**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
Well it has taken a year to get to this book and it was so worth it. If you have read the series you have to read this book ASAP. If you haven’t read the series yet, why not? This is my absolute favorite series from Brenda. We finally get a resolution with Jasper. This series has been building to this book and it doesn’t disappoint. I don’t want to give anything away so I will leave my review as is.
4 1/2 STARS!
Jasper returns … and life will never be the same! With the next book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, we pick up shortly after the previous book left off. Deviant Jasper is hiding in plain sight right under Evelyn’s nose, and planning his next big attack. We foray the ups and downs of how life is settling in with everyone and watch with baited breath for them to figure out the evil that is lurking. The next book is set up in a huge way, so I’m really looking forward to the next installment!
Psychiatrist Evelyn Talbot has never let life get her down. Even when brutalized and left for dead at 16 by her psychopath boyfriend, she picked up the pieces and made it her life’s work to study the minds of such criminals to see how she could help stop it from happening again. Now she’s the lead doctor at a specialized prison in Hilltop, Alaska that she helped spearhead into being built. Behind their doors, they study some of the most horrific serial killers from around the country.
When a couple of women’s bodies are found in ways reminiscent of Jasper’s past crime scenes, Evelyn and her boyfriend Amarok who is the only law around for the small Alaskan town begin to get worried. Jasper is near, and he’s coming for her. She’s escaped with her life before, but odds are she won’t be that lucky again!
Brenda Novak does it again! In the third book about Hanover House and Dr. Evelyn Talbot the suspense about Jasper Moore comes to a head. Reading this book made my heart race as I wanted to yell “There he is! Don’t let him get away again!” At the same time the love between Evelyn and Amarok is put to the test as Evelyn has to make a choice between guilt over her family and the man who finally brought joy into her life once again!
It’s a can’t put down thriller!!
The place, Alaska. Near enough to Anchorage to have employees of the maximum security psychiatric prison live there rather than the small town where the prison is located. The prison, holds the worst of the worst. Men who murder because they like it. Here Evelyn and her team work to try to understand the minds of the perpetrators of these grizzly crimes. The problem. One person has been able to escape capture, because he works there.
If you’ve been reading this series, you know the problem person is Jasper Moore. He lives in Anchorage and goes about his life, working, killing, hiding bodies. Evelyn and Amarok are pretty certain Jasper is in Alaska, but just can’t seem to find him. If Jasper hadn’t had the bad luck to have his latest kill found by a vacationer, he might have succeeded with his plan to kidnap Evelyn.
Evelyn needs to start acting like the intelligent administrator that she had to be to get this project off the ground. She needs to let her family know their games won’t be tolerated. There are issues with her family that need to be discussed, and she needs to take those head on. She also needs to decide what she wants in her personal relationship. Amarok won’t wait around forever.
I really liked this book, but just couldn’t give it 5 stars because it seemed to me that Jasper became dumbed down in Face Off. In the other books in this series, he was a brilliant psychopath. In this one, he did a number of really dumb things so you knew it wouldn’t end well for him. After the terrifying and jaw dropping ending in the last book, I was hoping for more of the same.
This is book 3 in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles and we return to Hilltop, Alaska with Evelyn and Amorak. This is another brilliant game of cat and mouse between these two and Jasper. He’s starting to make mistakes and the kill count is rising but it’s far from over.
The story line is built so well that you get ensnared and dinner has to be postponed until you read just one more chapter. I love it! The small taste we get at the end of this book has me waiting so impatiently for the next book in this brilliantly written series.
I loved Face Off and can’t wait to see what happens next!
Holy moly! What an emotional rollercoaster. I had to force myself to read this and enjoy every aspect of it. MS. Novak doesn’t disappoint one bit in this edition of Dr. Evelyn Talbot novels. I pretty much was set not to read another word as I was getting towards the end of the book. I forced myself to continue forward. I can’t say more than that without giving spoilers. Characters,as always are very well developed. I hope we get to see more of Brianne in future books, she needs more story time. Plot… AMAZING! Not that I am surprised by this, as Hanover House is what hooked me on MS. Novak’s writing . So looking forward to Blind spot when it releases! 5/5 would totally give it more. If it allowed me too. Crossposting to My Reading Reality, Goodreads and Book Bub.
