64 pages • 2 hours read
Tana FrenchThe Likeness
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
Frank and Cassie spend a week prepping her to assume the identity of the murdered woman. While Cassie studies, Frank continues the investigation of the area and “KAs,” or known associates. Frank also gathers more information on the housemates and their unique lifestyle that includes them choosing not to own a television and to use typewriters instead of computers. Cassie spends time studying the victim’s version of Lexie, as “[t]he mystery girl’s Lexie had been more mercurial, more volatile, more willful and capricious” (83) than Cassie’s fictional undercover identity. As Frank has separated from his wife and is sharing custody of his daughter, he is staying at Cassie’s apartment while they work on the case. Sam arrives with groceries to make dinner, but Cassie and Frank have already had Chinese takeout. Sam seems uncomfortable with Frank staying there, so the scene is tense and awkward. Over coffee, Sam laments the lack of progress he has made in finding suspects in Lexie’s murder case, so Sam asks Cassie to create a profile of the murderer for him. Cassie is uncomfortable with the dynamic in the room, as it reminds her of the way she and Rob would work through cases. She suggests the killer is male, between the ages of 25 to 40, and a local or has extensive knowledge of the area. Cassie is convinced the killer knew the victim and did not intend to kill her, but she does think he must have a criminal background since he knew to clean the scene of his prints. However, there is no one in town who matches the profile. Sam and Frank argue about the possible motive, and Sam wants assurance that no one in Whitethorn is a suspect. CCTV surveillance and door to door interviews have also failed to turn up any credible leads. Another student named Brenda Grealy confirmed the victim liked taking long, solitary walks. The victim left her phone at home the night she was murdered, and the phone has Abbey’s prints on it. Frank is convinced the house is full of answers and is ready to get Cassie inside.
Cassie begins her physical transformation into Lexie by getting her hair cut like the victim. While in the house, Cassie will wear a mic wire for surveillance, and she’ll carry a concealed weapon. The detectives working the case tell the roommates Lexie has been in a coma and is struggling with short-term memory, and Frank has been feeding lies into the town rumor mill to protect the cover story. The plan is for Cassie to spend the first week easing into her role and making certain she does not give away her identity. Though Frank is concerned about Cassie’s anxiety and jumpiness, he says she can use it to her advantage in the role since Lexie would be experiencing post-traumatic stress after the attack. Cassie spends one last day with Sam before going undercover, and Sam expresses his worry for Cassie’s safety even though he’s happy to see her back to work. The next day, Cassie dresses in the victim’s clothes and says goodbye to her old life.
Chapter 5 Summary
Cassie disguised as Lexie arrives at Whitethorn, and all four of the housemates are waiting for her on the front steps. The old home “looked like it had grown there, nested in with its back to the mountains and all Wicklow dropping away rich and gentle in front of it” (107). She pretends to be Lexie as she leaves the car thanking Frank for his help. The four friends appear hesitant to greet her at first, but Daniel makes the first move, and Abby rushes to hug her. Once inside, Cassie feels she has been in the house before. The day is a blur until they sit down for dinner, and it takes all Cassie’s energy to stay in character. As she tries to get a handle on the personalities, she senses there is an underlying tension as she notes their actions feel rehearsed or game-like. Over dinner, Cassie asks to hear about any news or updates to reconnect after her absence. The roommates fill her in on all the gossip: Brenda Grealy tried to make a move on Rafe, and Abby has found a Victorian doll and is restoring it, though the boys chide Abbey for the strangeness of the doll. Abby mentions Rafe’s Head, an item Abby finds creepy and disturbing, though it is not explained, and Cassie worries that she may blow her cover when the roommates ask her about small details like the Head. They laugh over Brenda Grealy’s move on Rafe, and the ease of their conversation reminds Cassie of what she had with Rob. She realizes the photos and videos had not captured just how close the roommates are. Cassie makes note of subtle details throughout the dinner, such as Justin blushing when he serves her more steak and Daniel glancing at Abby. Justin asks about her scar and if she is in pain, and Daniel tells her the police officers searched her belongings looking for her journal. The roommates lied and told the police officers she did not have a journal. After dinner they retire to the library to read and study, and Cassie loves the shabby yet dignified décor. However, she is exhausted and had relaxed a bit too much during dinner, which caused her to forget which chair in the library was Lexie’s usual seat. She excuses herself to the restroom to let the others fill their seats first. Cassie convinces herself she is not lying in this mission because she is enjoying getting to know the roommates and feels uncomfortable lying to them. After a short time reading and observing the roommates, Cassie leaves the study session early to retire to her room to unpack. After hiding her gun behind the bed and removing her wire, she settles into bed with a book she found on Lexie’s bookshelf. The other roommates come by her door to say goodnight. She sleeps lightly that night and is awakened in the middle of the night by whispers coming from Daniel’s room, but she can’t make out what they are saying.
