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Psychoanalyst Judd Stevens must penetrate the mind of a murderer or he will find himself arrested for murder or be murdered himself.
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First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Sidney Sheldon
401 books8,578 followersSidney Sheldon (1917-2007) was an American writer who won awards in three careers—a Broadway playwright, a Hollywood TV and movie screenwriter, and a best-selling novelist.
His TV works spanned a twenty-year period during which he created I Dream of Jeannie (1965-70), Hart to Hart (1979-84), and The Patty Duke Show (1963-66), but it was not until after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game (1982), The Other Side of Midnight (1973) and Rage of Angels (1980) that he became most famous.
His TV works spanned a twenty-year period during which he created I Dream of Jeannie (1965-70), Hart to Hart (1979-84), and The Patty Duke Show (1963-66), but it was not until after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game (1982), The Other Side of Midnight (1973) and Rage of Angels (1980) that he became most famous.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 856 reviews
October 3, 2017
I was in a charity shop one day and I noticed a couple of books by this Sidney Sheldon guy which all had the most hideous covers. I didn't know at the time that Sidney Sheldon was the 7th bestselling writer of all time. I bought three of his books, which coincidentally were his first three, all for the reasonable price of 50c, or, about 16c each.
The Naked Face was Sheldon's first novel and it is awful. I mean, it is spectacularly terrible. The book is about a psychoanalyst named Judd who, after the murder of one of his patients and his receptionist, is next on the hit list of some crazed murderer. The first two victims of this killer are a gay guy and a black woman, I think that explains the territory we are in here with Sheldon's fantasy. In fact, I will happily call this entire novel racist and astoundingly homophobic, but that doesn't even begin to describe this mess of a novel.
So, I guess you're wondering why this is a two-star review then? Why am I not absolutely tearing into this obviously horrendous novel? Well, it's because I had so much fun with this bad book. The Naked Face seeps so far down into the chasm of abhorrence that you just cannot look away. It's like the movies they watch on Mystery Science Theatre 3000, they're so bad that they're good.
I found myself guffawing at the sheer ridiculousness of the plot and eventually rooting for our protagonist to finally get what he deserves and meet his death. At certain points of this novel it was like I was attending a pantomime and booing and hissing every time a baddie entered stage left. One major plot point is that a gay man was seeing Judd in order to 'cure' his homosexuality. How could anyone take this novel seriously after that? The novel's one black character is only present for a few pages but her impact is immense. She speaks in such heightened ebonics that you wonder if Sheldon ever actually met a black person and at one point she speak my favourite line in the whole novel, "If you don't ball me quick, I'll go out of my cotton-pickin' mind." YIKES. What was Sheldon thinking!?
In the end I didn't really want this novel to finish. I was having so much fun with it. Thankfully Sheldon has loads of other novels, all of which I hope are even more awful than this one. The Naked Face is a fabulous disaster.
The Naked Face was Sheldon's first novel and it is awful. I mean, it is spectacularly terrible. The book is about a psychoanalyst named Judd who, after the murder of one of his patients and his receptionist, is next on the hit list of some crazed murderer. The first two victims of this killer are a gay guy and a black woman, I think that explains the territory we are in here with Sheldon's fantasy. In fact, I will happily call this entire novel racist and astoundingly homophobic, but that doesn't even begin to describe this mess of a novel.
So, I guess you're wondering why this is a two-star review then? Why am I not absolutely tearing into this obviously horrendous novel? Well, it's because I had so much fun with this bad book. The Naked Face seeps so far down into the chasm of abhorrence that you just cannot look away. It's like the movies they watch on Mystery Science Theatre 3000, they're so bad that they're good.
I found myself guffawing at the sheer ridiculousness of the plot and eventually rooting for our protagonist to finally get what he deserves and meet his death. At certain points of this novel it was like I was attending a pantomime and booing and hissing every time a baddie entered stage left. One major plot point is that a gay man was seeing Judd in order to 'cure' his homosexuality. How could anyone take this novel seriously after that? The novel's one black character is only present for a few pages but her impact is immense. She speaks in such heightened ebonics that you wonder if Sheldon ever actually met a black person and at one point she speak my favourite line in the whole novel, "If you don't ball me quick, I'll go out of my cotton-pickin' mind." YIKES. What was Sheldon thinking!?
In the end I didn't really want this novel to finish. I was having so much fun with it. Thankfully Sheldon has loads of other novels, all of which I hope are even more awful than this one. The Naked Face is a fabulous disaster.
December 30, 2023
Catching Up…
It has been interesting going back in time and reading this author again. This is his first novel written in 1970.
And one that was donated to my Little Free Library Shed.
Interestingly…
It was also nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American writer.
