The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler

This novel got off to a slow start. It was about a quarter of the way in before the plot became interesting. The psychological aspect finally showed itself and some suspense was generated. While there was the hook of a murder at the very beginning, I would have liked more psychological intensity early on in the book.

The strength of this novel was the unusual mental condition of persecutory delusional disorder. The mother of our heroine had it and it was always in the back of Sienna's mind that she would develop it as well. She looked like her mother and the fear was that the similarity would go beyond surface appearance.

The disorder was portrayed well. I really got a sense of the terror of always feeling someone was after you, of not being able to tell what was real and what was not. When it seemed Sienna's life was in danger, the possibility of her experiencing the disorder plagued her.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of solving a murder from years ago. There were plenty of red herrings and characters with secrets that kept me guessing. There was a token sex scene I though unnecessary but other than that, an enjoyable psychological mystery after the slow start.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Erica Spindler is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels. She lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons. Photo: © Hoffman Miller Advertising

St. Martin;s, 320 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.