Danny Cadogan has suffered. There is no other way to describe the pitiful position that the 14-year-old Danny is put in when his father hides out from gambling debts. This cowardice on his father's part places Danny in the position of protecting his family from the hoodlums who come to collect the debt. And protect his family is exactly what Danny does. This single act takes Danny down a long path of corruption and criminal acts that lead to the creation of a psychopathic bully who creates his own reality to serve his needs.

Danny starts off small, working for an elderly junk man. The junk yard is a front for more nefarious crimes and when the time is right, Danny's boss introduces him to this path, which leads Danny, in a few short years, to be a Face. Danny brings in his best friend, Michael, to be his money man. Michael is an intelligent young man who has a head for figures. Together, these two young men move quickly up the ranks of faces. Their "I want it now" attitude hurls them forward to the top of their game.

Danny marries Michael's sister, Mary, but is incapable of love. He only knows how to degrade and beat those around him. His warped mind starts to create his own reality where everyone is out to get him or needs to be put in their places on a constant basis. In the end, Danny has alienated all those who crazily love him, and his decisions are so disastrous, the only course of action is to take him out.

Martina Cole is a master at skillfully creating the characters in FACES. Following the lives of Danny, Michael and the other characters as they grow up and showing their pain and suffering in a world that is not fair does not justify their behaviors, however, lends an understanding of just how environmental factors blended with personalities can take someone in many directions. FACES contains over 650 pages. Personally, I felt there was a bit much repetition in explaining past events that were already laid out in the story, so I wanted to rush through those paragraphs. I already knew the events that led to Danny's warped mindset, and I already knew the upbringing of all the characters in the story, so reading about it over and over throughout the story got a little old for me. Otherwise, I think FACES is a worthwhile read.