The Face of Fear

by Dean Koontz

For a moment, seeing the green-eyed woman behind his eyes, Graham has not been aware of the world around him: the television audience, the studio, the cameras.

Graham Harris is a gifted clairvoyant, and during a late-night television interview, he "sees" a murder being committed. He knows that the killer is the man the police have named the Butcher - the brutal slayer of nine young women.

Learning of the psychic identification, the Butcher begins to stalk this "witness" to his crime, and traps Harris and his girlfriend at night in a vast forty-two-storey business building, hunting them relentlessly from floor to floor...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Novels

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.

Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com

Reviews

[Delee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am one of those smiley, sarcastic, cynical types- who sees the glass half empty in a lot of cases, but for some reason that doesn't spill into my world of books. I tend to star graciously giving a book or/author a pass on all sorts of things others don't. So what better person to buddy-read Koontz books with- than the "in your face no passes allowed" Edward ? When I saw he was re-reading a bunch of Koontz books- I had to ask to be invited along in his journey. I needed someone to take off my rose colored reading glasses and shake things up a bit. The first on our list of buddying up reads? THE FACE OF FEAR.



Don't look down!

A serial killer "The Butcher" is stalking the women of New York City.



Until he turns his sights on Graham Harris and his girlfriend Connie...



Graham Harris used to climb mountains- until a fall left him with a bum leg, a fear of heights...and psychic abilities. And recently those abilities are zeroing in on The Butcher. During a late night TV interview, Graham sees the killer claiming another victim...and when the killer realizes that Graham may be getting a little too close- he decides to step out of his comfort zone and go after the man that poses a threat to his master plan.



Working late one night in his office, while Connie is visiting -Graham sees his death at the hands of The Butcher....beginning a long night of hide and seek- with a man who won't stop until both of them are dead.

A non-stop thrilling ride of a book- written before Koontz was Koontz. I actually liked it more this time, than I did reading it the first time around. Deeply flawed...but OH so fun...and made all the more enjoyable having a buddy by my side. Thanks Edward. :D

[Supratim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started Dean Koontz with his book Intensity. It was fantastic. I read a couple of his other books later – they were decent but not great. When I came across this book in a second hand book shop – the cover and the blurb piqued my interest.

A serial killer, nicknamed the Butcher, is on the loose in Manhattan and all his victims are young beautiful women (as usual!!). He is physically very strong and cunning. Oh! He quotes the poet William Blake and the philosopher Nietzsche.

Now enters Graham Harris – a clairvoyant who gets visions of the Butcher and gets somewhat close to discovering his identify. By the way, Graham was once a famous mountain climber. But, an accident left him with a damaged leg and shattered confidence. Obviously the Butcher has to come after Graham & his girlfriend Connie.

The Butcher manages to trap Graham & Connie in a 42 storey building and hunts them. The latter depend on their wits and guts to survive. Graham would have to face his worst fears in order to protect himself and Connie. This part is pretty suspenseful and keep you turning the pages. In fact the major part of the book revolves around the “hunt”. The twist at the end is pretty decent too.

The author has made some attempt at characterization. Graham is a somewhat fleshed out character. Connie is the devoted girlfriend who tries to restore confidence in Graham and helps him face his fears. At times, the dialogues between the two were a bit too melodramatic for me. Detective Preduski – a competent detective but his self-deprecation and habit of apologizing for every small matter was a bit too much.

This novel is just a 1970’s potboiler. It is a quick read and provides some chills & thrills; but nothing great. If you read it without any high expectations then you might enjoy it as a one-time read.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Second Read - Koontzland Group Read - February 2018

Rereading was fun & allowed me to add the following:

Graham Harris (ex-mountain climber) falls & hits his head from Mt. Everest getting "clairvoyant" powers. He & Connie Davis (girlfriend) help the NYPD track a serial killer that leaves "nude female bodies" behind in a NY office building. The serial killer has them trapped on the 40th floor. They need to think how to escape from this crazy man trying to kill them, "The Butcher"?!

They can't jump. Isn't a 40th floor jump from any tall building impossible? Example: NY's Empire State Building is 102 stories high (below).

