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The Faceless
When Carrie Rose was six years old, she fought off her mother’s attacker. Now, twenty years later, she’s an internet sensation with millions of adoring fans and an offer to take her cooking show to television. Her culinary talents have brought her everything she’s ever wanted. Money. Success. A loyal fanbase. But it also brought her something she didn’t want.
A stalker.
Carrie’s boyfriend has vowed to keep her safe from the man harassing her online. But it seems that he is hiding something from her and may not be the person she believes him to be.
Blood will be shed…
Allan Grayson is an Atlanta detective who’s been working the same case for far too long. A serial killer known as The Camper has claimed over four dozen victims and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he’s growing more brazen by the day. Now, in a race to stop him before he can kill again, Detective Grayson finds himself at Carrie Rose’s house on a dark Georgia night. But will he make it there in time or will The Camper’s body count rise?
Not everyone will live to see the dawn.
A stalker.
Carrie’s boyfriend has vowed to keep her safe from the man harassing her online. But it seems that he is hiding something from her and may not be the person she believes him to be.
Blood will be shed…
Allan Grayson is an Atlanta detective who’s been working the same case for far too long. A serial killer known as The Camper has claimed over four dozen victims and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he’s growing more brazen by the day. Now, in a race to stop him before he can kill again, Detective Grayson finds himself at Carrie Rose’s house on a dark Georgia night. But will he make it there in time or will The Camper’s body count rise?
Not everyone will live to see the dawn.
- GenresThriller
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2017
17 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 15, 2018
“That’s twenty”
The Faceless is the story of Elijah Parker, an almost 50 year old suburban husband, leading a normal live and a secret live as a serial rapist and killer, dubbed the Camper.
It is also the story of 26 years old Carrie Rose with a successful internet show where viewers are able to leave comments Most were loyal fans singing her praises and extending their thanks for her hard work that they found helpful. But not all of them were so kind.
She had attracted The trolls. They said all the awful, horrible things that no one ever had the courage to say to your face. Choosing not to acknowledge his existence, if not for the threats. Promises to creep into her home while she slept, chop her up into small pieces, make a video of her flesh frying in a skillet, and post it on her channel for all her other viewers to see.
Comments like that were too much for Carrie, they made her re-live a traumatic event when she was six years old.
Jeff Shephard, Carrie’s boyfriend of almost three year and he knows what happened when she was six and about the internet harasser. Jeff is helpful and supporting towards Carrie but does act weird sometimes and has a great aversion against having his photo taken.
We also meet detectives Alan Grayson and Kurt Bannon working the Camper case.
I think the story has too much gore and killing. It started very promising and gave the impression of being fast paced but it fell a bit flat around the 60% mark.
It dragged and for me it could be about 50-75 pages shorter, it has forty eight chapters and two epilogues.
Of these chapters around 70% is devoted to Elijah doing his OTT killings described to the most gory details.
It was utterly perverse, disturbingly sick and thoroughly disgusting. It made me glad I have never went camping and solidify that I will not ever go camping.
In spite of the too long dragging of the story I still enjoyed it and can very much appreciate the twisted mind of the author.
It would have been a 4* , but because of the dragging I'm giving this 3*
January 28, 2018
Truly dark read so reader beware.
January 11, 2018
3.5 stars
***”Carrie Rose has an Internet cooking show and food blog. A certain internet troll had promised to post a video of her sizzling flesh.”
***”Elijah Parker was no monster. At least that’s what he told himself. But he wanted what he wanted and would stop at nothing until he got it. If he wanted a woman, he got a woman. If he wanted to experience a man, he did. He was a man of special interests, and he lived a life that allowed him to satisfy his cravings as they arose. He didn’t consider himself to be a monster at all. Just a man who liked to indulge in things society considered to be taboo.”
***”Detective Allan, “blamed himself and had done so to the point of causing his own nervous breakdown.”
***There are several other characters too, some innocent and benign yet another is not at all what he/she appears to be...
