THE FAMILY SECRET

5 stars out of 5

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed several books in this series, but apparently I’ve missed a very important recent installment – I got the shock of my life when I learned in this, the 16th book, that Detective Lottie Parker of Ragmullin, Ireland, and her significant other, police partner and Detective Mark Boyd, have parted ways personally. No, no – that can’t be, I said to myself. But alas, it’s true – and I can't say I'm happy about it.

But life goes on for both, and somehow they’re still not only on speaking, but decent working terms now. That’s good, because their next case looks to be a doozy. The day after a backyard birthday party to honor their young daughter, parents Caroline and Cameron Healy and their daughter Freya are found dead in the house; at first blush, it appears the father killed his wife and daughter and then took his own life. Lottie and Boyd, though, are not so sure, especially given the clothing the female victims were wearing. They look into the somewhat off-kilter relationship between the Healys and neighbors Thomas and Sadie Clark (their daughter Lily is Freya’s best friend who nearly stayed the night but instead got dragged home by her parents).

That lead turns nearly impossible to follow up, though, when both Sadie and Lily go missing. Still other clues, like backyard party suppliers being asked to return to “check” the equipment, pop up, confusing the issue even more. Then, Lottie’s daughter Chloe, who’s in training to be a police garda like her mom and Boyd (for the record, the latter’s helping Chloe in that direction is the main reason Lottie and Boyd broke up), finds a clue from long ago that may just be what they need to solve the case. Getting that information to her mother, though, hits an unexpected and shocking roadblock that made my jaw drop (and no doubt will be visited again in the next book in the series. Especially in this case, I can hardly wait to see if a certain someone gets a well-deserved comeuppance. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to enjoy this one by way of a pre-release review copy. Good job once again!

The Family Secret by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, May 2026).

 

The Family Secret by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, May 2026); ?? pp.

DEATH WRITES

4 stars out of 5

I've missed only a couple of books in this series - this is the sixth - and more's the pity. Those I did read, this one included, I've thoroughly enjoyed. Mind you, to my mind they're far closer to fitting into the "cozy" category than "thriller," but that's fine with me; sometimes, I'd rather not be overwhelmed with blood, guts and concern that the main character won't make it to the end of the book.

Benedicta O'Keeffe, affectionately called Ben, is a level-headed solicitor in Glendara, Ireland, who sometimes gets caught up in illicit activities. And it's a little refreshing to see that her boyfriend Tom Molloy, a police sergeant, doesn't poo-poo her input nor threaten to hog tie her if she finds herself in the middle of an investigation yet again.

And of course, such is the case here, when things begin with her concern that her parents may have fallen victim to a scammer; Molloy, concerned as well, offers to do what he can to help, bless his heart - and the immediate result is that they agreed to come stay with Ben while things get sorted out. Meanwhile, the townspeople are gearing up for Glenfest, a literary event, and everyone's excited that the notoriously recluse author Gavin Featherstone will be the star of the show. Things roll along swimmingly until his presentation - insights into his soon-to-be-published memoir - a presentation that ends up falling flat. Soon thereafter, Ben learns that her office is the keeper of Featherstone's Last Will and Testament, a document drawn up by her predecessor.

Mostly estranged from his wife and children, Featherstone lived with a young male assistant. All well and good, perhaps, but the inheritance issue takes on more significance when it's learned that the author's death was not an accident. Until the killer is identified, everything is on hold; after all, a murderer is prohibited from receiving money or valuables from the person he or she willingly caused to die. And for sure, several of the potential beneficiaries are on the suspect list.

For the most part, the murder investigation and happenings with Ben's parents' situation move along slowly (though not nearly as slowly as Ben and Tom's relationship); clues are revealed here and there right up to the end, when both situations are resolved after some surprising information comes to light. Also of interest is a twist in that aforementioned relationship - one that, I'm sure, will play out in the next installment. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it - and thanking the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to catch a pre-release copy of this one to read and review.

