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The Resemblance: A Novel Hardcover – November 8, 2022

by Lauren Nossett (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 369 ratings
Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
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Lauren Nossett’s artfully written debut, The Resemblance is an exhilarating, atmospheric campus thriller reminiscent of If We Were Villains and The Likeness.

Never betray the brotherhood

On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. An Athens native and the daughter of a UGA professor, she knows all its shameful histories, from the skull discovered under the foundations of Baldwin Hall to the hushed-up murder-suicide in Waddel. But in the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets as she explores the sprawling, interconnected Greek system that entertains and delights the university’s most elite and connected students.

The lines between Marlitt’s police work and her own past increasingly blur as Marlitt seeks to bring to justice an institution that took something precious from her many years ago. When threats against her escalate, and some long-buried secrets threaten to come to the surface, she can’t help questioning whether the corruption in Athens has run off campus and into the force and how far these brotherhoods will go to protect their own.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Flatiron Books
  4. Publication date
    November 8, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1250843243
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250843241
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

The Resemblance Lauren Nossett

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A timely, expertly plotted mystery about power and privilege, The Resemblance will grab you from the first page and keep you guessing until the final twist. A captivating debut.” ―Alafair Burke, bestselling author of Find Me

"At once a careful, nuanced dismantling of toxic masculinity and an exploration of academia's dark underbelly,The Resemblance is a powerhouse of a book that is as timely as it is terrifying. Perpetually twisty and full of chilling secrets, this masterful debut heralds Lauren Nossett as a fearless new voice in crime thrillers." ―Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here

"Twisty, dark and brilliant, The Resemblance is a chilling crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages faster than you can binge a true crime podcast." ―Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Good Sister

"Lauren Nossett's The Resemblance is a fresh, haunting take on dark academia that brilliantly peels back the layers of genteel southern Greek life to reveal the horrors lurking underneath. A sinister, addictive blend of self-aware police procedural and campus novel, this is the kind of book that slips its fingers around your throat and doesn't let go, complete with a jaw-dropping twist. Nossett is a gutsy, sensational new voice in crime fiction." ―Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife

“The Resemblance is a taut campus mystery that grows bigger and dives deeper into the community as the crime unfolds. Twisty turns with an emotional punch deliver a captivating read.” ―Wendy Walker, bestselling author of Don’t Look for Me

"A campus crime plunges a driven young detective into the shadowy depths of Greek life, where power and privilege hide sinister secrets. In The Resemblance, Nossett pushes the stakes ever higher, and the horrors of this hidden world feel all too real. A timely and compelling thriller, and a jagged new twist on dark academia." ―Laura McHugh, award-winning author of What’s Done in Darkness

"The Resemblance is a menacing whodunnit that explores the importance of brothers, but the dangers of elite brotherhoods. You’ll never look at men in the corridors of power the same way again. Detective Marlitt Kaplan is a heroine for our times." ―Justine Ford, author of The Good Cop

About the Author

Lauren Nossett is a professor of German language and literature. Her scholarly work has appeared in journals and edited volumes. She attended the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop in 2015 and 2017. The Resemblance is her first novel. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flatiron Books (November 8, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250843243
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250843241
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 369 ratings

About the author

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Lauren Nossett

Lauren Nossett

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LAUREN NOSSETT is a professor turned novelist with a Ph.D. in German literature. Her debut novel, THE RESEMBLANCE, won the ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel. Her new novel, THE PROFESSOR, is out November 2023. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
369 global ratings
EHHH
3 Stars
EHHH
First off I was super excited to read this story. I haven’t read a college campus thriller in awhile. I just thought sometimes it was confusing and the main character was all over the place.It did have a interesting plot but it was a slooooow build and I almost put it down. I just felt like it was missing something. I did however love the ending and I’m glad I finished it!Overall I wouldn’t call this a thriller. More like a slow pace mystery.-Busyblondebookworm
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Top reviews from the United States

Busyblondebookworm
3.0 out of 5 stars EHHH
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
First off I was super excited to read this story. I haven’t read a college campus thriller in awhile. I just thought sometimes it was confusing and the main character was all over the place.

It did have a interesting plot but it was a slooooow build and I almost put it down. I just felt like it was missing something. I did however love the ending and I’m glad I finished it!

Overall I wouldn’t call this a thriller. More like a slow pace mystery.

-Busyblondebookworm
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Busyblondebookworm
3.0 out of 5 stars EHHH
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2022
First off I was super excited to read this story. I haven’t read a college campus thriller in awhile. I just thought sometimes it was confusing and the main character was all over the place.

It did have a interesting plot but it was a slooooow build and I almost put it down. I just felt like it was missing something. I did however love the ending and I’m glad I finished it!

Overall I wouldn’t call this a thriller. More like a slow pace mystery.

-Busyblondebookworm
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NJD
4.0 out of 5 stars well paced mystery...but why do really intelligent women like Marlitt make such bad decisions?
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2023
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The novel’s synopsis on the inside jacket is titled with the admonition “Never Betray the Brotherhood.” A fraternity brother steps off the curb at the Lumpkin Street crosswalk on UGA’s campus and is struck dead by an oncoming vehicle, the driver of which looks just like him.

