Book Review: The Likeness

Book Info:

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestselling psychological thriller In the Woods.

Six months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is still trying to recover. She’s transferred out of the murder squad and started a relationship with Detective Sam O’Neill, but she’s too badly shaken to make a commitment to him or to her career. Then Sam calls her to the scene of his new case: a young woman found stabbed to death in a small town outside Dublin. The dead girl’s ID says her name is Lexie Madison – the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective – and she looks exactly like Cassie.

With no leads, no suspects, and no clue to Lexie’s real identity, Cassie’s old undercover boss, Frank Mackey, spots the opportunity of a lifetime. They can say that the stab wound wasn’t fatal and send Cassie undercover in her place to find out information that the police never would and to tempt the killer out of hiding. At first Cassie thinks the idea is crazy, but she is seduced by the prospect of working on a murder investigation again and by the idea of assuming the victim’s identity as a graduate student with a cozy group of friends.

As she is drawn into Lexie’s world, Cassie realizes that the girl’s secrets run deeper than anyone imagined. Her friends are becoming suspicious, Sam has discovered a generations-old feud involving the old house the students lived in, and Frank is starting to suspect that Cassie’s growing emotional involvement could put the whole investigation at risk. Another gripping psychological thriller featuring the headstrong protagonist we’ve come to love, from an author who has proven that she can deliver. 

My Thoughts

Trigger warnings: murder, violence, as well as mentions of abortion.

I have always heard good things about this author, Tana French, but had a hard time getting around to any her novels. There is just too much reading to do. A couple months ago I read the first book in this series, titled, Into The Woods. I really enjoyed that book and eagerly waited for this novel to become available from my library. There was a hold of about 3 months on the book. When I saw this book in the free section at my local college, I was like score!

This book follows the events of the first one, about a month earlier. The story follows Rob Ryan's ex-partner, Cassie Maddox. I enjoyed this character so very much. This is a crime novel that uses the premise of a doppelgänger, which is kind of weird but I totally loved it. I always enjoy crime novels for some reason, and this is so much more than your average crime novel. The novel is an exploration of human nature, emotion, and need. It isn't just about what crime occurred, but the root, behind the crime itself.

I do feel like you need to read the first one to really understand this book, but they both are awesome so it isn't a chore. If you have read the first book,  I am sure you will enjoy this as much as I did.

The premise is this girl shows up dead, and she looks identical to detective Cassie Maddox. What is even crazier is that she even used Cassie's fake identity, used in previous investigations. Then Cassie goes undercover as her into the home she shares with fellow students, in an attempt to find clues about the girl's murder. While normally I would find this entire plotline ludicrous and unbelievable, the author writes in such a way I was on the edge of my seat.

Soon we are introduced to a secret society of intelligent and quirky students. They were interesting, odd, at times bizarre, but often realistic. Quickly we realize that this isn't your typical house and it is filled to the brim with secrets. Things that will keep you guessing and on your toes. This book is for sure a page-turner.

Tana French writes with such passion, it really envelops you into the story. Her writing is deep, emotional, and extremely beautiful. She writes about flawed, human characters that seem so real. She will make you sympathize with them. She makes her writing come alive. What I found really interesting is that she will make sure you understand and really know the narrator. I have never found myself so invested in a character. I knew her habits, background, thoughts, feelings, and fears. I really found that so interesting. I loved the build-up of the personality.

I really feel like this is one of the best crime novels I have read in 2018. I really recommend you check this out.