Page turner! Unput downable! I stayed up late reading this book Face Off by Brenda Novak! Evelyn survived Jasper cutting her throat over 20 years ago but with decades gone by, plastic surgery had and thousands of miles from where he had her the first time, can and will Jasper be able to grab her and finish what he started? Evelyn knows in her heart Jasper has followed her to Alaska and she knows he is biding his time and the body count is rising but will they be able to get him before he gets her….
Awesome read! Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC book in turn for giving my honest opinion.
Face Off by Brenda Novak was everything I thought it would and WOULDN’T be. And more. It had plenty of twists and turns for Dr. Evelyn Talbot.
The book was absolutely fantastic! It answered some questions, but definitely left things open to another book.
I will be a forever fan of Brenda Novak, and Face Off is one book you don’t want to pass up!
Face Off by Brenda Novak is the third full length book in the Evelyn Talbot Series. There also was a novella to start out the series. Hopefully you have read the other books in this series if you have not I suggest you do, but if not the author does catch you up with the back story. This book kept me turning the pages and sitting at the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to see what the next installment brings. Very well done Brenda Novak.
A supercharged triller set in the isolated town
of Hilltop, Alaska. This story will chill and haunt
you from the first to the last word. A real page
turner.
A group goes on a hunting trip to Hilltop. A brother,
his two friends and his sister. The men go out to
hunt while the sister stays in the cabin. As it gets
late, she goes to the woodshed to get more logs
to keep the fire going. After breaking through the
door, she is horrified by finding a dead body!!!
The killer returns taking the sister and dead body
away with him.
Unknown to others this monster is the same serial
killer that had tortured forensic psychiatrist, Dr.
Evelyn Talbot when she was a teenager. Evelyn is
the only victim of this killer who managed to escape
after being kidnapped, tortured and left to die. Then
the serial killer disappeared but Evelyn knows he is
still out there and has a feeling he is close. But never
guessing that she sees him at work. He has changed
his appearance and works as a guard in the Hanover
House
The Hanover House is a high security penitentiary
where the worst serial killer are housed. They are
here for to study the psychopathology of their
behavior patterns.
Both Evelyn and Alaskan State Trooper, Sergeant
Amarok are in danger now!!
A blood chilling, terrorizing, horrifying and intriguing
read filed with tension, drama and plenty of twists
and turns.
The characters are very well defined, interesting,
colorful and filled with emotions.
I volunteered to read Face Off. Thanks to the author
for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
A Highly Recommended Read!!
Brenda Novak has done such a phenomenal job with this series. I have been on the edge of my seat the entire ride. This book, like the previous ones, has been very unpredictable and full of twists. I love Thrillers and Romantic Suspense novels, and Brenda Novak is definitely an amazing author who can write really gritty and dark stories. She is no rookie in this genre, and I am not one either as a reader. I have read a lot of thrillers, so my expectations are pretty high. And Brenda has met every one of them. The villains were really evil, and I was intrigued by them just like Evelyn. I am pretty interested in how the minds of serial killers work, so I love reading about them in both fiction and non-fiction books. So any Thriller/Romantic Suspense book about serial killers will catch my attention. I just can’t get enough of this series and awesome characters. I feel such a strong connection to Evelyn and Amarok , and I just loved seeing how much they have grown throughout this series.
Face Off was another perfect addition to this series, and I wouldn’t change one thing about this book. I thought for sure that Face Off was the last book in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. But imagine my surprise when I got to the end and saw an excerpt from the next book. Why did I think that this would be the last book? Because the whole series has been a build-up to this book. Evelyn will finally come face to face with the person who tortured and left her for death. How do I feel about this book not being the end? I don’t know yet, it will depend on which direction the author will take this series in the upcoming books.
I have loved this series from the beginning and this book is probably the best. When a woman goes missing, they are thinking she wondered off, but her brother knows better. Someone had to take her. As Amarok looks into the disappearance more, he finds evidence of another missing woman. Is this Jasper’s work? Evelyn is sure it is. With her sister visiting, Evelyn realizes that she needs to help with her parents more, but how can she leave Amarok. Even temporarily. Things heat up as they find evidence that Jasper committed more murders and then Amarok is forced to deal with his ex, Samantha. She just won’t give up and she is trying to find Jasper so he can help her get rid of Evelyn. She doesn’t care if Evelyn lives or dies, she just wants her out of Amarok’s life. Will Evelyn stay in Alaska and will they find Jasper before he kills more people?
