Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Likeness by Tana French

After loving In The Woods, I quickly placed The Likeness on hold from my library. It came in last week and I started it on Sunday. I finally finished it and give it a B.

From Amazon:
Six months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is still trying to recover. She’s transferred out of the murder squad and started a relationship with Detective Sam O’Neill, but she’s too badly shaken to make a commitment to him or to her career. Then Sam calls her to the scene of his new case: a young woman found stabbed to death in a small town outside Dublin. The dead girl’s ID says her name is Lexie Madison—the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective—and she looks exactly like Cassie.With no leads, no suspects, and no clue to Lexie’s real identity, Cassie’s old undercover boss, Frank Mackey, spots the opportunity of a lifetime. They can say that the stab wound wasn’t fatal and send Cassie undercover in her place to find out information that the police never would and to tempt the killer out of hiding. At first Cassie thinks the idea is crazy, but she is seduced by the prospect of working on a murder investigation again and by the idea of assuming the victim’s identity as a graduate student with a cozy group of friends.As she is drawn into Lexie’s world, Cassie realizes that the girl’s secrets run deeper than anyone imagined. Her friends are becoming suspicious, Sam has discovered a generations-old feud involving the old house the students live in, and Frank is starting to suspect that Cassie’s growing emotional involvement could put the whole investigation at risk.

This book wasn't as great as In the Woods. Part of the reason I believe, is because the reader has to suspend some belief that this story could even happen. I find it hard to believe that Cassie can look so much like Lexie that she is able to move in to her old house, live with her friends who are more like a family, and basically take over her life. I also felt that this book was about 100 pages too long. There were some descriptions and events in the book that felt somewhat like a filler to me. It took me awhile to read this, partly because I have been working 11+ hour days but also because there were some dry spots in the story. That all being said, it was a good book and a good police procedural. I would recommend this book, but I would advise people that it doesn't hold up to the great work of In the Woods. This book qualifies for the Library Challenge and Suspense challenge in the murder mystery category.

Up next is a book by Meg Gardnier. I am not sure what the title is and it is in another room and I am way too lazy right now to get up and get it. Right now I am working at subbing, my online job, and working at my mom's office. I am pooped and getting a bit frustrated because I feel like all I am doing is working and going to bed only to repeat in the morning. Oh well... I am not going to complain too much, in this economy I need to take everything and anything I can take. Happy Reading!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I look so forward to hearing about your next book. :)

Dorte H said...

I can understand that you had great expectations to Tana French after her first. A pity that the second one does not live up to these expectations. I am probably going to try it anyway if I find it in our library.

Kristie said...

I didn't finish it J. Kaye... I will go back to see more from her though!

Dorte: I would still read it... I enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as the previous book. Oh well!