"The Likeness"

"The Likeness"
Written by Tana French
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

"The Likeness" is one of the best mystery / thrillers that I have read in a very long time. Tana French does not shy away from providing too much detail, rather she provides detail that truly shows the truth about characters, rather than telling. Her characters are so wonderfully fleshed out through her descriptions and creative dialogue. The plot of this story is also fantastic, with gripping events and a heart-pounding climax.

In the second book in the "Dublin Murders" series, we continue the story of Cassandra Maddox, who is a well-respective detective in the Dublin Domestic Violence Squad. She is called upon by her old colleague, Frank, and her boyfriend, Sam, to help with a terribly bizarre case. The murder victim has an identification of Lexie Madison, a name that Cassie had used undercover years ago. Also, the victim looks just like Cassie. Against her better judgment, Cassie goes undercover again to pretend that she is Lexie, to live with Lexie's group of friends in their isolated house in a small village.

This plot is wickedly interesting, as we become suspicious of most characters, as we delve into their private and secret world. Cassie chooses every word and action so precisely, to avoid detection that she is truly not Lexie. Cassie starts to enjoy spending time with these friends, and she begins to drop her suspicion, accidentally slipping up.

Every aspect of French's work speaks wonders to her writing ability. Her details, dialogue, characters, and plot are so finely tuned, that I could not stop reading. Although at a very busy point in my student teaching, I constantly found myself finding time to read.

Although I accidentally read the second book in the series, there is still enough detail that I was able to understand. The reintroduction of information was assistant in helping me understand and still get to know the characters.

The final few chapters are incredible, as the truth comes to light. The final climax and conclusion were extremely satisfying. In all, I found the entire book to be extraordinary. I fully recommend and believe that this will be a favorite book from this year! I cannot wait to read more by French.