A Fatal Likeness by Lynn ShepherdMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an intense story. I finished it two days ago and I still cannot find the words to write a review that is void of any spoilers and unintentional hints to the plot.
The characters are richly portrayed with the sort of depth that has the reader wonder at their intentions and waver between trust and mistrust. The main character or recurring character of Charles Maddox takes an unusual back seat in this investigation as we find out more about his uncle.
The plot is an elaborate and drama induced mess that resembles the lives of bored and overly wealthy people to a fault.
The writing still contains elements of Charles Dickens as was evident in the previous installment of the Charles Maddox series, but it wasn't until last night that I realized the intricate and intelligent inclusion of Mary Shelley's writing style from "Frankenstein" throughout the story. The author did a fantastic job in describing the characters in such a multidimensional way that I was constantly wavering between hating them and feeling something that could resemble sympathy.
The author changes the overall feel and atmosphere as well as the premise of the investigation in each book and in this installment of the series she focuses the reader's primary attention on the case rather than character development.
As mentioned above, this story is a glorious mess of emotional and psychological tension that has the characters involved and the reader spinning in confusion, trying to figure out how a group of people could get so tangled up with each other.
Not so much a murder mystery, yet still mysteriously intriguing, I recommend this book to anyone, who enjoys Victorian influenced writing.
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