The Man with No Face

by Peter Turnbull

Book Overview

The police procedural, when at its best, is the most satisfying and reassuring subgenre in the mystery field: the painstaking process of clues and questioning stills our primal fears about crime. But... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312192983
• ISBN13: 9780312192983
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Satisfying page-turner

This is apparently the last book in Turnbull's excellent police procedural series set in Glasgow. Det. Sgt. Ray Sussock is soon to reach retirement, as a very tired man. As ths book opens, he's coming off the night shift and because of the ending of daylight savings time during his shift, he's had to work an extra hour. But with minutes to go, he's called out on a homicide case. The body of a man has been found in a park, a gunshot entry wound in the back of the skull; the exit wound accounts for the descriptive title of this book. The dead man was a small time crook, fresh out of prison after doing time for a jewel robbery that most people think was way out of his league. But he served his time without incident and said nothing about the case to anyone. The case is pursued with competence, and some luck, by the P Division, who follow its trail into some disturbing events in the past. I had a hard time putting this book down. It was a compelling story, with well-developed characters and a solid plot. I was left wanting another installment in the P Division saga, but apparently that is not to be.

Glasgow Police Procedural

For me Peter Turnbull mixes interesting characters in his policemen with very detailed descriptions of exactly how P division works. There are many subtle details about his policemen that add colour to the tale. I find some of the postmortem details a little gruesome, but enjoyed the mortuary attendant's outlook on life. The interrelated crimes in this book gradually come into the open. The interrelationships of the crimes are complex. If you should wish to kidnap someone, in Scotland, and be reasonably certain of getting the ransom money without police interference there is a quite detailed description of how to do it. Also a very safe way to launder money. I was interested to read about the role of the collator, I had known about them before but this story showed how important the meta-data really is as the pieces fit slowly together.A satisfying book to read.From the dust cover of the Ulverscroft edition... When a man is found in Glasgow's prosperous West End district, his face blown off by a point-blank-range shooting, the P Division detectives quickly establish the identity of the Man with No Face. Establishing an identity, though, is easier than penetrating the mystery surrounding this killing - a mystery that deepens at every turn. Amid all the murkiness, the only thing that seems clear is that P Division has become involved in one of the most complex cases it has ever come up against - and the most dangerous.MYSTERY

Hard to put it down!

This is the first time I have read anything from Peter Turnbull. Not only does he give a beautiful and detailed description of the area around the mystery, he keeps you in suspense all they way through. I'm off to pull another one of his mysteries off the shelf!!!

Fans should turn to Turnbull for their police procedurals

Four years ago in Glasgow, petty thief Ronald Grenn is convicted of robbery and arson of Cernach Antiques in a crime that seems way beyond the ability of the criminal. Within a few hours of being released from prison, Ronald is found dead in the opulent West End district of the city. His face was blown off by the point blank range of the shot. Questions soon abound. How could a no-talented bum like Ronald commit the crime? What was a lowlife like him doing in the wrong side of town? Why did the owner of the antique store visit him while he served time? Even worse, why is the supposedly destroyed inventory of Cernach appearing in other antique stores? The Glasgow police begin their inquiries into these questions, hoping to learn who killed Ronald. THE MAN WITH NO FACE is a fantastic Scottish police procedural that will imbue fans of the sub-genre with an intense need to find the series' previous eight novels. The police investigation into the murder mystery with its link to two other crimes is cleverly developed by Peter Turnbull. The characters provide much depth to the profound plot. However, what makes this book so good is Mr. Turnbull's homage to Glasgow, which, in turn, provides the impetus to a terrific tale that adds luster to an already stupendous series.Harriet Klausner