The Likeness

“There's a Spanish proverb,” he said, “that's always fascinated me. “Take what you want and pay for it, says God.” “I don't believe in God,” Daniel said, “but that principle seems, to me, to have a divinity of its own; a kind of blazing purity. What could be simpler, or more crucial? You can have anything you want, as long as you accept that there is a price and that you will have to pay it.”I've been following this series on audio. The narrator for “The Likeness” was excellent, just as the one for the first book. I'm sure this added a lot to my enjoyment, but there's still something very special about Tana French's writing that pulls me in.

I love her characters. I wasn't invested in the story because of the mystery itself, but because of the characters. I loved Cassie Maddox and Frank. I loved even Daniel. I enjoyed being inside their minds, hearing their interactions, their “rants”. And the rest of the ensemble complemented them perfectly. At times I would catch myself drifting into the story as if they were all real.

The book was not quite perfect, plot-wise I wasn't completely sold on the doppelgänger angle, but it worked well enough for the story and, like I said, the characters are truly well done.

So much better than the first one. The main character in this book got on my nerves, too, but managed to redeem herself to me just before I gave up on her.