Today's Read: The Man with No Face by Peter May

Imagine that you're a Scottish journalist on assignment to investigate the political climate in Brussels as the UK is on the verge of joining the European Union. What would you do if the journalist you're supposed to meet up with is found dead alongside a high-ranking British government official? You would likely stick around to figure out what happened. That's what protagonist Neil Bannerman does.

Here's how the book starts:

Kale watched the train through the rain-spattered glass and thought, this time will be the last. But even as the thought formed in his mind it clotted and he knew he would kill again.

—The Man with No Face by Peter May (Quercus, March 5, 2019., p. 3)

Quick Facts

• Setting: Brussels, 1979
• Circumstances: Neil Bannerman, a journalist for an Edinburgh newspaper, is sent to Brussels to cover the discussion surrounding the entry of the UK into the European Union. When a fellow journalist and a British Cabinet minister are found dead, presumably having shot each other, Bannerman's plans for a routine article are abandoned, especially when he discovers the journalist's autistic daughter was a witness to the crime. The only clue she can provide is a drawing of a faceless killer. The more Bannerman looks into the crime, the more he suspects deep and dirty politics, but worse, how can he be sure the killer won't strike again. What will happen once he learns about the child witness?
• Genre: murder mystery
• Things to know: May wrote this book early in his career (in 1981) when he himself was still a journalist in Scotland. The novel is, as the author's note reminds us, set in a pre-internet world, where journalists still used typewriters and had to find a library, witnesses, or archives to conduct research. May was involved with this re-issue of the novel.
• Why I want to read it: I've read several of May's books (all set in Scotland) and love how he can set a mood and create characters that evoke an emotional response. I really like Belgium, so the setting is a draw for me.
• What's holding me back: First, I'm kind of hoping this will be available on audio. Second, although May himself still stands behind this early novel, I'm worried that it won't be as polished as more recent books. Regardless, I'm really pretty sure I'll read this in one form or another. Note that the review rating is 4.1 stars on Goodreads and 4.2 on Amazon
• Acknowledgments: thanks to Quercus for a finished review copy of Peter May's The Man with No Face.