************************************************************
When I began reading THE FACELESS, I was thrilled to have finally found a book about a serial killer who is a true sociopath - an extremely entertaining, sick mother-f’er! I absolutely love the darkest of dark fiction so I was pleased to find no shades of gray anywhere in here! Bettes and Westbrook obviously have brilliantly twisted minds yet the execution of what could have been an insanely great story fell short. This main issue I had was with this book is that it was excessively wordy; the story painfully dragged out to the point where I was tempted to skim through many parts. At one point there is even a scene that is repeated verbatim, unnecessarily told from two different character’s perspectives. The ending was very anti-climactic.IMO and there were several typos that should have easily been caught by even the most basic proofreader. Basically, THE FACELESS has an amazing amount of potential. Containing a truly creative, gripping, fascinating storyline, this book could easily be a phenomenal, 5-star hit after a thorough editing by someone who is not afraid of using the delete key!
***”Carrie Rose has an Internet cooking show and food blog. A certain internet troll had promised to post a video of her sizzling flesh.”
***”Elijah Parker was no monster. At least that’s what he told himself. But he wanted what he wanted and would stop at nothing until he got it. If he wanted a woman, he got a woman. If he wanted to experience a man, he did. He was a man of special interests, and he lived a life that allowed him to satisfy his cravings as they arose. He didn’t consider himself to be a monster at all. Just a man who liked to indulge in things society considered to be taboo.”
***”Detective Allan, “blamed himself and had done so to the point of causing his own nervous breakdown.”
***There are several other characters too, some innocent and benign yet another is not at all what he/she appears to be...
************************************************************
When I began reading THE FACELESS, I was thrilled to have finally found a book about a serial killer who is a true sociopath - an extremely entertaining, sick mother-f’er! I absolutely love the darkest of dark fiction so I was pleased to find no shades of gray anywhere in here! Bettes and Westbrook obviously have brilliantly twisted minds yet the execution of what could have been an insanely great story fell short. This main issue I had was with this book is that it was excessively wordy; the story painfully dragged out to the point where I was tempted to skim through many parts. At one point there is even a scene that is repeated verbatim, unnecessarily told from two different character’s perspectives. The ending was very anti-climactic.IMO and there were several typos that should have easily been caught by even the most basic proofreader. Basically, THE FACELESS has an amazing amount of potential. Containing a truly creative, gripping, fascinating storyline, this book could easily be a phenomenal, 5-star hit after a thorough editing by someone who is not afraid of using the delete key!
January 10, 2022
I really enjoyed how dark and twisted this one was. However, it was predictable and had a twist that leaves the reader with questions that are only answered by another book (despite being a standalone). 😬
It did start out quick and held my interest throughout, but it did not quite meet my expectations.
It did start out quick and held my interest throughout, but it did not quite meet my expectations.
December 10, 2017
It was entertaining but somewhere in the middle it dragged for me. 3.5 stars. This book is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. If your looking for something different then this authors work is usually always good. No romance here just horror/thriller/mystery. That is if you can handle it. It's dark, disturbing and very fucked up. Her book Held is my favorite of hers.
Triggers - Rape detailed*ish. Lots of violence, gore, torture, murder, forced incest by the murderer to his victims. all detailed - not overly detailed but detailed nonetheless.
Triggers - Rape detailed*ish. Lots of violence, gore, torture, murder, forced incest by the murderer to his victims. all detailed - not overly detailed but detailed nonetheless.
February 12, 2018
Really refreshing to read about a mc without ripped abs. 😃 Can't remember the last time I read a book with a guy without those.
The story was a bit drawn out. Could have been just as powerful with less pages.
Even the gruesome killings were getting boring, lol! And the ending was really 'standard slasher movie'-like predictable. Thought it would be a 5 star read for me..... but in the end I couldn't give it more than 4 stars. Nevertheless, I really liked this book.
The story was a bit drawn out. Could have been just as powerful with less pages.
Even the gruesome killings were getting boring, lol! And the ending was really 'standard slasher movie'-like predictable. Thought it would be a 5 star read for me..... but in the end I couldn't give it more than 4 stars. Nevertheless, I really liked this book.
December 16, 2017
Elijah Parker likes confrontation. In every social interaction, he likes to provoke discomfort with all around him. Sometimes he uses direct and impolite speech, other times he displays actions that imply physical harm. Sometimes he satisfies his need to cause pain by killing. In The Faceless by Kimberly A. Bettes and Grant Westerbrook there is a lot of killing. Elijah is not well.
