Faces of Fear

by John Saul

Fifteen-year-old Alison Shaw may not be beautiful, but she doesn’t really care: She’d much rather read a good book than primp in front of a mirror. But Alison’s gorgeous mother, Risa, knows that beauty can be a key to success and wishes only the best for her daughter–a wish that may come true after Risa marries widowed plastic surgeon Conrad Dunn. Conrad claims that he can turn Alison into a vision of loveliness, so the teenager reluctantly agrees to undergo the first procedure. Then Alison discovers a picture of Conrad’s first wife and notes, to her horror, a resemblance between the image in the photo and the work her stepfather is doing on her. Though, Risa refuses to acknowledge the strange similarities, Alison digs further into her stepfather’s murky past, uncovers dark secrets and even darker motives–and realizes that her worst fears are fast becoming reality.

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

401 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 12, 2008

About the author

John Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love John Saul's books. They were haunting and atmospheric, usually taking place in some cozy seaside town where one would THINK nothing bad happens. (This is John Saul so think again.)

But over the years many of his books lost that feeling and descended into straight up horror without that human element. This book is one of those.

While not the worst, this book let me down. It is a straight up thriller but does not contain the haunting elements of what made me love Saul in the first place.

SPOILERS:

So we still get frightened children..I don't think that will ever change in Saul's books. And we get a crazy plastic surgeon. But there really isn't anything unforgettable here and when I think of some of his early books.."Comes the blind fury" and "Punish the sinners" especially..it occurs to me that his books of today are not the ones I grew up with. While some may like this, I prefer his early works. This one was a let down.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel that really ran shivers down my spine. Who is the grizly Frankenstein killer taking special parts of his victims? What has the series of murder cases to do with cosmetic surgeon Conrad Dunn? What about his stepdaughter Alison and his new wife Risa? Classic Saul and satire against American beauty craze and plastic surgery. Even homosexuality is covered within the pages. Absolute pageturner and definitely worth your time! The novel reads like a movie an "cuts" on your nerves.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this more at age eleven.

[Circa Girl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think we can all agree who the killer is before even finishing the synopsis on the inner flap of the book. That lack of any real whodunit suspense aside, even 70 pages in I don't care about any of these characters. They all sound the same and have the same cookie cutter thoughts and emotions. I don't understand why this is shelved as horror when there is a lack of any sort of horror atmosphere whatsoever. It comes off more like a campy lifetime film, except less fun.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fortunately, cosmetic surgery is not on my bucket list - if it were, this book would have scared me out of it! I always thought insecure people went in for that and then end up with shiny skin and squinty eyes (think Melania Trump!)

For some reason I really liked this book, maybe because it took place in the parts of LA where I grew up. Hadn’t read John Saul in many years, he is one of the oldies but goodies! This was a psychological thriller minus lurid sex and foul language.

I like how he handled the relationship between Scott and Michael. You could tell that he has a great relationship with his partner of 43 years.

[Claudiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

cand eram in liceu, nu era vara in care sa nu citesc macar 3-4 romane de John Saul. personajele lui Saul aveau varsta mea de atunci si le puteam intelege foarte bine. in plus, erau romane horror care se citeau extrem de repede si care te tineau cu sufletul la gura. cei de la Rao le traduceau si le publicau in formatul acela accesibil de buzunar, le puteai lua oriunde cu tine. le si gaseam din abundenta la biblioteca metropolitana.

acum cateva zile am vazut pe site-ul unui anticariat online Faces of Fear. pretul era derizoriu si pentru ca de cand cu pandemia sunt nostalgic, am zis sa il cumpar.

dupa 15 ani, pot spune ca John Saul nu mai este ce a fost din punct de vedere al plotului. romanul mi s-a parut previzibil, stiam de la inceput cine este criminalul, iar la finalul romanului am constatat ca lasase un fir narativ suspendat. desigur, acum, la 31 de ani, am si alt ochi pentru astfel de detalii, am citit sute de romane horror si politiste intre timp, vad cand un fir narativ nu merge.

ce si-a pastrat totusi John Saul? stilul. e la fel ca acum 45 de ani cand a publicat primul roman, dar asta imi place pentru ca imi aduce aminte de romanul horror din anii 80 (mass market paperback horrors) care desi era foarte prost, avea ceva care te facea sa dai pagina. acest dat de pagina este o arta si il caut si acum in romanele pe care le citesc si il plasez la loc de cinste alaturi de alte elemente.

daca o sa mai gasesc un roman de Saul, sigur il voi citi. simt ca abia s-a deschis apetitul pentru el, chiar daca experienta nu a fost tocmai de 5 stele :)

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty much everything about this fell flat for me.

