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688 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
“.......She said you need to eat well, say prayers without fail each morning and night, and avoid drinking strong spirits."
"One problem. Drinking strong spirits is how I pray.”
... and she had worn bitterness as though it were a crown.
The 6 black boxes found and mentioned in the plot contain: Corky's ladybugs, snails, foreskins, scrabble tiles, guide dog book and Fric's "the eye in the apple".** First Read September 1, 2015 **
The theme is a boy, "Fric" Manheim (10) being chased/haunted by a sick killer/kidnapper, Vladimir "Corky" Laputa, with Ethan Truman (x-cop) & Hazard Yancy (homicide) protecting "Fric" in his Bel-Air home. (I was surprised to Fric's rich dad, Channing was the book's title "The Face"?). Fric gets phone calls with no one on the phone line & when he dials *69, only hears breathing. Ethan gets 6 black boxes with messages from a "ghost" (Ethan's dead childhood mobster friend "Dunny" Eugene Whistler) that will be hard for you to figure out. Corky is a major character chasing Fric, staving a professor who has clues & killing others. The destiny of "Dunny" as a ghost, elevator & heaven is nice. The end with Hazard & "Corky" is not a surprise. The book will keep you interested with mystery of black boxes, the phone calls and then Corky's crazy mind.