Death Writes by Andrea Carter (Oceanview Publishing, December 2023); 336 pp.

THE ALTAR GIRLS

5 stars out of 5

Although it's hard for me to imagine anyone who's life is so, well, discombobulated, I always look forward to reading more about Detective Lottie Parker from Ragmullin, Ireland. This is the 13th book in the series, and if nothing else, the edge-of-my-seat ending made this one a favorite so far. To be sure, the topic - the murder of children - isn't exactly fun, but coupled with Lottie's love and coworker Mark Boyd's exhaustive search for the son his ex-wife stole from him, the whole thing is a barn-burner.

It begins with the discovery of a young girl's body on the grounds of the local cathedral; Lottie is crossing her fingers that it isn't little Willow Devine, whose mother reported her missing earlier in the midst of a terrible snowstorm. Turns out it's Willow's friend, Naomi Kiernan; but while that brings some relief, it still means a child has been murdered - and the question of whether Willow has met the same fate.

After questioning numerous potential suspects, including a priest who isn't terribly forthcoming (and several parents with similar attitudes), the worst happens; Willow's body is found. In the midst of all this, Lottie must deal with her mother's ever-worsening dementia and Boyd's abandonment of the case as he runs off to follow a trail he hopes will lead to his son.

There's plenty of action throughout as the investigation and Boyd's search continue, as well as plenty of murder suspects, and it was a struggle putting it down as activities of daily life - like cooking dinner - intervened. By the time I reached the three-quarter mark, though, you couldn't have pried it out of my hands. Fortunately, it's easy to read, so my long-suffering hubby didn't have to go hungry for long. Now, I'm ready for the next one - and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

The Altar Girls by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, November 2023); 504 pp.

THREE WIDOWS

5 stars out of 5

The day-to-day life of Detective Lottie Parker in Ragmullin, Ireland, is such an unholy mess that it almost makes my head hurt, but over several books (this one makes an even dozen) I've come to love reading all about it. And this one fits the pattern perfectly. Not only must she oversee an investigation of several sadistic murders, she and her police partner and significant other, Detective Mark Boyd, must deal with the sudden and suspicious return of his ex-wife, infighting and over-the-top infatuation within the department ranks and her mother's ever-worsening dementia.

All three situations get substantial page time, but it is, of course, the murder investigation that takes center stage. It begins with the discovery of a woman's body - one that's been severely beaten (ante-mortem) and had the eyes surgically removed (thankfully after the fact).

The victim had lost her husband recently, and she'd hooked up with a relatively new widows' support group dubbed Life After Loss. Lottie's team is still working on that investigation - and Boyd is still agonizing over his ex-wife's motives for return to Ireland and Detective Kirby is still trying to make sense of his new relationship - when another woman from the widows' group goes missing. And so the cycle goes until the end, when the case is (mostly) resolved. All told, it's another engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Three Widows by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, February 2022); 507 pp.

THE GUILTY GIRL

5 stars out of 5

Calling detective Lottie Parker's life in Ragmullin, Ireland, chaotic somehow seems like an understatement, and I admit to wondering how anybody could live, much less thrive, in that kind of environment. But by this time, though, I think I've become accustomed to all the goings on, because this very hectic one is a favorite of the bunch I've read previously (this is the eleventh).

On the work front, Lottie is called to investigate the murder of a teenage girl at her fancy home following - or perhaps in the middle of - a clandestine party she hosted while her parents were away. One of the guests, the victim's friend, had been the subject of online bullying and becomes the primary suspect. Problem is, she's apparently been drugged and has no recollection of anything that happened during the event - making Lottie less than certain about her involvement in her friend's death.

The investigation continues with little progress, but Lottie also knows her teenage son Sean was at the party as well (after all, she found out, waited outside and drove him home). There's no doubt that he isn't the killer, but on the other hand, Lottie is pretty sure he's not telling the whole truth about what he knows. And then another, even younger partygoer turns up murdered - and the possible motive is that he knew too much. So what does that mean for Sean? Could he be next?

