It's a normal day in the Domestic Violence Division of the Dublin Police Department when Detective Cassie Maddox is called to the scene of a murder in the little village of Glenskehy. First, she wonders why they call her out since she no longer works in the Murder Squad. Second, what is her old boss from Undercover doing there? When Cassie arrives at the scene and sees the victim, her life will never be normal again.
If you read my blog posting awhile back on In the Woods, which I'm sure you did, you will remember that I applauded Tana French's debut novel for its complexity of storylines and the multitude of characters that it blends together so successfully. In that book, Detective Rob Ryan is the narrator. In French's latest book, The Likeness, his partner Cassie tells the story.
Cassie started her career with the Dublin PD working in undercover as a college girl with the made up personality Lexie Madison. Several years later, when Cassie is called to the Glenskehy murder scene, she finds a girl who looks exactly like her lying dead of a stab wound and carrying papers identifying her as Lexie Madison.
In an unconventional police tactic, and against her boyfriend Sam's wishes, she retakes Lexie's persona, infiltrates the household where she lives, and attempts to discover who is behind the murder of the dead girl and who the dead girl actually was. Because Cassie created Lexie, she feels compelled to find the truth and yet she knows nothing of how this mystery girl portrayed Lexie. As she gets more involved with her rather insulated housemates, the lines between Cassie and the real Lexie, whoever that is, begin to blur.
French has another winner with this novel. Although there is less of the police procedural and more of the inner psychological drama, it will still appeal to mystery readers and police fiction readers as well as those who like a good character study.
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