And…
Adapted as a film in 1984 which was directed by Bryan Forbes and starring Roger Moore and Rod Steiger. A second adaptation is the Ukrainian feature-length film Sheriff’s Star in 1992, and in 2007, another film was based on this novel.
The story is about a caring psychoanalyst, Dr. Judd Stevens who must not only face the prospect that someone wants to kill him but that the police believe that he is responsible for the deaths of those killed.
Why is this happening?
This is a fast-paced, quick, page-turning, twisty, short novel (only 212 pages) that has readers guessing what is going on and why up to the last page.
October 30, 2019
“Life is a very thin thread and it only takes a second to snap it”
― Sidney Sheldon, The Naked Face
This book is a A slow simmer of intensity and madness.
This was Sidney Sheldon's first book and I somehow only got around to reading it after I had read most of his others. This was highly enjoyable.
So this is a story about a Psychologist who starts to believe one of his patients is trying to kill him. As time goes on though he wonders if he might be going mad. Is what's happening REALLY happening?
It is a riveting book and that does not surprise me because after all..it's Sheldon!
This is not my favorite by the author but it is a quick and fast paced FUN read. And anyone interested or in, the field of psychology who enjoys mysteries about psychologists would LOVE this. To me, I'd never have known this was his first novel.
So if you are a Sheldon fan do not miss this one. I do not know why it took me so long read it but I am glad I did.
― Sidney Sheldon, The Naked Face
This book is a A slow simmer of intensity and madness.
This was Sidney Sheldon's first book and I somehow only got around to reading it after I had read most of his others. This was highly enjoyable.
So this is a story about a Psychologist who starts to believe one of his patients is trying to kill him. As time goes on though he wonders if he might be going mad. Is what's happening REALLY happening?
It is a riveting book and that does not surprise me because after all..it's Sheldon!
This is not my favorite by the author but it is a quick and fast paced FUN read. And anyone interested or in, the field of psychology who enjoys mysteries about psychologists would LOVE this. To me, I'd never have known this was his first novel.
So if you are a Sheldon fan do not miss this one. I do not know why it took me so long read it but I am glad I did.
July 25, 2024
Not exactly procrastinating, just re-reading some old books. In a lazy fashion.
July 11, 2019
I remember being anxious almost the entire time I was reading this book. I just can't remember the plot. Part of me wants to reread this book, but the other part doesn't want to go back to that dark place. I wonder if this story has stood the test of time? Might be quite tame in comparison to today's serial killer novels.
November 19, 2024
The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon is his first novel that was published in 1970. This novel was a brief and quick read. Thus, I don’t want to do any spoiler.
It is a fast-moving and utterly fascinating murder mystery. You're not sure who's doing it till the very end and the author give you plenty of suspects. There are also plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming especially at the end. Overall, it’s a fun cat and mouse story that you will enjoy.
The language was definitely dated, probably because the book was published in the 70s, but I found that to be really interesting in and of itself. It reminds one honestly of the stigma and societal thought processes of the times. Meanwhile, the characters have their own person traits. You can find paranoia, nymphomania, megalomania and homosexual in this book everywhere.
A simple book but very entertaining. It’s a fun and easy read. So if you want to pass the time with pure entertainment, this is a good one.
It is a fast-moving and utterly fascinating murder mystery. You're not sure who's doing it till the very end and the author give you plenty of suspects. There are also plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming especially at the end. Overall, it’s a fun cat and mouse story that you will enjoy.
The language was definitely dated, probably because the book was published in the 70s, but I found that to be really interesting in and of itself. It reminds one honestly of the stigma and societal thought processes of the times. Meanwhile, the characters have their own person traits. You can find paranoia, nymphomania, megalomania and homosexual in this book everywhere.
A simple book but very entertaining. It’s a fun and easy read. So if you want to pass the time with pure entertainment, this is a good one.
October 26, 2025
3 Stars. Delightful. Not complicated, indeed a little simplistic but worth your time. Sheldon writes with an easy-flowing style that moves the reader along. Dr. Judd Stevens is a psychoanalyst with the usual case load of people and problems: paranoia, sexual inhibitions, aggressiveness, marital issues and the like. He seems to be good at his job although it's easy, even for an untrained person like yours truly, to see that his field has progressed since 1970! With one of his patients, he feels an attraction which could be mutual, and he finds himself working through ethical issues - you know, doctor / patient stuff. Then, in rapid succession, a young woman who he rescued from a difficult life who now serves as his office manager and another person involved with his office are murdered. Plus, someone attempts to run him down late at night. No one seems to believe him, especially the two police officers sent to investigate. To find the answers he has to go it alone and he recruits a private investigator. Naked Face is truly light reading. I put it down for a week or two, but came back. Like Dr. Stevens, I really wanted to know, "What's going on here?" (Au2018/Oc2025)
October 6, 2018
I love crime novels! That suspense, the mystery, waiting to know who the killer is... the emotion, they all make me feel like I’m part of the book. This book made me think about Agatha Christie’s books. I miss her crime novels.
