''The Likeness'' is a 2008 mystery novel by

Tana French Tana French (born 10 May 1973) is an American-Irish writer and theatrical actress. She is a longtime resident of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel '' In the Woods'' (2007), a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry ...

. Set in Ireland, it is the second volume in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. ''The Likeness'' and ''

In the Woods ''In the Woods'' is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. It is the first book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The novel won several awards ...

'', the first book of the series, are the inspiration for the BBC and Starz's 2019 ''

Dublin Murders ''Dublin Murders'' is a crime drama television series created by Sarah Phelps. It is based on the ''Dublin Murder Squad'' books by Tana French, commissioned by the BBC for BBC One and Starz, with RTÉ later joining the project. The first series ...

'', an eight-episode series.

Plot summary

The story follows the efforts of detective Cassie Maddox to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of Lexie Madison, a young woman who is her

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

. The dead woman not only resembles Cassie but also was living under an alias the detective used in an earlier undercover assignment. A senior police officer, Frank Mackey, convinces Cassie to impersonate the dead woman to investigate her death and to discover who she really was. As the investigation proceeds, Cassie becomes consumed by her impersonation of the murder victim. She forms deep bonds with the dead girl’s four housemates, who are suspects in the murder. Boundaries begin to blur between Cassie's real and undercover identities.

Continuity

Cassie Maddox was a character in French's 2007 ''

''. Her partner in ''In the Woods'', Adam "Rob" Ryan, is mentioned briefly in ''The Likeness''. Frank Mackey appears in French's later novels ''

Faithful Place ''Faithful Place'' is a 2010 crime novel by Tana French. The book is set in Dublin, featuring undercover detective Frank Mackey, who was a supporting character in French's previous novel, '' The Likeness''. It is the third installment of French ...

'' (2010) and '' The Secret Place'' (2014).

Critical reception

In 2009 the book was shortlisted for the first annual Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award. The ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' praised the "elegance and insight" of French's writing and described the book as "a brilliant thriller, beautifully written." Laura Miller of

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

included the book among the ten on the Salon Book Awards 2008, writing that "The hypnotic prose and eerie atmosphere conspire to make this ostensible mystery novel much, much more than it appears to be." In a more critical vein,

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' commented that French "could have achieved the same effects much more succinctly in a more tightly edited version of this same story. But Cassie herself remains a strong enough character to sustain interest."

References

External links

* Official website �
US version
{{DEFAULTSORT:Likeness 2008 Irish novels Irish crime novels Novels set in Ireland Works by Tana French