From Erica Spindler, the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes The Look-Alike, a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago–but does anyone else believe her? Sienna Scott grew up in the dark shadow of her mother’s paranoid delusions. Now, she’s returned home to confront her past and the unsolved murder … to confront her past and the unsolved murder that altered the course of her life.
In her mother’s shuttered house, an old fear that has haunted Sienna for years rears its ugly head–that it was she who had been the killer’s target that night. And now, with it, a new fear–that the killer not only intended to remedy his past mistake–he’s already begun. But are these fears any different from the ones that torment her mother?
As the walls close in, the line between truth and lie, reality and delusion disintegrate. Has Sienna’s worst nightmare come true? Or will she unmask a killer and finally prove she may be her mother’s look-alike, but she’s not her clone?
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Oh, I just loved this book! It grabbed me right from the start—there are so many layers to this story. There were more than one crime to solve, and plenty of suspects. I was right there with the protagonist, leaning towards one suspect and then another. There was just enough foreshadowing that I was able to figure out the various motives and possibilities, but I wasn’t positive of things until they were truly revealed. The mental illness of the main character’s mother was central to the story, and not a subject that really attracted me, but it was handled gently. The writing is excellent, and I was unable to put the book down, the last half or so, choosing instead to read it all night until I finished it and just suffer the lack of sleep the next day—I have no regrets! I’ve discovered an author who is new to me, but apparently she’s had quite a career—I must read more by her. I was provided an ARC of this book, but the opinions are my own.
This book really grabbed me from the first page and I didn’t want to put it down. Sienna has an interesting past and I liked how it was woven into the present story line. I also liked the way that she interacted with her mother despite her mother’s mental illness. You really felt the love between them and how much her mother wanted to protect her. There were a lot of red herrings that I felt added to the story. This book stayed with me long after I finished it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Review Crew. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Look-Alike By Erica Spindler
Series: No
Format: Paperback
4 Star
Recommend: Yes
Would Reread: Maybe
“From the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago—but does anyone else believe her? “
I’ve never read one of Erica Spindler’s books before and I don’t usually read psychological thrillers.
So I was surprised how much I really enjoyed this book. 🙂
The book starts ten years ago with Sienna Scott finding the body of a girl on campus who is wearing the same coat and on the shortcut she takes back to her dorm.
Then the book jumps to Sienna returning home after living in London for ten years to help care for her Mom who has a mental illness.
The book jump timeline from ten years ago to the peasant tho out the but it is done really well
so I never felt lost at any point.
The book dose slow down a few time and has a bit of what I call “filler”.
But the biggest draw back was I figured out who killed the girl very early in the book.
And Sienna could be an idiot sometimes. I mean really, what did she do for the ten years she lived in London??
I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.
I won this ARC from a goodreads giveaway.
For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspot.com/
Thank you to Net Gallery for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Look-Alike took me some time to get into, I almost called it quits 25% in. It was slow to start and was not holding my interest. About halfway through, the book started to pick up pace and I was pretty sure I had figured out who killed Madison. I am used to my Psychological Thrillers being much more intense and harder to figure out.
Overall, the book was an okay read. For those of you who want an intense Psychological Thriller, this one is not for you.
I received a complimentary copy via The Review Crew. I chose this book because of its enticing blurb and the author.
Ten years ago, in the small town of Tranquil Bluffs, Wisconsin, Sienna Scott was responsible for the murder of a young woman. Indirectly. Just because she looked like the victim. To this day, the murder remains unsolved. To escape notoriety, Sienna runs away…far away, to London.
But, now she’s back. To care for her mentally ill mother and to re-unite with the family she abandoned. Upon her return, the past comes rushing back. Long-buried memories of the murder re-surface. Questions arise.
Written from the third-person point of view, with two timelines : 1) past (time elapsed since the murder), and 2) present(time of day), the chapters are titled accordingly. The easy-to-follow plot flows smoothly. The plot, itself, a murder mystery with elements of romance, was compelling and just complex enough. It was straightforward, yet unpredictable. The descriptions, from settings to characters, were vivid. All the characters and their interpersonal relationships were well-developed.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, my first by Spindler. It was readable, with simple language and short chapters. It had a storyline that had me turning the pages, eager to find out what happens next and, at the same time, forcing myself not to read ahead. Throughout the novel, I thought I had it all figured out, only to be proved wrong. I look forward to reading her future works and catching up on those I’ve missed. After just one book, she now ranks as one of my favorite authors.
This book starts off great – Sienna, on her way back from class trips over a body of a classmate, Madison, stabbed to death. The story goes on trying to figure out who the killer is (I had no idea through the whole book and was surprised at the end when the killer was revealed.)
Sienna was sent away by her father because between her mother who suffers with mental illness and the murder, he feels she would be better off. Sienna’s biggest fear is becoming like her mother.
But alas, she returns home and finds the case was reopened. She then begins to get threatening phone calls and as things get out of hand there are twists and turns around every corner. Who murdered Madison? You will be surprised!
I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway – available for sale January 2020. Put it on your TBR List.