I think I need to read more books like this one. 👏
I think I need to read more books like this one. 👏
April 23, 2011
When I was in high school I was surrounded by readers and they enjoyed reading Sidney Sheldon's books. Seriously, every recess or break time one of those Sidney Sheldon readers will sit beside you or in the corner and shouting and screaming. So I always curious of his works, and I tried one of his novel and it was good. Well, I was still young that time but I never been hooked reading Sheldon books.
If I have time, I go to bookstores or online bookstores to buy some Sidney Sheldon's books. But I don't know the reason behind that. Maybe that time only Sheldon and Steel were the one who only grabbed my affection to read and buy books. So I stored them in my bookshelf and from then on, I never tried to open one until I realized my books were getting old and yellowed because of dust and unknown organism living in my room.
Sidney Sheldon's first novel was Naked Face published in 1970 and it was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Well, as I said it was a good book but when you already read some of his novels, you can predict everything, his style never changed so do the twist in the near end of his books. Soon, in 1983-1984 the book was adopted and filmed before psychological forensic is widely accepted method of forensic crime-fighting work.
Dr. Judd Stevens, a psychoanalyst in Chicago have been followed by an unknown murderer. The murderer who wearing mask and must be identified by his skills as a psychoanalyst or he will be accused as a murderer or he will be murdered next. It was started in a rainy morning, 10 days before Christmas when his one of his patients, John Hanson, a homosexual died and stabbed in the back. Everything changed that day and followed by a gore accident of her sexy assistant, Carol Roberts, who tied and poured with acid on her face and other parts.
It was one of his worst days, in 10 days he will be killed or be saved from the hands of the criminals. As a doctor he must protect his clients secrets, their worst problems, or maybe they were the one who wanted to murder him? Too many suspect too little time. He must pursue his will to survive by using his skills in psychoanalysis. It was one of his interesting novels that deals with greatest mind of his time, the Naked Face, the true identity of a man of brute and murder. Two agents came and assist him as the story flows, Angeli and McGreavy, that will help him and guide him to his crime-fighting business.
It was an interesting read but not as good as his other novels and not as bad as any novels published. He uses psychoanalysis as a weapon to solve the crime which is not yet widely accepted that time. Although his writing style never change from his other novels, the book is becoming predictable. From reading to the beginning till the end, you can predict the killer and some behind facts why they wanted to kill him. It was simple and recommended for those people who don't have time to read as well as wanted to be entertain by twists in the end.
[image error]
The cover looks creepy and old, but the movie poster looks great. The cartony looks and the broken glass made everything dark. O anyway, I want to watch the movie but I want to see the girl in nude covered with acid.
Rating - The Naked Face by Sidney SHeldon, 2 Sweets and another year of happiness! (It was nice to read old books again, hay, wish my friends were still the same. I want to read books like this in the past but I was the one who took the other path. Anyway, It was an okay experience to read books like this, but still I recommend his other books like the Master of the Game and so on.)
Challenges:
Book #69 for 2011
Book #42 for Off the Shelf!
If I have time, I go to bookstores or online bookstores to buy some Sidney Sheldon's books. But I don't know the reason behind that. Maybe that time only Sheldon and Steel were the one who only grabbed my affection to read and buy books. So I stored them in my bookshelf and from then on, I never tried to open one until I realized my books were getting old and yellowed because of dust and unknown organism living in my room.
Sidney Sheldon's first novel was Naked Face published in 1970 and it was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Well, as I said it was a good book but when you already read some of his novels, you can predict everything, his style never changed so do the twist in the near end of his books. Soon, in 1983-1984 the book was adopted and filmed before psychological forensic is widely accepted method of forensic crime-fighting work.
Dr. Judd Stevens, a psychoanalyst in Chicago have been followed by an unknown murderer. The murderer who wearing mask and must be identified by his skills as a psychoanalyst or he will be accused as a murderer or he will be murdered next. It was started in a rainy morning, 10 days before Christmas when his one of his patients, John Hanson, a homosexual died and stabbed in the back. Everything changed that day and followed by a gore accident of her sexy assistant, Carol Roberts, who tied and poured with acid on her face and other parts.
It was one of his worst days, in 10 days he will be killed or be saved from the hands of the criminals. As a doctor he must protect his clients secrets, their worst problems, or maybe they were the one who wanted to murder him? Too many suspect too little time. He must pursue his will to survive by using his skills in psychoanalysis. It was one of his interesting novels that deals with greatest mind of his time, the Naked Face, the true identity of a man of brute and murder. Two agents came and assist him as the story flows, Angeli and McGreavy, that will help him and guide him to his crime-fighting business.
