FACELESS – Debra Webb
A Perfect 10
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0-312-94224-9
August 2008
Romantic Suspense

Alabama; Various Locations - Present Day

Now that Joseph Stokes has finally been caught, Deputy District Attorney Carson Tanner feels vindicated that his family's killer is put behind bars. What's even better is that Stokes will spend the rest of his life in a maximum security cell in Holman Prison, considered by some to be the worst prison in the state of Alabama. It's been fifteen years since their death as Carson tries to compel Stokes to talk and tell him why he massacred his family in particular. At the end of the discussion, Carson gets a response from Stokes, but it's not quite the answer he wanted to hear. Carson doesn't believe he has all the facts, but his integrity insists that he find the truth at all costs. He is considered the wonder boy of the state and can do no wrong. But one night Carson does make a mistake and ends up regretting a passion-filled evening with a mysterious blonde woman whom he meets in a bar while celebrating his legal and personal victory.

Annette Baxter is a bold and beautiful "fixer." She's re-invented herself from a child in the foster care system without a penny to her name into a very wealthy and powerful woman with the ability to sort out a problem and resolve it for those in positions of authority. Annette has perfected a cool façade of indifference and skill to ensure her continued success with influential men. She is considered a master manipulator of the truth. One night she's in the right place at the right time and propositions a stranger for an erotic adventure.

Both Carson and Annette have personal agendas in life that are very different, yet they are destined to meet with catastrophic consequences. With the success of catching serial killer Stokes, Carson's boss, District Attorney Donald Wainwright, wants him to focus on bringing in Otis Fleming. Wainwright has been a mentor to him for the past five years so Carson looks forward to showing off his expertise again. He also thinks it may be possible to spend time with Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Drake -- the only woman he's ever loved. After the murder of his parents 15 years ago, Elizabeth went away and has come back within the past two years. Fleming has had ties to organized crime for the past 20 years, but no one has been able to catch the elusive man in the act. He does have a weakness, however, in his confidante Annette Baxter. Carson has never heard of Annette, but feels that she must know the man she works with is a crook. When Carson is shown the picture of the woman he thinks can help him land Fleming, he's shocked to realize she's the stranger he slept with the other night!

Debra Webb took me on an emotional rollercoaster then wouldn't let me off. The suspense in FACELESS is a gripping and nail-biting journey that will keep readers talking for days. Both lead characters have suffered as children, and it's intriguing to see how it has molded them into the man and woman they are today. Carson's morality and sense of justice has allowed him to be successful as an attorney. Annette's abuse as a child assures her that it is useless trusting men, and that she must keep the upper hand at all times. There is clearly tension between Carson and Annette, and they don't seem to like each other at all, but the realization that they are both being manipulated by people close to them is tangible. There are skeletons in the closet that are fighting to get out. Someone wants these characters out of the picture, but we're not ready for them to go. Their personas are distinctly poles apart, yet amidst the deceit and miscommunication, Debra Webb expertly manages to give us a love story that is poignant and unexpected. FACELESS teased and taunted me until I stayed up all night reading, only to be stunned by the astounding ending. This is a blockbuster thriller screaming to be told in the movie theater, and I'd be the first person in line for a ticket. A Perfect 10 you're sure to enjoy!

Allegra Alston