This was somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me. The crazy was a bit over the top for me, but I’d highly recommend this book of romantic suspense for fans of the great Mary Higgins Clark.

This was a very well written, fast-paced, suspenseful murder mystery. I think the author did a great job with the characters and the story kept my interest throughout. Well worth the read. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

THE LOOK-ALIKE – Erica Spindler
ISBN: 978-1250-08367—8 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978—1-250-08368- (eBook)
January 28, 2020
Suspense

Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin – Present Day

Ten Years Ago

While taking a shortcut to her dorm after a study session in the library, Sienna stumbles upon the body of a young woman lying in the snow in a pool of blood.   Shocked at the blood soaking into the snow she screams.  Campus policeman Randy Clark quickly arrives.  After checking the pulse of the body, Randy radios the station and then helps Sienna to his car to get her out of the cold. 

A month after the murder on campus, when the crime goes unsolved, Sienna begins to feel terrified that maybe her mother, Viv, was right, and she is the one who was meant to die.  Sienna shares her fears with Randy, he appears to think she may be right since they have been unable to find the killer.  Her father, fearing Sienna is succumbing to the same delusional paranoia that her mother has, and angry that Randy seems to be fueling Sienna’s fears, sends Sienna to live with her grandmother in London. 

Now
After ten years away, Sienna returns to Tranquility Bluffs and plans to stay and help care for Viv, as well as open her own restaurant.  She feels some guilt that she has left the burden of caring for Viv to her half-brother Bradley since their father’s death five years ago.   

When Sienna surprises Bradley in his office, he doesn’t seem happy she’s home and seems certain Sienna doesn’t realize how bad their mother’s illness has become.    Sienna knows dealing with her mother will be hard but is determined to rebuild her life in her hometown.  Bradley, while skeptical, agrees to help her, and warns her that the investigation of the murder ten years ago has been reopened.

After arriving at her family home, Sienna realizes how deep her mother’s delusions have become.  She is locked inside the home with drapes drawn and talks of being watched all the time.  Sienna is heartbroken at her mothers’ condition, but soon begins to doubt her own mental health when she starts to almost believe her mother’s delusions.
Shortly after arriving at home, Sienna notices a man watching her from across the street.  It turns out Jonathon is new to the neighborhood and has bought the house across the street from Sienna’s family home.  Jonathan and Sienna are soon attracted to each other.
A series of events convinces Sienna that there is more to the murder ten years ago than she thought.  The police have re-opened the investigation, though there is apparently no new evidence.   As Viv’s paranoia spirals out of control, Sienna begins to doubt her own sanity and is not sure who she can trust. Will she figure it out before she becomes the murderer’s next victim?
THE LOOK-ALIKE is an engaging novel about a young woman raised to fear what may be inside her, and yet strives to overcome those fears.  All the things she thought were true about her family and the relationships within that family are put to the test, as well as her feelings for her new neighbor, Jonathan, and even her trust in the police themselves.   
Told primarily from Sienna’s viewpoint the reader is left guessing who the villain is.  The author does an excellent job of creating enough red herrings that I found myself second guessing my own instincts on who the murderer was, and who was really the intended victim.  The one point I found a little implausible is the relationship that quickly developed between Jonathan and Sienna.  I felt a woman in her situation would not easily trust, if only because she often doubted her own sanity.  Beyond that, the characters were well developed and memorable and the ending while not a surprise to me, made me appreciate those plausible red herrings. 

An entertaining who-dun-it, with a twist, I recommend THE LOOK-ALIKE TO fans of mysteries and suspense.
Terrie Figueroa

“The Look-Alike” is definitely a book to push up to the top of your TBR list. 
Erica Spindler never disappoints. This is an amazing psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. 
This book covers fear, love, mental illness and more twists than a pretzel. 
To avoid spoiling the plot, I will leave you with one question...”Do you believe Sienna Scott escaped a murder that occurred years ago?”  Read it to find out!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I highly recommend it!

Fast-paced with intriguing characters, with an overall plot that kept you wondering what actually happened right up until the end. However, there were times where I thought the author included too many inane details about things that didn’t matter to the story. Besides that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s one that you can say fits into a bunch of different categories & one that I would recommend to someone looking for a good psychological thriller OR a whodunit. 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC!

Erica Spindler is a must read author.  Her books are always suspenseful and intriguing. I really enjoyed this book, and contrary to other opinions, I didn’t know who the killer was from the beginning.  There are many twists and turns , and you have to follow the author’s storyline down many rabbit holes to find out who the killer is. The characters are well developed and definitely fit into the story line. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I would like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange or m honest review.

This is the second book that I have read from Erica Spindler. I really like this book also and it definitely keeps the reader hooked. At times, the story line moved a bit too slow or me, but soon after my interest peaked again.
I highly recommend this book

When Sienna returns to her hometown to care for her mother, who suffers from paranoid delusions, she is haunted by memories of the past. A decade earlier, while walking home from the college library, Sienna stumbled across the body of a murdered girl. The dead girl was wearing the same white coat as Sienna, and was traveling the same isolate path that Sienna often traveled. She can’t shake the feeling that the murderer was actually waiting to kill her that night. Is she right? Or is she suffering from the same paranoid delusions as her mother? 
.
This is a fast, suspenseful read. I’m a really slow reader, and I finished it in four days. I was convinced—multiple times—that I knew what was going on and who the murderer was. And I was wrong every time. If you like a good thriller, definitely check it out!

There are two look-alikes in this book: a murdered girl who was wearing the same coat as Sienna and Sienna’s mother to whom bears an uncanny resemblance. Let me start properly:  Sienna Scott returns home to the fictional town of Tranquillity Bluffs, Wisconsin after living in London for 10 years. Many years after the murder of her friend, Sienna is still haunted by the possibility that she was the intended victim. Her father is dead at this time and her mother is mentally ill. Sienna dreams of running her own restaurant in Tranquility Bluffs and also hopes to rebuild her relationship with her mother and half brother, Brad. Unfortunately, Sienna has to accept that Mom is worse than she thought and displays symptoms of dark delusions and paranoia. The local police department's re-opening of the old cold case leads to more trouble such as a series of terrifying phone calls. The Look-Alike started out exciting but kinda lost its momentum somewhere in the middle.  I knew out who the murderer was early on. I hate when that happens, but a good story and character development can help this. The role of mental illness was a very interesting element of the Look-Alike and I was glad that was a part of things. I liked the book enough to finish. It wasn't my favorite thing I've ever read, but I also didn't hate it. Thanks, Net Gallery for the ARC.

I was excited to read this book as the description sounded really good and I enjoyed it.  I love mystery, suspense and thrillers and this definitely had all three.  There were a lot of twists and turns and unexpected developments and it moved really fast.  There were some places that were triggers for me but overall it was enjoyable.  I will definitely go back and read some of her other books, hopefully they will be good too,

A really great look at mental health. Not only how the person is dealt with, but how other people in the family and the closest circle are treated. 

The story itself was a fast and easy read. A really fun, twisty plot that wasn't as obvious as I would have expected. There were some unbelievable parts for me, like the insta-romance, but I can accept it and move on even if it was a bit eye rolling. 

The MC wasn't a favorite, but not the worst. I could totally feel her pain in always having to question her own mental health state just because everyone else was pointing it out. Seemed like she wasn't ever sure of herself when showing back in the toxic situation that her family life was. 

Overall a nice read with a fun twist in the end.

Erica Spindler has become of my favorite suspense authors. While she began her writing career in the romance genre, she has quickly made a name for herself with her crime fiction series and her stand-alones, which are the ones I love most. Now she is back with The Look-Alike, a can't put down thriller that will have the reader doubting their own sanity. Let me also state, up front, that I admire any author or publisher who remembers to put a hyphen in the wordd look-alike!

