The Likeness by Tana FrenchMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cassie Maddox is former undercover detective with the Dublin Murder Squad, currently working with the Domestic Violence Squad. She is called back to help investigate the murder of a young woman who apparently has assumed Cassie’s undercover name and identify (Lexie Madison), and who also is an identical twin for Cassie. Cassie goes undercover once again, pretending to be Lexie. Over the course of three weeks, she lives at the house and spends all her time with her fellow housemates, trying to figure out who murdered Lexie.
Set in Dublin and the surrounding area, we meet Lexie’s four roommates – Daniel, Justin, Rafe and Abby – who are all students at Trinity University and are very close with similar interests. They live in a huge mansion which Daniel inherited from an uncle, located about an hour outside of Dublin. The house itself almost seems like another character; they spend all their time outside of college in the house – listening to music, cooking, fixing up the house, etc.
Tana French’s writing is a fantastic fusion of literary fiction and mystery / police procedurals. Her character development and descriptions are simply superb. The book gives us an in-depth understanding of what it means to be an undercover detective. I originally read this book in 2019 and just re-read it for a mystery book club discussion. I enjoyed it even more with the second reading. I have read the entire Dublin Murder Squad series and was sad to see it come to an end. However, I have enjoyed French’s other novels as well and am looking forward to the third book in the Cal Hooper trilogy, The Keeper, which is scheduled to be published in March 2026.
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