Amid all this are secondary plots involving a gang of drug-dealing kids on bikes and a local boxing gym where some of the kids hang out, both with possible connections to both murders. Lottie's husband, detective sergeant Mark Boyd, usually can be counted on for support - but not this time. He's in Malaga, meeting up with the young son who, until recently, he never knew he had. Alas, at least for readers like me who love Boyd, he's around only for the occasional phone consultation until the very end. And as if all this isn't enough to drive Lottie bonkers, her mother Rose, with whom she has a sort of like-dislike relationship, isn't doing well and moves in with the rest of the Parker clan.

Given the multitude of suspects and need to resolve the story lines takes Lottie - and readers - for a thrill-a-minute ride complete with a few twists (although I won't call them totally surprising). It all makes for another installment well done plus the hope that another one will be out soon. Until then, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. Well done!

The Guilty Girl by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, June 2022); 507 pp.

MURDER AT GREYSBRIDGE

4 stars out of 5

If you're looking for a well-written, enjoyable series with a bit out-of-the-ordinary setting and characters, may I suggest this one? This is the fourth book in the Inishowen Mysteries series, and I previously read the third ("The Well of Ice"). Both are very entertaining and can stand well alone, though as is my custom, I advise starting any new series at the beginning.

It seems to me I actually like this one a titch better than the third, although it's easy to chalk a big part of that up to being familiar with at least the two main characters. The primary focus is on Benedicta "Ben" O'Keeffe, a solicitor (lawyer) in Glendara, Inishowen, Ireland. As this begins, her romance with police officer Tom Molloy seems to have ended - he left without much explanation, much to her disappointment. She and local veterinarian Harry Dubois are an item, although Ben doesn't seem all that enthusiastic about him. Besides, she's been offered a job in Florida, so maybe now isn't the time to get too serious.

Ben runs O'Keefe & Co. Solicitors in Glendara, and she's off to attend the wedding of her friend and office colleague, Leah. The ceremony and reception is being held at Greysbridge, a storied manor that was purchased and renovated by a member of the original family (and the owners are Ben's clients). It's a beautiful place, but rumor has it that at least one ghost is a frequent unregistered guest - as Ben suspects may be true when she beds down for her first night there. She and Leah also come across some odd features that apparently were added to the house but now are totally sealed off.

The ceremony goes along swimmingly until a young American who has an interest in the property's history appears to have done likewise; problem is, he never learned how. Despite attempts to revive him by Dr. Harry and others, he's a goner. But he's not the last to bite the dust; a second man - another history lover who wants to bring the story to the world, also turns up dead in his room. This time, it's clear that foul play was involved, leading to the suspicion that the young man's death wasn't an accident. And what to Ben's wandering eye should appear but - you guessed it - her ex-lover Molloy, who's come to investigate.

Thrown in the mix are a suspicious gardener, a couple of errant teenage lovers who go missing (with, of course, Ben trying to track them down) and assorted family members, some of whom are reclusives from a nearby island who don't play well with others. Solving the murders is the real focus, though, and that takes Ben and Molloy to the strange island of Inishathair with the hope of returning intact. Like its predecessor, this book has a cast of thousands - yes, I exaggerate - making it a bit of a chore to keep everyone straight. Things work out in the end as well they should, but a couple of ends remain loose (such as the status of Ben's relationships with Molloy and the good doctor). Now I'm ready for the next one, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. An-mhaith!

Murder at Greysbridge by Andrea Carter (Oceanview Publishing, November 2021); 353 pp.

LITTLE BONES

4 stars out of 5

Of the 10 books featuring small-town Ireland Detective Inspector Lottie Parker, I've read the five most recent (including this one). By now, Lottie is almost like an old friend - albeit one I can't help feeling sorry for because her personal life - and often her professional one as well - always seem to be so gloomy.