It was an interesting read but not as good as his other novels and not as bad as any novels published. He uses psychoanalysis as a weapon to solve the crime which is not yet widely accepted that time. Although his writing style never change from his other novels, the book is becoming predictable. From reading to the beginning till the end, you can predict the killer and some behind facts why they wanted to kill him. It was simple and recommended for those people who don't have time to read as well as wanted to be entertain by twists in the end.
[image error]
The cover looks creepy and old, but the movie poster looks great. The cartony looks and the broken glass made everything dark. O anyway, I want to watch the movie but I want to see the girl in nude covered with acid.
Rating - The Naked Face by Sidney SHeldon, 2 Sweets and another year of happiness! (It was nice to read old books again, hay, wish my friends were still the same. I want to read books like this in the past but I was the one who took the other path. Anyway, It was an okay experience to read books like this, but still I recommend his other books like the Master of the Game and so on.)
Challenges:
Book #69 for 2011
Book #42 for Off the Shelf!
May 13, 2017
Dr. Judd Stevens, M.D., is a minding and effective Manhattan psychoanalyst who must face a terrible prospect; somebody is attempting to execute him. Initially, John Hanson, a patient attempting to beat his homosexuality, is killed. Not long after, Carol Roberts, Stevens' secretary, is additionally discovered tormented to death. Two cops, Andrew McGreavy and Frank Angeli, rush to regard Stevens as the prime suspect, halfway because of McGreavy's resentment regarding Stevens' declaration in a past case. Stevens is later keep running around an auto, and taking after his recuperation, two men in dim attempt to execute him in his office.
To demonstrate his honesty and find the genuine executioner, Stevens enlists a private examiner by the name of Norman Z. Touchy. I liked the personality of private investigator, Mr Norman Moody. I enjoyed this story with all my grey cells blazing.
“Life is a very thin thread and it only takes a second to snap it”
― The Naked Face
To demonstrate his honesty and find the genuine executioner, Stevens enlists a private examiner by the name of Norman Z. Touchy. I liked the personality of private investigator, Mr Norman Moody. I enjoyed this story with all my grey cells blazing.
“Life is a very thin thread and it only takes a second to snap it”
― The Naked Face
February 11, 2011
Wow!! Is all I could say when I read the first chapter of The Naked Face. This book captures your attention in the first chapter. I picked the book up at the library mainly to get a feel for the author Sidney Sheldon. I own a few of his books and wasn't sure about reading them. After reading The Naked Face I know that I will be reading his other books too.
The Naked Face starts out with a man happy because he is going to be going home to his wife and letting her know that what happened in the past is over with. You wonder what he is happy about and what was it was from his past when he is stabbed in the streets. You are left thinking did his past already catch up to him? You are thrown into a story of suspense and mystery that revolves around Dr. Judd Stevens.
Dr. Stevens is a psychoanalyst. He analyzes people and their behaviors, life style and has them discover who they really are. He doesn't tell them that they are insane or paranoiac. He tries to help them to discover what is really inside them. His patients range from a house wife to a prominent business man. You discover that the person murdered in the first chapter was one of Dr. Stevens patients.
The detectives assigned to the case are Angeli and McGreavy. Dr. Stevens and McGreavy have a history. McGreavy has animosity towards Dr. Stevens. As the story progresses I was trying to figure out who did it and why.
As Dr. Stevens starts to analyze things in his own life you start to wonder if maybe he is a paranoiac. He believes some one is out to kill him when he is hit by a car. Is the doctor going to go to the nut house, or is he sane? That is what I started to ask myself.
The Naked Face is a detective mystery that keeps you glued to the pages of the story. I found myself reading the book in less then 2 days. I will be picking up more of Sidney Sheldon's books
The Naked Face starts out with a man happy because he is going to be going home to his wife and letting her know that what happened in the past is over with. You wonder what he is happy about and what was it was from his past when he is stabbed in the streets. You are left thinking did his past already catch up to him? You are thrown into a story of suspense and mystery that revolves around Dr. Judd Stevens.
Dr. Stevens is a psychoanalyst. He analyzes people and their behaviors, life style and has them discover who they really are. He doesn't tell them that they are insane or paranoiac. He tries to help them to discover what is really inside them. His patients range from a house wife to a prominent business man. You discover that the person murdered in the first chapter was one of Dr. Stevens patients.
The detectives assigned to the case are Angeli and McGreavy. Dr. Stevens and McGreavy have a history. McGreavy has animosity towards Dr. Stevens. As the story progresses I was trying to figure out who did it and why.
As Dr. Stevens starts to analyze things in his own life you start to wonder if maybe he is a paranoiac. He believes some one is out to kill him when he is hit by a car. Is the doctor going to go to the nut house, or is he sane? That is what I started to ask myself.
