Hello everyone,
I am back today with another list post! After picking up one of my current reads, The Death Of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware, its plot made me wonder how many other books I have read in which a character pretends to somebody else.
There are many reasons why characters masquerade as others. Perhaps they have an alter ego or are working undercover. Or maybe they are orchestrating an elaborate deception for evil means. Either way, I have come across this plot device more often than I expected!
Here we go – I will keep it short so there are no spoilers in sight.
The Cousins and One Of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus
Having read all of Karen M. McManus’ books bar her most recent one, I have discovered that characters turning out to be someone else altogether is one of her favourite and most common twists. It happens three times alone in The Cousins, which in my opinion was stretching credibility a bit.
Such A Good Liar by Sue Wallman
This book focuses on a girl who holidays on a private island pretending to be another teenager called Lydia Cornwallis, in order to get revenge on two sisters who she blames for the death of her mother.
Friend Request by Laura Marshall
The main character here receives a friend request on Facebook from someone claiming to be her dead school friend Maria Weston.
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
In this very cleverly crafted book made up mostly of email correspondence and WhatsApp messages, we find out that one of the suspects has an alter ego.
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
Rosalind Lang is now practically immortal after the events of the These Violent Delights duology and now works as an undercover agent for the Nationalist front in Shanghai. As part of her ruse, she poses as a lady called Janie Mead and then, when she has to infiltrate Seagreen Press, becomes a married woman, Mrs Mu.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
I have nothing to say here other than the ending is totally crazy.
Siege And Storm by Leigh Bardugo
It is in this book that we are introduced to Ravka’s crown prince Nikolai Lantsov, and we immediately learn that he is a master of disguise.
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
The main character’s name is apparently Nora. She has apparently been living the more ‘normal’ life after spending her childhood aiding and abetting her con artist mother, but throughout the book and the extremely high stakes plot it contains, you never really know who exactly she is or what she is capable of.
Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
In this dark, twisty book, a grieving father creates a fake online persona to try and track down those responsible for his daughter’s death.
The One by John Marrs
Eve has created an app that matches people to their perfect partner, who they are guaranteed to fall in love with. But it makes her a very controversial figure and someone is out to get her.
The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
The concept of this book is that the main character Aiden Bishop has to solve the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle over the space of eight days. On each day, he assumes the body of one of the house’s guests. It is great fun and very ingenious.
Let’s Chat
Have you read any of these books? What books can you think of where characters have pretended to be other people entirely? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