[Jennifer (INnerSANITY) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.. This book.. I don't know.. It didn't feel like a John Saul book to me.. I've been on a spree of his books.. Just recently having read Devils Labyrinth, House of Reckoning, Suffer the Children, and I enjoyed those books.. This just didn't seem like the same weirdly intriguing paranormal thriller with twisted kids I'm used to from him.. The idea of plastic surgery being the norm for teenage girls IS twisted.. But I found it over the top.. I mean is it really like that in the glamour and glitz lifestyles of the rich??
In any case.. I found the book quick paced.. A fast read.. Which is what I expect and like from John Saul's books.. It was just gruesome enough and suspenseful.. Who was killing these poor women.. What was going to happen to Allison.. That poor dog!!! So overall I did enjoy it enough to want to know what happened.. But it wasn't my favorite of his..

[Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable, boring and the characters were not likable. I was looking for something a bit more thrilling and chilling, but this book isn't it. Just didn't do it for me. At least I still have a few days of October left to read something scarier and worthwhile.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

😊

Modern day frankenstein? Plastic surgeon obsessed with his dead wife! Killings and missing body parts. Harvesting for a purpose!
Very good read, gripping.

[Shelly Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge John Saul fan and this is one of the few books I’ve read that didn’t consist of evil spirits or some kind of supernatural force. And I loved it. It was a quick read, contained a serial killer and many likable secondary characters. Definitely one of my Saul favorites.

[Horror Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the newer John Saul novels I've read (Guardian and The Homing), this is the one that's probably the best, or at least the most fun. It's tailor-made for a potential, gorier-than-usual LifeTime movie about a killer using MySpace ("everyone has it!" is something the teen main character repeats at least three times) to murder people.

A fun beach read, but his older stuff is better.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankensteinish suspense thriller. My first John Saul. Faces of Fear was written in 2006 it's funny when you see old trends in books this one had Myspace and TiVo. Lol! This one was great and easy to get through wouldn't mind reading more by John Saul.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR: Saul, John
TITLE: Faces of Fear
DATE READ: 10/09/14
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Horror-Suspense/2007/Random House/394 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: S/A
TIME/PLACE: Present/Southern California
CHARACTERS: Alison Shaw 15-yrs old; Risa Shaw: mother & realtor; Michael Shaw; Alison's father and newspaper journalist; Dr. Conrad Dunn; plastic surgeon & Alison's step-father
FIRST LINES: Alison Shaw felt good. Really good. She made the final turn around the smooth cinder track w/ long, easy strides.
COMMENTS: It's been awhile since I've read a John Saul book but I have read most of them over the years. Most of them involve the supernatural and are classified as horror and some are more suspenseful than horror but have elements of horror. Faces of Fear has undertones of horror -- certainly this book can instill fear & terror by what is going on. Alison is an average girl living in Santa Monica -- a nice area of S. CA, but in comparison to Beverly Hills it is low key. She has her friends here and enjoys her school but when her parents separate -- her father leaves her mother for another man, her world is changed. Her parents eventually realize they are better suited as friends and divorce. Her mother is a career woman and becomes involved w/ Dr. Dunn -- a very famous plastic surgeon to the area's celebrities. When they marry, Alison starts at a new school The Academy and moves into a mansion in Beverly Hills. She is not so sure about all of this but is soon adapting and accepting of this different lifestyle … even going as far as to want breast augmentation for her 16th birthday. Her friends from before are horrified but the current ones have all had multiple surgical enhancements. At this time there is a serial killer in the area who is honing in on one feature of each woman he kills. One murder involves the removal of the ears, another a nose and so on. There are several things very unnatural and disturbing about these killings -- in addition to the surgical removal of one body part there is also the removal of certain glands. There is no doubt that Dr. Dunn is somehow involved but the suspense and surprise lies in who his accomplice is and then even more so in the true identity of this person and also in what the intentions were to for these body parts. A good read and a reminder why I have enjoyed reading Saul over the years.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to believe that Faces of Fear is John Saul's thirty-fifth novel. He published his first novel in 1977 and about five years later I started reading his books and have been a loyal fan since loving each thrill along the way.