The Naked Face is a detective mystery that keeps you glued to the pages of the story. I found myself reading the book in less then 2 days. I will be picking up more of Sidney Sheldon's books
April 6, 2011
This was one of Sidney Sheldon's first novels (if not THE first). It came out in 1971, and it has not aged well at all. Psychoanalyst Judd Stephens finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery and as the web tightens around him, he struggles to use his knowledge of human behavior in order to out-think the killer or killers.
However, the out-moded, idiotic beliefs regarding sexuality and the uber-70s dialogue "let's rap," "he was groovy," just makes the whole thing ludicrous. Further, regardless of any inability to accept fact, homosexuality is not a disease or a choice - there is nothing to being gay that requires "curing." One character is "cured" of his homosexuality, and his wife is advised of the ways she has failed her husband and thus "caused" his homosexuality. What a backwards, offensive mindset. As a straight but intelligent person, I was appalled. I can only imagine what gay readers might have thought of this nonsense. The homosexuality as terrible, terrible thing surfaces again and again in the story, and it was stupid on page one.
In light of that, I read the rest of the book saying "thank goodness he grew into good writing like Bloodline and Rage of Angels, because this is garbage." Sheldon was never Tolstoy, but I've usually found him to be quite enjoyable. The Naked Face is proof that not all novelists do interesting work right from the start of their careers.
However, the out-moded, idiotic beliefs regarding sexuality and the uber-70s dialogue "let's rap," "he was groovy," just makes the whole thing ludicrous. Further, regardless of any inability to accept fact, homosexuality is not a disease or a choice - there is nothing to being gay that requires "curing." One character is "cured" of his homosexuality, and his wife is advised of the ways she has failed her husband and thus "caused" his homosexuality. What a backwards, offensive mindset. As a straight but intelligent person, I was appalled. I can only imagine what gay readers might have thought of this nonsense. The homosexuality as terrible, terrible thing surfaces again and again in the story, and it was stupid on page one.
In light of that, I read the rest of the book saying "thank goodness he grew into good writing like Bloodline and Rage of Angels, because this is garbage." Sheldon was never Tolstoy, but I've usually found him to be quite enjoyable. The Naked Face is proof that not all novelists do interesting work right from the start of their careers.
September 6, 2020
This is Sidney Sheldon’s very first published novel, originally published back in 1970. It won an Edgar award in the ”best first mystery” category and shows clear evidence of the author’s extensive background in writing screenplays and producing Broadway shows and television programs. He creates suspense very well and writes in a page-turning style.
While I enjoyed reading this novel, it does suffer from a predictable plot and a rushed finale. It also features some cringe-worthy social mores (particularly homosexuality) that will really bother many of today’s readers. Still, it is eminently readable and served me well as a book to read between more complex novels.
While I enjoyed reading this novel, it does suffer from a predictable plot and a rushed finale. It also features some cringe-worthy social mores (particularly homosexuality) that will really bother many of today’s readers. Still, it is eminently readable and served me well as a book to read between more complex novels.
November 5, 2012
After reading some of the famous awe-inspiring novels by great authors, I finally read something breath-taking!
This is a mystery novel about a famous psycho-analyst, Dr. Stevens. He was haplessly suspected of murdering his receptionist Carol Roberts and his patient, John Hanson. The only way to find out that he is innocent is that he has to gather evidences and by all means, he must find a person who trust him. At the middle of the story he hired a private investigator, Mr Norman Moody.
I love how the book put a bit of mystery on every page. The story is good and it differs from many other; the ending is not easy to predict. That alone makes this book worth reading.
I have to say, this is not excellent book, but it comes close enough to be 'more than recommended'. ;)
This is a mystery novel about a famous psycho-analyst, Dr. Stevens. He was haplessly suspected of murdering his receptionist Carol Roberts and his patient, John Hanson. The only way to find out that he is innocent is that he has to gather evidences and by all means, he must find a person who trust him. At the middle of the story he hired a private investigator, Mr Norman Moody.
I love how the book put a bit of mystery on every page. The story is good and it differs from many other; the ending is not easy to predict. That alone makes this book worth reading.
I have to say, this is not excellent book, but it comes close enough to be 'more than recommended'. ;)
March 17, 2016
His singularly stand alone novel that had some resemblance of being a proper book. Afterward he found his grove, rather his formula and pretty much stick to it till the end. Though I guess his books are endless quick fun reads. But very by the numbers.
