I have not been a tremendous fan of Lisa Scottoline. To me, her books were always sort of formulaic crime dramas. When I read some of the press on Look Again, it seemed a bit different, so I thought I’d give it a try. It is actually quite good.
It’s pretty easy to figure out the true scenario long before the end of the novel. Scottoline still takes us on some intriguing twists and turns as her main character, reporter Ellen Gleeson, solves the mystery.
Ellen Gleeson lives in Philadelphia, and is the single mother of a young son she adopted after meeting him while working on a story. One day, Ellen receives a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer in the mail. The age progressed photo of a little boy (abducted at age one) looks just like her son, Will. Although Ellen had legally adopted Will, she knows nothing of his biological parents, so she begins to investigate.
What elevates this story above others are the sub-plots interwoven into Ellen’s search for the truth. Ellen is coming to terms with her mother’s death and her father’s plans to re-marry. There are staff cutbacks on the newspaper she writes for. There is a backstabbing colleague, and Ellen has a crush on her boss.
Look Again moves along very quickly and has a satisfying ending. It would make a good beach book.
In USA:
Published in hardcover-St. Martin’s Press-2009
La Bibliofille 