Look Again from Lisa Scottoline; A Guest Review

Note! This review may contain spoilers, I did not read the book so I don't know how much if anything is revealed.  Just a caution, btw I liked the review.

Before Look Again, Lisa Scottoline seemed to specialize in legal thrillers with strong, smart female protagonists with attitude and troubles to spare, usually of the murder-mystery variety.  There’s nothing wrong with that formula, and Scottoline is very successful in crafting engaging plot arcs and characters readers will care about — many of her thrillers are New York Times bestsellers.  

But with Look Again Scottoline seems to be headed in a new direction, one that, while keeping the well-paced suspense of her earlier novels, introduces new provocative issues akin to authors like Jodi Picoult, which heightens the drama and raises the stakes for the characters.

Ellen Gleeson, Look Again’s journalist cum suburban mother, is leading a successful, if not stressful, life with her adopted son, Will — until she gets a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer in the mail, with a picture that looks uncannily like Will.  At first she disregards the similarity — after all, the adoption process was completely lawful — the her investigative spirit get the better of her and she begins to dig into what turns out to be a heart-wrenching and nerve-bending narrative that forces her to ask an impossible question as a mother: “If Will isn’t rightfully my son, should I give him up?”

On her quest for the truth, Ellen begins to uncover details about Will’s background and discovers that only three weeks after the adoption proceedings were completed, the attorney who guided her through the adoption process committed suicide.  More questions arise, and with them new dangers, and Ellen realizes that she — and her son — are in life-threatening danger. 

The plot of Look Again is well-wrought, and it was certainly a page-turner of the highest order.  My only complaint was that many of the characters, while expertly rendered, were unlikeable and amoral at best, including the protagonist.  Still, it was an excellent read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an emotionally charged thriller. 

About the Author:
This guest contribution was submitted by Samantha Gray, who specializes in writing about online bachelor degree. Questions and comments can be sent to:  samanthagray024@gmail.com.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.