Name: Dead Ringer
ISBN: 9780316439039

Kate Kessler

The Gemini Killer targets twins. He takes one. He leaves the other. But one of the survivors has grown up. Eighteen years ago, FBI Agent Rachel Ward's mirror twin was kidnapped. Now, she's coming after the monster who stole her sister, because another twin has been abducted, and Rachel won't let Gemini escape again. In this relentless, edge-of-your-seat thriller, Kate Kessler provides a harrowing look at how the past is never truly put to rest.

Dead Ringer

Colleen

3.5 Stars
 
I picked up Dead Ringer on a whim. I hadn’t heard much about this book, and I haven’t read any of Kessler’s other works. But the premise intrigued me.
 
Eighteen years ago, Rachel’s identical twin sister Hannah was abducted by the Gemini killer – so called because he abducts one twin then emotionally torments the other twin by sending pictures of the other being abused and eventually killed. Hannah was never found, and Gemini is still on the loose. Rachel is obsessed with tracking the killer down and becomes an FBI agent in an attempt to find justice.
 
I didn’t love the start of the book. The writing style is almost entirely short, staccato sentences whether it’s dialogue or description. Although that fit with the main character’s no nonsense, emotionally distanced personality, the tone didn’t entirely make sense since the story is told in third person. I wished the sentences had some variety in length and that the descriptions were more fleshed out. And the characters’ dialogue was hard to distinguish because they pretty much all talked alike.
 
The story also includes flashbacks. These flashbacks skipped around a lot and took some of the suspense out of the story. There actually isn’t much of a mystery element, because some things are revealed early in the story. Nevertheless, the plot is still suspenseful enough and fast-paced.
 
Rachel is a damaged but interesting character. She doesn’t really stand out from the standard “tough, female FBI agent” stereotype that we often see. Yet, I still found myself engrossed in her plight. Despite the writing being rough around the edges, I quickly found myself immersed in the story and very invested in the outcome for the characters. I easily read the whole thing in one day. And even though I wouldn’t call the character development stellar, I just had to find out what happened to them.
 
There were some predictable parts, and there were some elements that were a little over the top. A suspension of belief is needed. But I can see this type of sadist existing. I think Kessler did a good job of showing the psychology of the killer, his victims, and the families of the victims in a way that was compelling and chilling. I will warn that there is some graphic content about the rape and abuse of the victims. It was disturbing but not as gratuitously graphic as some others such as Karen Slaughter.
 
The ending fizzled out a little for me. After a good build up, it felt somewhat rushed and not completely satisfying. It wasn’t bad, but it did sway me to round my rating down rather than up. Still, I enjoyed Dead Ringer and will most likely check out more from this author.
 

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you like this, try The Butterfly Garden

Dead Ringer

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