I really enjoyed the experience of reading The Likeness, by Tana French. The premise is ridiculous: Detective Cassie Maddox investigates the murder of a woman who looks just like her and went by the name of Lexi Madison, her old identity in an undercover mission, by pretending to be the victim and infiltrating the battered up mansion she lived in with her tight-knit group of four seemly perfect friends.
After I was willing to suspend my (~~paranoia over someone, especially a cop, just being capable of and ***allowed*** to take a dead persons place, for whatever reason)~~ disbelief and got over some pacing issues that made the first 30% of this book seem twice as long as the rest of it, The Likeness completely pulled me in. The fantasy of that huge old house in the Irish countryside with those incredibly close friends spending their days reading, singing, and laughing was just as enchanting to me as it was to detective Maddox, and watching it all fall apart made for some heartwrenching, but, yes, very compelling entertainment.
Cassie wasnt the most interesting protagonist, but I liked her well enough and I enjoyed her poetic monologues, even if they got a bit repetitive. Daniel, Abby, Justin, Rafe, and Lexi were way more captivating! Each with their own unique personality and secretive past (personalities and pasts in Lexis case, I suppose). Daniel was my favorite. He was flawed and naive in his own ways. He made mistakes, big mistakes, but I couldnt help but adore how much he loved his friends. THAT scene broke me!
I liked the writing. It was very atmospheric. The mystery was tight and everything seemed to fit in place. I guess I kind of saw it coming, but I suppose after a certain point I cared more about the characters than the mystery, just like Cassie. The resolution was satisfying. I recommend it. Good read.