The latest one, Faces of Fear, did not disappoint me whatsoever. It was different from your ordinary thriller as it was more psychological but it was full of suspense and creepiness which is exactly what I've come to expect and look forward to when I crack open the spine of my brand new John Saul book.

This story is mainly focused on Alison Shaw, a teenager who is struggling with coming into being a young woman. She's not beautiful or at least she doesn't think so but most of the time she doesn't care or does she? Her mother, while being a great mom, wants only the best for her daughter and believes that beauty is often the key to success. Eventually Alison's mom marries a famous plastic surgeon and from that point on things take on an extremely creepy tone.

Now Alison is living in a rich neighborhood and finding out that with a stepfather who is a great plastic surgeon, almost anything is possible and even expected. So, begins her transformation into a more beautiful Alison. However, her stepfather Conrad is still obsessed with his late wife and is now obsessed with having Alison look like her. As the story evolves and Alison learns more she becomes increasingly terrified. To top things off, there is a madman on the loose butchering people...

This is a must read for Saul fans and for anybody out for a creepy psychological thriller. On the inside cover, it says that 'Saul proves that there's a fine line between perfection and madness'. What some people will do to achieve that state of perfection is definitely enough to creep me out. Another great novel by one of my favorite authors!

http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspo...

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faces of Fear was an average book for writer John Saul. Although I have not read many of his books, this book seemed to lack the luster of some of his other works. In Faces of Fear, Alison Shaw and her mother Rita are left reeling after the departure of Rita's husband who suddenly reveals to them that he is a gay man in love with someone. While their relationship remains amicable, both are left hurting and looking to put their lives back together. Enter Conrad Dunn, a prominent and wealthy plastic surgeon who becomes involved with Rita shortly after the suicide of his beloved wife Margot. A quick courtship results in marriage and Conrad begins to offer services to Alison to improve her appearance. Although Alison was always content with being plain, she eventually relents and Conrad begins to attempt to transform her. Unfortunately his plans are tainted leaving Alison and her family in a battle for their lives. The characters in this book are spectacular; however the action seems to be written from a standard plotline. Woman remarries evil man and the daughter is left in a perilous situation. The twists and turns are numerous but expected leaving little to the imagination for anyone familiar with this genre. While the style of writing was solid, I was disappointed by this book. I expected more from a seasoned writer with Saul's reputation.

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

Faces of Fear by John Saul, read August 2008

Saul's 35th Novel! Plastic surgery, My Space and homosexuality, oh my! Other themes in this book include: wealth, perfection, teens, online predators, self, perception, image, change and ego. This was not bad for a John Saul novel, not bad at all! Right away I found the story intriguing and Saul was able to keep my interest throughout the book, although as the story went on, it became just a little unbelievable. The one thing I am impressed with more than anything is this book's ending! I've been a Saul fan for over a decade (since I first read The Blackstone Chronicles: The Serial Thriller Complete in One Volume (Blackstone Chronicles) as a teenager), and this ending was not typical off the wall John Saul; the ending was normal with a nice conclusion to the story.

This book was originally "The Face of Fear" but Saul changed the title slightly so it wouldn't be confused with a Dean Koontz book by the same name. I would still rank The Homing and The Manhattan Hunt Club higher on the list of Saul's best, but I think fans will enjoy this story of "The Frankenstein Killer"!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad. It kept my interest and I read it quicky because I wanted to know what woud happen. I had a pretty good idea early on of how everything woud resolve, but thought it possible there coud be a twist. The issue of plastic surgery and young girls being so obsesssed with perfection, they undergo these surgeries before they're even fully grown (and parents let them) was intriguing and disturbing. The ending was a litte disappointing for me in that I just didn't think it quite made sense. No spoiler, but what was the next step in the plan? For a smart person, it didn't seem plausible that there was nothing more. I thought the author could have developed the mindset and circumstances leading up to the development of the plan in a much more satisfying way.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this novel. There were 8 CDs. I really enjoyed the story (the plot, the suspense, the characters, etc.) until I got to CD #7 which I guess one could call this to be 7/8ths into the novel. That is where it fell apart for me. The reason being that it was too far-fetched. Realistic to a certain point (with a plastic surgeon trying to make a 16-year-old look like his beloved, late wife). Then the details, that I will leave out for other readers, that became detailed toward the end of the novel simply seemed too sci-fi. Also, possible but just a little over the top or a lot over the top. I'm glad I enjoyed most of this novel and I love John Saul as a writer so this will not dissuade me from continuing to read his novels.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your typical John Saul book. There was no overlying supernatural themes. It was a just old fashioned thriller. This book kept me interested even though the revelation of the killer was no surprise. The book moved along as I thought it would but I still enjoyed it. This is a good book to bring down the beach or if you want to read something that will not overwork the mind.

