Dead Ringers

October 5, 2015
Golden (Tin Men) delves deep into the realm of psychological and supernatural horror for this nightmarish novel set in the streets and alleys of present-day Boston. Tess Devlin is going about her day when she sees her ex-husband, Nick, and he refuses to acknowledge her. An angry phone call to Nick reveals that he’s off on a romantic getaway with his girlfriend, and nowhere near where Tess saw him. One by one, Tess’s close friends and coworkers have similar experiences with doppelgangers, until no one can tell the real from the fake. Fearing for her own life and her daughter’s, Tess gathers everyone together to discover the truth. The mystery unfolds over several days, with various well-developed characters taking turns narrating the creepy events. Deeply disturbing and studded with ghastly imagery, this beautifully written narrative will inspire shudders with every turn of the page. Agent: Howard Morhaim, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

October 15, 2015

While walking down a Boston street, Tess Devlin sees a man she's sure is her ex-husband, Nick. The man angrily insists she's mistaken, and Tess is forced to let it go. Meanwhile, her best friend Lili encounters her own double in a nearby gallery. It seems that all of the people who worked together on a project in a historic home that occupied the site of an occult ritual now have their own doppelgangers. These duplicates are determined to take over the lives of their originals, draining their vitality until they fade away entirely. VERDICT In this story, reminiscent of Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers (without the aliens), the tension is heightened as the doubles endanger Tess and Nick's child. The ultimate big bad seems a bit tacked on, with little time spent on the spooky house where the original demon summoning occurred. Golden (Tin Men; Snowblind) isn't breaking ground here, but he delivers enough chills to satisfy.--MM

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.