''The Mask'' is a 2015 thriller novel by

Taylor Stevens Taylor Stevens (born circa 1973) is an American author of mystery novels. She grew up in the Children of God (Cult), Children of God. Early life Circa 1973, Stevens was born in upstate New York as part of the Children of God (Cult), Children o ...

, the fifth and final book in her Vanessa Michael Munroe series. It won the 2016

Barry Award for Best Thriller The Barry Award is a crime literary prize awarded annually since 1997 by the editors of ''Deadly Pleasures'', an American quarterly publication for crime fiction readers. From 2007 to 2009 the award was jointly presented with the publication ''M ...

Plot

Reception

'' Publishers Weekly'' called ''The Mask'' "underwhelming" and "slow-grinding," indicating that "The fight scenes, though well choreographed, seem at times like an afterthought, thrown in when the plot frequently stalls." Further, they found the setting to be "under utilized" as though the book "could be set anywhere." However, they cited Munroe as a highlight of the novel, noting that "her propensity for rage remains a believable part of this series as she mixes her intelligence with her extreme martial arts skills." ''

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 ...

'' agreed that "Stevens takes longer to develop the action than usual," though they conceded that "any Munroe is better than none at all." '' Booklist'' and ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' also reviewed the novel.

Awards and honors

''The Mask'' won the 2016 Barry Award for Best Thriller.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mask 2015 American novels American thriller novels