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Title: The Two Faces of January by Patricia Highsmith ISBN: 0-434-33506-1 Publisher: Arrow (A Division of Random House Group) Pub. Date: 31 December, 1968 Format: Hardcover

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Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (4 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: one of the best by Highsmith
Comment: If you are already a Patricia Highsmith fan, I would highly recommend this book next.

While the book starts out somewhat slowly, I think this pacing helps set the overall mood of the book and allows the reader to settle into a Highsmith "high" in anticipation of another skillfully written book. At any rate, by chapter two, everything starts to wind/unwind as the book settles into typical Highsmith high-gear which, if you're like me, will soon leave you physicially and mentally breathless in an attempt to keep up!

The foreign setting of the book is also a delight, and the reader quickly becomes a part of the story, shadowing the 3 main characters in and out of the various cities, hotels, towns, and nefarious deeds that happen. There is also this undercurrent of very fine wit and humor throughout the book.

The ending is, of course, the best part. It's been many, many years since I was last compelled to rush to the last page, as I neared the end of the book, to find out what happened. The ending is also prime Highsmith and a bit of a surprise--not, perhaps, for the characters in the book or the storyline, but certainly for Highsmith during this particular period of her writing.

A great holiday/vacation read for anyone with a few days of peace to settle into the book--and to savor it from start to finish!

Rating: 3
Summary: atmospheric and entertaining, but Highsmith has done better
Comment: 'The Two Faces of January' is one of many Highsmith's lesser known works written after her early great successes ('The Talented Mr Ripley', 'Strangers on a Train') and before her decline in the 1980s. It follows the formula often used by Highsmith: two men, guilty or accused of murder, playing a psychological duel until either party breaks down. However in this novel the formula didn't work that well for me.

The story is about an American couple (hubby is a crook, wife is unfaithful) on vacation in Greece who 'accidently' kill a cop. Another American, a stranger to them, helps in covering up the crime. Of course they don't get off that easy, and the adventure begins. The relationship amongst these Americans takes odd turns, and ... you'll need to read the rest.

I suppose I found the book 'only entertaining' (versus enthralling) because I felt the main characters were generally unlikable. I had no empathy, let alone sympathy, for their plight. However perhaps the best part of the novel is the perfect capture of early 1960s vagabond European travelling (ie, before the era of jet travel and package tours) to be fascinating. So for this (probably unintentional) reason I found 'The Two Faces of January' to be a very fast read.

Bottom line: an enjoyable romp of mystery and old-fashioned European travel. No, not a Highsmith classic. But even her 'so-so' efforts are better than most.

Rating: 4
Summary: As usual, a good book by P. Highsmith
Comment: This may not be her best book, but it is good. All the work by Patricia Highsmith is good. Her writing is excellent, no matter what. Some stories may be less interesting than others, but usually all are great. This story for example, a bit sluggish in the beginning, but that doesn't matter. The text is rich and flows anyway. And gets more exciting further ahead. Also, her created characters are really convincing and they remain in your memory after the book is finished. I remember almost all characters by P. Highsmith because she had the gift of giving them life. You feel like the people she created really EXISTED sometime.