Nossett’s heroine, Marlitt Kaplan, is a police detective; she happens to be there visiting her professor mother when the fatal hit and run happens. As Kirkus says, “The ensuing story is part police procedural, part general critique of the Greek system. Marlitt has a long-standing grudge against fraternities.” That last statement is putting it mildly. Nossett refers to her genre as “dark academia” comparable to My Dark Vanessa, The Cloisters, and The Secret History. There are dark secrets that go beyond the typical frat house and beyond the typical murder mystery. Marlitt is an engaging character, worth the complicated details that comprise these pages!
2 people found this helpful
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Joel Burcat
5.0 out of 5 stars A literary crime thriller
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
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The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett is a gripping, crime procedural set on the campus of the University of Georgia. Nossett, in her debut novel, has written a book told from the first person perspective of Marlitt Kaplan, a young detective on the Athens, Georgia Police Department. The book starts out, simply enough, with a deadly hit and run accident at a busy intersection on the campus. The victim is Jay Kemp. Although he’s dead before we meet him, his presence is felt throughout the novel.

It seems as though this is going to be an open and shut case for Detective Kaplan, until we learn that the driver looked like Kemp’s identical twin (he was an only child), and the car that hit him was Kemp’s own BMW. The crime get interesting for Kaplan, as well as the reader.

Kaplan’s colleagues in the police department are a bit cliché. There is the middle-aged, gruff, overly-protective-of-his-female-detective Lieutenant, Barry Truman, and the other detectives who could come out of a host of crime novels. The detectives are an interesting bunch who vie for assignment to plum cases and play office politics. Kaplan and her partner, Detective Teddy White have a close relationship and you ask yourself, “have they?” “Will they?” The case takes a toll on their relationship.

Nossett’s story is a blistering indictment of the fraternity system on college campuses. We see the stately, white-columned, plantation-like frat houses and meet the charming, but obnoxious and privileged, frat boys. Nossett gives us a good peek behind the front door and mostly it is an awful sight. The frat houses are replete with white privilege, racism, and misogynistic men who are interested only in getting drunk and getting laid. Their expectation is that they will take their degrees and the relationships they have cultivated at the frat and use that to propel them to the C-Suites and high-powered law firms destined in their future. Kaplan has her own reasons for despising fraternities, and the story is as much about “Greek life” as the crime. I dwell on this because Nossett (and Kaplan) dwell on it.

Nossett provides us with twists and turns throughout the story. Kaplan is a compelling character. She becomes frustrated with the small-town politics that push for a quick resolution to the crime and begins to do things improperly, jeopardizing the investigation. We root for Kaplan as much as shake our heads in disbelief at her actions.

The story takes a deep dive into Kaplan’s psyche. She is deeply disturbed, and we spend most of the story trying to find out why. She has academic and distant parents (who love her in their own manner) and a dark secret. She’s also deeply troubled by the loss of her best friend while she was in college. Nossett relates this crime thriller in a literary way, so expect extensive descriptions of sites and sounds, and deep dives into Kaplan’s head.

The book was quite enjoyable, and I highly recommend it.
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RCG
3.0 out of 5 stars okay
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
A bit predictable, and not very believable. And far too much inner dialogue about the protagonist’s thoughts on privilege, and fraternities. Feels like 80% of the book…becomes almost a lecture. Maybe the author wanted to write an anti-fraternity book more than a mystery? Also lots of little hints at bigger mysteries that ultimately amount to very little (the protagonist’s language skills, as an example). Relatively easy read early on, but began to drag, for the reasons above. Expected a little more at the end.
5 people found this helpful
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L. Beyer
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than your average mystery
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2023
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Although I did not like the protagonist (at all!), the plot was interesting and the story is a strong and well-deserved indictment on the ridiculous culture of modern-day fraternities and sororities. I went to a well-known Lutheran university, and there was at least one fraternity house full of date rapists. It happened to me and though it was with somebody I liked a lot and saw for years after -- and the details are hazy -- it still bothers me 40 years later. No parent should encourage their child to join one of these disgusting organizations. I did enjoy the book except there was a part involving a fire that added no value. It is much better written than your average detective-murder mystery.
One person found this helpful
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Onyekachi Okoroafor
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating exploration of the excesses of greek life in American universities
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2023
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This was quite a captivating story from start to finish. The storyline had just the right number of twists and turns and it was a compelling exploration of the absurdities of greek life in modern American universities. I've seen some complaints about the protagonist but I personally found her relentless drive compelling and her bent on justice felt warranted given how situations are often handled.

One last tidbit: I was shocked to find that this was the author's debut novel...this was even more impressive given that context. Excited to see what she writes next.
2 people found this helpful
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tedndoll
2.0 out of 5 stars This book was slow and boring.
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022
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The main character in this book was very unlikeable. There were pages and pages where nothing seemed to happen. In my opinion, the author was more interested in bashing college fraternities than telling a good story.
4 people found this helpful
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Aapciudas
3.0 out of 5 stars Dull
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2022
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The detective’s various subplots are too numerous and too slowly unspooled. The main plot is over-convoluted and somehow also cookie-cutter ordinary. It was just not a story to get involved in.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Rocco
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing mess
Reviewed in Australia on December 22, 2022
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The theme of this novel is a (well deserved) criticism of the toxic male culture which pervades the US college fraternity system. It hammers the theme relentlessly, while encasing it a rather vacuous, poorly structured murder mystery. A very unsatisfying read.
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