Sunday, November 29, 2015

Dead Ringers (Christopher Golden)

I gave Christopher Golden's Snowblind an average rating a few years ago, saying that it was very reminiscent of Stephen King, so if you're a King fan, you'll probably really like it. While I didn't love his newest, Dead Ringers, Golden really threw me for a loop on the last page, which raised his rating by a full point.

It all begins with Tess Devlin running into her ex, Nick, on a city street. But Nick completely ignores her, and when she contacts him to yell about it, Nick swears that wasn't him since he's in another state. Seeing their "doubles" begins to happen to a lot of people she knows (including herself), and they begin to realize the connection they all have. Why are these imitators out there, what do they want with them, and most importantly, how can they stop the malice they bring from ruining (or ending) their lives?

Just as in Snowblind, parts of Dead Ringers do border on the ridiculous. I realize that this is not the most realistic story, but King's gift is that he can make it SEEM like what he writes can actually happen. However, Golden's plot is well developed and parts of Dead Ringers are really suspenseful. So if you can suspend your disbelief just a little, he'll take you on a scary ride.

MY RATING - 3