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gabmc's review against another edition
2.0
This was an ok book. I wanted to like it because I've read others by Scott Turrow that I enjoyed. However it was a bit too predictable and also quite confusing. The one thing it's made me want to do is read some Greek myths as this story is base on one!
sanjeevp's review against another edition
3.0
This book is different from Turow's usual legal thrillers of Presumed Innocent genre. The story in this book revolves around Greek families, politics and a little bit of legal and correctional system.
It starts out with a set of identical twins, one of whom has already plead guilty but other twin is accused and suspected of having committed the murder. So the first part is about twin forensics - how different is their DNA, blood, fingerprints etc.
And then Turow adds his twists and turns that make the book interesting so that the end is totally different and unpredictable.
The book is good but not a hard to put down legal thrillers that we expect from Scott Turow. Turow has ventured outside his usual genre but his mastery of legal thrill does not come through in this book.
It starts out with a set of identical twins, one of whom has already plead guilty but other twin is accused and suspected of having committed the murder. So the first part is about twin forensics - how different is their DNA, blood, fingerprints etc.
And then Turow adds his twists and turns that make the book interesting so that the end is totally different and unpredictable.
The book is good but not a hard to put down legal thrillers that we expect from Scott Turow. Turow has ventured outside his usual genre but his mastery of legal thrill does not come through in this book.
cindyreads2024's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. Scott Turow is such a great storyteller! I didn't want to put the book down...so many twists and turns. Thoroughly engaging!
sarabookdragon's review against another edition
2.0
2.5☆ just to be fair, because the author obviously did some serious research before writing the book. despite the fact that I Love thrillers and crime and adult fiction and mysteries in general, i simply did not enjoy this. i felt like the plot dragged on and on. and there was some serious repetition. the writing style is cool, i mean nothing distinctive, i hate it when i read a book for an author i have never read for before, and the book isnt great. to be fair, the idea and the plot twist toward the end was interesting, it just wasnt jaw dropping interesting. also, the main events were thrown in the sentences just like every other side event, and i don't like when authors do that.
jennifergamradt's review against another edition
5.0
Great story! Thrilling and keeps you guessing until the end!
algae429's review against another edition
3.0
Started off slowly, but I became more interested as it went on. Loved the stuff about DNA research and really enjoyed the investigator being an older man and middle-aged woman. I liked the dynamic between Evon and Tim and thought it was fun.
Didn't like the habit of referring to characters by either their first name or last name, but never the two together so it took me half the book to realize some of the people I thought were two different people was actually only one guy...
Merged review:
Started off slowly, but I became more interested as it went on. Loved the stuff about DNA research and really enjoyed the investigator being an older man and middle-aged woman. I liked the dynamic between Evon and Tim and thought it was fun.
Didn't like the habit of referring to characters by either their first name or last name, but never the two together so it took me half the book to realize some of the people I thought were two different people was actually only one guy...
Didn't like the habit of referring to characters by either their first name or last name, but never the two together so it took me half the book to realize some of the people I thought were two different people was actually only one guy...
Merged review:
Started off slowly, but I became more interested as it went on. Loved the stuff about DNA research and really enjoyed the investigator being an older man and middle-aged woman. I liked the dynamic between Evon and Tim and thought it was fun.
Didn't like the habit of referring to characters by either their first name or last name, but never the two together so it took me half the book to realize some of the people I thought were two different people was actually only one guy...
carolpk's review against another edition
4.0
So much to read, how could I drop it all to read Identical? My all-time fascination with twins got the best of me. Identical was not the next on my list but when I read comments by my GR friend Cynthia, I rushed to my library and was the first to grab the just processed book. Lucky me.
Identical met all my expectations. I've read Turow before and loved Presumed Innocent though I've yet to read Innocent where characters from the first clash yet again. Identical is based loosely on the Greek myth of Castor and Pollux. Cass is all set to marry Dita though he seems to be the only one, including Dita, who is happy with the match. Even his identical twin, Paul, despises Dita but doesn't know what to do. When Dita is found dead in her bed, Cass seems the most likely suspect. He pleads guilty and is sent to jail to do the time. Speed forward 25 years. Cass has served his sentence and is scheduled for release. Dita's brother Hal is not satisfied with the original verdict and believes Paul had something, possibly all, to do with the death of his sister. Hal wants answers and he wants revenge. The original lead investigator, Tim Brodie, now on retainer to Hal, is ordered to get to the bottom of things. So begins a story of truths and lies, love and hate, family and friendships, evidence and forensics, politics, and the power of wealth. Though there are many twists and turns, clues are given, making me think I had the answer. So much for that!
