abusive husband.
Assisted by her niece Gemma-Kate, who wants a career in the forensic sciences, every detail of Dorita’s murder is placed under the microscope as it becomes obvious someone not only planned to kill her but expected the residents of the community home to be easy targets for the police to suspect of the evil deed. As much as Brigid Quinn is a complex character, Masterman presents Nicki in an equivalent manner shaping out her background in psyche in such a way that the reader really feels they know her. I particularly liked how Nicki took an interest in the history of The Elephant Man, comparing his monstrous appearance on the outside to the alleged monster she had been called in the courtroom, on the inside.
IF A FACE COULD KILL is so much more than a mere domestic thriller and the mystery at the heart of it will keep readers guessing all the way to the end. Another solid entry in the Brigid Quinn series.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
IF A FACE COULD KILL focuses on a moment from Brigid Quinn’s past that she is not proud pertaining to an abused woman who she believes she let down. She will have the opportunity to redeem herself when this very same woman ends up being a lead suspect in a murder in Brigid’s Arizona neighborhood that she is confident she did not commit.
The event from the past which Brigid is ruing involved a woman named Nicole Gleason who had once come to her for assistance with an abusive husband. When Nicole is convicted of manslaughter defending herself utilizing defensive tactics Brigid had taught her, she cannot live with the results of Nicole’s imprisonment. Now, following her incarceration and release, Nicole is living in a group home for felons within Brigid’s neighborhood, a fact that does not have all of the neighbors happy.
One particular resident is the most vocal against the existence of this group home --- Dorita Gordino whom Brigid lovingly refers to as ‘Dorito.’ When an attempted burglary takes place at the home, with Nicole at the center of the event, Dorita is forcefully moving towards an active protest to have the community home disbanded. Nicole or Nicki was the darling of the group home and there is no suspicion of anything untoward regarding her involvement in this recent situation. However, everything will change when the severely burned body of Dorita is found outside her home, her body disfigured and posed in a horrific manner.
Brigid immediately inserts herself into the investigation being led by local Detective Max Coyote as she is determined to not let Nicki down again. As Brigid does her own work all of her former FBI instincts are at play. I also enjoyed the shout out that Masterman gives to her late fellow author Ken Bruen when she indicates that Brigid was settling into his latest Jack Taylor novel.
Our protagonist is indeed a force to be reckoned with, and nothing will keep her from working this situation across the finish line and clearing Nicki from any suspicion. The novel continues to replay the events of Nicki’s trial from years earlier which details the manner in which the case perhaps unjustly found her to be guilty. It is apparent that Brigid cannot clear her conscience about allegedly giving Nicki the skills and tools to kill her abusive husband.
Assisted by her niece Gemma-Kate, who wants a career in the forensic sciences, every detail of Dorita’s murder is placed under the microscope as it becomes obvious someone not only planned to kill her but expected the residents of the community home to be easy targets for the police to suspect of the evil deed. As much as Brigid Quinn is a complex character, Masterman presents Nicki in an equivalent manner shaping out her background in psyche in such a way that the reader really feels they know her. I particularly liked how Nicki took an interest in the history of The Elephant Man, comparing his monstrous appearance on the outside to the alleged monster she had been called in the courtroom, on the inside.
IF A FACE COULD KILL is so much more than a mere domestic thriller and the mystery at the heart of it will keep readers guessing all the way to the end. Another solid entry in the Brigid Quinn series.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
March 22, 2026
Becky Masterman’s series featuring Brigid Quinn has always been consistently engaging and deeply layered. The aging former FBI agent now devotes herself primarily to assisting women who are abused or in trouble. Unfortunately, there is never a shortage of cases for her to take on.
IF A FACE COULD KILL focuses on a moment from Brigid’s past that she is not proud of involving Nicole Gleason, who came to her for assistance with an abusive husband. When Nicole is later convicted of manslaughter for defending herself from him using the tactics that Brigid had taught her, she cannot live with Nicole’s imprisonment. Now, following her incarceration and release, Nicole is living in a group home for felons in Brigid’s neighborhood, much to the dismay of many of her neighbors.
The most vocal of these critics is Dorita Gordino, whom Brigid lovingly refers to as “Dorito.” When an attempted burglary takes place at the group home, with Nicole at the center of it, Dorita is forcefully moving towards an active protest to have the house disbanded. Nicole is the home’s darling, and no one there suspects that she had anything to do with the crime. However, everything changes when Dorita’s severely burned body is found outside her house. It has been disfigured and posed in a horrific manner.
Brigid immediately inserts herself into the investigation that is being led by Sheriff Max Coyote as she is determined not to let Nicole down again. As Brigid does her own work, all of her previous FBI instincts are at play. I enjoyed the shout-out that Masterman gives to the late Ken Bruen when she indicates that Brigid was settling into Bruen’s latest Jack Taylor book.