It's no different in this one; she and significant other, co-worker and Detective Sergeant Mark Boyd, are at least thinking about getting married. He shuffles between his own place and the fixer-upper home Lottie occupies with her school-age son Sean, daughter Katie and Katie's young daughter. It's a situation far from ideal - in fact, Lottie hates the place - but she's agreed to stay while her half-brother figures out what to do with it.

While work doesn't always provide the personal-life getaway she'd like - there are issues there as well - Lottie doesn't mind digging in, usually with gusto. This time, a woman walks in her daughter Isabel's house to babysit and gets a gut-wrenching surprise: her daughter's bloody body. The only saving grace is that the murderer spared the infant. Not long after Lottie and Mark are called in, another young mother, Joyce Breslin, goes missing; her four-year-old son follows suit, apparently abducted from his daycare center. Then, Joyce's body turns up as well - If that weren't enough, a female hiker unearths a tiny bone on a remote hillside - a bone, she's certain, is human.

All this leads the investigative team to consider numerous suspects, but mostly to dead ends. The discovery of a bloody razor blade solidifies Lottie's belief that the murders and abduction are related. Somehow, Lottie must connect all the dots before someone else, like Joyce's young son, becomes a victim as well. 

All in all, this is another engrossing entry in the series that ends, as most of them do, with a cliffhanger that I expect will be resolved in the next installment. I look forward to that, and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one. Well done!

Little Bones by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, Septembeer 2021); 2290 KB)

THE WELL OF ICE

4 stars out of 5

This is Book 3 of the author's Inishowen mystery series, and the first for me. And I must say that overall, I enjoyed it thoroughly. If I have to get nitpicky, I'll say the number of characters was a bit overwhelming, but once I got into the swing of things I managed to keep the important ones straight.

The star of the show is Benedicta "Ben" O'Keeffe, a solicitor in Glendara, Inishowen, who's desperately trying to clear her calendar for the upcoming Christmas holidays. But instead of seeing bows, boxes and warm hugs from her family and friends, she runs smack dab into the man who murdered her sister Faye. He's just been released from jail, and instead of heading for other parts as she expected, he's right on her doorstep. Long ago, she and he were an item - until he dumped her for her sister and then, well, you know. 

Ben has a relatively new main squeeze, a sergeant with the local police - although their relationship seemed to me to be tenuous at best (anyone who wants to keep a relationship "in the closet" says to me no relationship exists). But they're working at it, sort of, when things in the small community start to go horribly wrong. It starts when a popular pub burns to the ground - a possible arson - and the suspicious disappearance of the pub's barmaid. Then, when Ben and her lover, Tom Molloy, hike to Sliabh Sneacht to see the Well of Eyes, her foot slips in and she dubs it the "Well of Ice." Alas, that's not their only find; the other is the body of a dead female.

Needless to say, Ben has her suspicions that her sister's killer may be involved somehow. But is that simply what she wants to believe because she [understandably] hates him so much? What roles, if any, do the dead woman's husband or the pub owner play? As the plot progresses, it becomes clear that maybe Ben herself is in danger. If that's true, can her boyfriend protect her while he's trying to solve the murder? 

Well, you'll just have to read it to find out - and it's worth the effort. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me a pre-release copy to read and review.

The Well of Ice by Andrea Carter (Oceanview Publishing, November 2020); 352 pp. 

SHADOWS IN DEATH

4 stars out of 5

Honestly, I have some mixed emotions after

reading this book, the 51st in the series (I missed a couple of the very early issues, but not a single one in a long while). Overall, I enjoyed it as always; it's well-written and entertaining, so for that alone it gets 4 stars from me. Other than that, the best I can do is lay out a few things on both sides of the "love" equation.

On the plus side, there's plenty of the hunky Roarke; he's long been near the top of my list of all-time favorite book male "heroes," so it's always a treat to get to know him better. And only once that I noticed did he turn into a controlling partner in the Roarke-Lt. Eve Dallas relationship as seemed to be a trend in a few past books. Except for "correcting" her fashion choice prior to one of her outings, he basically let Eve run her own show even though what was happening affected him in a very personal way.