April 30, 2022
সিডনি শেলডনের বইয়ের একটা ম্যাজিক আছে। ম্যাজিকটা হচ্ছে আপনি তার বই হাতে নিবেন। কয়েকপাতা এক নিঃশ্বাসে পড়ার পর ঘড়ির দিকে তাকিয়ে দেখবেন একঘন্টা ধরে পড়ছেন। এমনি কোন বই একঘন্টা ধরে পড়তে গেলে কয়েকবার হয়তো ব্রেক নেন কিন্তু ওনার বইয়ে সময়ের ব্যাপারটা আপনি টেরই পাবেন না। সাধারণত ব্যস্ততা থাকলে আমি সিডনির বইয়ে হাত দিই না। কারণ একবার পড়তে শুরু করলে দিনদুনিয়া ভুলে যাই।
সিডনির সবচেয়ে পাতলা,স্বল্প পৃষ্ঠার বই হচ্ছে 'দ্য নেকেড ফেস'। একশ চৌত্রিশ পাতার এই বই আপনাকে এত থ্রিল দেবে যতটা হয়তো এক হাজার চৌত্রিশ পাতার থ্রিলারেও পাবেন না। সিডনির সবচেয়ে বড় গুন উনি অযথা একটা শব্দও ব্যবহার করেন না। সিধা পয়েন্টে কথা বলেন। আর ঠিক এই ধরনের লেখাই আমি আমার টাইপের বলে মনে করি। তাই সিডনি আমার প্রিয় লেখক।
কাহিনী সংক্ষেপ- জাড স্টিভেন্স একজন সাইক্রিয়াটিস্ট। বিভিন্ন ধরনের অদ্ভুত সব রোগী তার কাছে আসে। যেমন হ্যারিসন বার্ক,যার সবসময় মনে হয় তাকে কেউ খুন করার চেষ্টা করছে। অথবা টেরি যে একজন হলিউড তারকা তার প্রচুর শারীরিক চাহিদা হওয়া সত্ত্বেও সে এমনসব পুরুষদের বিয়ে করে যারা শারীরিকভাবে অক্ষম। আবার অ্যান ব্লেক, সুন্দরী একজন নারী যে তার কি সমস্যা সেটাই খুলে বলতে চায় না ডক্টরকে।
এই ডক্টরের এক সমকামী রোগীকে দিয়েই গল্প শুরু। জন হ্যানসন। ডক্টরের চেম্বার থেকে বের হয়েই খুন হয়ে যায় সে।এরপর সংঘটিত হয় আরো কিছু খুন। ডাক্তারের জীবনের ওপরও নেমে আসে কালো ছায়ার থাবা।
জাডের সবসময় মনে হয় কেউ একজন তাকে খুন করতে চাইছে। কিন্তু অফিসার ম্যাকগ্রিভি তার কথা বিশ্বাস করে না। তার ধারণা ডাক্তার নিজেই এই ফাঁদগুলো তৈরি করে,কারণ সেই অপরাধী। কিন্তু ম্যাকগ্রিভির সঙ্গী অ্যাঞ্জেল বিশ্বাস করে জাডকে। সে গোপনে জাডকে সহায়তা করে, পরামর্শ দেয় তারপরেও একপর্যায়ে প্রাইভেট ডিটেক্টিভের সাহায্য নিতে হয় জাডকে।
এই গল্পের বিশেষত্ব হচ্ছে,বেশ কয়েকবার আপনি নিশ্চিত হবেন আপনি খুনী ধরে ফেলেছেন এবং প্রতিবার লেখক আপনাকে বোকা বানিয়ে দেবেন। আপনাকে এমন ভাবাতে পারাটাও হবে লেখকের স্বার্থকতা। সবমিলিয়ে স্বল্প পৃষ্ঠার এই বইটা চরম থ্রিলিং এবং পেজ টার্নার। সময় কাটানোর জন্য এই বই আদর্শ।
সিডনির সবচেয়ে পাতলা,স্বল্প পৃষ্ঠার বই হচ্ছে 'দ্য নেকেড ফেস'। একশ চৌত্রিশ পাতার এই বই আপনাকে এত থ্রিল দেবে যতটা হয়তো এক হাজার চৌত্রিশ পাতার থ্রিলারেও পাবেন না। সিডনির সবচেয়ে বড় গুন উনি অযথা একটা শব্দও ব্যবহার করেন না। সিধা পয়েন্টে কথা বলেন। আর ঠিক এই ধরনের লেখাই আমি আমার টাইপের বলে মনে করি। তাই সিডনি আমার প্রিয় লেখক।
কাহিনী সংক্ষেপ- জাড স্টিভেন্স একজন সাইক্রিয়াটিস্ট। বিভিন্ন ধরনের অদ্ভুত সব রোগী তার কাছে আসে। যেমন হ্যারিসন বার্ক,যার সবসময় মনে হয় তাকে কেউ খুন করার চেষ্টা করছে। অথবা টেরি যে একজন হলিউড তারকা তার প্রচুর শারীরিক চাহিদা হওয়া সত্ত্বেও সে এমনসব পুরুষদের বিয়ে করে যারা শারীরিকভাবে অক্ষম। আবার অ্যান ব্লেক, সুন্দরী একজন নারী যে তার কি সমস্যা সেটাই খুলে বলতে চায় না ডক্টরকে।
এই ডক্টরের এক সমকামী রোগীকে দিয়েই গল্প শুরু। জন হ্যানসন। ডক্টরের চেম্বার থেকে বের হয়েই খুন হয়ে যায় সে।এরপর সংঘটিত হয় আরো কিছু খুন। ডাক্তারের জীবনের ওপরও নেমে আসে কালো ছায়ার থাবা।
জাডের সবসময় মনে হয় কেউ একজন তাকে খুন করতে চাইছে। কিন্তু অফিসার ম্যাকগ্রিভি তার কথা বিশ্বাস করে না। তার ধারণা ডাক্তার নিজেই এই ফাঁদগুলো তৈরি করে,কারণ সেই অপরাধী। কিন্তু ম্যাকগ্রিভির সঙ্গী অ্যাঞ্জেল বিশ্বাস করে জাডকে। সে গোপনে জাডকে সহায়তা করে, পরামর্শ দেয় তারপরেও একপর্যায়ে প্রাইভেট ডিটেক্টিভের সাহায্য নিতে হয় জাডকে।
এই গল্পের বিশেষত্ব হচ্ছে,বেশ কয়েকবার আপনি নিশ্চিত হবেন আপনি খুনী ধরে ফেলেছেন এবং প্রতিবার লেখক আপনাকে বোকা বানিয়ে দেবেন। আপনাকে এমন ভাবাতে পারাটাও হবে লেখকের স্বার্থকতা। সবমিলিয়ে স্বল্প পৃষ্ঠার এই বইটা চরম থ্রিলিং এবং পেজ টার্নার। সময় কাটানোর জন্য এই বই আদর্শ।
