Review: Look Again

Look Again

by Lisa Scottoline

Why did you choose this book? I’ve been wanting to try this author  

When did you read this book? May 2017

Who should read this book? Readers of suspense and family novels

Source: library book fair

My Rating: ✰✰✰   3 Stars

Here is a synopsis of Look Again from Goodreads

When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a "Have You Seen This Child?" flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops―the child in the photo is identical to her adopted son, Will. Her every instinct tells her to deny the similarity between the boys, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she's a journalist and won't be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she can't shake the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? She investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her own life―and that of the son she loves..

My Review

I’m not really sure what I think of this book. There were parts I liked and parts I didn’t. The book dragged at the beginning, and I really didn’t get interested until I was nearly halfway through. And while the book was somewhat predictable, the ending kind of surprised me.

This is a story about an adoptive mother who one day sees a ‘Have You Seen Me?’ postcard with her son’s face on the card. At least he sure does look like her son! Ellen can’t ignore it, and rather than just pitch the card and get on with her life, she feels compelled to investigate — she IS a reporter, after all! She realizes this may present a dilemma down the road. If she finds out her ‘Will’ is really the missing ‘Timothy’, will she call his biological parents to give him up, or will she just pretend it never happened? At this point the story had a bit of “The Face On The Milk Carton” feel to it. A good portion of the book is spent on her attempt to determine Will’s parentage. Oonce she thinks she knows the truth, she begins to think that her son’s life could be in danger.

This brings up one thing that I really didn’t like. Ellen made many bad choices along the way. Ellen has a mutual crush on her attractive Brazilian editor. They try to keep the relationship business-like, but eventually they give in to their mutual attraction. I don’t have a problem with this. What threw me was the timing. Ellen feels that she is about to lose her son, that their is an imminent threat to his safety, yet at that exact point, she spends the night with her editor! Then as she hurries home, she opts NOT to call the cops.

I also feel like things wrapped up just a little too neatly, with the pieces falling into place just a much too easily. I was pretty sure all along what the eventual outcome would be, but the way it happened still surprised me. This won’t be one of my ‘best reads in 2017’ but it was an interesting read and a pretty good way to spend my lazy  summer afternoon on the deck.