Another Janet Maslin Head-Scratcher

In reading her review today of Tana French’s THE LIKENESS, it’s pretty clear to me Ms. Maslin expected one thing and when she got another, it confused her. But that still doesn’t excuse the opening paragraph:

The usual sequel takes characters from an established book or series

and then moves them on toward new adventures. But “The Likeness,” Tana

French’s second novel, has a much tighter bond with its predecessor.

Her first book was the Edgar-winning “In the Woods,” in which a police

detective named Cassie Maddox took on an undercover role. Cassie became

a college student named Alexandra Madison in the course of a long

investigation that left Cassie with stab wounds and nightmares. But the

fictitious Lexie Madison is long gone by the time “The Likeness” begins.

Um, no. And you know, once you’ve read the book it’s perfectly okay to use Google (or, gosh, the paperback of the book in question) to check facts. That’s what it’s there for….