November 13, 2016
Hmmm. The first full length modern novel I ever read was a David Baldacci thing about some camel club. And I hated it. So I moved to John Grisham and his legal dramas got tired. In high school, I was introduced to Sidney Sheldon... and a favourite was born.
After rereading The Naked Face, I have to say this isn't Sidney at his best. In my opinion, his worst novel was A Stranger In The Mirror followed closely by Doomsday Conspiracy. Naked Face feels more like amateur hour for Sidney's quality. That's not to say I didn't love the book. He has a way of writing stories within stories and somehow not losing you.
Here we have a psycho analyst called Judd caught in strange events. A patient of his is murdered and his receptionist quickly follows. Two cops, Angeli and McGreavy, are investigatinghim the events... trying to figure out what the fuck is going on.
The story unravels in this hypnotic fashion that leaves the reader at times scratching her head and other times going, "Oooh." The twist is believable. And the last scene is drama so perfect I could cry. I hate the ambiguous ending though. Sidney is a master at writing endings that make you want to perform his reincarnation. But in this one I would have loved to know if . I'm glad I reread this. Sidney will forever be a favourite. But his whodunit game is iffy. I'll stick to Agatha on that.
After rereading The Naked Face, I have to say this isn't Sidney at his best. In my opinion, his worst novel was A Stranger In The Mirror followed closely by Doomsday Conspiracy. Naked Face feels more like amateur hour for Sidney's quality. That's not to say I didn't love the book. He has a way of writing stories within stories and somehow not losing you.
Here we have a psycho analyst called Judd caught in strange events. A patient of his is murdered and his receptionist quickly follows. Two cops, Angeli and McGreavy, are investigating
The story unravels in this hypnotic fashion that leaves the reader at times scratching her head and other times going, "Oooh." The twist is believable. And the last scene is drama so perfect I could cry. I hate the ambiguous ending though. Sidney is a master at writing endings that make you want to perform his reincarnation. But in this one I would have loved to know if . I'm glad I reread this. Sidney will forever be a favourite. But his whodunit game is iffy. I'll stick to Agatha on that.
February 3, 2023
My first book of the year. Was better than I expected. Don't be fooled by the low rating of 3.56. The book kept me guessing on who the murderer is and I got it wrong! No doubt Sidney Sheldon is a good storyteller.
March 20, 2008
It's a murder mystery with a psycho-analyst protagonist. Freudian psycho-analysis has been largely discredited in the world of psychology, but even if it hadn't been, I'm sure that Sheldon has butchered a number of the concepts behind it. The book is generally trash, with silly one-dimensional characters. It does keep you guessing about who the killer is, but it's not the totally suspenseful thrill-ride that it's cover promises. I think it was Sheldon's first novel. Maybe his others are better. At least this one is relatively short.