This was a great addition to the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, one I’ve been waiting for. It was just as good as the other books in this series and moved the series along well.
I enjoy that Ms. Novak allows her characters in this series to grow and change, as we all do in life. It keeps things more interesting. I was surprised at the ending, but imagine that it won’t be long before we have another in this series that deals with the worst of the worst psychopaths.
If you’ve followed this series, definitely get this book!
This is the third book in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles and it is SO good. Full of suspense, danger, and twists! While I will suggest that you read the previous two books before this one, there is enough information given that will fill in any holes that there might be if you just started with this one. In this one, Evelyn is still looking over her shoulder waiting for Jasper to show up and finish what he started so many years ago. Jasper is just waiting for the right time to strike and put his plan into motion. I couldn’t put it down once I started it and that ending?!? Seriously?!? WOW!
OMG I can’t even breathe. This book is INTENSE! Now that Jasper aka Andy Smith has “saved” Evelyn’s life, he has inserted himself into her daily life by working at her prison. As he grows more impatient waiting on the right time to strike, he encounters some kinks in his plans. With Amarok closing in on him he keeps making stupid mistakes that will most certainly be his downfall. As the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place it seems the closer they are to catching Jasper the harder things are becoming. With Amarok wanting to keep Evelyn in his life permanently but trying to protect his heart, he’s over worked and over stressed at her possibly going back to Boston. As he invites her sister for a visit which he thought would help keep Evelyn company, he has no idea that she would guilt her into leaving Alaska. As Jasper gets closer to his goal, he’s almost giddy.
But with more dead bodies being found in Hilltop, the heat is on hotter than ever. I can’t say more without giving things away but I’ll just say after the first hints from the next book my heart is still pounding. I can’t wait for the next book “Blindspot” hurry please.
FACE OFF by Brenda Novak
Evelyn not only endured a nightmare at sixteen, to live with the thought the guilty man, was never caught. Living in a small town, the connection when two bodies are found, and seems to be that of Jasper, who tortured her. The plot is filled with tension, the thoughts of who it could be, when you know everyone around you. Readers will be caught up and wondering how it will end. Her books don’t disappoint her readers. Given ARC by Net Galley and St Martin’s. Press, for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
EllenOceanside
Hang on! The third book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles kept me up all night turning pages because I couldn’t go to sleep without finding out what happened. Evelyn and Amarok’s relationship is progressing, but the specter of Jasper is still hanging over every aspect of Evelyn’s life. When events come together to convince them both that Jasper has come to Alaska, Evelyn is determined to finally face the man who changed her life and move on.
There were definitely twists in the story as it moved to its climax. The characters are continuously developing and adding more depth to their relationships. There are also some tough decisions for Evelyn, with no small amount of agonizing.
Brenda Novak weaves a story that will keep you glued to will reel you in and hold you captive until the end.
#FaceOff #EvelynTalbotChronicles #HanoverHouse #BrendaNovak #StMartins
This is the third installment in this psychological thriller series and things really heat up in this one. Evelyn Talbot’s past has caught up with her as Jasper’s killing spree takes hold of the small Alaskan town of Hilltop. After twenty years Jasper’s obsession with Evelyn has taken over his every thought. Unfortunately he’s the master of disguise and can blend in with ease. With all the new people in Hilltop he could be anyone. The current rash of murders have the residents up in arms and blaming one of Evelyn’s inmates as being the guilty party. Amarok, the town sheriff and Evelyn’s boyfriend, doesn’t believe that. He knows Evelyn’s past and is certain Jasper is moving between them. Question is can he discover who Jasper is before he gets to Evelyn?
This series is truly fantastic and recommend you read them in order to have a clear understanding of all the twists and turns the story takes.
WOW, another great book by Brenda Novak. This series is a must read, start with “Hanover House” and you will be hooked. Evelyn is being stalked by her high school boyfriend, he is also a pyscho in every way possible. He left her for dead many years ago along with some high school friends. He has been on a killing spree ever since as he makes his way to Evelyn. Just a fantastic, keep you on the edge book.