''The Man of Maybe Half-a-Dozen Faces'' is a 2000 detective novel by

Ray Vukcevich Ray Vukcevich (born 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and literary fiction. His stories have been compared to the works of R. A. Lafferty, George Saunders, and David Sedaris. Some seventy-five stories, with titles such as "White Guys in Spa ...

. It was first published by Thomas Dunne Books.

Synopsis

Skylight Howells is a private investigator with multiple identities and an addiction to tap dancing, both of which are necessary to investigate the disappearance of a man who may have killed several writers of software manuals — or who may be the real killer's next target.

Reception

The '' SF Site'' compared the novel to the works of

Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Allen Lethem (; born February 19, 1964) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His first novel, ''Gun, with Occasional Music'', a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was publishe ...

, Robert Anton Wilson, and

Philip K. Dick Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

, and praised its mystery aspect, its pacing, and its overall absurdity and silliness.The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces
reviewed by Neil Walsh, at the '' SF Site'' published 2001; retrieved October 4, 2017 The ''

Pittsburgh Post Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' similarly praised the mystery as "well-plotted (...) once you accept the givens about owells, and noted that the novel was "zany, bizarre and very original".Books in Brief: 'The Man Of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces' by Ray Vukcevich
reviewed by Robert Croan, at the '' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''; published August 17, 2000; retrieved October 4, 2017 '' Publishers Weekly'' considered Howells to be "a clever gimmick", but overall found the book "uneven" and "less than scintillating". The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces
reviewed at '' Publishers Weekly''; published January 31, 2000; retrieved September 4, 2017 ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' judged that although "Vukcevich does have storytelling skills", the novel is "for computer savants only" — and that even then, it may be too bizarre.THE MAN OF MAYBE HALF-A-DOZEN FACES
reviewed at ''

''; published December 31, 1999; posted online May 20, 2010; retrieved September 4, 2017

References

2000 American novels American mystery novels Thomas Dunne Books books {{2000s-mystery-novel-stub