July 21, 2015
ive read quite a number of sheldon books to know his pattern and style and i can say that :
1) seeing as this is his first novel, its obvious that his writing style has improved a lot since then
2) i can already point out whos the bad guy here. it wasnt even a surprise at all. maybe bcs im too used to his writing style
1) seeing as this is his first novel, its obvious that his writing style has improved a lot since then
2) i can already point out whos the bad guy here. it wasnt even a surprise at all. maybe bcs im too used to his writing style
November 18, 2017
Quite a thrilling one!!!
The way Mr. Anglie turned out to be one of the conspirators, it was quite thrilling and unexpected.
Another must read novel by Sidney Sheldon and also quite a magnificent one.
The way Mr. Anglie turned out to be one of the conspirators, it was quite thrilling and unexpected.
Another must read novel by Sidney Sheldon and also quite a magnificent one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2024
I really enjoyed the book very much. And truth to be told was suspecting the wrong person 70% of the time.
When the truth behind all the chaos revealed i was a little disappointed.
But it was a great thrill the whole time.
“
When the truth behind all the chaos revealed i was a little disappointed.
But it was a great thrill the whole time.
“
August 30, 2012
Excellent book.Every page is interesting.Surprising ending.
December 9, 2021
Se trata de la primera novela escrita por el famoso autor. El protagonista, Dr. Stevenson, es un reconocido psicoanalista cuya vida se altera cuando empiezan a asesinar en forma brutal a las personas allegadas a él. La policía a cargo de la investigación sigue las pistas y lo comienza a tomar como el principal sospechoso, por ello será él mismo quien deba descifrar quién está detrás de los crímenes y la relación que tiene con él.
“La civilización era un barniz muy delgado, frágil, y cuando ese barniz se cuartea, el hombre se volvía uno con las bestias, volviendo a caer en el cieno del abismo primigenio de donde él se jactaba haberse elevado.” (p. 180)
Genial y atrapante novela de Sidney Sheldon, al final de cada capítulo encontramos un desenlace a medias que provoca una inmediata ansiedad por continuar con la lectura de la historia.
Personalmente creo que Sheldon no es un autor para buscar historias realistas, pero si se trata de ficción de suspenso al estilo thriller, es una elección que no defrauda.
“La civilización era un barniz muy delgado, frágil, y cuando ese barniz se cuartea, el hombre se volvía uno con las bestias, volviendo a caer en el cieno del abismo primigenio de donde él se jactaba haberse elevado.” (p. 180)
Genial y atrapante novela de Sidney Sheldon, al final de cada capítulo encontramos un desenlace a medias que provoca una inmediata ansiedad por continuar con la lectura de la historia.
Personalmente creo que Sheldon no es un autor para buscar historias realistas, pero si se trata de ficción de suspenso al estilo thriller, es una elección que no defrauda.
March 20, 2018
I'm confused about how I feel about this book. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Even though the big reveal was acceptable, I couldn't enjoy how the book ended. I was expecting an epic plot twist or some great action, but this book hardly delivered either one of those unlike some of his other works. I have a feeling that Sheldon has a better grasp of the characters of his female protagonists than the male ones.
February 6, 2023
So it's his first book. I guess it has all the signs of a first book but I enjoyed it very much.
I will not compare this book with some of his later work. That would be utterly unfair. Even if it's not as good as them it's still a very good book. Ultra fast phased, it felt like a bullet train. Couple of murders, few secrets and a sadistic lunatic is a tasty brew for a bed time story.
Book #06 of 2023.
Sidney Sheldon - Book#06
I will not compare this book with some of his later work. That would be utterly unfair. Even if it's not as good as them it's still a very good book. Ultra fast phased, it felt like a bullet train. Couple of murders, few secrets and a sadistic lunatic is a tasty brew for a bed time story.
Book #06 of 2023.
Sidney Sheldon - Book#06
July 23, 2016
This story seemed to contain numerous, interesting stories within that could have been flushed out to more rewarding conclusions. 6 of 10 stars
June 23, 2018
not bad for a debut
p121: he nodded to his brother, and both men took out revolvers with silencers on them.
p121: he nodded to his brother, and both men took out revolvers with silencers on them.
March 2, 2018
This is the first time I read a book by Sidney Sheldon and this is a good one. The plot is a little absurd but fast-paced and suspenseful with a good twist ending. Like Ahmad Sharabiani said this book was nominated for the Edgar Award (Best First Novel - 1971. It lost to Lawrence Sanders and his "The Anderson Tapes").
October 14, 2024
This is a nicely written book. As an avid fan of thrillers I'm kind of disappointed because the way this man's works were hyped I had high expectations, but I mean this particular book isn't all that. It was quite predictable.
I will get into more of his works. I honestly do not want to judge him with just this book.
I will get into more of his works. I honestly do not want to judge him with just this book.
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