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Question: How many sophomore novels can you think of that outshine their predecessors? Answer: Off the top of my head, I can think of only one: The Likeness by Tana French. Maybe I could come up with more if it wasn't so late, my baby wasn't so awake (she's bouncing around in her exersaucer, bright-eyed and ready to party) and I had less of a headache, but I just have to say: While French's first thriller (In the Woods) intrigued me, her second blew me clean away. I didn't read it so much as I devoured it. If you, like me, prefer psychological thrills as a main course with a little police procedural on the side then, honey, grab a spoon. This one's one heckuva sumptuous feast.

The Likeness picks up six months after In the Woods ends. Still reeling from the disastrous Operation Vestral, Detective Cassie Maddox has transferred from the Dublin police's murder squad to its domestic violence department. The job's not as thrilling, but at least its predictable. Surprisingly, it's nice, boring Sam who throws her a curveball. Sam is not just Cassie's boyfriend, but he's also a detective with her old department. When he demands, in a decidedly shaky voice, for her to meet him in the small town of Glenskehy, she can tell something's wrong. It's a new case, and this one's personal. It doesn't take her long to figure out why: the victim sports a very familiar face - Cassie's own. Cassie's an only child, with no really close relatives, so the similarity in looks is bizarre, as is the woman's identity: her driver's license declares her to be Lexie Madison. The only problem with that is that Lexie's not a real person, but an identity Cassie and her boss made up when Cassie worked undercover. Questions abound in the odd case - who is this dead woman, really? Why was she living under an assumed name? And, most importantly, who stabbed her then left her to die in a crumbling cottage in the woods?

The initial investigation turns up little. Lexie lived with a group of friends in Whitethorn House, an old manor one of her roommates inherited. There's something off about the group, but none of the flatmates are talking. Glenskehy hasn't exactly pulled out the Welcome mat for the rich kids in the "Big House," which gives the police a whole town of suspects. With no solid leads, Cassie's boss, Frank Mackey, decides to think outside of the box. His brilliant plan? Keep Lexie's death a secret, let Cassie assume her identity and work the investigation from the inside. It's risky. Potentially life-threatening. In fact, the plan is utterly insane. Sam's dead set against it, but Cassie can already feel the adrenaline pumping through her. She's missed the Murder squad, so she agrees to infiltrate Lexie's life in order to find her killer.

From the moment Cassie steps inside Whitethorn House, she finds herself in the bosom of a tight-knit family. Lexie and her roommates had been oddly insular, almost shunning the outside world to spend their time exclusively with each other. With Lexie safely back in the fold, feigning amnesia, they go back to their routine of studying, playing cards, cooking dinner for each other, working on home improvements and carefully avoiding any mention of their pasts or Lexie's stabbing. Their devotion to one another astounds Cassie, who's envious of Lexie's inclusion in this ragtag family. Still, someone wanted her dead, and Cassie's determined to find out who that someone is - be it a roommate; a grudge-holding local yokel; or an ex con who mistook Lexie for Cassie. As Cassie struggles to hold on to her objectivity, she finds herself getting too close, but is it close enough to catch the killer? And, exactly how much will she have to put on the line to crack the case? The answer is: everything.

What I love about The Likeness is that's it's 3/4 psychological thriller and only 1/4 police procedural. This is probably why I liked it better than In the Woods, which is basically the opposite. Even though the book focuses mainly on character, it maintains a taut, original plot (although a similar situation popped up on a episode of Life on Mars I just watched, which brings me to another question: Why do tv bigwigs cancel good shows like Mars and keep crap life Knight Rider? Seriously!) Still, it's the cast, with their deep and complex psyches, that pulls you in. French's real talent is bringing her characters to life, making them so authentic that you really wouldn't be surprised if they leapt right out of the book and joined you for dinner. It's impossible not to care about these people, impossible not to become absorbed in their lives, impossible to stop reading until you know their fates.

As always, I have a few issues with the book. It's a bit far-fetched (can two complete strangers really look enough alike to fool their closest friends?), it mentions Rob Ryan only briefly (boo hoo - I still want to know what really happened to his friends in the woods), and French can't seem to write a sentence that doesn't include the F word. All in all, though, The Likeness is a fast-paced, totally riveting, thrill ride. What else can I say? I loved it.

Grade: A

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If you're hoping for a tell-all that will reveal the answers to your burning questions about the advice business (Seriously, are all the bizarre situations described in such columns for real?), then you're going to be disappointed. Dickinson talks a little shop, but not much. For the most part, her book focuses on how she learned to be strong enough to handle the crises life threw at her. So, what's her secret? An unfailing support system. Growing up in tiny Freeville, NY, a town full of family, Dickinson found herself constantly surrounded by a circle of aunts, cousins, sisters, nieces, etc. "Divorce," she explains, "runs through my family like an aggressive chromosome. (14)" As a result, her family is "large and loud and abnormally weighed down by women. (14)" And the men? "Well, the men are nice and fine and they love us for a time. Then at some point, it seems theat they tire of their indeterminate role in our lives, so they wage a campaign of passive resistance, and then they leave. (3)" From these broken homes rose a posse of women working, parenting and surviving on their own. When Dickinson's own marriage ended in divorce, these so-called "Mighty Queens of Freeville" embraced her and taught her how to endure.

Dickinson's stories hit on the importance of family unity; the joy of rearing a child; the strength of women; and more. The vignettes are loosely connected, mostly funny, sometimes poignant. Considering the subject matter, it should be a gloomier book, but it's not at all. It's a funny, upbeat ode to womanhood, motherhood and humanhood. I loved it.