[Maicie · Rating 3 out of 5]

library. audio book.

So-so story. I was annoyed with the narration. If you can't 'do' voices, don't. The women characters all talked in the soprano range; the men in the bass range. And the teens all talked baby talk. Very distracting.

[Donna Zigmont · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite John Saul books. The Mother just made me want to slap her. I loved Alison's relationship with her Dad. I loved the twists and turns and creepy suspense of the book as well. Perfect thing to read when you're trying to decide on plastic surgery.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading. Good mystery and thiller.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good suspense/thriller it had me guessing all the way through the book.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, earlier this year I started a sort of sabbatical, along with a major drop in income. So when Amazon advertised a big sale on Kindle books I seriously stocked up, my list including just about the whole back-catalogue of John Saul (and Richard Laymon). Sadly, that's meant that I've been trolling through layer upon layer of second-rate horror and thrillers, which are really testing my enthusiasm.

This one, a later-career Saul, is a marked improvement on many of the others. It's pretty slow to get started. And, unfortunately the great mystery is not all that difficult to work out. But it is quite coherent, the premise itself is engaging and interesting, and the characters are better-realised than I've experienced with Saul's work previously.

That said, I think Faces of Fear helped me to a realisation—John Saul is not really a horror or thriller writer. He'd probably argue the point, and I'm sure his publisher's marketing team would take issue. But although the subject matter of Sauls works is consistently gruesome and plants his writing squarely in the horror genre, the reality is that most of the hallmarks of good horror are missing. Atmosphere. Suspense. By the time Faces of Fear has started to move forward with some pace, you've already figured out the killer and the plan, and so then it's really just a matter of waiting to see how things play out.

Not that the writing is bad. Saul writes with much more skill than the vast majority of struggling horror writers out there. It's just that his style is very matter-of-fact. Pedestrian, even. It's there. Some events happen. They are adequately described, but they never lift above the everyday. Like the difference between watching a made-for-TV movie and the work of a skilled Hollywood director.

Faces of Fear is worth a read. But I suspect that a month from now I will have to read back over this review and the book's blurb to remember what it was about.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up I was a huge fan of John Saul. The Creature, The Homing, etc I devoured them all. So when I saw this in the library, I grabbed it.
The book starts off with Conrad who is a well known plastic surgeon and his wife Margot who was a model until a car accident destroyed her face.
The next players in the book, Are Michael (who runs a news station) his wife Risa and daughter Alison. Within the first chapter or so about them, you learn that Michael is having an affair with a man, and leaves his wife for him. Fast forward a little bit and it’s a perfect happy family. Risa and Michael are best friends and they all love his partner Scott.
Back to Conrad Dunn. So his wife died and he basically hits on Risa at his wife’s funeral. Long story short, they get married and Lisa is thrusted into a life she never had. She goes to a private school, is able to spend $1200 on a dress etc and even gets plastic surgery from her step father.
All while this is being told, there is a serial killer on the lose that Michael’s reporter Tina Wong has named the Frankenstein Killer because he takes body parts of his victims.....
Ok, so that’s the gist of it. I’ll start off by saying that there really is no twist. I mean there sort of kinda is but it was just out of place. You realize who is behind everything within the first few chapters. There are a lot of secondary characters who really just appear to be there for fillers. For example Amy Wong who wants to blow the story off these killings. She finally does and after her segment airs, that’s it. She goes away never to be mentioned again. There is a nurse and anesthesiologist who seem to be aware of Conrad losing touch with reality but they never seem to say anything and just like Tina, they just go away.
The book itself reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark book to be honest.
It’s a quick read, but if it wasn’t, I don’t think I would have finished

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern day Frankenstein (but not really, just in 'name only') story as only John Saul could tell it!

