The Likeness

The Likeness

By Tana French
Published: Penguin Books, 2008
Pages: 466
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

Some people are little Chernobyls, shimmering with silent, spreading poison: get anywhere near them and every breath you take will wreck you from the inside out.

Six months after working on a heart-wrenching case in the Murder squad, Detective Cassie Maddox is still picking up the pieces of her life when something shocking happens: a woman who looks exactly like her turns up dead carrying a false identity that Maddox had used while working undercover. Maddox delves into this strange girl's life: who killed her? Who was she, really? Will Maddox ever find her way back to who she was before?

Those that loved In the Woods will love French's follow-up novel. The Likeness a perfect blend of mystery and psychological thriller.

French once again delivers a beautifully written, suspenseful book. I could gush all day about her writing style; French is able to immediately draw the reader into her world and so perfectly creates the perfect atmosphere. Such as the following paragraph included below (which can be found on page 17 of the paperback):

Most dead people are the only thing in the room. Murder victims are different; they don't come alone. The silence rises up to a deafening shout and the air is streaked and hand-printed, the body smokes with the brand of that person grabbing you just as hard: the killer.

Cassie Maddox is so well-written that I felt like I WAS her while reading. She is clever, witty while also human... she makes mistakes and has her faults. Frank is an especially amusing character. He reminds of that one jackass we all knew in school who could transform into whatever character he needed to be to get what he wanted. French is able to write realistic characters that readers can connect with.

The plot is also very original: a detective finding her look-alike stranger dead then literally taking over in her place to find out who murdered her. The only complaint I have of The Likeness (and also why I'm giving it four puppies instead of a full five) is because I felt like the book dragged at the end. I was about 400 pages in and kept thinking to myself, OK is the ending coming soon? Though I have to admit, I did enjoy finding out what happened to the narrator and the dead girl's roommates.

I loved The Likeness, and I'm sure anyone who likes a good mystery will love it too.

RATING (out of five puppies):