Carrie Rose has hit it big on the internet with a cooking show accompanied by a blog. Comments have been overwhelmingly positive; she even received an offer from a TV network. There has been one negative follower, a troll, who has been consistent with negative comments that have become increasingly rude and vulgar. The last few comments have even promised her an early and soon-to-occur death. This negative commenter raises old memories of a traumatic event that occurred when Carrie was six years old. Carrie lives in constant fear which might mean Carrie is not well.
Jeff is Carrie’s loving boyfriend. They frequently tell each other that they love each other. Carrie has told Jeff about her childhood trauma and about the troubling internet troll. Jeff seems to want to help. He helps her get past nightmares caused by her past and the current threat. Jeff does act a bit withdrawn and weird at times. He acts violently when it comes to his aversion to having his picture taken. Something is not clear. Jeff may not be well.
Alan Grayson and Kurt Bannon are detectives. They were partners working cases in the field until “The Camper” serial murder case occupied Alan’s mind so much he had to be placed on light desk duty while going through therapy and rehabilitation. The Camper murders had stopped for a while but had recently picked up at an ever-increasing rate. Kurt seems to be the first “normal character we meet. Alan is not well.
That is all as far as characters in this novel. Any other named characters are not important as they meet their deaths in horribly gruesome, graphic, and torturous ways. I believe this novel belongs to a genre “extreme horror.” For those who may have read novels by Matt Shaw, I found this novel more extreme and gruesome. I feel this novel should come with a warning about graphic descriptions of human dismemberment.
There are 47 chapter and two epilogues in this work. Seven chapters and one epilog are devoted to police efforts to identify and find the Camper serial killer. All other chapters are either about someone or some group getting murdered by graphically described physical torture which includes creative sexual torture. Psychological torture is nuanced. There is nothing nuanced in this novel. Everything is direct in-your-face murders. The murders are interrupted by interludes of a serial killer reflecting on his favorite kills from the past. At each kill, a number is written on the victim’s forehead. Since the number is over forty and growing, fans of gore have much on which to feast.
This is not a character-driven novel. Most have a background too strange for a general reader to relate to. Even Carrie Rose is two dimensional; she worries about her stalker in the present and dwells on her childhood trauma from the past. That’s it unless you are a fan of cooking shows but that element is not developed.
So, we have a plot-driven novel. As a former cop and a military veteran, I have seen my share (who measures that?) of gore and the results of violence. I have studied (professionally) the treatment of POWs. The seemingly endless graphic violence of this novel put me off. This book reads like an instruction manual for torturers.
The writing is good by many standards. If you are a fan of extreme horror, this is for you. But I will not be meeting you around the water cooler to talk about your favorite reading material.
Giving this an Amazon star rating is difficult for me. I chose to give it a 3 because the writing is good but it does not mean I like the book; I just think it is technically good.
So, why did I read it? This was an author request. (Be careful of what you ask for).
Carrie Rose has hit it big on the internet with a cooking show accompanied by a blog. Comments have been overwhelmingly positive; she even received an offer from a TV network. There has been one negative follower, a troll, who has been consistent with negative comments that have become increasingly rude and vulgar. The last few comments have even promised her an early and soon-to-occur death. This negative commenter raises old memories of a traumatic event that occurred when Carrie was six years old. Carrie lives in constant fear which might mean Carrie is not well.
Jeff is Carrie’s loving boyfriend. They frequently tell each other that they love each other. Carrie has told Jeff about her childhood trauma and about the troubling internet troll. Jeff seems to want to help. He helps her get past nightmares caused by her past and the current threat. Jeff does act a bit withdrawn and weird at times. He acts violently when it comes to his aversion to having his picture taken. Something is not clear. Jeff may not be well.
Alan Grayson and Kurt Bannon are detectives. They were partners working cases in the field until “The Camper” serial murder case occupied Alan’s mind so much he had to be placed on light desk duty while going through therapy and rehabilitation. The Camper murders had stopped for a while but had recently picked up at an ever-increasing rate. Kurt seems to be the first “normal character we meet. Alan is not well.
That is all as far as characters in this novel. Any other named characters are not important as they meet their deaths in horribly gruesome, graphic, and torturous ways. I believe this novel belongs to a genre “extreme horror.” For those who may have read novels by Matt Shaw, I found this novel more extreme and gruesome. I feel this novel should come with a warning about graphic descriptions of human dismemberment.
