Heather’s Bookshelf: Dead Ringer
Author: VP Morris
Released: 04/07/22
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
“As much of a Grade A a****** Zeke turned out to be, he was right. I was strong and fearless. Even prison couldn’t hold me for long. I always slid my way out one way or another. If there is anything I’m good at, it is not getting caught.”
“Dead Ringer” introduces Taylor Callahan, a twenty-one-year-old young woman who made some choices that she regrets. She’s selling drugs and living day to day when her ex-boyfriend, Zeke, unexpectedly gets out of jail. Circumstances lead Taylor to meet her doppelganger— a teenage girl named Jamie MacKenzie. They look so much alike that Zeke kills Jamie and her two best friends instead of Taylor.
Taylor takes advantage of the mistaken identity and pretends to be Jamie, taking over her life as a daughter, sister, and high school girl. She sees as it as her second chance to make better decisions than she did the first time around. Her best friend, Ivan, is the only person to know the truth and help Taylor maintain the pretense.
Taylor manages to fool the cops, Jamie’s boyfriend, sister, and school friends. But Jamie’s mom (who happens to be a cop) soon realizes something is not quite right. And while she’s trying to keep her identity a secret, her fake family’s secret is revealed to be something unthinkable.
Trigger Warning: violence, drug use and sale, adult language, prostitution, attempted sexual assault
Overall, I was kind of torn on this tale. As a premise, this story is pretty crazy. The possibility of finding a doppelganger so similar that a teenage girl’s entire family and life would not realize a stranger has entered their life is a little far-fetched. But, it’s fiction, right? So suspend reality and enjoy the ride. The pacing of the tale is great until the end. The suspense builds, past events are unmasked, and secrets are revealed. The story is told through both a past and present timeline which helps with character development and the suspense. But it is also told through two POVs- mostly Taylor but also Jamie’s mom (which I didn’t find added much). Taylor was a really great character- detailed, flawed, and likable. My favorite part of this story was seeing Taylor’s (and the author’s) creativity in how she avoids getting caught. I also found her friendship with Ivan and the relationship with Jamie’s sister to be intriguing. However, the secret revealed (no spoilers here) about the MacKenzie family seemed out of place and the reasoning behind their actions too undeveloped. There was not enough emotion or connection to the events or the other members of the MacKenzie family to make a real impact. I also found the ending to be abrupt and predictable in a story that had otherwise good pacing and creativity.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A flawed, but likable protagonist finds herself in a situation that gets crazy…and then crazier. Suspenseful except for an ending that felt rushed.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with VP Morris
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or on Kindle Unlimited
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