The Likeness

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Grainne Gillis

Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

The inspiration for the major new BBC drama series Dublin Murders.

Still traumatised by her brush with a psychopath, Detective Cassie Maddox transfers out of the murder squad and starts a relationship with fellow detective Sam O'Neill. When he calls her to the scene of his new case, she is shocked to find that the murdered girl is her double. What's more, her ID shows she is Lexie Madison - the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective. 

With no leads, no suspects and no clues to Lexie's real identity, Cassie's old boss spots the opportunity of a lifetime: send Cassie undercover in her place, to tempt the killer out of hiding to finish the job. 

©2008 Tana French (P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton

Good Story. Wo Sind De Anderen Bücher?

What did you love best about The Likeness?

Didn't enjoy it as much as In The Woods but it's engrossing and exciting. This one required the listener to suspend disbelief a little further.

Any additional comments?

Since it's part of a series, I'd like to hear them all. It drives me nuts that Audible only has some of the series and not the whole thing. Not even in order either. Unless you're prepared to learn German, good luck ever moving on to book 3. Or 4. If you don't care about continuity though you can listen to book 5.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mediocre performance. Above average writing. Story lacks credibility.

Although I like Tana French's poetic writing style, I struggle with the extraneous detail and sentimentality. This is my second, and last book of hers I'll read/listen to. (I did both)

Performance was mediocre at best. Terrible singing, terrible high pitch voices. Poor accents. Didn't make we want more.

The Likeness

This narrator’s fake accent is so irritating I only managed the first chapter - I’d rather go and buy the actual book - the plot sounds interesting but that accent?!?

If you're looking for gold, this is it!!@

This is a wonderful story that peers into the hearts and relationships of 4 lost souls and a young policewoman trying to regain her soul.
The narration had just the right touch.

too ling

the author didnt know how to finish the book.... the last few chapters are futile and tiring

Not as good as Book 1

After listening to Book 1, I couldn't wait to read the next book in the series but was disappointed. First, it was a different narrator, with a completely different accent, which made it very hard to connect with the Cassie in the second book. She sounded completely different and it felt like it was a different character.
Second, the character of Cassie was not consistent with her personality established in the first book. Third, there was little continuity between the two books. Finally, the story bogged down in the middle and the "detective" aspect of the series seemed to be forgotten. It seemed to take forever to get back to the original premise. I did finish the book, but it was a difficult slog. I would be hesitant to read book 3.

Breathtaking!

Another fantastic story.. Very original characters that make you want to hear more of their story.

Decent book

The premise of this book was very promising, but fell a bit short for me. It definitely slowed down in the middle, and wasn't as exciting as it could have been. I like my mysteries to surprise me but unfortunately this one kind of bored me. The narrator was great though!

Great suspenseful novel

I read the previous , Faithful Place. I really enjoyed it and liked its hero, Frank. Frank is a small part in this book. I also liked the previous narrator. At first I was not wild about the narrator but she grew on me and was perfect for this novel. I am now a fan of this author. This story is different and suspenseful. The characters are well developed and interesting. I encourage others to jump in and try this novel out.

The ending saved it

Not the best of her books, with a strange and improbable story, but the last 2 hours or so saved the book for me.

This is more than a murder and an investigation

Despite the very unlikely premise of this book I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I like the way French mixes fast pasted, exciting writing with slower, more measured literary writing. Between blood and guts you get some of what makes the characters tick, right down to their politics.
In this book, for example, the house is essentially a character and its importance to so many people is dealt with; time is spent on it so that as the reader we understand the multi-dimensional complexity of the situation. We have all the perspectives: historical, social, economic. political and personal.
I think this adds a richness to the story, a roundness I am thoroughly enjoying.

This is more than just a murder and an investigation - it is a submergence in the universe of the book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Best of Tana French’s books I’ve read/listened to.

Really great story. Reader excellent. Twists and never dragging etc. best of the 3 books I’ve read. Other great too but this extra something.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I sewed us together at the edges with my own hands

I rate this as one of Tana French’s best books, it can stand on its own because of mood and setup.

It is a better book than The Secret History by Donna Tartt and that was a good book, they share some of the setting, mood and some of the social concerns, but the Likeness comes on top because it is less laden with angst and more dynamic. Beautifully written with great characters that jump off the page and a small town that is like every small town, full of secret, full of perceived history and real history.

One of the things that impressed me most was that it felt like it all was happening suspended from shared time in its own universe, without losing credibility. The pace is perfect and the psychological pressure on Detective Cassie Maddox is presented with realism and feeling for her and her likeness.

If you like Tana French this is not a difficult decision, she always delivers more than a thriller, deeper than just a message book or a formula; this is real writing for our times.

16 of 24 people found this review helpful

Awesome

Could not put this audio book down. Fantastic narration and excellent characters. Can't wait for number three.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Gripping and fascinating

Really unique story that had me completely hooked from the start. Richly layered characters and a satisfyingly complex story made for a brilliant listen.

very good thriller

Okay, so bumping into a doppelganger that resembles someone as convincingly as it was described in this book is pretty unlikely. But I feel a bit sorry for the reviewers who got stuck on this because as fictional stories go, this is a pretty fascinating idea, actually. (But then, I know someone who has met her own daughter's doppelganger and to me, the way she described that experience makes this idea worth exploring and stretching.) I thought that in the book there was good reasoning for why people might not realize for a while that the doppelganger is not the person they think she is, and among them, the very unlikeliness of this scenario is probably the strongest.
I liked the characters and the narrator was very good too. I only had a couple of small issues.
I felt that if anything was not so well believable was Cassie's breeziness after she went undercover. Having only just escaped death by the skin of her teeth, I personally would find it extremely strange for someone to act as if nothing was the matter.
As a character, Sam was quite uninteresting and boring, I really didn't see how he fit into the story.
I found this book very good but have to say, I liked In The Woods more. Somehow the atmosphere worked better for me and I am listening to it now a second time because of the BBC series, which did not do justice to either story and I want to hear again how the story really was.

Haywire

The characterisation of Cassie just went loco. I lost my ability to suspend disbelief, and was left with a long list of tedious WTF moments. The narration was over- dramatised.

Interesting story, but left wondering

This book kinda picks up where Tana's first novel left off, but like the first book, it has left me wondering if I missed something or if the author didn't explain a few important things. I'm on the fence when it comes to the characters and the narration.

Bad accents

This was ok, but the english and Australian accents were so bad they were off putting.

un-put-downable

I loved this book. well written, great plot, compelling characters. well worth a read. I listened to it while painting and decorating my daughter's room. I didn't notice the hours fly by.