My first read - July 2015

A murderer ("The Butcher") chases Graham Harris and Connie Davis (girlfriend) up & down a empty office building on a snowy weekend. As a reader you must determine who is "The Butcher"? Most of the book is the chase and escape from one man, but there is a unexpected link between beginning and ending chapters.

Koontzland - Group Home

[Lucy'sLilLibrary · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I didn't know this was Dean Koontz I would have never guessed, it doesn't have any of his usual trademarks, other than a little mention of a dog and a slight supernatural aspect this is just another meh thriller. It had a decent amount of suspense but it was let down by boring charters and too much detail about climbing for some bizarre reason.

For such a short book there is so much detail about pointless things and not enough character development. The killers motives were poorly explained and the reveal fell flat. The main detective always criticizing himself got annoying really quickly and the main two characters who were supposed to be total in love had zero chemistry.

Me and Dean Kootz have always had a love hate relationship but at least if I hate one of his books it gives me some kind of feeling this one left me with nothing.

[Karl Marberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was adequate suspension and tension, but this was diluted by the fact that the plot and character development was thin. The book felt incomplete.

[Maciek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This old (1976) Koontz novel is basically a made for TV film; a man and woman try to escape from a dangerous criminal. What sets it apart from countless other paperback thriller sold at drugstores and airports is the concept: the whole novel plays out in an skyscraper, and the stairs and the elevator are off limits: the only way out is to climb down.

The Face of Fear features Graham Harris, an ex-mountain climber with a bad fall in his past. It left him with a lame leg, and fear of heights. Connie Davis, his girlfriend, is with him when the office building Graham Works in is taken over by The Butcher: a psychopatic killer and rapist, who's intent on killing them both. What follows is a suspenseful cat and mouse game between the two parties.

This book is strongly plot-driven, and Koontz does a great job at escalating the tension. The climbing scenes are described in vivid, delicious detail. As opposed to his newer works, Koontz doesn't focus on character study, instead choosing to focus on the action sequences that drive the plot forward: the floor to floor chases and climbing down maintain the suspense to the very end. The result is an entertaining beach book that moves fast and should satisfy every reader who's in search of one.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Face of Fear is a novel from 1977 that Koontz originally published under the pseudonym Brian Coffey. It has a mild supernatural content (some psychic ability), but is primarily a suspense thriller about a mad killer stalking a couple in an office building during a blizzard, so they have to rappel down the side of the skyscraper to escape. I thought it was interesting but unremarkable; people with a severe fear of heights would probably be more affected. Under his own name, Koontz co-wrote the screenplay for a television movie based on the novel that was broadcast in 1990. I thought it was entertaining, too, but never had the inclination to re-watch it.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brutal killer known as The Butcher is stalking and brutally dismembering women in New York City. When the police enlist the help of clairvoyant Graham Harris, the horrifying images of the Butcher’s crimes replay in Harris’s mind, sometimes even at the moment they are happening. Then he sees the most terrifying vision of all, that of his own murder. Harris and his girlfriend soon find themselves trapped on the fortieth floor of a deserted office building. The guards have been killed, the elevators shut down, and the stairways blocked. The only way out is to climb down the sheer face of the building. Otherwise they'll become the Butcher’s next victims.

A quick thriller with simplistic yet equally disturbing villains. I liked how the killers openly mocked the classic trope of serial killers quoting classical literature as a poetic representation of their crimes. They openly poke fun at the fact that they're doing it just for shits and giggles, to trick law enforcement into believing there's some kind of great mystery behind their actions when in reality they're just sickos that love causing chaos. I also liked the reveal of the mastermind near the end of the book, for some reason it caught me off guard even though it should've been extremely obvious.

***

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[Richard Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOL, as far as I am concerned Koontz can do no wrong. The Face of Fear (written under the pen name Brian Coffey) is a great action packed story from start to finished. The story is compelling and the characters are diverse, likable and unlikable (bad guys).
I felt invested from start to finish and found it difficult to put the book down. In Koontz fashion the chapters are small so the reading is fast.
Great read and I can't wait to grab my next Koontz book.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a couple of attempts, I finally got through this one when an audiobook became available. The story reminded me of reading The Voice of the Night also written by Dean Koontz using the pen name Brian Coffey. The audiobook has the same narrator as The Voice of the Night. The Face of Fear also has some similarities to another early Koontz title called The Vision.