And that's another plus: This time, the plot centers around Roarke and his background as a young punk (and worse) in his native Dubliln. At the beginning, a woman is knifed to death in New York City; when Eve and Roarke come to the crime scene, Roarke spots an old nemesis who happens to be one of the most dangerous on-the-loose killers in the world. Clearly, to Roarke's eyes at least, the murderer hung around specifically to send a signal to Roarke that he's back and most likely gunning for Roarke and his family.

On the minus side is repetition; having Eve (or another character) explain the background of the police investigation to yet another character or group of characters got a bit tiring. Also a teensy bit irritating to me was the constant face-touching, hair smoothing I love yous, you're my everythings and assorted other sweet nothings between Eve and Roarke. Yeah, you love and trust each other - I get it. The sex scenes are graphic enough, so dial down the rest of it a bit.

As for the story, Eve and her NYPD crew - including the trendy all-pink Peabody, her trusty significant other McNabb and the uber-fashionable Dr. Mira - set out to solve the woman's murder and keep Roarke's childhood rival from accomplishing what it appears he's set out to do. Interspersed with the action is the fun stuff that makes this series a hit in my book - the technology that can only be possible in a futuristic setting like this (Auto-Chefs that can be programmed to make drinks and dinner, "magic" coats that protect wearers from bullets and vehicles that can lift off the ground like helicopters). There's even a one here I suppose would come in handy if one of the characters happened to run afoul of a skunk. 

The chase (and the bad guy) lead Eve and Roarke on a not-so-merry chase that culminates in a bang-up ending - one that's a stretch to believe, but satisfying nonetheless. Another one down - bring on the next!

Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press, September 2020); 368 pp.

UNRAVELING OLIVER

5 stars out of 5

Told from the perspectives of several key characters, the chapters in this debut novel weave together a portrait of a young man who seems exceptionally likable on the surface. Readers, though, know otherwise right from the start; successful book author Oliver Ryan (who writes under the pseudonym of Vincent Dax) readily admits punching his wife, Alice, into unconsciousness and a coma from which it's likely she'll never recover.

Since my husband comes from Irish stock (and, in fact, his surname is Ryan, the same as the central character), I was more than a little excited to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. When I opened it on my Kindle, however, my first reaction was far less enthusiastic. For the past couple of years, you see, I've often spoken of growing weary of books in which the chapters shift points of view, each one building on background that leads to the grand finale when everything comes together. That said, I've also maintained that this technique, while it may be over-used, is extremely effective when it's done well. And it's done very well here.

Set in Ireland (where reportedly it was a bestseller, I assume when it was initially released in 2014), the book begins with Oliver's astonishment that he actually punched the daylights out of his wife - even though it's pretty clear that he's treated her like dirt from the git-go. From there, his earlier life is described by other characters, beginning with Barney, the guy Alice dumped after she met Oliver and began illustrating his books. There's Michael, whose sister Laura was at one time a serious contender for the role of Oliver's wife, plus a couple of others who reminisce about Oliver's past and, of course, Oliver himself. Details of his life are unraveled, as it were - coming together again to show how,  why and by whom Oliver's dark side was nourished (clearly, the devil is in the details, none of which I can reveal here without spoiling things for other readers).

At any point along the way, did I feel sympathy for Oliver? Not once. Were there times the story seemed a titch unbelievable? Perhaps - but this is a novel, after all, so a little bit of crossing over that line is perfectly acceptable. More to the point, was I disappointed when I reached the end and there were no more pages to read? Absolutely! Put another way, this book is a gem - highly recommended.

Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent (Gallery/Scout Press, August 2017); 272 pp.

THE MISSING ONES

4.5 stars out of 5


If I had to describe this debut thriller in just one word, I'd choose "engrossing." From the beginning, when three young children in a home for orphaned and abandoned children witness acts almost too horrific for them to understand, I thought I might have trouble putting it down. And as the often-gruesome story unfolded, I knew I was right.

