**From New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak comes Face Off, the next installment of Dr. Evelyn Talbot and her murderous home for psychopaths.
SHE VOWED NEVER TO BE A VICTIM AGAIN. BUT NOW A KILLER HAS HER IN HIS SIGHT. . .**
Tortured and left for dead at sixteen, Evelyn Talbot turned her personal nightmare into her life’s work—studying the disturbing psychopathy of some of the world’s most vicious serial killers. Now a leading psychiatrist at Hanover House in a small Alaskan town, she tries to believe the past will never come back to haunt her—until a woman goes missing from a cabin nearby, and every clue points to the man who once brutalized her…
As her boyfriend, who is the area’s only police, begins to investigate—and finds not one but two bodies—Evelyn can’t forget that her would-be killer, Jasper Moore, was never caught. But there are no new faces in tiny Hilltop, no one who seems suspicious or potentially violent. In this twisted game of cat and mouse, Evelyn is certain of only one thing—Jasper must be hiding in plain sight. And if she can’t find him before he comes for her, she won’t be lucky enough to survive twice…
“Novak is a master of suspense.”—RT Book Reviews
“Dark and chilling. Brenda Novak’s latest taut thriller draws you in from the very first page. Another winner!” – New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin
Face Off
By Brenda Novak
Really enjoyed this story. Good plot and really well narrated.
Evelyn was tortured at sixteen by her boyfriend. He killed three of her friends and left her for dead. Now some twenty years later, she is head psychologist at Hanover House in Alaska. Her and several doctors are studying psychopaths.Amarok is the only real law officer in the little town. He was against the building of Hanover House so close to their town. He fell hard for Evelyn but it took awhile to work past her defenses. They are living together and a girl goes missing. When she’s found another woman is found too. They know it’s Jasper, the ex, but they can’t seem to find him. But he’s messed up this time because he left DNA at one scene and Amarok shot him so they have his blood. Now to figure out where and who he is. Can they catch him before he escapes? Will Evelyn stay with the man she loves or will her guilt over leaving her sister to deal with her parents, send her back to Boston?
Excellent, fast paced, edge of your seat, suspenseful thriller. I couldn’t put it down. You might want to read the first two.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *
The first thing I will say about Face Off (and it is a GOOD thing!) is this book and series has once again scared the life outta me. When I read, I enjoy the “thriller” side of suspense, not so much blood and gore, and Ms. Novak has created such a story/series that kept me on the edge of my chair…and looking around corners long after I had finished.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers; the characters each add a part of the puzzle and the buildup and discovery of those pieces are what makes it such an on-the-edge suspenseful story. We are back with Dr. Evelyn Talbot at the research/incarceration facility (for psychopaths) she has founded and is heading, in Alaska. She and Amarok (her boyfriend and pretty much the only law enforcement in their remote Alaskan area) end up dealing with more deaths and a psychopath/stalker that has been after Evelyn for over twenty years, named Jasper.
Yes, this is a standalone however it is the third book in a series about Dr. Evelyn Talbot and it is a thrill ride of your life! We meet characters from the previous books but you never feel like you missed something. I loved Makita, Amarok’s Alaskan malamute, and he is as loyal and loving as ever. If you are like me, you will have VERY strong reactions to other characters in this story – Amarok’s old girlfriend, Evelyn’s assistant, other docs on staff at the research facility – and each and every one brings a little piece to help you try to figure out this very suspenseful puzzle.
I haven’t given many details about the book, don’t feel I would do it justice, and as I said, don’t want to write any spoilers. Just wow. Evelyn is such a strong person. She may have doubts about herself but she keeps on ‘keeping on’ and pushes herself to work or live thru whatever comes to try to beat her down. Amarok is a rock, without being an alphahole or a wuss; it means so much to Evelyn. Even as she and Amarok are both tested professionally, and personally, their bond that started in book one continues to grow strong as you read each and every page. And wait until you read about the latest psychopath and what happens… I hope that’s enough ‘tease’ to make you read this book!
Face Off is Book 3 of The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles by Brenda Novak. Book 4 if you count Hanover House. Talk about a heart pounding, nail biting, pulse racing ride. I highly recommend reading this series from start to finish as each story builds upon the next.
There were so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming in this book. It felt like a bad wreck. You’re afraid to look. Don’t want to look but you can’t be pulled away.
The only reason I’m rating this story 4 stars instead of 5 is the ending. Considering that practically the entire story was an intense thrill ride that kept me on the edge of my seat, the ending seemed rushed and a bit anti-climatic. After everything these characters have done and been through, my first thought was “that’s it?”
Overall though, this is one of Ms. Novak’s best series and while this particular storyline may seem concluded, I suspect she’s not quite finished with us.
Face Off by author Brenda Novak is the third Evelyn Talbot thriller. I had read the first book in the series, but not the second. If this is your first one, it works as a stand-alone book without any problems. Evelyn had been raped and tortured at the age of sixteen by a sadistic boyfriend, Jasper Moore. He was never captured for the murder of her best friends and for her horrible assault. She has lived her life becoming stronger and currently studies the psychopathy of deviant criminals. She has relocated to Alaska where she is the lead psychiatrist at Hanover House, a prison for some of the very worst serial killers.
The trouble starts when a woman on vacation with her brother and some friends goes missing from a cabin.
Amarok is the chief of police in the small town of Hilltop. Actually, he and Phil are the only men in their small police office. Amarok loves Evelyn and has helped her heal body and soul from the brutality she suffered as a teenager. He and Evelyn are trying to have a baby together, and they are hoping for a peaceful family life. This is a part I did not understand completely. Evelyn loves Amarok, they live together and are trying to have a baby, but later in the story, Evelyn seems less than committed to a life forever in Alaska because of problems with her mother and sister. Evelyn seemed too quick to leave the enormous responsibilities of Hanover House and her plans with Amorak without a well thought out plan because her sister was asking her to come back home to help with her parents. But other than that, the story is a non-stop thriller, with twists and a serial killer living and working among them. Evelyn is the obsession of Andy Smith who happens to be…Jasper Moore!
