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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The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler is a book about murder, but also mental illness and how people treat others with these illnesses. Some readers have said the killer was predictable, but I didn’t have it figured out, and it came as a complete surprise to me which I really appreciated.
The Look-Alike is a fast-paced, engrossing read, and I had a hard time putting it down. Sienna’s struggles with her mom’s mental illness, and her own doubts about being “normal” was very emotional to read about but I was also totally thrown for a loop by the murder mystery aspect. I thought Spindler did a great job of keeping you guessing until the end, while also having a lot of depth overall.
I was a huge fan of Sienna and her character development throughout the book. She’s a character you can connect with and love, and she made for a great narrator even if I did yell at her once or twice in my head. I didn’t figure out who the murderer was until she did, and I had missed a major clue so I can definitely see why some readers might find it predictable. If you’re a good sleuth you might figure it out, but a good sleuth I am not!
Song/s the book brought to mind: Every Breath You Take by The Police
Final Thought: I was pleasantly surprised by the little bit of romance in The Look-Alike even if it was a bit on the fast, partially unbelievable side. You’ll have to suspend a tiny bit of disbelief for this novel, but it was a great, quick read and I really enjoyed it! Would recommend to psychological thriller lovers that enjoy books that are about more than the murder/mystery. I’m glad that this author is now on my radar and I will certainly be reading more of her books.
Thank you to Edelweiss for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.