I think the big pay off is in the end of the book, which I thought was fun :-)

Some Favorite Passages:
The senses inward rushed, shrinking
Beneath the dark net of infection.
______

If you try to call for help, I'll push this pig sticker straight into your lovely throat. I'll ram it right out the back of your neck.
______

As she passed through alternating levels of purple darkness and wan light, she felt as if she were following a long pathway to hell, the Butcher fulfilling the role of the grinning hellhound that harried her ever downward.
______

The terror had not evaporated. It was in him yet, bubbling, thick as stew. A cancer that had fed upon him and grown for years was not likely to vanish through natural remission in a few minutes. However, he was no longer overwhelmed by fear, incapacitated by it. He could see ahead to a day when he might be cured of it; and that was a fine vision.

[Stimpson J. Kat esq... · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a pretty solid book, it wasn't one of his best but it certainly isn't among his worst either.
it was a slow start and that's fine i don't expect action to be in every page of a book. shit has to happen first before getting there, the good: it had a good story likable characters as other reviewers have said and you hated the right people.

than you had the red herrings on who the mastermind was it kept you guessing and gave you clues and i had at least 3 people that it could have been and it even makes you think one person is the mastermind right at the very end of the book and it wasn't them but someone else.

that's the good i liked that but The Bad: was you find out how the events of these murders took place and why they took place that's not a bad thing either that should be in the book, however for whatever Reason you had Koontz during action sequences have Bollinger which isn't a spoiler you find out who he is pretty early in the book anyways.

you had him thinking about past times and his relationship with someone and while that stuff was important to the story it should have taken place earlier in the book than it did. the book slowed to a craw when it had flashbacks in the book. i'm not bitching that they should have been edited out

they should have taken place earlier in the book and none of them reveal who the mastermind was either. but it's pretty easy to figure out honestly and it didn't surprise me either and i did end up actually being right on who it was. is it worth reading? yes i think it is at least once i'm most likely not going to read this one again but i am curious about TV Movie that came out in (1990) you tube has it and i have to see it cause the now late and great Kevin Conroy the man who played Batman for like 30 years himself is the big bad in the film! how can i not watch it? i've never i don't think seen anything he's done in a live action film.

i will say about the book it was nice to have a Koontz ending that i liked when the worst ending of his that i've read thus far is easily (1981)'s The Mask

[Ewa (Fedra) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5-3
Kiedyś zaczytywałam się książkami Koontza'a, także czuję wobec niego spory sentyment. Niestety ta pozycja była bardzo przeciętna.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an easy read, but I thought the character development could have been better, and the ending seemed a little rushed, still it was a page turner.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the back of this book to someone, once we reached, “and there’s a blizzard outside, they laughed and said, “Oh, of course.”

The plot may sound interesting but nothing like Koontz’s usual work. Instead it more or less mimics simple lifetime thrillers we’ve all seen over and over again. A generic plot without much else to offer, with strange coincidences that are a bit more cheesy than realistic. And this is only from the description…

I was interested in reading about the clairvoyant and at the beginning of the book it was paying off. Graham came across as interesting, with unique powers that weren’t typical to other books I’ve read, and the interview with the host was a blast. But after the first few scenes, the book begins to get a bit too much, and throughout this review I’ll touch upon the stepping stones that explain why.

The atmosphere was tense, of course, but this actually worked against it. The tension began much too soon, but never let up! From the beginning of the novel to the end we have the two protagonists battling the same chances for over a hundred pages. After all this is constantly whirling around, the tension loosens as it just grows tiring.

