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A review by immakingt0ast
The Likeness by Tana French
5.0
"I’ll never be free of her. I wear her face; as I get older it’ll stay her changing mirror, the one glimpse of all the ages she never had. I lived her life, for a few strange bright weeks; her blood went into making me what I am, the same way it went to make the bluebells and the hawthorn tree."
Holy hot damn this was amazing. I loved this SO MUCH. I honestly don't even think I have the writing skills to be able to express in a non-fangirling way how amazing these books are. I'm going to try, but really you should just read it for yourself.
While this book is technically a sequel to [b:In the Woods|3057240|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|3088141], it actually takes place a few months before that story comes to a conclusion and can technically be read as a standalone or out of order. While there are some mentions to Operation Vestal, In the Woods was Rob's story, and The Likeness is Cassie's.
The setup is slightly far-fetched.. A girl using Cassie's previous undercover alias -Lexie Madison- is found dead, and the police have absolutely no leads on who did it. So Cassie decides to go back undercover as Lexie again and see if she can find any leads from the inside. The only problem is, Lexie's life now revolves around an incestuously tight-knit group of friends (a la [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451554846s/29044.jpg|221359]). While the group is fiercely loyal and supportive of each other, it becomes clear straight away that something is off - but does that mean one of them is the killer?
Despite the unrealistic premise, it absolutely works. Each of characters has enough strength on their own to carry the story, but they work together well enough to make anything believable. The Likeness is just as much of a psychological novel as it is a mystery - Cassie's struggle to stay under cover and the dissolution of her state of mind are just as important as the actual murder investigation. Throughout, French expertly details the mental effects of a criminal investigation on the detectives involved. We watch as Cassie becomes consumed by the case, becoming more and more involved on a personal level. We watch her struggle to remain objective and not think of these people as her friends.
While I didn't think it was possible to be completely spellbound and enraptured by a mystery novel (let alone a sequel I absolutely was. French has a way of writing evocative, deeply psychological prose that just gets in your head and your bones and sucks you in. You get to know the characters thoughts and feelings inside and out with the same intimacy as you'd know your best friend. By the end of this book, I had to take a minute and remember that Cassie Maddox is actually a fictional character, because I felt like I knew her. Like I knew her and understood what she was going and wanted to help her through all the struggles she faced throughout the novel. I honestly can't think of another writer that can do this to the same effect. This is my second Tana French novel and I have already checked out [b:Faithful Place|9675287|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7350661] because I love these books so much.
(PS Cassie + Rob 4Ever)
Holy hot damn this was amazing. I loved this SO MUCH. I honestly don't even think I have the writing skills to be able to express in a non-fangirling way how amazing these books are. I'm going to try, but really you should just read it for yourself.
While this book is technically a sequel to [b:In the Woods|3057240|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|3088141], it actually takes place a few months before that story comes to a conclusion and can technically be read as a standalone or out of order. While there are some mentions to Operation Vestal, In the Woods was Rob's story, and The Likeness is Cassie's.
The setup is slightly far-fetched.. A girl using Cassie's previous undercover alias -Lexie Madison- is found dead, and the police have absolutely no leads on who did it. So Cassie decides to go back undercover as Lexie again and see if she can find any leads from the inside. The only problem is, Lexie's life now revolves around an incestuously tight-knit group of friends (a la [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451554846s/29044.jpg|221359]). While the group is fiercely loyal and supportive of each other, it becomes clear straight away that something is off - but does that mean one of them is the killer?
Despite the unrealistic premise, it absolutely works. Each of characters has enough strength on their own to carry the story, but they work together well enough to make anything believable. The Likeness is just as much of a psychological novel as it is a mystery - Cassie's struggle to stay under cover and the dissolution of her state of mind are just as important as the actual murder investigation. Throughout, French expertly details the mental effects of a criminal investigation on the detectives involved. We watch as Cassie becomes consumed by the case, becoming more and more involved on a personal level. We watch her struggle to remain objective and not think of these people as her friends.
While I didn't think it was possible to be completely spellbound and enraptured by a mystery novel (let alone a sequel I absolutely was. French has a way of writing evocative, deeply psychological prose that just gets in your head and your bones and sucks you in. You get to know the characters thoughts and feelings inside and out with the same intimacy as you'd know your best friend. By the end of this book, I had to take a minute and remember that Cassie Maddox is actually a fictional character, because I felt like I knew her. Like I knew her and understood what she was going and wanted to help her through all the struggles she faced throughout the novel. I honestly can't think of another writer that can do this to the same effect. This is my second Tana French novel and I have already checked out [b:Faithful Place|9675287|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7350661] because I love these books so much.
(PS Cassie + Rob 4Ever)