Our protagonist is indeed a force to be reckoned with, and nothing will keep her from clearing Nicole of any suspicion. The novel continues to replay Nicole’s trial from years earlier, detailing how she might have been unjustly found guilty.
Assisted by Brigid’s niece, Gemma-Kate, who is interested in a career in the forensic sciences, everything about Dorita’s murder is placed under the microscope as it becomes obvious that someone not only planned to kill her but expected the residents of the community home to be easy targets for the police.
As much as Brigid Quinn is a complex character, Masterman presents Nicole Gleason in a similar manner, and we really feel like we know her. I particularly liked that Nicole took an interest in the history of The Elephant Man, comparing his appearance on the outside to the monster she has been called in --- and out of --- the courtroom.
Another solid entry in this series, IF A FACE COULD KILL is so much more than just a domestic thriller, and the mystery at the heart of it will keep readers guessing all the way to the end.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
IF A FACE COULD KILL focuses on a moment from Brigid’s past that she is not proud of involving Nicole Gleason, who came to her for assistance with an abusive husband. When Nicole is later convicted of manslaughter for defending herself from him using the tactics that Brigid had taught her, she cannot live with Nicole’s imprisonment. Now, following her incarceration and release, Nicole is living in a group home for felons in Brigid’s neighborhood, much to the dismay of many of her neighbors.
The most vocal of these critics is Dorita Gordino, whom Brigid lovingly refers to as “Dorito.” When an attempted burglary takes place at the group home, with Nicole at the center of it, Dorita is forcefully moving towards an active protest to have the house disbanded. Nicole is the home’s darling, and no one there suspects that she had anything to do with the crime. However, everything changes when Dorita’s severely burned body is found outside her house. It has been disfigured and posed in a horrific manner.
Brigid immediately inserts herself into the investigation that is being led by Sheriff Max Coyote as she is determined not to let Nicole down again. As Brigid does her own work, all of her previous FBI instincts are at play. I enjoyed the shout-out that Masterman gives to the late Ken Bruen when she indicates that Brigid was settling into Bruen’s latest Jack Taylor book.
Our protagonist is indeed a force to be reckoned with, and nothing will keep her from clearing Nicole of any suspicion. The novel continues to replay Nicole’s trial from years earlier, detailing how she might have been unjustly found guilty.
Assisted by Brigid’s niece, Gemma-Kate, who is interested in a career in the forensic sciences, everything about Dorita’s murder is placed under the microscope as it becomes obvious that someone not only planned to kill her but expected the residents of the community home to be easy targets for the police.
As much as Brigid Quinn is a complex character, Masterman presents Nicole Gleason in a similar manner, and we really feel like we know her. I particularly liked that Nicole took an interest in the history of The Elephant Man, comparing his appearance on the outside to the monster she has been called in --- and out of --- the courtroom.
Another solid entry in this series, IF A FACE COULD KILL is so much more than just a domestic thriller, and the mystery at the heart of it will keep readers guessing all the way to the end.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
****ARC Review****
I found this book highly entertaining and easy to read, with a strong sense of atmosphere and well-developed characters. Even though this was my first Brigid Quinn novel, I never felt lost. The story quickly drew me in with its mix of mystery, emotional depth, and social issues surrounding second chances and community prejudice.
What stood out to me was the thoughtful, more cerebral approach to the investigation, combined with Brigid’s sharp wit and her ongoing struggle to adjust to life after retirement. The desert setting, the tensions around the group home, and the complex relationships — especially with her husband — added layers to the story that made it feel rich and grounded.
I really appreciated how real and nuanced the characters felt. No one is simply “good” or “bad,” and the story takes time to explore the grey areas. The pacing kept me engaged throughout, and the world-building made everything feel believable and alive.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and compelling read. As my first Quinn book, it definitely made me curious to continue with the series, and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I found this book highly entertaining and easy to read, with a strong sense of atmosphere and well-developed characters. Even though this was my first Brigid Quinn novel, I never felt lost. The story quickly drew me in with its mix of mystery, emotional depth, and social issues surrounding second chances and community prejudice.
What stood out to me was the thoughtful, more cerebral approach to the investigation, combined with Brigid’s sharp wit and her ongoing struggle to adjust to life after retirement. The desert setting, the tensions around the group home, and the complex relationships — especially with her husband — added layers to the story that made it feel rich and grounded.
I really appreciated how real and nuanced the characters felt. No one is simply “good” or “bad,” and the story takes time to explore the grey areas. The pacing kept me engaged throughout, and the world-building made everything feel believable and alive.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and compelling read. As my first Quinn book, it definitely made me curious to continue with the series, and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 16, 2026
I'd rate this as three and half stars, a decent read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews