A clever, atmospheric and fascinating read
From the outset I was intrigued to find out more about Kate and the accident that took place five months earlier leaving her unable to continue her work as a super-recogniser for the police. Since this time, Kate has been swept up in a new relationship with Rob, who she met when in hospital recovering from her accident. He has been helping her back to health and they have been living together in his high-tech, modern house by the coast in Cornwall. Rob spends the weekends with Kate, and the week travelling between France and London for his work with a technology company. With Rob being away and his comments to Kate one afternoon that he is terrified of meeting his doppelganger, soon Kate starts to look at Rob in a new way. She truly believes that Rob has been replaced by an imposter but is she right? Or is this all a result of her damaged and overactive mind?
This story is a clever, atmospheric and fascinating read and I have loved learning about capgras syndrome and the work that super recognisers do in assisting the police. The build up of this story and the pace throughout was great too and there are so many twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed how the chapters were told from the perspectives of Kate, her ex partner Jake and Silas, an ex work colleague of Kate’s. Jake confides in Silas when he anonymously receives a USB with CCTV footage on suggesting Kate’s accident may not have been an accident at all and from this point onwards I loved how each new piece of the story was slowly revealed and then twisted again just when you thought you knew where the story was heading. The ending was extremely clever in this regard too, but l feel a little conflicted about it. Part of me really likes the ambiguity it creates but the other part of me really wanted a final answer without the alternative theory being introduced, when this is such a big book to have invested in.
However, with such brilliant characters and a scarily believable plot, this has been a really enjoyable read and with it being the first book I have read by J S Monroe, I would definitely like to read more of his work in the future!
This story is a clever, atmospheric and fascinating read and I have loved learning about capgras syndrome and the work that super recognisers do in assisting the police. The build up of this story and the pace throughout was great too and there are so many twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed how the chapters were told from the perspectives of Kate, her ex partner Jake and Silas, an ex work colleague of Kate’s. Jake confides in Silas when he anonymously receives a USB with CCTV footage on suggesting Kate’s accident may not have been an accident at all and from this point onwards I loved how each new piece of the story was slowly revealed and then twisted again just when you thought you knew where the story was heading. The ending was extremely clever in this regard too, but l feel a little conflicted about it. Part of me really likes the ambiguity it creates but the other part of me really wanted a final answer without the alternative theory being introduced, when this is such a big book to have invested in.
However, with such brilliant characters and a scarily believable plot, this has been a really enjoyable read and with it being the first book I have read by J S Monroe, I would definitely like to read more of his work in the future!