The Naked Face – A Book Review
The Naked Face is a novel written by renowned American writer Sidney Sheldon. The book got first published in 1971 (copyright – 1970) by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. The review is based on the 14th impression (2018) published by HarperCollins Publishers. The Naked Face is a thriller fiction.
It is a story of a handsome and intellectual Dr Judd Stevens – a famous psychoanalyst in Manhatten. Over the years, he treated many patients and had seen facades of human personality. John Hanson, one of Dr Judd’s patients, was pacing up on his way home. He was full of hope and happiness after his last session with Dr Judd. But unfortunately, he gets murdered gruesomely. On the other side, Carol Roberts – a receptionist in Dr Judd’s clinic, was also tortured to death mercilessly in his clinic.
The two men, Lieutenant Andrew McGreavy and Detective Frank Angeli – are running the investigations on the murders. McGreavy suspects Dr Judd’s involvement in the murders as both John Hanson and Carol Roberts were connected to him and were seen last by Dr Judd. Due to a past incident in which McGreavy lost his colleague, he turned bitter toward Dr Judd. And now it seemed like McGreavy did not want to let go of Dr Judd.
During the following days, post the murders, Dr Judd reported incidents of someone keeping a watch and attempting to kill him, but every time it turned out to be folly to others because there was no evidence to support his reports. McGreavy believed the psychoanalyst was smartly playing gimmicks to derail the investigation to keep himself off the radar of prime suspects. Dr Judd was now in a difficult situation. Chances are that he will either be murdered or arrested for an accusation of murder.
How will Dr Judd save himself? Was somebody targeting Dr Judd, or had he successfully played the mind games? If someone tried to kill him, who could it be and why? Will the detective agencies help him? Or will he be pinned by McGreavy for murders? Who was the mysterious lady patient of Dr Jude? What was the truth behind mysterious brutal murders? Will the investigations get to the naked face of a murderer?
One must grab the book to enjoy this exciting thriller story by Sidney Sheldon.
As a reader, I found the story intriguing and thrilling with excellent narration. Some twists and turns with breathtaking moments keep you hooked to the book. It speaks about how psychology studies can predict human behaviour, how we begin to suppress our emotions since childhood and what this can lead to in some instances. The language is apt and easy but makes you feel awful at some points. However, if you are a fan of thriller stories and mysteries, then The Naked Face is a must on your list. If you like old literature, then the novel is one of the classy pieces that you can savour.
I rate the book 4 out of 5.