This is the first in a series featuring small-town Ireland detective Lottie Parker, who gets the call to investigate when a murdered woman is found in a cathedral. Not long thereafter, another body turns up - this one a man found hanging from a tree outside his home. Identifying the woman presents quite a challenge, but the man is known; and when it turns out that both victims have what appears to be the same tattoo on their legs, it becomes apparent that the two murders somehow are related.

The real-time story takes place from around Christmas 2014 to just after the start of the new year, but readers also get flashbacks to 1971 and some of the scenes witnessed by the children at the home. Lottie and her team, including her partner and occasional sleepover partner Boyd, turn up clues suggesting that the now-abandoned children's home is central to the case. Now, it seems, the property has been sold to a developer who plans to turn it into a multi-million dollar hotel and golf course - plans that seem to have become lost somewhere in the local government bureaucracy.

Just when dwindling leads make solving the two crimes far less than a certainty, yet another body turns up - this time a priest who, Lottie and her cohorts are told, was sent to the local parish "to find himself." This death, though, could be the turning point; surely, three murders in this small community over the space of a few days can't be a coincidence (or, to put it another way, as did one of the characters in Ian Fleming's Goldfinger: "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.") And so it is that Lottie really digs in, going deeper and deeper as the dots from past to present begin to connect.

After reading a ton of books "starring" female detectives, I've concluded that it's a requisite that they be flawed (think, for instance, J.D. Robb's popular Eve Dallas). Lottie is no exception; she lost her beloved husband to cancer and is trying to deal with a demanding career that includes a rather nasty boss (also a requisite, I think), three near-grown children and a mother she loves but from whom she effectively is estranged. What's more, Lottie has a long-ago connection of her own to the abandoned children's home - trauma that's never been resolved and that brings the possibility of harm to her own children as the current case moves to a surprising conclusion (a couple of them, actually - one very believable and the other, at least for me, not so much).

Now I've finished, and I'll say with no reservations whatsoever that I hope this book will mark the successful start of a series - if for no other reason than I want to follow along. Meantime, my thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read it in exchange for an honest review.

The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, March 2017); 518 pp.

ALERT

4 stars out of 5

The family of NYPD detective Michael Bennett - his 10 adopted children, his Catholic priest grandfather Seamus and his off-again, on-again love, Irish nanny Mary Catherine - take back seats to the action in this, the 8th in the series. And I can't say I'm terribly disappointed. Yes, it's sort of fun to watch the kids grow up and (since I'm no spring chicken myself) a bit difficult to see what the aging process is doing to the good Father. But when it comes to the love interest, I've grown a bit weary; for the love of Killarney, either make an honest woman out of her or send her packing to the Old Sod.

In fact, that's where this one begins; Michael and Mary Catherine are in her native Ireland so she can oversee the sale of family property. When that deal goes awry, he leaves her to sort it out and heads back to work in New York City. He's concerned about Seamus, who recently suffered a stroke that may left left him in the throes of dementia. Before that can be determined with any certainty, however, an horrendous explosion rocks the city's subway. Before that dust has settled, with all law enforcement on high alert, a high-level government leader is assassinated - triggering a level of anxiety the city hasn't felt since 9/11.

Chapters alternate from Bennett's POV on the ongoing investigation and that of the two unknown to the cops bad guys behind all the murder and mayhem. Clearly, the pair are hell-bent on blowing the city to smithereens, but to me there was a bit of a comic element as well. Every time they appeared, I was reminded of Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd, the dangerous dudes from the cast of an otherwise unremarkable 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. 

