As you probably know, I love fiction that incorporates the theme of identity. Who is who, what is what, where is where–essential tropes in mystery and thriller fiction as far as I’m concerned. The fine Irish writer Tana French’s new novel takes the double/lookalike theme to extraordinary new heights. It’s called The Likeness, and it’s just out from Viking. (Another EXTRAORDINARY looking book.) It’s the story of a female cop–Cassie Maddox, back from French’s Edgar-winning In the Woods–who is called to the scene of a homicide. She discovers that the corpse looks exactly like her, and the identification on the body is that of a make-believe undercover agent Maddox once portrayed. Very twisty, very original, and very scary, The Likeness is one of the better things I’ve read this year.