With this book coming out in 2008, and me not really being the perfect fan of plastic surgery, this book still creeps the shit out of me! And more so now in 2022 with the worlds obsession of 'Having to look the best I can' attitudes, this book is PERFECT for today's horror fan.....and I finished it on the 1st day of Pride Month! With 2 of the characters, and the author of this book being Gay......well, absolutely the best! I had not read this in over 10 years, and when it originally came out I do not even think I finished it, and I have read EVERY single one of his books.....but this has to be one of the goriest and grisly novels he has written.

Conrad Dunn is one of California's most saught after plastic surgeons, known for his historic making skills to make his clients back to looking perfect!! But when he loses his wife, which he was obsessed with, he goes a little over the edge with wanting to bring her back......in his clients looks! Yes, we are talking about the maddest of mad and crazy doctors ever! He even has a huge tank in his mansion with living human specimens; lips, skin, ears, eys, even vaginas! Yes, you read this correctly. When he remarries Risa and takes in her 15 year old daughter Alison as his new stepdaughter.....he vows to himself to give her EVERYTHING a girl could ask for. Even a 'new look' who reminds him of someone from his past!

Now, this book is VERY graphic in its depictions and descriptions of gory disembowlings, removal of eyes, and vaginas that it is NOT for the weak stomached readers. However if you love your horror disturbing.....this one is for you! Watch out to make sure you do not make Conrad Dunn's appt. list!

4.5 🎭🎭🎭🎭🩸

[Jessica Saam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allison Shaw is a teenage girl who’s parents divorce after her mother finds her father having an affair with a man. Soon after, her mother marries Conrad Dunn, a wealthy and prestigious plastic surgeon. Allison is uprooted from her surroundings and moves into a massive home and begins attending an exclusive private school. Meanwhile a serial killer is murdering women in a gruesome fashion and stealing their body parts.

I have to say I hated how stereotypical the characters all were. Conrad Dunn was an arrogant and vain man. Risa Shaw played the clueless wife. The girls at Wilson Academy were shallow and fake. Cindy was the jealous former best friend. Even Tina Wong was characterized as the typical hungry borderline unethical news reporter thirsting to get ahead. All of the characters seemed to lack real substance. I also hated the fact that getting plastic surgery at fifteen was portrayed as normal. No one, besides Allison’s father and her best friend Cindy, even batted an eye at the idea of her getting a breast implant.

Now on to the positive. The story was fast paced, and there was some very tense scenes. Although I guessed the culprit to the crimes rather early on, I was still eager to find out how the story would play out. Although this wasn’t my favorite book, I did enjoy the conclusion and I would read the author again.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has spun around on my hard drive for more than 13 years. I figured it was time to read it or delete it.

Alison Shaw is 15 the year things change irrevocably for her. That’s the year her dad announces he’s gay and walks away from a long marriage to a successful real estate broker.

Once the dust settles on that marriage, she remarries, and this time, she connects with a wealthy plastic surgeon who fixes the faces of the stars. He was available to marry Alison’s mom because his wife took her life several months after an accident that disfigured her face.

The author describes Alison as a tall flat-chested girl who didn’t care about whether she grew prominent breasts. She was perfectly happy just being herself in a world of shallow contemporaries.

But plastic surgeon stepdad has other plans for Alison. For her 16th birthday, he gives her a set of free breast implants. She doesn’t feel the need to take them, but eventually, she agrees to it.

That operation is successful enough, but things get weird and dark shortly thereafter for Alison. It’s best if you read this to discover what happens.

The shallowness of these characters sickened me. There are other descriptions of the work of a serial killer removing organs and such that nauseated me a bit.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book actually kept my interest. Good plot with interesting characters. Very vague information on the character of Daniel/Danielle. Overall enjoyed this book.
More comments on this book
Lorraine- Eve it's not a dream it's a nightmare at times. And he doesn't understand either, Mom. But our wedding vows says till death do us part. He does try and for that I love Him.
Suzanne- Good read, a few lame, cheesy parts but overall a quick and easy read. You will be happy with your husband after you've read this book. LOL
Eve- OK My husband is perfect, what about yours? LOL Oh! I think that was a dream I had? But I love Him!
Mom- My husband is not perfect he doesn't understand anything, but I am not perfect either. We love each other very much.
Louise- Good Book. My husband isn't perfect, but he's good to me and makes me happy. LOL