The Likeness

For a novel based on two wildly improbable coincidences, this sustains interest pretty well over nearly 700 pages. Like her first novel, In The Woods, French draws you into the story, and what begins as an investigation becomes a forensic examination of relationships and their dynamics. By a third of the way in, I'd forgotten this was a murder investigation. It's quite a skill, but the appeal is different from a more typical thriller. The suspense and whodunnit elements take a backseat to the interpersonal details of interactions at a granular level. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.