This just might be the best thriller I’ve read all year (and I read a LOT of thrillers). Why, you ask? For a number of reasons:
1. The main character, Sienna Scott, is a genuinely likeable person. She was handed some major negativity early in her life (a mentally ill mother, stumbling across a murder victim in college), and is working hard to move past these events. It’s nice to see this lovely young woman making an effort to reconnect with her family and achieve her dream of owning her own restaurant. Of note, events cause Sienna to worry that she may have inherited her mother’s mental illness.
2. The secondary characters, notably Jonathan, Randy, Bradley, and Mrs. Scott, are also drawn realistically and distinctly. Some are likable, some are not, and some are to be pitied, but they are all unique and interesting characters. Even minor characters, like the already-deceased Mr. Scott and Mrs. Scott’s doctors, are presented clearly enough that they seem like real people.
3. Author Erica Spindler keeps you guessing about what is real and what isn’t. The nature of Mrs. Scott’s (and possibly Sienna’s) mental illness means that she perceives people and events in a certain way. While she fully believes things are as she sees them, the reader is left unsure as to what is reality and what is delusion.
4. My favorite part of a thriller is trying to figure out who the “bad guy” is. Ms. Spindler gives the reader three solid suspects, and develops each one, along with their motives, as the story moves along. A couple of less-solid (but still plausible) suspects are also thrown into the mix. I honestly suspected multiple people at different times as I read. By the end, I had a pretty good idea, but only because some suspects are gradually eliminated. Also, since I had suspected virtually everybody at some point, I was bound to have been right. This element of multiple truly legitimate suspects really made the book stand out for me. The suspense element was handled perfectly, and I was obsessed with reading on to see what happened. I had to make myself put the book down for little things like “sleeping” and “going to work”.
5. The final reveal made perfect sense in the end. One extra-awesome bit….there was a clue I picked up early on. However, I thought it might have been an editing oversight, since I read an ARC (not a final version) of this book. As it turns out, it wasn’t an oversight at all, but a critical clue that tied everything together. The novel also gets bonus points for having the culprit be a character who was part of the book all along. I really hate thrillers that bring a character into the story late, and that person ends up being the bad guy.
All in all, five out of five slices of the freshest American cheese. I really loved this book, and it will be making my “Best of 2020” list. Bravo, Ms. Spindler!
I received an ARC of The Look A-Like by Erica Spindler, and loved every page turning minute of it. It was an outstanding book and Erica Spindler is an amazing storyteller. The Look A-Like is the story of Sienna Scott and her return home to Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin from London, where she has been for the last ten years. The story takes place in current day, but some chapters detail the events from ten years ago. Ten years ago, when Sienna was a freshmen in college, she found the body of a fellow student, Madison Robie, who had been murdered on campus. Sienna believed that Madi was murdered instead of her, same color coat along the path that Sienna took to her dorm after study group. Sienna’s mother, Vivienne suffers from mental illness. Sienna’s father, Dan sent her to London to live with his mother, because he was concerned about Sienna’s mental health. Upon her arrival home, Sienna hears that Madison Robie’s murder case has been reopened. Sienna soon notices the new neighbor across the street, Jonathan Hart. He is fixing up the house to flip it. Sienna and Jonathan become romantically involved and Sienna believes she is falling in love with him. That is until Sienna does the unthinkable and accuses him of murdering Madi. As the police get closer to solving the murder everyone is a suspect, including Sienna’s mother, and half brother, Brad. Love how Erica always keeps you guessing who did it. Not sure how many times I flip flopped between Jonathan, Brad, Vivienne, and Randy, campus police officer first on the scene of Madi’s murder and now a detective for the Tranquility Bluffs Police Department. Love the details and all the characters in the story. It was a phenomenal story. So happy that The Look A-Like includes my favorite surprises and plot twists that I have come to expect in Erica Spindler’s books. She truly did not disappoint. I loved the ending, wasn’t sure how she was going to tie it all together, but she did it magnificently.
A fast paced read; good murder mystery. I actually pegged the killer, however the author did a great job of making me doubt many times with many twists and turns to keep me thinking that I might be wrong on this. Sienna makes a lot of stupid choices throughout the book; she tries to be fearless to not be like her mom who suffers from a delusional disorder. Definitely recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
Yikes! I haven’t read an Erica Spindler book for a while and forgot how they keep you on the edge of your seat. The Look-Alike is no exception, this old woman had to learn edge of the seat balance again. Ms. Spindler has created a book that is well-written and populated with a phenomenal cast of characters. Sienna was in college when she came across a murdered woman. After ten years in London with her grandmother, she returns home, just as the case is opened again. Sienna is inundated with thoughts about the murder, her mother’s illness, Jonathan the new neighbor and worries about having the same illness as her mother. This book is loaded with drama, humor, sizzle, action and suspense. I enjoyed every word and will be working on catching up on the Erica Spindler books I haven’t read yet. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When Sienna Scott discovers the body of a murdered young woman on her college campus, it changes the trajectory of her life. She moves to Italy and becomes a chef. When she returns home 10 years later, she finds that much has changed, yet much remains the same. The murder was never solved, and Sienna still can’t shake the suspicion that she might have actually been the killer’s intended target. But her mother has long suffered from paranoid delusions and she’s not entirely convinced that she isn’t suffering from the same issue – that history makes it difficult for Sienna to trust her own observations or her mother’s. This psychological thriller gives us several suspects, and I bounced between them almost all the way through the book. It was well-paced and definitely held my interest throughout. It’s the first book I’ve read from Erica Spindler, but it definitely left me interested in reading more.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
This is the first book that I have read of Erica Spindler and have already ordered several more of her books. I got this book because it was one recommended through Brenda Novak’s reading group and I must say it was amazing.