There are 47 chapter and two epilogues in this work. Seven chapters and one epilog are devoted to police efforts to identify and find the Camper serial killer. All other chapters are either about someone or some group getting murdered by graphically described physical torture which includes creative sexual torture. Psychological torture is nuanced. There is nothing nuanced in this novel. Everything is direct in-your-face murders. The murders are interrupted by interludes of a serial killer reflecting on his favorite kills from the past. At each kill, a number is written on the victim’s forehead. Since the number is over forty and growing, fans of gore have much on which to feast.
This is not a character-driven novel. Most have a background too strange for a general reader to relate to. Even Carrie Rose is two dimensional; she worries about her stalker in the present and dwells on her childhood trauma from the past. That’s it unless you are a fan of cooking shows but that element is not developed.
So, we have a plot-driven novel. As a former cop and a military veteran, I have seen my share (who measures that?) of gore and the results of violence. I have studied (professionally) the treatment of POWs. The seemingly endless graphic violence of this novel put me off. This book reads like an instruction manual for torturers.
The writing is good by many standards. If you are a fan of extreme horror, this is for you. But I will not be meeting you around the water cooler to talk about your favorite reading material.
Giving this an Amazon star rating is difficult for me. I chose to give it a 3 because the writing is good but it does not mean I like the book; I just think it is technically good.
So, why did I read it? This was an author request. (Be careful of what you ask for).
January 1, 2022
My first read of 2022 did NOT disappoint! Because I read so many books with dark content, I thought I had become immune, but around page 140, there was a scene so utterly depraved and incomprehensible that I *almost* stopped reading. I was so captivated in the story that I kept going, desperate to see how this sickening tale ended.
At six years old, Carrie Rose witnesses her mother being attacked by a man she brought home after a drunken night out. Her mother survived the attack only to die of cancer several years later. Carrie has found fame as an internet chef and her career is about to take off until she becomes overwhelmed with vile, vicious, threatening comments left on her blog. Every man in her life becomes a suspect, even her boyfriend.
I could not predict the level of crazy that was waiting inside this book that has been sitting on my shelf since MARCH. Clearing my backlist has become a high priority for me (after I read another book by this author).
ALL of the trigger warnings! Rape, torture, forced familial rape, extreme gore, cannibalism, and sodomy.
At six years old, Carrie Rose witnesses her mother being attacked by a man she brought home after a drunken night out. Her mother survived the attack only to die of cancer several years later. Carrie has found fame as an internet chef and her career is about to take off until she becomes overwhelmed with vile, vicious, threatening comments left on her blog. Every man in her life becomes a suspect, even her boyfriend.
I could not predict the level of crazy that was waiting inside this book that has been sitting on my shelf since MARCH. Clearing my backlist has become a high priority for me (after I read another book by this author).
ALL of the trigger warnings! Rape, torture, forced familial rape, extreme gore, cannibalism, and sodomy.
January 19, 2018
A fast paced, disturbing read. If you're a fan of Jack Kilborn and or Blake Crouch, you'll probably dig this read. I'm left wondering about Cain Hager's story and looking forward to finding out! On The negative side, it's quite a bit of rape and while I understand it helps make the ending more satisfying, it seemed an unnecessary addition at times. That being said I enjoyed the uncomfortable ride and I find myself eager to learn Cain's story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2019
This book is not for the faint hearted. There is rape, torture, killing, and lots of graphic gore. I loved it! I am waiting for the next book. One of these characters is not who you think. Carrie is unaware of two stalkers she has. She believes the one leaving horrible comments on her cooking blog is coming for her. So she takes action, but it is too late.
March 10, 2018
This one was too gory for me. The premiss was good, the writing was good, the characters were well done. But the gore, murder, rape, and torture were explicit.
I received a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.
I received a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.
October 4, 2021
Great book!
You think you know what's going on, but there are some surprises. I love the strong female character, even though she made a few dumb decisions, but they are also explained. My first time reading anything by these 2 authors, I will definitely be checking out more of there books.
You think you know what's going on, but there are some surprises. I love the strong female character, even though she made a few dumb decisions, but they are also explained. My first time reading anything by these 2 authors, I will definitely be checking out more of there books.
August 1, 2022
Awesome Read
This was a little slow to start but like any good slasher flim or fine wine it got so much better with time 🖤
This was a little slow to start but like any good slasher flim or fine wine it got so much better with time 🖤
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews