WOW! I previously loved Rob’s last series of books so this was a must read for me with high expectations. I was not disappointed! Rob has done it again… Blown me away. Outstanding. Brilliant.

Faceless is a dark, fast paced, disturbing, edge of your seat thriller. It will have you hooked from the first page. You will not be able to put it down! Parts actually had my stomach clenching and turning parts were that dark and twisted! I must also mention I loved DI Rosalind Kray’s character.

Faceless is one of those books that makes you go… AHHH THAT’S WHY IT’S CALLED THAT! A brilliant start to a brand new upcoming series that is bound to blow us all away! I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for this series. A well deserved five stars, highly recommend to you all… BUT! Don’t read it alone, at night, in the dark. Not for the faint hearted!

This book was an absolute pleasure to read and review. The story is dark and gruesome, featuring a wonderfully merciless killer with an agenda that makes perfect sense to him but takes our detective heroine a little longer to figure out. Some chapters are related by the killer himself, giving the reader a good insight into his motives and twisted world. The characters are well described and the reader comes to know them pretty quickly. I hope there is more to come from this author featuring DI Kray as it would be a shame to say goodbye to her. I was gripped from start to finish - it's one book you really can't put down till the very end!

One chapter, it's all you need, trust me.....

I say that because even before the end of the first chapter I knew I was going to love Faceless. DI Rosalind Kray is just the kind of female protagonist I love.  A feisty, no nonsense, straight talker she is everything that compels you to keep on reading, not only to discover the messes she'll get herself into, but to revel in the way she gets out of them too.

Told in alternating narratives between Kray and the killer, it's a read that will keep you guessing from page to page, it will at times have you horrified, the killer is more depraved than any I have read for some time.

All this said you will still be unable to put the book down.  I sat and read it in one sitting  and recommend you find yourself a comfy corner and huddle yourself up with all things cosy so you can enjoy.  Don't do a LifeOfCri.me and sit in the dark, during torrential rain and a thunderstorm.....

Five big, fat, shiny stars for this absolute stonking read, with a gruesome and twisted storyline that refused to let go of me. Definitely not for the feint-hearted.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

This was a gripping, gruesome serial killer police procedural. It was very descriptive and didn't shy away from any of the gory details. This made for a very atmospheric and terrifying read and it definitely got the adrenalin pumping! Definitely not for the faint of heart but anyone who enjoys a dark and disturbing read will love this.

A bold statement from me, Rob has rendered me speechless. I’m sitting here trying to adopt a course of action on how I can encapsulate what Rob has produced so effectively, in truth my brain is addled, the review function is fragmented, Faceless has accomplished what few others have done.

DI Rosalind Kray returns to work after suffering from physical and mental injuries and the death of her husband, the harsh reality is the scars are not just visible but internalised, imprinted on her memory, Kray throws everything she has into work, trying to escape the fact she is finding it hard to cope, but the flaws are there for all to see.

The killer has purpose, has meaning to the crimes, the deaths are not random, they are exact, a meticulous choice, can Kray and the team bring the killer down, will the killer trip up, make mistakes, only time and flipping of the pages will tell.

The alternating sequence of narration between Kray’s point of view and the Serial Killer’s is spot on, it flowed effortlessly, allowing the plot to unfold without the needless fill-ins which can detract from the whole scenario of the book, allowing me the sense of being in the very pages, walking in the footsteps of Kray and the Serial Killer.

I was giddy with a sense of intensity reading about the killer, the dark and twisted disparity of the serial killer. Rob painted a picture, a true piece of art, a reflection of what I believe a deviant of this nature truly becomes. Rob drew a picture of the killers past, how the past reflected on the present, yes I felt sorry for the killer at times but this was their chosen path, a path that could have been avoided, if that switch hadn’t been flipped.

Rob has managed to turn my insides, inside out, the sick behaviour of the serial killer, the imagination Rob has too run riot throughout the book with twisted and gruesome scenarios is beyond my comprehension believe me that’s in a good way. Loads of hand over mouth, peering over the top of the book to see if your life is secure, no danger to your life. All that’s left to say it OMG what an ending……..

Thanks go to Bloodhound Books, Rob Ashman and Sarah Hardy for an advanced readers copy of Faceless in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion. Thanks to Sarah Hardy for letting me join the Blog Blitz.

I was such a big fan of The Mechanic Trilogy so I was very excited to have the opportunity to review Rob’s new book and I’m pleased to say I was not disappointed.

Faceless gripped me from the start with its unusual and graphic opening, the like of which I haven’t read before. The descriptions of the crime scene were so brilliantly described I felt that I was experiencing everything first hand amongside the police. I could smell the stomach churning smells which caused me to feel very sick and could here the buzzing of those nightmare inducing flies. I actually ended up dreaming about the flies so vividly were they described.

I liked Kray the main detective on the case. She is a very strong, determined woman who seems to know her stuff concerning police investigating. She knows what should be done and likes to conduct investigation by the book, her way, not allowing anyone else to have her say. She is just back to work after the murder of her husband and feels like she has a lot to prove regarding her performance. My heart went out to her in this as I can imagine how hard it must be having everyone watching you, waiting for you to mess up. Her relationship with her boss seemed fraught with competition and anger. I enjoyed reading about her ability to play her boss and felt like cheering when she got one over on him and made a huge discovery in the case.

The story is told from the point of view of Drake and the murder which really fascinated me. It was interesting to be able to see into the murder’s mind, learn more about them and why they were doing what they did. The murder was definitely, as they described themselves, a psycho and some of his thoughts and reasons sent a shiver down my spine. They seemed to have a lot of hatred and it was interesting finding out more about their background and what had happened to make them do this. As the reader has a first hand account of the murders there were times when I worked stuff out before Kray which was very effective as it made me reader faster and faster as I willed her to make the connection for herself. It also helped make some of the situations in the book more tense as I knew stuff that the characters didn’t, which I thought was brilliantly done.

The story is very fast paced with lots happening and lots of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, sometimes quite literally! I managed to read this book in two days no mean feat for a woman with three kids on half term. I thought it was absolutely brilliant and I urge everyone to read it.

Rob is the author of quite a few amazing books and I think I’ve read most of them. His thrillers are always fantastically written, unusual and quite dark which combined makes for a great read. I really look forward to reading more from him in the future.

Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy and Bloodhound books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

Despite seeing Rob Ashman’s name floating around various blogs and hearing quite a lot of buzz about his Mechanic Trilogy (and actually owning those), this is my first introduction to his work and what an introduction it was! Bloody hell!

I started reading Faceless minutes after finishing dinner and pretty much regretted that instantly as the description of the murder scene burnt itself onto my eyelids and shot right up my nose. I may have uttered the word “eeww” and pulled faces. A lot. And I loved it because that’s just the type of grossness I like in my crime thrillers. No, it doesn’t say weirdo across my forehead, thank you.

DI Rosalind Kray returns to work after surviving an attack, which left her husband dead. This background story is revealed along the way and already kept me intrigued without even digging into the murder investigation. Unsurprisingly, Roz has quite a few demons to deal with but I took to her pretty quickly and I especially enjoyed her “inner voice” when dealing with the stupidity of those around her.

As for the killer, well, they are quite unlike any other killer I’ve had the “pleasure” of meeting. A meticulous planner with a master plan to rid the world of evil, they are somehow able to remain under the radar, invisible and unnoticeable. While the victims seem to be chosen at random, this serial killer knows perfectly well who is next and why. It took me a while to figure out who was responsible. Actually, it took me until Rob Ashman gave the game away. Up until that point, I was pointing my finger at pretty much everyone.

It’s quite obvious that Rob Ashman knows perfectly well how to spin a story and keep the reader gripped throughout. There was always a sense of time running out and even though I felt one instance was a tad on the predictable side, that didn’t matter to me as I was desperate to see how things would be wrapped up. And boy, what a zinger to end with! Faceless is a gritty, compelling and thrilling serial killer thriller that kept me utterly engrossed and I look forward to seeing what Rob Ashman comes up with next!

My review is written with thanks to Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books for inviting me on the blog blitz, and for my copy of the book via Netgalley.
Detective Inspector (DI) Rosalind Kray is back at work after an incident on her previous case. Her first assignment is a serial killer who removes the faces of his victims after he has killed them. As the investigation gets deeper, Kray realises that there is a personal element to this case, and she could be next. Can she find the killer before her own life is in danger?
I've heard a lot about Ashman, but I've not had chance to read his previous trilogy yet, so I was delighted to be invited to read this first instalment of his new series featuring Rosalind (or Roz to her friends) Kray. I have been missing out! His writing is so slick that you cannot help but be drawn into this fascinating novel. At times, I felt like I was investigating the murders with Roz, right in the thick of it, and I could not rest until the killer had been caught.
There's no "whodunnit" element to Faceless: the reader is privy to his identity from very early on, although his motives are not immediately clear. The thrill is in the chase in this novel. Just when you think that the killer is about to be apprehended, he slips from their grasp. I could feel Roz's own frustration as I turned each page. At times, Faceless can be gruesome, not least through the killer's horrifying methods to obliterate his victims, but I enjoy a bit of gore, and in this novel, it adds to a brilliantly tense atmosphere, which had me hooked!
As a new fictional detective on the scene, I like DI Roz Kray. She's a determined maverick, and she has a heartbreaking yet compelling back story. I know that she is a character who has a lot more to give, and I can't wait to see where Ashman takes her.

DI Roz Kray has only been back at work for short time after a vicious knife attack, she is called out to investigate the complaints of a bad smell which turns out to be a young woman who has been brutally attacks and seemingly dead for a long time. Another body shows up and it seems they have a serial killer on their hands. Can Roz battle her own demons and get to the bottom of the case?

Now Rob Ashman has been on my radar for a while now but I’ve never actually read any of his books so I’m so glad that I finally got to read this one! This book is gritty, realistic, brutal and absolutely terrifying which to many people would seem off putting but I absolutely loved it.

This is a seriously addictive read. There were so many shocking twists and revelations I gasped out loud on several occasions (cue a lot of are you okays from my family).

Roz is a little OCD with bad eating habits (.i,e barely eats at all) and she is incredibly depressed but after losing her husband and being horribly scarred herself who wouldn’t be? I found myself really rooting for her especially as she ends up clinging onto the case with her fingertips as her senior officers start doubting her sanity.

I’m going to say that this book has one of my top fears in it, I’m not going to tell you what in case of spoilers but still I just couldn’t put this book down. Okay yes, there are certain aspects of the story which I found a little unbelievable but it’s so well written that I personally didn’t really think about it until I started writing this review.

Overall not for the faint of heart or those that are overly squeamish but a fantastic read and I hope to read more DI Roz Kray books in the future!

If you had told me two years ago that I would be reading severely dark and twisted novels such as this one, I would have laughed in your face and would have thought you were talking out of your 'youknowwhat'. Believe me, I am as surprised by my reading choices as a lot of people are. 'Faceless' couldn't be further away from my comfort zone if it tried, it really couldn't. This book is everything I would have wanted to stay away from two years ago, but now? I say keep books like this coming because I aim to be the first in the queue for many more of Rob Ashman's novels!

I wouldn't advise eating whilst you read 'Faceless' as the content is enough to turn stomachs more than once. Although, I would love to know if anyone has read this book before bed and whether they ended up being scared faceless? I had to ensure that I had reached the end of the book before I went up to the land of nod, purely because I didn't fancy seeing the images that I managed to conjure up thanks to Rob Ashman, replayed in my head when I tried to sleep. I'm stupid, but not that stupid haha.

Rosalind Kray is back to work after falling victim to an attacker who wished to skin her like a chicken. Unfortunately for her attacker, she got away, but, unfortunately for Roz, her husband died because of it. With an extremely famous surname such as 'Kray', I was half expecting the main character to have a twin who worked alongside her in the force. She didn't though!

I am trying to be exceptionally vague with this review as I don't wish to slip up and give anything away. However, I can tell you that 'Faceless' is severely twisted. I am actually quite proud of myself seeing as this storyline contained references to two things I am extremely scared of; maggots and snakes. But I read it!! I didn't like those parts, but I read them haha.

Whilst themes like the one used in Rob Ashman's novel are ones I would usually steer myself away from, I couldn't help but be hooked on what I was reading. Yes, this book is twisted beyond belief, and yes it is extremely dark, but the way in which the author brought everything together to form the conclusion he did, was incredibly gripping and very well written. The graphic nature of 'Faceless' adds intense depth to an otherwise already highly charged read, which allowed me to visualise every eventuality in the story a lot clearer than I usually would have done. I'm not too sure whether that is 100% a good thing as I did feel slightly sick, but it most certainly wasn't a bad thing as it worked. I honestly don't think that the storyline would have been able to carry itself at such a level if the author hadn't included graphic scenes.

All in all, 'Faceless' is, once again, TWISTED but oh so addictive. I am so glad that I had the chance to hop, skip and jump out of my comfort zone with this read. Saying that, I don't think I will be looking at tools in the same away ever again.

Dark, nauseating, intense, destructive, yet incredibly written - I am more than happy to be 'Faceless' if this is the outcome!*


*not literally....

OMFG I am so excited for you all to read this book it is absolutely amazing and will leave you hyperventilating! I am a massive fan of Rob's Mechanic series and he has totally smashed it and brings us something that you can certainly get your teeth into..... This is without a doubt his best book by far.

You know how much I love a good prologue right?! has it always sets the scene for whats to come. Well this starts off with a brilliant prologue which kept me on tender hooks

So in this story we are introduced to DI Kaye who I adored. She is a strong kick ass character who doesn't give up I cant wait to find out more about her in the next book with her author dropping snippets of information out along the way.

Set in Blackpool a place that I love and know well so I loved the setting and felt right there in the story wiling Kaye along. The story is written with chapters told from the killers point of view. Which I have to admit I am not a big fan of unless it's done right, but Rob has totally nailed it.

Faceless will grab you round the throat and doesn't let you go until the very last page
It is dark and disturbing with some very gruesome descriptions which actually made me feel physically sick, so do be warned this isn't a book for the faint hearted. It's not every day I am half way through a book and know that it is going to be a five star read, but I did with this one.

It is jam packed with tension and OMG moments in fact there is nothing not to like and is the best book I have read this year so far.... what more can I say but this is a must read which I can not recommend enough giving it all the freaking stars.

Well done Rob I am left now dying to read the next book in the series.

This is a great read which will have you on the edge of your seat.
Kray has recently returned to work after a horrific attack when she is called out after someone reports a bad smell in a property. This turns out to be the decomposing body of a young woman, and Kray soon realises she’s faced with a murder investigation.
The story alternates from Kray’s point of view and the also the killers point of view.
The killer is seriously twisted and whilst sometimes you feel sorry for them, in this case I didn’t.
The story moves at a fast pace and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Mechanic Trilogy by this author, for me, was an amazing read and this new book Faceless is just as amazing.. Faceless is a gruesome gripping read. Which I read in one sitting. A great new character, Detective Roz Kray has been created and I look forward to meeting her again. The plot is intriguing and cleverly written.. Certainly not for the faint hearted but a fantastic thriller!

Ever since I’ve read The Mechanic trilogy Faceless by Rob Ashman has been one of my anticipated reads of 2018. Now sometimes my most anticipated reads can turn out to be a big let down because I expect great things, but I’m thrilled to report this wasn’t the case, in fact Faceless made for a brilliant read and if anything it actually surpassed my expectations. Rob Ashman has such a vivid and dare I say fertile imagination I do wonder how he manages to sleep at night! I’m not adverse to a crime thriller that’s gruesome in fact I rather enjoy them if I’m honest, the fact Faceless has one of the most chilling serial killers who carries out the most repugnant killings I’ve ever come across made this book such a thrilling albeit a horrifying (in a totally good way) read

Full review to follow on my blog soon

Wow, just absolutely loved this book from the start! The story flows easily and is so descriptive, it is like you are there. DI Roz Kray has only recently returned from sick leave and does not get on well with her boss.

When she attends a call out with a PC to a house where a neighbour is complaining of the smell. Once inside the premises there is the strong smell of a decaying body. Upon searching the flat, DI Kray can hear a buzzing noise behind the bedroom door.....

The book is well written and the story flows so easily, you just want to keep reading to find out what happens next! It's full of intrigue and plots, well thought out.

First time I had read this author but I will be reading more of his work. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book

This is my first read by this author and after reading this I know it won’t be my last as this was a great read.

DI Rosalind Kray has returned to work after a tragedy in her personal life. She throws everything she’s got into finding a serial killer. DI Kray is a flawed character and I was so backing her all the way.

This is a really well written police procedural story. I thought the author was very descriptive and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future. Loved it.

Faceless is a fantastic, jaw-dropping journey as I was introduced to DI Roz Kray. My god this is a character who has been through the mill as her is explained through the story. The way other senior members and colleagues treat her is despicable and the story is not just about the investigation she is on but, also about her battle with departmental attitudes. She is a character I immediately liked with her quirky ways and her stubborn bloody mindedness. The author gives enough history on her so that you get a real idea of what ,makes her tick.

There are other characters who you soon realise are sleazeballs, power trippers and there are also a smattering of good guys. A copper with a demon. As for the baddie.... he is twisted, evil and then some as I soon discovered as the story was developed and things start falling into place.

The plot is kicks off at a pretty quick pace and the author has not held back. A few f-words escaped my lips and a couple of variations of said word also joined in. The story has twists and a superb sense of suspense and edge of the seat feel to it, with an underlying darkness that gripped me.

If you like your police procedural crime thrillers dark and evil then this is definitely a book for you.   and a killer that It is a story that has shocks and the odd graphic scene, cosy mystery it ain't so be warned! I would highly recommend this book it is a bloody fantastic read and I did not want it to end.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

DI Roz Kray has returned to work after a tragedy in her personal life and some serious injuries. We are drip fed pointers to what these events are throughout the early chapters. This build up is very cleverly done and I was desperate to find out why and how Roz was so damaged emotionally. The reveal did not disappoint and had me enthralled.

A woman's badly composing body is discovered and Roz is called in to investigate. We hear the killers voice and the reasons why he is so badly damaged. The bodies start to pile up and the team must work fast to make the links.

This is my first book by Rob Ashman and I am understandably kicking myself as to why I have not discovered him before. His portrayal of a sick and twisted killer is told with such gruesome and unique detail. It is not for the faint hearted and the violence is told in a brutal and honest way. I LOVED it. Am a little worried about what it says about my taste in books but I didn't feel it sensationalized the depravity of the killer but told in a realistic way.

5/5 stars - Fantastic!

First things first: That. Ending. OMG.

It was the perfect way to wrap up the book, but it was also so intense that it has left me thirsty for more. I can't wait to see what comes next for Kray.

OK, back to the rest of the story. It was a great book, with plenty of twists and a bit of a gruesome edge - I mean, this bad guy is BAD. And Kray is great. She's a perfectly flawed hero, who we root for, but also worry for because she may be on a self-destructive path.

I also liked the secondary characters in this one, like Tavener and even Brownlow to an extent. I was totally invested in their story and the case. I can't wait for the next chapter in this story.