Facade

by Susan Cory

Smart and gutsy architect, Iris Reid, is plunged into the dark world surrounding a missing Cambridge schoolgirl. One of the girl's last visits was to Xander DeWitt, Harvard's handsome guest starchitect, who denies that they ever met. Only Iris can provide an alibi that will allow DeWitt to keep his perfect life, but can she actually vouch for his innocence? KIRKUS says: "Cory gleefully breezes through subplots and twists with a resourceful protagonist at the helm...Supporting characters are outstanding...the ending is bound to surprise."

Genres: Mystery

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2016

Reviews

[Joanne ehorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interestimg book

Enjoyed this book. Had many interesting turns and kept My interested until the end. It WS different than many mysteries. Enjoyed reading it very much and would recommended it.

[Carolyn Pellerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When is justice accomplished?

I was intrigued by the characters and the coincidences of their paths crossing. It had a Complicated plot with lots of twists and turns

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facade is a very good story and has a satisfying and exciting plot. I enjoyed the characters as they were all different and had good backstories. The only critique I have is Chapter 16. This chapter is not needed. A mere mention of her doing karate would suffice.

I really liked the Jasna character. It will be interesting to follow Iris and Luc's relationship. I also enjoyed learning about architecture discussed in the story.

Iris as a pseudo-investigator came across as real and not contrived. All the characters were crafted very well. The author did a great job creating intriguing subplots and twists that kept my interest. I liked the short chapters as they read quickly and end on cliffhangers.

The book had a satisfying ending. I am looking forward to reading more of this series to discover what happens next with Iris.

[Cheryl Hanaoka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating

Really enjoyed reading this book. It was toward the end that I realized who was setting up the architect. Too bad she couldn't get on with her life instead of taking revenge.

[Kara Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much! This is the second book in the series; I also read and was delighted with the first book, but this would stand alone well. I’m now eager to read the 3rd and 4th books—Iris is a great character. I’m a bit jaded regarding romance, but Luc is a very likable character also. The author obviously has good knowledge of architecture, Cambridge, fine dining and wine, so those aspects add to the authenticity. I would call this a cozy mystery except that it does touch on some darker subjects; the darker topics are sad, but are handled carefully and didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of solving the mysteries. The book isn’t sad overall and does have a great happy ending to the more grimy parts. I don’t generally like cliffhangers, but there’s a bit of a tiny one at the end that only makes me more eager to read the next book. I can definitely recommend this book and the series.

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book that immediately captivated me and had me hanging onto every word with a great cast of characters, twists and turns, ups and downs keeping me on the edge of my seat until I read the last word. I feel like I know architect Iris Reid and enjoyed her dynamic with the other characters as she is trying to find out what happened to a missing Cambridge schoolgirl. If you enjoy well-crafted mysteries that you can't put down, don't miss Facade, book two in the Iris Reid Mystery series. This is the first book I have read by Susan Cory and I can't wait to find out what happens next in Iris's world. I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Julie Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facade by Susan Cory is the second installment of the Iris Reid mystery series. This was my first book by Susan Cory but I plan on going back to read the first book in the series and any other books in the series. Iris Reid is an architect in Cambridge, Massachusetts and in this book she is also teaching studio class at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. I was interested in the architectural aspects of the story because my daughter is majoring in Landscape Architecture and my son is majoring in Architecture. Also my daughter would like to get her masters at the GDS at Harvard. Iris is outside sketching a design for her current project when she meets the legendary architect, Xander Dewitt, from Amsterdam who is also teaching at the GSD this semester. I enjoyed the backdrop of the architectural school for this cozy mystery. It was a refreshing change from bookstores, bakery, tea shops, etc. Iris finds herself trying to solve a mystery that involves Xander Dewitt and one of her students, Jasna. This mystery kept my attention and I finished the book in one day. The characters were interesting and the mystery kept me guessing. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more of this series.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series. This one was really good. Lots of twists and turns, kept me interested right until the end. I look forward to reading more.

[Charles Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iris Reid, an architect, is asked to teach a special course on architecture at Harvard. There, she meets Xander DeWitt, a famous Dutch architect, who is also a guest lecturer. When DeWitt is implicated in the case of a young girl, a Cambridge student, but claims that he’s never met the girl before, Iris finds herself in the position of being able to give him an alibi for the time the girl went missing, but unsure if he’s actually innocent.
The more she learns about the case, and about Xander, the more confused she becomes. Is he, as he claims, being framed, or is he an accomplished child predator, using her to cover his crime?
Façade by Susan Cory is a finely-tuned cozy mystery, with a long list of suspects, plenty of red herrings, and a surprise ending that marks this author as someone to keep an eye on.

[Dannyboy55 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique plot - one that made perfect sense at the end. I loved the insight into the academic and architectural worlds, not to mention the Cambridge, Mass. background. Well-written with wry humor.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read the first book in this series but now I want to. This was a very enjoyable book.

[D.A. Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I liked was being introduced to a KC who is an architect. That was novel, and I found the architect talk interesting. The second thing I liked was how well Cory manipulated me as a reader. I wasn't sure what to make of Xander, nor how I felt about Iris or Jasna. The secondary characters were all really good too, adding depth to the main characters and the story. The third thing I liked was the plot itself; well crafted, plausible and intriguing.

With just the right amount of "padding" to provide setting and atmosphere, some genuinely suspenseful scenes and a satisfying, albeit slightly drawn out ending, Facade was an entertaining mystery novel.

[Judith Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmmmm

This was also a very good story but it definitely raises some morals issues. I can’t really say much without giving away the plot twists. I did figure it out almost immediately but it was interesting to see how the author played it out. Kind of plays on the you may not be guilty of this but we know you r guilty of that philosophy. I don’t adhere to that myself but I know others who do. Still a good story even though I can see where Iris is starting a slide into mild vigilantism.

[Marian Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous writing

To me, a good writer introduces the reader to new vocabulary, enough to have a dictionary close. I'm so glad I went back and read the two books prior in the series. And I'm now a little wiser to what architecture is all about! Fabulous read!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 The plot is good but it didn’t feel as though the supporting story was fleshed out sufficiently.

[Ellenkolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cambridge Mass, with all its quirks, is the backdrop to this very satisfying mystery, the second in the Iris Reid collection. Like the author, Iris is an architect and teacher and we learn a lot about design in the midst of a compelling story of a kidnapping. Iris is an endearing character as she pulls us into her world of friendship, love interests and concern for a student who is clearly in too deep. The suspense builds to a surprising finish.

[chelepissbcglobal.net · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it.

Based on the excellent reviews this book received I was compelled to read it. However, I found it to be extremely slow paced and nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. I did finish it and the ending was satisfying.

[Bette Lentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative

The story line kept me guessing. I liked the development of the characters and the many switches of who might have perpetrated the crime. The setting of Cambridge was new to me and added interest.