Book Review: The Likeness by Tana French

Some months after the events of In the Woods (read my review here), Detective Cassie Maddox has transferred off the murder squad with no intention of ever going back. But then fellow detective and boyfriend Sam calls her to a crime scene and Cassie comes face to face with the corpse of her double, who has been living under an alias (Lexie Madison) that Cassie created years before when she was working undercover. With no leads in the case, Cassie’s former undercover boss Frank convinces her to help try to solve it from the inside – by posing as Lexie and moving in with her tightly knit housemates.

I loved this book just about as much as Trish at Hey Lady Whatcha Readin' did (she gave it 100/100 – her highest rating ever) - it’s just amazing. Cassie was one of my favorite aspects of In the Woods so I was thrilled to get a whole book from her perspective. She’s had some psychology training and she’s somewhat of a natural criminal profiler so her insights are always sharp and fascinating. And it’s a good thing too – Lexie’s circle is very enigmatic, from their insistence on not talking about their pasts to their complete trust in ringleader and house inheritor Daniel.

It's a murder mystery, yes, but it's also so much more: Author Tana French looks at class divisions and how history still effects the present, asks what "real life" really is, and explores the slippery nature of identity.

The scenes are so well written that they take on that rare cinematic quality where you almost feel like you are living the book. Here’s an example, when after poring over the details of Lexie’s life, Cassie finally goes in:

“It took my breath away, that evening. If you’ve ever dreamed that you walked into your best-loved book or film or TV program, then maybe you’ve got some idea how it felt: things coming alive around you, strange and new and utterly familiar at the same time; the catch in your heartbeat as you move through the rooms that had such a vivid untouchable life in your mind, as your feet actually touch the carpet, as you breathe the air; the odd, secret glow of warmth as these people you’ve been watching for so long, from so far away, open their circle and sweep you into it.”

I was swept into this novel and I hope you will be too.