“A must read on your 2025 bookshelf or nightstand. Kept me rivetted for hours.”                                              ~ Strand Magazine

The Face in the Mirror

Matt Shaw, a hard-working NYU med student, is astounded to receive a full endowment from respected 80-year-old historian Dr. John Zachery. At a celebratory champagne dinner in an elegant Manhattan restaurant, Zachery presses an ancient talisman into Matt’s hand and whispers a strange phrase. Instantly, Matt has a startling, momentary flash of torch-lit, 6th century Stonehenge. After dinner,  woozy and disoriented Matt stumbles homeward through the fog-shrouded streets of Greenwich Village, haunted by unsettling visions. Then falling asleep in his flat, his dreams grow darker, more vivid and alarming. When he awakens in a lavish, unfamiliar mansion bedroom, the horror becomes real--because the face Matt sees staring back at him in the mirror is Zachery’s. Through sinister medieval alchemy, Zachery has taken possession of Matt’s youth--his body, his life, and woman he loves--leaving Matt trapped inside an ever-tightening nightmare from which there seems no escape.

A portion of the author's proceeds are donated to support Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres)

Available in Print & Kindle

“Kenneth Johnson sets the hook and reels us in while the characters struggle to navigate this utterly unique premise!
Outstanding!”

--- Jonas Saul, Bestselling Author of The Sarah Roberts Series

"Kenneth Johnson’s The Face in the Mirror ratchets up the tension from the first moment. A skillfully executed dark
thriller that works its way into your psyche...in concert with the best works from Robert Bloch and William Peter Batty.”

--- John Palisano, Bram Stoker Awardwinning Author of Requiem and Ghost Heart

"“Without question Kenneth Johnson is the closest our generation will come to the great Rod Serling. His understanding of the human mind has created some of the most developed and understood characters ever. When Kenneth Johnson puts something out, it is always quality.”

--- ScaredStiffReviews.com

“The book’s sophisticated Northeastern setting, appealing collegiate characters, and dense metaphysical themes should please fans of classic authors like Madeleine L’Engle and Ursula K. Le Guin.  Johnson’s largely successful efforts to get inside the minds of an innocent good character and an experienced evil character recall the agon between Clarice Starling and Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs.

“Johnson consistently conveys a strong sense of place in The Face In The Mirror. The book would be an obvious candidate as the basis for a spooky, brooding movie.  The story’s eternal themes of identity and human agency should resonate with philosophers and popcorn audiences alike.  The shapeshifting John Zachery might even join the aforementioned Hannibal Lecter and the Joker as a legendary screen villain.”

--- CloseUpCulture.com

“Kenneth Johnson is nothing less than phenomenal.”

--- Night Owl Reviews

“Kenneth Johnson...knows how to make magic.”

--- Philadelphia Inquirer