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For some reason, I find this book hard to summarize, so I'm leaving you with a couple of passages that made me laugh:

On single parenthood ...

Doing everything yourself has a way of relaxing a person's standards. The kinds of things that drove me crazy during my marriage -- my husband's passive incompetence or indifference when it came to certain childrearing chores -- didn't seem quite so devastating when I was at fault. Undercooking macaroni, skipping a nap, not changing a diaper on time, or falling aslep during a bedtime story didn't seem like such a crime when I committed it. (40)

On taking over for Ann Landers ...

The Tribune took all of the audition columns and test-marketed them for groups of newspaper eaders. In every single test market, the result was the same: readers' first choice for an advice columnist was to bring Ann Landers back from the dead.

Once bringing Ann Landers back from the dead was ruled out as a possibility, it was decided I would do. (134)

On her cat, Pumpkin ...

Belying the stereotype of the cat as a finicky, careful eater, ours was a Hoover in a cat suit with no culinary standards. (112)

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See what I mean? The Mighty Queens of Freeville glitters like the gem it is. You won't want to miss it.

Grade: B+

I actually drew the names of the 3 winners this morning (well, random.org did), but I'm just now getting around to posting them. Sorry for the delay. Without further ado, here are the 3 winners of Chicken Soup for the Empty Nester's Soul ...

Jessica Leigh

Bookfool

& K

Congratulations, ladies! If you will email me (blogginboutbooks@gmail.com) your snail mail addresses, I will get your books in the mail ASAP. Thanks to everyone who entered and to Tolly and the Chicken Soup gang for offering books for this giveaway. As always, stay tuned for more reviews, giveaways, author interviews, and much more!

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I know romance writer Robyn Carr issued a caution to all her delusional devoted fans, reminding us that Virgin River does not actually exist. She says the town lives "only in my mind" and that all you have to do to visit is "close your eyes and open your heart." You know what I say to that? Bah! I think she's trying to keep it for herself, attempting to preserve the small town from pushy realtors and Jack fanatics fans. Well, I don't know about you, but I've got my eye on a cozy cabin nestled right next to the gurgling Virgin. I hear ther scenery and wildlife is drool-worthy: fish, deer, bear, sexy ex-Marines ...

Whether or not there's real estate available in Virgin River, California (Just draw me a map, Robyn ... ), I'm always excited to go back and visit. For a quiet little place, there's an awful lot going on these days. Temptation Ridge, the 6th novel in the series, opens when 25-year-old Shelby McIntyre and 38-year-old Luke Riordan meet on a rain-slicked highway leading into town. Having settled the affairs of her recently-deceased mother, Shelby's ready for some R&R before plunging into the next phase of her young life. A few months on her Uncle Walt's ranch should do the trick. Then, she'll be off to get her education and see the world. Luke, a retired Black Hawk pilot for the Army, is also looking for some diversion before making decisions about his future. To that end, he's come to town to check on some investment property he and his brother bought on a whim. The two feel an instant attraction, although neither one really wants to admit it - Luke is obviously too old for Shelby, and Shelby, who has spent the last decade caring for her ailing mother, has seen too little of the world to settle for the first man she sees. But, this is Virgin River - you know, there's just something in the water that makes rangy soldiers fall head over heels. In spite of himself, Luke can't keep his mind off the beautiful Shelby. Guilt-ridden about lusting after a young 'un, fearful of her 3-star general uncle, and terrified of domestication, Luke doesn't know whether to run to or from the stubborn young woman.

There's actually a whole lotta love whirling around town - 2 babies are on the way; a romance continues to blossom among a "mature" couple; and Cameron Michaels (who's not actually a VR native, but is connected to the town) gets himself into a bit of a pickle when he romances a separated-but-not-yet-divorced flight attendant. Of course, trouble's brewing right along with the ooey-gooey stuff - Luke's got a fugitive hiding in one of his cabins; a VR favorite drops dead unexpectedly; and Luke's charming younger brother just might give his brother a run for his money.

While Temptation Ridge lacks some of the action of its predecessor (Second Chance Pass, in which Jack and his friends bravely take on a raging forest fire), it makes up for it in romance. I have to warn you that this volume seems to have more sex than the others, and it's fairly explicit. I know, I know - I always gripe about books with graphic sex scenes, but I do have to say that these are not violent or kinky, just ... detailed. Alright, alright, you caught me - I have no excuses. Robyn Carr books serve as my guilty little pleasures. Ahem. Now I'm blushing.

You may or may not know that Robyn has a legion of fans who gather at the virtual version of Jack's Bar. I always used to laugh at these ladies who talked about Jack, Preacher, Mike, Paul and Co. as if they were actually in the bar. Now, I realize I'm just as bad. Robyn excels so well at making characters come alive - good, honest, hardworking characters - that you want to believe they really exist out there somewhere. These are the type of people you'd give your eyeteeth to associate with, the kind of place you'd move to in a heartbeat. Yeah, Robyn's books tend toward the predictable, but it's the people that matter here. Who cares if they don't really exist? Once you meet them, you're gonna keep coming back for more. You're not going to care that every romance works out; or that they always end in passionate love, strong marriages and healthy babies; you're not going to rant about unrealistically happy endings; you're not going to be complaining at all, because here, in cozy little Virgin River, you're finally going to feel at home and if you're like the rest of us, you're never going to want to leave.

Grade: A