Graham came across as a likeable character and as I mentioned above, his visions were unique. As the story further unravels, however, I found that he was a bit weak. His girlfriend, Connie, was a sweet gal but her reactions towards having to take care of Graham got on my nerves a bit. This is a realistic response some women have -- drifting toward some relationships just to save men that need saving -- and it was definitely different to have these two in the main shoes the reader walks in. The detective, Preduski, was hysterical and wonderfully animated. He was by far my favorite character. The antagonist was cold all the way through but not much detail was given on why he became this way. That’s fine, I didn’t need drawn out blueprints on his personality, but while he wasn’t anything ‘bad’, he never stands out either.

Quick and smooth at the beginning, The Face of Fear eventually becomes overly tense without letting up towards the middle. The pace itself was fine but I wish it would have been cut at least thirty pages to allow me to breathe. Koontz’s writing style is always captivating. It can never be said the man doesn’t have a gift with wording and prose, only here it’s a little bit buried under all the ‘stereotypical blizzard snow.’

The villain isn’t anything that’s worth making a scrapbook about and that hurts the impact. I did care about the characters, though, and wanted them to make it. Connie and Graham both rang true in their actions, although their personalities were dysfunctional. The tension was great at first, but after awhile, everything runs out of gas.

I wish that Koontz would have realized that was enough was enough and saved this one while he still could have. It just droned on a bit to much and ended up slitting it’s own throat before the final scene was played out.

[Kinsey Breland .: avid_midnight_reader :. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graham and Connie made a great team. I loved how they discussed possible plans out fully with each other when it came to trying to avoid The Butcher. Their banter was also fun to follow.

From the start, it sounded like Dwight was the leader; the one that picked the women they would kill and how. But during the flashbacks that Dwight was remembering it actually looked like Billy was the one leading the charge. Or at the very least, the message behind their attacks and why they were killing was all Billy’s idea.

I don’t know anything about mountain climbing, but when it came to describing all the climbing gear and how things worked, it sounded to me like Koontz knew what he was talking about.

[Cait S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excuse my French.

This book is fucking awesome. I've read so many mediocre books lately, I just want to throw this at all of those authors and say THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A BOOK. This is how you write suspense so thick your readers feel nauseous. This is how you slowly, piece by piece, reveal the identity and motivation of The Big Bad at the exact perfect pacing. This is how you make your main characters fall in love.

This is how you write something worth god damn reading.

I was hooked from the very first page. It's been a long time since I read a book that made me lose track of time, but I looked up after finishing this and realized I had lost two hours somewhere in there.

The fact that this book is listed on Dean Koontz's WORST books...is insane to me. I haven't read much by him but if this is his poor work, I'm not sure I can handle the good stuff.

[Igrowastreesgrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intense story. For me, it was a really wonderful story line. Death, love, athletic intensity, views of the future, facing fears, blah blah blah. I can see why he has been writing for as long as he has. In this book though, at times the writing was a bit over the top which ruined everything else going on.

[Jjean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast and interesting read - suspenseful thriller - serial killer on the loose - after an accident, a fear of heights but when "push comes to shove" - good plot - plenty of action that will keep you reading....

[Lizzie (TwoFaceLizzie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

On est passé un peu trop vite de tueries dégoutantes à un très long cours d'alpinisme, mais c'était pas mal.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure when I first read this novel by Dean Koontz, but I added it to goodreads in 2010. So I’m keeping that first add as the first time I’d read this novel, just in case I actually had read it at the time. I just can’t seem to remember if I did or not, nor do I remember a single part of this novel after reading it then (I’m guessing).
It’s not bad. 3 stars.

[Yves · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you're really low, almost brain-dead, and you wish to read a book that makes you feel like you're watching a second-rate TV movie from the 70s, this might be the book for you.
It was the book for me when I read it, and I enjoyed it.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Great plot, exciting story, definitely old school Koontz. However, the characters aren't fleshed out very well.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A garden variety Koontz thriller. It was enjoyable and fast paced but nothing special.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Koontz does like winter storms in New York. The Butcher a serial killer is terrorizing the woman of NY. A psychic ex mountain climber is asked to help. Not a bad story. Lots of close shaves and fairly predictable with the police killer Frank Bollinger identified as one of the killers early on. The twist was quite good at the end making you wonder if it’s not the talk show host but rather another police officer.

Quite enjoying some of Kootnz’s earlier books without cellphones.

