By Dawn McNutt
Special to THE DAILY

The last time I pulled an “all-nighter” was my senior year of college.

I was desperately attempting to cram a semester’s worth of cultural anthropology into one night while fueling myself on 50-cent coffee from 7-Eleven.

The results were not impressive to say the least, but I distinctly remember the feeling of some strange sense of accomplishment that I had managed to stay awake an entire night without so much as a nod off.

Fast forward to many years later, and I have once again pulled an “all-nighter.”

Although there is no sense of accomplishment this time, just the feeling that I should be older, wiser and immune to such co-ed behavior, I will say this: I just read one fantastic book!

“The Face of Death” is one of those books that will simply not allow you to stray from its pages until you have solved the mystery along with its heroine, Special Agent Smoky Barrett, head of the violent crimes unit at the FBI’s Los Angeles headquarters.

She and her four-member team are hot on the trail of “The Stranger,” a serial killer so vile and remorseless, he’s incomprehensible.

He’s also cunning, obsessive and quite manipulative according to his latest target: 16-year-old Sarah Langstrom.

When she wakes up covered in blood, not remembering what has occurred, she phones the FBI, claiming she will kill herself if she is not put in touch with Smoky, who Sarah feels is the only one who can help her.

Did I mention that Sarah’s adoptive family are dead at her feet and no one believes her?

She claims “The Stranger” has been following her all her life and first killed her biological parents when she was 6 and that anyone she gets close to has met a frightful end.

The problem, however, is she can’t prove a single thing and no one is quite sure if it is now Sarah herself who is the murderer.

After reading Sarah’s diary entries from the last few years, Smoky believes she’s telling the truth and agrees to help her.

From then on, get ready for an action-packed thriller that will leave you guessing until the final pages.

Each time you think you’ve mastered the story, you’re taken down another road.

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of crime fiction, but in my opinion this is one of the best.

If you love Jonathan Kellerman or Thomas Harris, than this is the book for you.

What makes the story so memorable is heroine Smoky Barrett.

Sure, she is saddled with one of those cringe-inducing names that make you think of every cheap, exploitative detective novel you’ve ever read, but what sets her apart is her depth and understanding of loss and redemption.

Having recently endured her own family tragedies like young Sarah, she is sympathetic, cautious and obsessive, all the while trying to raise a newly adopted daughter and considering a possible new job she believes will give her a much-needed chance to start fresh and leave her ghosts behind.

As her subordinates and friends begin to question Smoky’s actions and even her sanity at times, she becomes convinced that she is the only one who can stop “The Stranger” and truly understand him for what he is.

Which, well, suffice it to say, might just take you all night to figure it out.

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