All of us have pasts with our parents and when we are children we don’t always know the exact reason why things happen. Being send away in order to be safe may be the best move but to a child it seems as if you are being abandoned….
But if a murder occurs and you can’t find the killer and your mother is going off her rocker then living in London may not be such a bad idea. Then when you return years later you think that as an adult you can handle these situations that you could not as a child. BUT, can you?
So many things in this story move quickly and truthfully I did not know the answer until about 3/4 of the way into the story. This mean for me it was a great book because I could not figure it out.
When you get this book make sure you have enough time to read it because you will not want to put it down. It will suck you into the scenes and you will not be able to look away until the end. Find a place where you won’t be disturbed and enjoy the ride.
A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for originally giving me a chance to read and review THE LOOK-ALIKE by Erica Spindler. Unfortunately, I put it on the back burner for quite a while with more pressing library hold due dates and book club picks. I finally read this tense thriller thanks to my membership in Brenda Novak Book Club.
I am so glad I finally read this book in March. Erica Spindler was a new to me author, but after reading this book I have become a huge fan. I have even gone so far as to join her EPIC Facebook group.
Sienna is afraid that her mother’s mental illness issues are affecting her just as she has inherited her mother’s looks. Sienna moved away from her hometown after tragedy in the past, but now she is back again to care for her mother. The past seems back to haunt her and she fears a killer is out to get her and tie up loose ends from the past. Her next door neighbor is very attractive, but can she trust him?
Erica Spindler does an incredible job of crafting a thriller that will keep you going at a fast pace to find out whodunit. Psychological and domestic thrillers are all the rage now and only talented writers like Erica Spindler make them seem realistic and not contrived.
I will certainly be going back to read this amazing author’s back list and looking for future novels.
Sienna Scott has returned to her hometown to help care for her mother who has paranoid delusions. Sienna hasn’t lived at home for ten years after a shocking murder on campus her freshman year. She can’t shake the feeling that the murder was connected to her! A very suspenseful novel that keep me guessing to the end!
The Look-Alike was an enjoyable thriller. The romantic element in the book was the love at first site type and wasn’t believable. But, I did like the way her mother’s and possibly her own mental illness and delusions shape the story. I knew who the killer was early on, just not the reason behind it. I read a finished copy not an ARC, but I was really bothered by how many mistakes made it past editing.
I read this book as part of Brenda Novak’s book club, and I’m glad I did. It was a suspenseful read. I thought I knew who did it, and then would doubt my choice as I continued reading. My first choice was right so I laughed when I got to the end and realized I’d been led down of path of doubt. The family dynamic was described well as was the impact on the family members of the mother’s mental illness. It was a pretty quick read. I loaned it to my brother before I read it and he liked it too. I look forward to reading other books by Ms. Spindler.
Repost of my original review at Amazon.com.
The Look-Alike
By Erica Spindler
This was definitely a who done it thriller! Every second it seems a new twist is being thrown at you and just when you thought you’ve figured it out, another possibility comes into play! Loved the characters & the the story line of facts about mental illness.
Sienna Scott who happens upon a murder and just so happens to be wearing the same jacket as the victim and at the same place Sienna was walking home; was she the intended target? Her mother who suffers from severe paranoia and delusional disorder has a big impact on Sienna when she keeps saying that maybe it was her that was supposed to be killed. Her father afraid for her mental health; thinking she may be developing mental illness like her mother, sends her away to London.
Ten years later she returns home to take care of her mother now that her father has passed on. The murder case still remains unsolved and upon her return a lot of strange occurrences begin. Phone calls with disturbing messages, vans driving by the house, her mother’s claims of being pushed down stairs and other odd events.
Has Sienna inherited her mother’s mental illness or is there someone out there that is really out to get her?
I give it 4/5
This book is an amazing read for anyone that loves suspense and being on the edge of your seat while turning pages to find out what happens next.
A good who dunnit mystery. The book looks at mental illness and the toll it takes on the person and their family. This book is full of twists and turns. It kept me wondering who it was. I thought I had it figured out and then I would read a little father and think no it’s someone else. I enjoy a book like this that keeps you guessing.
This is the first book that I have read written by Erica Spindler and I can say that it’s awesome! Her characters seem so realistic and there are so many twists and turns you would think you were on a mountain road! I will be reading more of her books. Thanks for writing such a great book!