The Likeness

Another tour de force from Tana French, whose In the Woods was a stunning first novel. This one I listened to on Audible, and the reader was excellent, enhancing my experience of the book and characters with the appropriate Irish accents.

Cassie Maddox, a secondary character in In the Woods, is dating Sam, another Murder Squad cop, but is herself working in Domestic Violence. (She's recovering from the traumatic events of In the Woods.) One day she gets a call from Frank Mackey, a previous boss, to come to a rural crime scene. Arriving, she finds that the victim is herself -- or at least, someone who looks almost exactly like her and is using an identity that Cassie herself had used when working undercover years before. Frank, who was the head of that undercover operation, comes up with a crazy scheme. Cassie will go undercover again as Lexie Madison, and, after a period of "convalescence," will move in with the dead woman's four housemates and try to discover who the murderer is. Over Sam's objections, Cassie, who's rather bored in Domestic Violence, agrees.

This scenario is fascinating enough, but the characters make it even more so. The housemates, all graduate students at Dublin, have formed a sort of family to replace their own unsatisfactory ones, living in the house inherited by Daniel and making it into a real home. At first it seems like paradise to Cassie. But Daniel has a scheming cousin with designs on the property, and the locals have a mysterious hatred for Anglo-Irish Daniel's family. And who was Lexie Madison, really?

The story moves on to a surprising and devastating conclusion -- which, like that in In the Woods, is not the absolute finale we usually look for in crime novels. I look forward to listening to the next in the Dublin Murder Squad series.

Note: my husband didn't care for In the Woods, and after a short while gave up on The Likeness as well. So you may not enjoy this book as much as I did; but give it a try, at least. ( )

Tana French is a thoroughly talented writer who, frankly, writes mysteries that sure-nuff piss me off. I mean that as a compliment. Really.

After being wrung out from reading In the Woods, I continued on like a true soldier, not sure what I was getting myself into, but I wasn't about to let this series beat me down.

Absorbing, original, though I did have to arm myself with a willing suspension of disbelief. The situation was over the top, but the plot was gripping, and Cassie Maddox is a marvelous, strong character who doesn't really acknowledge the rules as much as she probably should.

Decent, but the ending seems to drag on interminably. Definitely worth reading, though. ( )

IN THE WOODS had left me so heartbroken and incensed, THE LIKENESS had to lure me in like a wounded animal. Once I picked it up, once Cassie had her voice in my ear, I was seduced. I read half the book in a blink, had all those old familiar feelings of passion and impending doom in my heart, and had to force myself to put it down and walk away. French writes about a particularly heartbreaking type of friendship, those young, no-boundaries ties that are the thrilling, high-octane pleasure of youth. I think that was what devastated me at the end of IN THE WOODS. As much as I complained about loose ends and unsatisfying mysteries, I was really mourning the loss of Cassie and Rob's perfect little kingdom of two. Halfway through THE LIKENESS, I was once again emotionally invested in a happy household of friends, as brainwashed as Cassie to think there could ever be a happy ending. And poor Sam. He deserves so much more than the be the symbol of growing up and giving up and selling out... but there you have it. There's nothing healthy or productive about Cassie's other options, but French makes you yearn for them.

Full review at Read Fragment. ( )

While Tana French’s second novel is a follow-up to her first and is now part of a series, in reality The Likeness is a stand-alone novel that just so happens to reference a previous case and star a familiar character. Even better, even though her debut novel was a rousing success with its creepy, other-worldly elements, its bleakness, and lack of definitive black-and-white scenarios, the only thing that Ms. French duplicates – other than the characters and references to the previous case – is the lack of clear definitions between good and bad/ black and white. There is something refreshingly familiar but off-kilter about the entire novel that highlights the fact that Ms. French prefers the psychological torments to physiological ones. Indeed, the indistinctness previously mentioned – due in large part because of the mental games being played by each of the characters – is not only familiar and oh-so-realistic, it plays a crucial role throughout The Likeness, as Cassie is torn between her emotions and her common sense once in the throes of her latest case.

While the novel revolves around solving a murder mystery, there is something extraordinarily cozy and inviting about the setting and about Lexie’s friends. So much so that it actually becomes quite easy to forget that Cassie is supposed to solve Lexie’s murder and uncover her true identity. Whitethorn House itself, with its rundown, rustic, historic charm, takes on a life of its own while the close camaraderie of the house’s inhabitants makes a reader feel as if a reader is part of this eclectic and accepting group. The backdrop and the friendships create a charming lightheartedness within the story that beguiles readers.

The fact that not all is as carefree and jolly as it appears should not surprise a reader, and yet that is exactly what happens. The characters and the setting are so compelling that one is torn between wanting the story to move forward versus maintaining the happy-go-lucky attitude and banter that makes up a Cassie’s growing friendship with Lexie’s housemates. One simultaneously wants to find out the truth and yet not resolve the mystery because there are shadows and unhappy endings that this group of students does not deserve. In many ways, the reader’s own feelings mirror Cassie’s own confusion and emotional involvement.

Psychologically, there is something absolutely fascinating about the entire premise of The Likeness that sets this second novel apart from Ms. French’s first. The idea of not only finding one’s doppelganger, but also of having to solve the murder of said doppelganger is ultimately thrilling and highly traumatic. Ms. French takes this shock one step further by adding the mental strain of undercover detective work. It quickly becomes apparent why Cassie begins to buckle under the strain, as both having to pretend to be someone else and deal with the ramifications of seeing her dead face in the form of Lexie would be enough to push to the brink even the strongest of detectives. The fact that Cassie’s tough façade was in a state of disrepair prior to this latest case is an additional stressor but one that makes it so easy to relate to Cassie.

One might think it is tough to follow up on such a stellar debut novel. However, with her second book, Ms. French once again showcases her ability to create a taut and highly enjoyable murder mystery that is just as fascinating as her first, if not more so. Favoring the psychology behind the crimes rather than the mechanics of them, combined with rapid-fire dialogue and smart characters, The Likeness moves beyond the familiar detective procedural and into a grittier, more realistic, and ultimately more engaging whodunit.

This one kept me up till 1am - I had to finish it before I fell asleep. I think it's a better book than In The Woods - there are certainly more "answers," more wrap-up, which is expected in a mystery - but I'm not sure if I liked it more. It's a unique premise, definitely, and the writing is similar. I'd still like to find out what happened to Rob, though (from In the Woods). Maybe her next book? ( )