Sienna Scott, our primary character, has led a bizarre and rather sad life living with a mother who a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. She literally lives a life in constant fear and paranoia. Sienna's father has done everything he can to protect Sienna from her mother including shipping Sienna off to London to keep her from "shattering" after Sienna discovers a fellow college student dead on campus. However, now Sienna is back home, with her mother, where she begins wondering if, in fact, she was the target of the killing so many years ago. The victim could have been Sienna's exact "look-alike."

Spindler weaves a tale of suspense that will leave you doubting your own sanity as much as Sienna and her mother doubt theirs. The Look-Alike is filled with twists and turns that will keep you reading until the end - but, never once do the surprises appear staged for shock value, Rather, they are the perfect course for a case like to take. Who is telling the truth? Who is really behind the murder and how much paranoia is real and how much is being exacerbated to make Sienna and her mother off balance. Fabulously written, this is a thriller that I highly recommend to all who enjoy crime fiction, thrillers and suspense.

Sienna Scott has returned home from London.  Her father sent her to London after a gal she knew was murdered.  Sienna found her when walking home from her study group in the library.  She is helped by campus police.  Sienna wonders if she was the one that was supposed to be kill as they both were wearing white winter coats.  When her mom finds out about Sienna’s experience, her paranoid delusions rear up quickly upsetting Sienna.  Sienna feels like the only person she can talk to is the campus policeman who helped her.  When her dad finds out, he sends her to London.  Sienna learns to be a chef.  Coming home, she stops and surprises her brother.  When he finds out that she has come home to stay, he is unhappy.  Sienna tells him that she will be living at home with her mom until she finds a place of her own.  Why?  He warns against it due to her mom’s paranoid delusions.  She goes home to a happy mother.  When she discovers that a favorite local restaurant is on sale, she is delighted and goes to the owners thinking of buying it.  Will she buy it?  Sienna starts getting scary phone calls.  Sienna sees a white unmarked van driving past the house slows down and then speeds up.  Sienna becomes afraid that besides looking like her mom, police will think that she is having paranoid delusions too.    Will they?  Is someone after Sienna?  

A psychological, mystery thriller that has twists and turns throughout the story.  It includes more than just a mystery but also has mental illness, elements of stalking, fear, and romance.   There are characters with hidden agendas.  I enjoyed the mystery of who and why the gal discovered.dead by Sienna.  It’s a well written novel.

Sienna Scott has always been told she looks exactly like her mother.  But when your mother has suffered from paranoid delusions all your life, it may not be exactly what you want to hear.

As a college student, Sienna accidentally stumbled upon a dead body on campus.  Clearly traumatized she tried to assist the police with everything she saw.  But between her father’s attitude of her not getting involved and her mother’s paranoia, Sienna starts to unravel.  It’s only when she realizes that she and the dead girl were wearing the same jacket that she begins to wonder if she had been the actual intended target.  When she mentions this to her parents she is sent to live in London with her grandmother.

Flashforward 10 years when Sienna, a chef now, decides to come back home and stay.  With her father having passed, she chooses to live with her mother whose delusions seem to have gotten worse through the years and her paranoia even stronger.

She finds out the Chief who was in charge of the school murder is retiring and he wants to reopen the case to see if he can give closure to the family as his last accomplishment.

But what ends up happening is Sienna seems to be the target of someone, reopening her fears that she was actually the intended victim.  Was it really her that the person was after?  Or is she becoming her mother and developing a mental illness she has kept hidden through the years?  She begins her own investigation into the truth.
Scared and confused she turns to those who knew her then and to some she has recently met.  But are they protectors or killers?  How does she know? Or is she just being paranoid…like her mother!

The Look-Alike is a terrific psychological thriller with a little romance thrown in which I must admit I had figured out at about page 100, oh yes, I am that good…WRONG!  Spindler throws enough sneaky clues to lead you down one path, only for you to discover you have been led down a dead end!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sPress #EricaSpindler #TheLook-Alike for the advanced copy.

Thank you Macmillan and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Erica Spindler does it again! After loving The Other Girl and Justice for Sara, I went into The Look Alike with high expectations and wasn't disappointed. What drew me to this book right away was the theme of mental illness and what it can do not only to an individual, but their family and friends. It really makes you feel for these characters and what they have been through. Spindler has always provided a lot of red herrings that throw you off track and make you question what is going on. She kept me guessing until the end. The one criticism I will give is that I thought the twist in the end seemed rather far-fetched/not plausible.  But it was extremely entertaining nonetheless.

The Look-Alike is a psychological thriller about a woman who happens upon a murder one snowy evening on her way back to her dorm from the library. She's shocked by the blood coloring the snow, but more shocked when she realizes she's wearing the same coat as the victim. Was she the intended target? Or is the coat merely a coincidence? She comes to believe it was supposed to be her that night, leading her to question her sanity. Sanity which she already had doubts about due to the mental delusions her mother suffers. They look alike, so in her mind it's not a far stretch that they could think alike too.

After spending ten years living abroad in London after the incident, Sienna returns to her small town only to learn that the murder investigation has been re-opened. Again, the coincidence of it re-opening right when she arrives home hits a little too closely for Sienna. On top of that, she starts receiving phone calls telling her it was supposed to be her all along. Her paranoia starts to compound, rightly so.

The Look-Alike was just ok for me. The writing was ok, the dialogue was ok, and the characters were ok. I'll admit I wasn't able to deduce who the killer was before the reveal, but I'm going to chalk that up to distraction from my dislike for the other characters in the book. Sienna made irrational decisions and acted like a doe-eyed newborn seeing the world for the first time. It wasn't becoming, Her brother and love interest were also quite unlikeable. The romance plot, in general, was unnecessary and moved extraordinarily quickly for no apparent reason. Romance is not what you need when you think you're the target of a murder.

The role of mental illness is the most interesting element of the Look-Alike, but even that doesn't seem to be as developed as it could be. Sienna's mother, Vivian, is the most compelling character in this book, and I wish she had been given more space in the story. If that had been leaned into vs the romance, I think this could have been a very disturbing read, which is how I like my thrillers.

This was my first book by Erica Spindler but it won't be my last. This is a Brenda Novak Book Club pick of the month for February which is why I initially picked it up. I was impressed with this psychological thriller. The story centers around Sienna Scott who quite literally stumbles over a murder as a college student. The murder remains unsolved until Sienna returns home after being sent away for more than a decade. Upon returning home, she finds all isn't what she thought and she has to face many ghosts from the past. There are many twists and turns and this book kept me guessing all the way through leading up to a very satisfying ending. Highly Recommend!

This took me awhile to really get into and I didn't find it as fast paced as I probably should have. However, the entire mystery did still keep me intrigued and I *did* feel like I really needed to know what happened. Might have just been the wrong time for me to pick this one up. I have enjoyed other books by this author so I will continue to read her future works.

Well-developed psychological thriller.

The Look-Alike features a fictional town, Tranquility Bluffs, where the name is as it sounds - the sheer tranquility of town is a complete bluff. A murder had taken place…but not the one Sienna's mom thought should have. 

Filled with intrigue and a hint of romantic bliss, the story grows spindly and eerie as Sienna's worst fear seems to flow into existence as she begins to give that very fear unnecessary power.

This psych thriller was different. Perhaps, it was Spindler's style and artistic ability. Having weaved in flashbacks and connecting the dots to the present, her writing pulled me in and I fell into story headfirst. 

I immediately thought of Andrea Kane novels while reading Erica's newest release. 

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy taut psychological thrillers with strong, positive mental health themes.

A solid addition to the author's psychological thrillers. with a twist of romance and a movie like ending. Although in some ways predictable, still an enjoyable reaf.