*Psst* Click the picture to find a copy
I sped through In The Woods and immediately had to pick up the next book in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series! It took a while to read this one, but not because it was bad. I just never had time to read. In fact, despite being so busy, the book was so good that it's all I wanted to do!! #bookishproblems
I'd heard all over the Internet that The Likeness was even better than In The Woods. So since that's something you rarely hear about an author's second novel in a series, I was intrigued. And after finishing the book I have to agree! I loved the plot, I loved the characters and just like the first one I loved Tana French's style of writing. The story is told as if the main character is rehashing the events to you directly. It's an interesting storytelling strategy that you often forget is even happening until you get to a line that pulls you back from the story. Something like, "I should have known then," or , "looking back that should have been when I knew," etc. It makes you think about what clue you just missed or what character trait you just observed will circle back later and help solve the mystery. I would love to see Tana's story boards! Talk about a complex web!
In this book, Cassie Maddox has left the Murder Squad, but that doesn't stop her from getting called to a new murder scene. When she arrives she finds a young woman who looks very much like her and quickly finds out that she was using a false name. The name she's going by is one that Cassie invented herself years ago while working an undercover case. All the evidence has been washed away my the rain and there are no real suspects because no one knows who this woman really is. Instead of going about solving the murder through the usual channels, Cassie and the murder squad decide to embed her in the victim's life to gather inside information. Cassie quickly transforms into Lexie Madison, a character she'd long left behind, and gets to work to catch this mystery woman's killer and try to find out who she really was.
I think one of the underlying reasons that I liked this book so much was that it's written Cassie's perspective. Maddox was introduced in the first book as the main character's partner and I loved her character then so I was thrilled to read a book all about her. I know that I prefer reading stories from female perspectives, so that could be why I liked this story more, but I also think that the plot line and really fresh take on a mystery novel drew me into this story faster than the first. In fact, I'm a little sad that the whole series isn't written from Cassie's POV!
The Likeness could be a standalone novel if you're not at all interested in the first, but I urge you to read both and read them in order. French's characters have so much depth that being able to pull from the first book really helps you understand the motivations of the characters as you go.
The next book in the series is from Frank Mackey's POV. I probably will wait to read this one for a bit and work through the other books piling up on my shelf. (Amy Odell's Tales From the Back Row will be up next week!) However, there is no way that I'm not going to buy it and read it! I am too wrapped up in French's complex world and beautiful (sometimes poetic) writing to not read them all!
Happy reading!
Love you lots,
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