So who killed poor Dita? Identical is a doozy or if you prefer, doozie of a ride. Double the pleasure, double the fun. Read it and see if you can pick the killer before book end.
Identical met all my expectations. I've read Turow before and loved Presumed Innocent though I've yet to read Innocent where characters from the first clash yet again. Identical is based loosely on the Greek myth of Castor and Pollux. Cass is all set to marry Dita though he seems to be the only one, including Dita, who is happy with the match. Even his identical twin, Paul, despises Dita but doesn't know what to do. When Dita is found dead in her bed, Cass seems the most likely suspect. He pleads guilty and is sent to jail to do the time. Speed forward 25 years. Cass has served his sentence and is scheduled for release. Dita's brother Hal is not satisfied with the original verdict and believes Paul had something, possibly all, to do with the death of his sister. Hal wants answers and he wants revenge. The original lead investigator, Tim Brodie, now on retainer to Hal, is ordered to get to the bottom of things. So begins a story of truths and lies, love and hate, family and friendships, evidence and forensics, politics, and the power of wealth. Though there are many twists and turns, clues are given, making me think I had the answer. So much for that!
So who killed poor Dita? Identical is a doozy or if you prefer, doozie of a ride. Double the pleasure, double the fun. Read it and see if you can pick the killer before book end.
jbeimler's review against another edition
3.0
Drawn out, but I enjoyed all of it even the somewhat plodding character development. I still don't understand why some of the characters come clean, but I enjoyed how it all wrapped up anyhow.
lmsmango's review against another edition
3.0
Paul Gianis, 50, has served in the local senate and is eager to advance in the ranks. Cass, his twin brother, has completed his 25-year sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Dita and is about to be released. All appears to be well for the pair of siblings until right-wing real estate mogul Hal Kronon—the victim's brother—discovers the case and casts doubt on its veracity, putting Paul's bid for mayor and Cass's bid for freedom in jeopardy. A solid cast of characters, ranging from spurred ex-lovers to hard-boiled detectives with a heart of gold, round out the picture, each with their own baggage to bring to the table.
The premise is strong enough on its own, so it's a shame that it loses its luster about halfway through. I'm not as familiar with Greek mythology as I should be, but naming the characters after mythological figures gives away most of their endings anyway. There's only so much disbelief I'm willing to suspend with regard to nomenclature in a contemporary novel: Zeus Kronon being a philandering capitalist who'd made a career out of shopping centers is one thing, but the slow reveal of "Dita" being short for Aphrodite killed me. Even as the murder mystery becomes increasingly engrossing, I find that the story falters when it leans too heavily on mythology.
Ultimately, the mystery at the heart of it collapses under the weight of the Greek inspirations that Turow wants to impose. While the references to Greek myth does reduce the thrill of wondering what happens next, they do allow you, albeit implicitly, to reframe the narrative a bit differently: which parts of the myth did they retain, and which did they leave out? And what narrative elements did the author include to make the story more nuanced, more his own? The conclusion is delectably satisfying, but no less morally murky, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
My first Scott Turow novel and my first legal thriller in a long while. I'm excited to read more of his work—and have just bumped Presumed Innocent up my queue!
P.S. Man, I LOVE you, Paul
The premise is strong enough on its own, so it's a shame that it loses its luster about halfway through. I'm not as familiar with Greek mythology as I should be, but naming the characters after mythological figures gives away most of their endings anyway. There's only so much disbelief I'm willing to suspend with regard to nomenclature in a contemporary novel: Zeus Kronon being a philandering capitalist who'd made a career out of shopping centers is one thing, but the slow reveal of "Dita" being short for Aphrodite killed me. Even as the murder mystery becomes increasingly engrossing, I find that the story falters when it leans too heavily on mythology.
Ultimately, the mystery at the heart of it collapses under the weight of the Greek inspirations that Turow wants to impose. While the references to Greek myth does reduce the thrill of wondering what happens next, they do allow you, albeit implicitly, to reframe the narrative a bit differently: which parts of the myth did they retain, and which did they leave out? And what narrative elements did the author include to make the story more nuanced, more his own? The conclusion is delectably satisfying, but no less morally murky, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
My first Scott Turow novel and my first legal thriller in a long while. I'm excited to read more of his work—and have just bumped Presumed Innocent up my queue!
P.S. Man, I LOVE you, Paul
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
3.0
I really like Scott Turow and generally enjoy the time I spend with his characters but this particular story went a little too off the rails for me to fully buy into it. It was still mostly a good time.