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Charles Lambert
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Any Human Face Paperback – 7 May 2010

by Charles Lambert (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

Andrew Caruso has been a second-hand-book dealer in Rome for thirty years when a collection of old photographs changes his life forever. He finds the photos among the possessions of his ex-lover, Michel; the images – possibly from police archives – are fascinating, but when Andrew and his art-critic friend Daniela decide to launch an exhibition, the shop is raided the day before the opening and the display seized with surprising violence.

In his quest to understand the significance of the pictures, Andrew crosses paths with Alessandro, a journalist who knows more about their history than Andrew can imagine. But Alessandro offers hope, as well as information: hope, in a world where kidnap, subterfuge and even murder are the norm; a world of criminal intrigue in which no one is safe, or above suspicion.

Meanwhile, in a cellar, a kidnapped girl hopes desperately for rescue.

Part thriller, part love story, Charles Lambert's second novel is both gripping and exhilarating; brilliant and hard-edged, it clearly marks Lambert as a name to note.

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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Picador
  4. Publication date
    7 May 2010
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    13.5 x 2.6 x 21.5 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0330512994
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0330512992
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Product description

Review

'I am a big fan of Lambert's writing, especially his short stories, so I was intrigued to see how he handled this slight departure into the realms of literary thriller.
Very well, is the answer, and without compromising his style. The plot builds nicely, hooking you from the first chapter. This is gritty but intelligent stuff set in Rome where an English bookseller finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving a collection of old photographs he finds among the belongings of an ex-lover. Lambert is really very good indeed. Will I read on? Absolutely.' --Scott Pack, Me & My Big Mouth

'Lambert's third novel is a sophisticated literary thriller set on the seamier fringe of Rome's gay scene.'
--Guardian

'a slow-burning, beautifully written crime story that brings to life the Rome that tourists don't see - luckily for them.' --Daily Telegraph

About the Author

Charles Lambert was born in Lichfield, the United Kingdom, in 1953. After going to eight different schools in the Midlands and Derbyshire, he won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge from 1972 to 1975. In 1976 he moved to Milan and, with brief interruptions in Ireland, Portugal and London, has lived and worked in Italy since then. Currently a university teacher, academic translator and freelance editor for international agencies, he now lives in Fondi, exactly halfway between Rome and Naples.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 7 May 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0330512994
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0330512992
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 359 g
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.5 x 2.6 x 21.5 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 151,465 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

About the author

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Charles Lambert

Charles Lambert

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Charles Lambert was born in England in 1953 but has lived in Italy since 1976. His first novel, Little Monsters, a Good Housekeeping selection, was published in 2008, the same year as The Scent of Cinnamon and Other Stories, the title story an O. Henry Prizewinner. Any Human Face, his second novel was described by the Telegraph as 'a slow-burning, beautifully written crime story that brings to life the Rome that tourists don't see - luckily for them.' The View from the Tower, also set in Rome, appeared in 2012, followed in 2014 by With a Zero at its Heart, one of the Guardian's top ten books of that year.

The Children's Home, a dystopian fantasy, took readers by surprise in 2016 and was followed in 2017 by Two Dark Tales and, in 2018, by Prodigal, which explores what we do to one another in the name of love and was shortlisted for the Polari Prize. The Bone Flower, a Gothic ghost story set in Victorian London, appeared in 2022. His latest novel, Birthright, a psychological thriller, was published in April 2023.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
18 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's pacing engaging, with one review describing it as a gripping crime story. The writing style receives positive feedback, with one customer highlighting its thoughtful exploration of identity themes.

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PacingWriting style
3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, with one describing it as a fast-paced story of love, while another notes it is both a love story and thriller.

""A dark, fast-paced story of love, sex, abduction and murder" - reads the blurb on the front of this book, and it is a wholly accurate description...." Read more

"...This is part love story part thriller...." Read more

"This novel is both a gripping crime story and a compelling exploration of themes of identity, place, image and relationships...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Writing style’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as literary, evocative, and thought-provoking, with one customer highlighting its compelling exploration of themes of identity.

"..." - reads the blurb on the front of this book, and it is a wholly accurate description...." Read more

"Lambert's 2nd novel is faultless. It has pace, humanity and wit...." Read more

"This novel is both a gripping crime story and a compelling exploration of themes of identity, place, image and relationships...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Eileen Shaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars "...less like a man with a problem than a problem in human form."
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 January 2011
    Verified Purchase
    "A dark, fast-paced story of love, sex, abduction and murder" - reads the blurb on the front of this book, and it is a wholly accurate description. Two time lines are followed, one starting in 1983 and the other in 2008. Lambert's handling of the pace of this thriller is excellent, with each time-line raising the temperature and gradually coming together in 2008. If the gay scene in Rome doesn't appeal initially, it soon becomes compulsive reading. There is nothing too prurient and only one active description of sex, which is not offensive or gratuitous.