At least one more act of mass destruction occurs fairly early on and the threat of another, even worse disaster prompts an unheard-of evacuation of the City that Never Sleeps. As the story progresses, I concluded that someone must have done some serious research to bring the whole thing together, on everything from weapon-making to history of New York - and that's a good thing. And, it's always interesting to watch the police and FBI fight over turf and credit (don't these two factions ever see eye to eye)? Ah well, at least Michael still gets on well with his old FBI friend, Emily Parker. As the search begins to zero in on the culprits, some of their "aha" moments test the limits of believability, but the action never slows down and I read the whole thing in almost record time.

There's a little family tension as the Irish college student Seamus found to take over in Mary Catherine's absence tries to get them all to safety during the evacuation. The young man's obvious rapport with the youngsters and slick organizational skills (surpassed only by Mary Catherine herself) also made me wonder if he'll take over the job permanently if Michael and Mary Catherine ever do get hitched. 

Alert by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown and Co., August 2015); 400 pp.

THE LIKENESS

5 stars out of 5

A year ago - almost to the day - I finished the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, In the Woods. I'd given that book a go because one of my good friends kept telling me (make that pestering me) about how good this author is. She was right; by the time I was halfway through that one, I was certain it would earn 5 stars from me, and it did (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/551220964?book_show_action=false). Of course, I planned to read others; but life (and a lengthy to-read list) got in the way. When I finally opened this one, the second in the series featuring Detective Cassie Maddox, it was with great expectations.

Quickly, they fell a bit flat; whether it was because it's a busy season and my mind was on other things or because the first few chapters just didn't grab me, I struggled a bit to get into it. But I'm betting it was the holiday bustle, because suddenly things started to pick up and didn't stop till the end - which, given the time I was forced to spend shopping, wrapping, decorating and cooking, didn't happen nearly as soon as I'd wanted.

Just a few months after coming off the life-changing events of the first book, Cassie has left Homicide behind and is working the Domestic Violence beat. Then, she gets a call asking her to come to a crime scene. A girl has been murdered, but there's a freaky twist: The dead girl is a dead ringer for Cassie and even has an ID card bearing the name Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie used during an undercover sting. Although Cassie is reluctant to get involved, she's naturally curious - and accepts the assignment that will take her undercover once again, this time posing as the "twin" to go live with the dead girl's housemates. 

Although they knew their friend had been stabbed, they hadn't been told she'd been killed; all Cassie had to do, then, was study Lexie's vocal and speech patterns, stick on a bandage to cover the fake wound (also helpful in concealing a microphone) and assume Lexie's identity. Meantime, Cassie is trying to juggle a budding but serious romance with fellow Detective Sam O'Neill, who's also working the case and is, to put it mildly, less than thrilled when Cassie agrees to duck under the radar all by herself. 

As an aside, I must say that the names gave me pause for a while until I got used to them; two of our now-grown granddaughters - sisters - are named Cassandra and Alexandra. And as a second aside, I'll note that it's not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this one; the author has provided ample background information here so nothing is lost (except perhaps the enjoyment of reading the also-outstanding first book).

Cassie pulls off the impersonation in fine form, although not without a few hiccups here and there that, had she not had her wits about her, would have given her away. But after all, it wasn't supposed to be a long-term deal. The intent was simply to find out what she can from the other housemates, who are such tight comrades that they've stuck to what the police believe is a concocted version of what happened on the night of the murder. Get the info and get out was to be the name of the game.

Good plan, perhaps, but game rules are subject to change as they do here, when Cassie and her detective buddies learn that Lexie may not have been the person her housemates thought she was. And, the closeness of the group with such quirky personalities brings up still more unsettling questions. Then, as Cassie gets to know the others, she begins to relate more to Lexie's persona than an objective investigator should - not a plus if she wants to get out alive.

When it comes to character development, the author does a stellar job. Whether or not any of the people here are likable wasn't important; all that mattered to me was finding out what was lurking in the depths of their minds - exactly what Cassie herself was trying to learn. Put that together with well-written, believable dialogue and a suspenseful plot, and it's another winner in my book.

The Likeness by Tana French (Penguin Books reprint edition, July 2008); 492 pp.