This is the story of two families of Greek heritage, intertwined in more ways than one would think possible, over a couple of generations: The Kronon family, and the Giannis family, the latter including Paul Giannis, just over 50 and a state senator now running for mayor, and his identical twin brother, Cass, a former Kindle County cop who as the book opens is about to be released from prison after serving twenty-five years after having confessed to the murder of his then-girlfriend, Dita Kronon, in September of 1982. Needless to say, that event had radically affected each member of both families. Dita was a very volatile young woman, and the romance had been fraught with problems: The twins’ mother, Lidia, then 63, had made it known that if the two got married, their father would never speak to him again, as there had been very bad blood between the men for 20 years.Dita’s brother, Hal, a very wealthy businessman, convinced that both brothers were involved in his sister’s death, hires Evon Miller, a young woman who is a former FBI agent, and Tim Brodie, now an 81-uear-old p.i. and the homicide cop who had handled the original investigation, to thoroughly re-examine all aspects of the murder, something never done once Cass had confessed, and to then convince a judge to re-open the investigation.Early on, when much of the p.o.v. is generally that of Evon and Tim, the reader’s sympathy lies less with their boss, Hal, and more with the twins. The book moves in a leisurely manner, the murder having taken place over twenty-five years ago, and its attempted painstaking reconstruction, over a period of a few months, with the p.o.v. moving from one of the main characters to another in present time. There are forays into the past at pivotal points in the book, perfectly placed for maximum sustained suspense, slowly bringing the reader the truth of what actually transpired on the fateful day. The characters are very well-drawn, the courtroom scenes of course beautifully done, and the investigation and the secrets it uncovers fascinating. The novel is described as a complex web of murder, sex and betrayal – what more can one ask? The author has an undisputed history of well-deserved bestsellers to his credit. He continues to tell a helluva story, and the novel is recommended. I have been a Turow fan ever since his novel, Presumed Innocent came out in 1987. As a young attorney, I was impressed at how well Truow had captured what goes on in a courtroom and his plot twists kept me on my toes. His new novel, Identical, is not a court room drama, but he continues to explore the idea of innocence, only this time we are immersed in a Greek family tragedy where one twin brother goes to jail for the murder of his girlfriend.Paul Giannis is a candidate for mayor of Kindle County after having served as a state senator. His twin brother, Cass, is due to be released from prison right before the election, having served 25 years after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend, Dita Kronon. Hal Kronon, Dita’s brother and a wealthy businessman, is infuriated that the twin brother of the man that killed his sister might win the election and enlists his head of security Evon Miller to investigate Paul for any connection to the murder in order to derail his campaign.Evon, wary of her boss’ lack of perspective when it comes to the Giannis family, enlists the help of Tim Brodie, a detective who was called in to work on the case 25 years ago. Tim always felt that there was something not quite right about the investigation into Dita’s murder and Cass’ confession, and relishes the opportunity to revisit the case; this time using current forensic technology to better understand what happened at the crime scene.Using the Greek myth of Castor and Pollux, Turow has reframed it into a modern tale of love, lust and the corrupting influence of family secrets, showing us the lengths that people will go to to protect their family and the ones they love. His use of DNA and other modern forensic investigative techniques as a pacing mechanism in the retelling of the what happened on the night that Dita was killed, adds a heightened sense of suspense and interest to the plot and his creative plot twists manage to surprise you until the very end.Brenda’s Rating ****(4 Stars Out of 5)
What do You think about Trial Of The Gemini (2013)?
Very good. Kept me guessing. Tim, Evon, Paul and Cass are interesting characters.
—mohamed
