Review: Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden

Published November 3, 2015
by St. Martin's Press

In Dead Ringers, Christopher Golden manages to take an old idea, doppelgangers, and make it new. What if you saw someone that you were close to on the street,  but they claimed not to know you? What if you even saw someone who looked just like you, but maybe a little better? They say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world. Is this just a case of that, or is it something more sinister? Factor in a haunted object and a house with a malign presence and you have Dead Ringers.

The characters are well realized. Each has a personality and is sympathetic. You want to root for them. The doubles, on the other hand, are easy to dislike. Who wouldn't dislike someone who was better at being them than themselves - more pulled together, more successful? If that's not enough of a problem, maybe they want to assume your identity as well, no longer content to merely exist.

The plot has twists and turns. The haunted object and the house with the malign presence among them. There is also an eyeless man who seems to be sniffing out either the originals or the copies. The plot is fast paced. I couldn't put the book down. I read it all in one day.

This is a 5-star horror book. Snowblind was good. Dead Ringers is even better.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.