    Lambert's writing is literary, stylish, accomplished and witty. He keeps hold of the developing plot with precision and intelligence. The ending seemed unnecessarily lengthy for me, going on beyond the grand guignol of the denouement far too long. My feeling was that Lambert was fond of his characters and reluctant to leave them, which is a pretty good reason on the whole. I felt very involved in Alex's and Andrew's relationships.

    The gay scene is much more fluid (no pun intended!) than the straight, so partnerships are not as fixed as in other kinds of novels. But for all that, I was in no doubt that Andrew loved Michel, that his later feelings for other men were genuine, and that later he came to love Alex/Alessandro. The abduction scenario is admirably nightmarish, though there is little or no violence - it simply seems as astonishing to the reader as it does to its target. You won't regret immersing yourself in this novel. It is vibrant, honest, faultless in tone and feeling. Tremendously rewarding.
    One person found this helpful
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  • L. PENNINGTON
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rome's more Shadowy Face
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Lambert's 2nd novel is faultless. It has pace, humanity and wit. The characters are extremely well rendered and the evocation of Rome's more shadowy face is very well handled and realistic. It's more than a mere thriller, I read it in 2 intense sittings - what more can I say.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • H. Lacroix
    2.0 out of 5 stars A lot of wind, no substance whatsoever!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 June 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I am really annoyed with this as it could have been a good book had the author taken the trouble to deliver what he promised he would. This is part love story part thriller. There isn't much to say about the love story as it is dealt with and arrives at its natural conclusion although I must say that it ends in the most banal way it could have and it is so unsubtly played out that the reader is led to feel that the author himself couldn't finish soon enough and had grown tired of his characters and fed up with his own absence of plot. But the thriller part is really infuriating. Some photos, crime of scene photos, mugshots... have caused a man to lose his life tortured and another one to lose his in a fake suicide. They are related with the abduction, years ago, of a girl from a privileged background whose body has never been found. When those photos come to light and are going to be used in an exhibition danger starts to lurk again.... And so does absurdity as nothing is ever revealed... Andrew is arrested, taken away, interrogated...then released and we will never ever be told who held him. Sandro who feared so much for his life won't ever be suspected of having carted them around for a while... And as for the girl... a few lines in the end to tell us how she fared, as an afterthought it seems... without ever knowing who did it or who did what for that matter...Slipshod ending showing in my opinion a lack of respect for readers who would like their books to be completed in a cohesive and coherent way!
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  • R. Bayfield
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down, thoughtful novel
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This novel is both a gripping crime story and a compelling exploration of themes of identity, place, image and relationships. Beautifully written, evocative and thought-provoking.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Puccini Freak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable on several levels
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2010
    As well as being beautifully written, 'Any Human Face' entertains on several levels. Not only is it a gripping thriller entwining characters and events over a 20-year period in contemporary Rome, but it also gives the reader insights into Italian culture (with a small 'c' ) that only an insider like Lambert has access to. Finally, and more enduringly,the author's forensic eye for emotional detail allows the reader to identify with human nature in all its complexity and frailties. One of the most enjyable novels I have read for a long time.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Sandra Davies
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2015
    I liked this. Quite a lot, the writing of it, the insights into the several characters. The (apparent) randomness of scenes. But did find it hard to follow in places. If it stays in my head for a bit, as I suspect it might, then I'll know it's deserving of five stars, and will upgrade it.
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  • Mr Creepy
    5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 July 2010
    A well-written book sited in Rome, jumping back and forth both from 1983 to the present and also from the present tense into the far more acceptable past tense. Most of the action takes place amongst the homosexual community there, several of whom are British expatriates.
    One of these is Andrew Caruso, who has spent much of his adult life as a second-hand bookseller. He finds a collection of old photographs among the possessions of his dead lover. He displays these in a small artistic exhibition, but as they are old police mug-shots and scenes of crime, this proves a dangerous exercise, even thirty years later.
    The book describes the odd world of the more seedy levels of the Roman art and gay community and once the reader sorts out the frequent time jumps, it is a satisfying read.

    TW Reviewer Bernard Knight ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series
    2 people found this helpful
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