Chapter 6 Summary
Cassie awakens to Abby cooking breakfast downstairs. Daniel eats and reads at the table while he and Abby discuss a class at the college, and Rafe grabs coffee and toast as he and Justin leave for class. Daniel tries to probe Lexie about her memory of the attack while they are alone in the kitchen, but Abby returns and interrupts them. Cassie stays home under the guise of needing rest but conducts a thorough search of the house, specifically focused on finding the journal. Most rooms are full of junk and family heirlooms, and a thick layer of dust covers everything. Cassie searches all the housemates’ rooms except for Daniel’s because he keeps the door to his room locked. Eventually, Cassie finds the journal in a secret panel in the bathroom. It is mostly a record of dates and shopping lists, but she notices a change around March when Lexie stopped keeping up with the journal except for three dates marked with appointment times with the letter N. The last entry didn’t include the N but was a list of indecipherable letter combinations and a number. Cassie also sees where the victim “had kept at least one slender tie to the life where she had started out” (126) by noting her father’s birthday and keeping track of her menstrual cycles. There was no marked cycle marked near the end, so Lexie had known she was pregnant. Cassie makes notes in her own journal and replaces the journal in the hiding spot. She phones Frank with an update but does not tell him about the journal discovery. Frank reminds Cassie of a woman named Victoria Harding from her previous undercover assignment as Lexie, and Cassie recalls her as “Sticky Vicky.” Harding met the murdered woman posing as Lexie in 2002—well after Cassie was no longer using the identity—and noted Lexie had acquired a hint of an American accent. Cassie concludes Lexie was skilled at assuming new identities and had done it multiple times before. After the call with Frank, Cassie goes for a walk through the town and the manor’s picturesque garden. Cassie thinks she sees someone near the pond. When she goes to investigate, there is no one there, but she does find a gold button on the ground before returning to the house.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
Frank prepares Cassie to go undercover while Sam languishes with serious concerns for Cassie’s safety. Cassie’s devotion to returning to her work and her loyalty to Frank cause friction in her relationship with Sam. Cassie knows loss of personal relationships is a casualty of undercover work, but she fully commits to the mission and Frank’s unrelenting optimism that it will be a success. She studies each housemate, and the author allows the reader to get to know them along with Cassie, which allows a curious picture to emerge. Cassie finds herself powerfully drawn to the roommates before even meeting them in person. However, she is most drawn to the mysterious character of Lexie. Absent from most of the photos she studies, she hears Lexie’s voice in the video recordings. Aside from the chill of hearing the voice of a dead woman, Cassie is entranced by the voice of a person whom she is about to embody, an act that should be horrifying but she finds thrilling instead.
The vision of Whitethorn House instantly charms Cassie, and the author centers the house as an important element of the narrative. It stands out in the village, not just for its size but also for its enchanting manor-like visage. Cassie is awkwardly greeted by the four housemates but quickly falls into the cadence of their familial structure. A family style dinner seals her enchantment and reminds Cassie of all she missed growing up without a family. She feels like she is living a fantasy come to life.
The dinner is lavish, and Cassie is enrapt with her new surroundings, but the shared meal does serve to reveal key details that may prove helpful in the investigation, chiefly that the roommates lied to detectives about Lexie’s journal. Daniel, the homeowner, is quiet and contemplative, and he only enters the conversation when talk turns to Lexie’s injuries. He curiously shuts down Justin’s attempt to view Lexie’s scar and inquiries about her pain. Though Cassie is astounded by just how close the group is, the author uses the dinner table dynamics to reveal each roommates’ unique character traits.
Cassie’s quest to find the journal in the empty house the following day adds tension to the narrative. With its discovery, the house reveals its first piece of evidence and Cassie’s first victory as an undercover agent. Hoping the journal will reveal more of Lexie’s hidden agenda, Cassie instead finds a calendar marked with dates and coded letters. The meaning of the entries is mostly a mystery to Cassie, though she does see Lexie knew of her pregnancy and she notes her father’s birthday. Both notations signal Lexie was maintaining a small thread of attachment to her real life. Alone in the house, Cassie begins to experience the eeriness of Whitethorn. Curious sounds, strange breezes, and optical illusions begin to make the house come alive. The author gives the first hint that Cassie is becoming too close to her alter ego in Cassie’s conscious decision not to tell Frank about the journal.
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