[Nels · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise! 👏🙌

To be completely honest, I did not expect to like this book but I did. A great suspense full of interesting twists and turns and a dash of supernatural element. 🔪📚📚🚔 I absolutely loved the ending.

Dean Koontz, you're definitely growing on me.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my earliest Koontz reads, written under the pen name Coffey back in '77. I'm a big fan of his earlier works, like "Phantoms", "Darkfall" and "Watchers". In this one, Graham Harris is a successful publisher of mountain climbing magazines in New York City. He was an accomplished climber himself until an accident on Everest left him with lasting injuries and a bad case of low self-confidence.

His girlfriend, Connie, has taken on the job of helping him regain his courage and self esteem. One of the side effects of his fall is that he has a new found ability to supernaturally find murderers after he comes into contact with the victim's clothes or the murder scenes themselves.

It just so happens "The Butcher" has killed several young women in the metropolitan area, and Graham sees his latest bloodletting while being interviewed on television. This puts the killer on his trail - the 44 story skyscraper where Graham is working on his latest project, with Connie by his side.

The killer traps the couple inside, kills the security guards, and starts his patient stalking. The only way out is - rappelling/climbing down the outside of the building!

Great action yarn with likable protagonists. This novel was made into a TV movie by the same name in '90, starring Lee Horsley and Pam Dawber as Graham and Connie.

[Jim C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is one of the author's earliest works. It was originally published under his pen name. In this one, Graham and his girlfriend are trapped in a high rise building by a serial killer known as The Butcher. Graham is a psychic who is close to knowing the identity of The Butcher.

This is a reread for me. I read it many years ago when I first discovered Dean Koontz. At the time I was reading everything by him and I believed that affected my enjoyment of this book. Sadly, that it is not the case and this book just isn't one of his better works. One of the author's staples is good versus evil and the chase between them. The majority of this book is about the chase and it is one of his better chases that the author has wrote. The problem with this book is the characters. Graham and his girlfriend are serviceable but nothing stands out about them. As for The Butcher I did not buy into his motives at all. There was a little mystery reveal at the end that totally missed the mark. The problem was the author never left the reader with any options for the reveal and because of this it wasn't a surprise.

This book is a quick read and I liked the concept and setting of this book. I think the problem is that this author was just beginning with his career and it shows. If this book was written now I believe it would be so much better.

[Robert Reiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Koontz love was born after picking up a copy of Phantoms like ten years ago. Phantoms is a great horror novel (from what I remember cuz it’s been a while) and I immediately labeled DK a horror writer because of it (and probably also because his books are always sitting right next to Stephen King’s at every book store.) 8 or 9 books later I have yet to read a DK novel that is up there with Phantoms and I’ve come to terms with the fact that most of his stuff isn’t horror at all. Maybe “thrillers” is a better term. In fact the last three or four of his that I read all shared a common theme of a killer who stalks women to some degree. And that’s pretty much what we have here. A serial killer called the Butcher is dicing women up and the entire second half of the novel is a chase scene in a high rise building (think Die Hard 6 here) where the killer is chasing our two main characters. There’s virtually zero build up or character development..just in your face action and suspense. And you know what? It works. I flew through this book because at no point did I have to stop and give my brain a break. (My brain didn’t have to work at all in this one.)

Phantoms it’s not and yeah there are some flaws (like some horrific dialogue for one thing) but all in all it’s a fun little book that deserves somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been pretty tough on Dean Koontz lately as I've been rereading a lot of his books. The Face of Fear is long on plot, a little short of characterization (with the notable exception of Harris), and suffers the ill fate of an abrupt climax.

The action flows until Koontz gets hung up on climbing details, and then it flows again until the ending which feels, after a suspenseful build, a bit rushed and slapdash, almost as if Koontz was just tired of writing and was trying to get the story wrapped up.

Mostly good, but it still feels as if a few changes could have made this a better book.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for very likeable protagonists, who find a creative way of escaping from their situation. The villain is another one of those crazy sickos with a knife. Not my favorite kind of horror. But, with the fantastic action/adventure, I have to give this one a high rating.