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Face Off is book three in the Evelyn Talbot series. We finally got to see the confrontation between Evelyn and Jasper that has been building throughout the series. This book was absolutely fabulous. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout quite a bit of the book. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Loved this book.
We are back at the Hanover House already anticipating another installment of Dr. Evelyn Talbot and her incarcerated psychopaths. We are all still in love with her boyfriend aka “the wolf’, the only police in the small Alaska town and think it could not get worse for their town or for this loving couple. Yep, it can and it will because Jasper is back and he has his eyes, hopes, and dreams to capture Evelyn once again. A suspenseful thriller that will have you guessing, then guessing wrong, and then having you stop to catch your breath. As always there are enough twists to have you thinking no way and enough possible scenarios to what you are reading to have you thinking you have it all figured out and then bam, you are wrong again. Well done Brenda Novak!
This is the latest in the Evelyn Talbot series. It was easy to read and kept my interest. The search intensifies in the search for Jasper. Little does Evelyn know how close he is to her, or the plans he is making for their reunion. Although, he eventually gets sloppy and captured, is it really over? This is a good read,but my favorite of the series is Hello Again.
Brenda Novak has done it again with her most suspenseful series with Dr. Evelyn Talbot in Hanover House Prison in Anchorage, AK. The characters are complicated & well developed. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time waiting for another gruesome murder or the serial killer, Jasper Moore, to be captured. I highly recommend this series for all Romantic Suspense, Thriller readers.
Just love reading Brenda Novak novels.
I am reviewing this book as an ARC without compensation.
Spine tingling storytelling. Hang on to your seat and keep turning the pages. You will find yourself holding your breath and wanting to close your eyes as you imagine what is coming next. It is so very good.
Face Off (The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #3) was another great read by Brenda Novak. Evelyn Talbot has vowed to never be a victim again. But it seems like her past and Jasper are coming to haunt her again. A young woman goes missing from a nearby cabin, and everything seems to lead to Jasper. Amarok investigates and starts to find two bodies. It seems as though Jasper is hiding in plain sight and now Evelyn might not survive a second time. This was another great read in The Evelyn Talbot Series. I can’t wait to read more by Brenda Novak.
I can’t say enough about this book. This is the 4th book in the Evelyn Talbot series, and it was one of my favorites!
Brenda Novak is an Author who’s book’s have been on my shelves for year’s. And I anxiously await each new book/series she writes. Brenda writes edge of your seat thrillers, and romance series with characters you wish were your friends!
I absolutely loved this book, and was unable to put it down!! If you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend you do!
https://sherrilhollister.com/2019/07/17/review-of-brenda-novaks-face-off/
A page turner you won’t be able to put down!
Insane! One of the beat ones to date! Brenda Novak definitely has a talent for creating characters and world’s that suck you in and hold you captive! I did not even put it down while I was making dinner! Intense! Nail biting! The things Evelyn goes through and the amount of situations she gets herself into would be laughable if they were anyone else. But for someone who has such notoriety, it’s merely another day at work for her. Except this time the man that started it all seems to be closer than she ever thought possible. And she may have to give up the only good thing that she has ever had in her life. You do not want to miss this installment!
This is not my usual genre of choice. I don’t usually like scary books, but you can’t go wrong with anything written by Brenda Novak. There are enough twists and turns in this book to keep you on your toes, which is hard when you’re also on the edge of your seat. Novak writes strong characters and her plot development is incredible. Having said that, I was really hoping the story would be over at the end of this book…but it’s not. That means I have to put myself through the suspense and apprehension that will go along with at least one more book. I just can’t stop myself.
Note: You definitely must start at the beginning of the series so that you get all the creepiness from the start.
Oh Brenda, this Talbot series just keeps getting more and more intense with each book. This one had me literally sitting on the edge of my seat. I don’t know if I can handle having to wait for Blindspot to come out! That is pure torture LOL! Thanks Brenda!
This series has a continuing story arc. I do NOT recommend reading the books out of order.
The Set Up
Evelyn Talbot is the head psychiatrist at Hanover House, a maximum security prison for serial killers, located in Hilltop, Alaska. The facility is devoted to the psychological study of these criminals and it’s her mission to somehow discover what drives them so she might better understand the one who tried to kill her when she was sixteen years old. Benjamin (Amarok) Murphy is an Alaska State Trooper assigned to the community and is in a relationship with Evelyn. He’s recently returned from the lower 48 after coming very close to capturing Jasper Moore, the man who has haunted Evelyn for most of her life.
The Issues
Unbeknownst to Evelyn and Amarok, Jasper is hiding in plain sight. He surgically altered his appearance years ago, moved to Alaska eight months ago and is a corrections officer at the prison. Jasper’s methodically plotting his final face off with the one that got away and who he’s obsessed with. When two women are found murdered, both Amarok and Evelyn know instinctively that Jasper is now among them.
The Bottom Line
It was chilling getting the alternating narratives, particularly Jasper’s, holding my breath as they investigated and searched for him, trying to figure out his identity. The close calls and near misses kept me off balance and so highly stressed I had to keep putting the book down. This final confrontation was one I was anticipating and looking forward to reading. I just didn’t think about how suspenseful, thrilling and downright scary it would be. There wasn’t any relief at all and that’s what made this SO good!
Loved it…. can’t wait for sequel. Read it in one sitting…..easy & additive.