Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

My Memorial Day weekend goal was to read a book I wouldn’t pick out myself but which came highly recommended by someone whose opinion I respect. I achieved my goal and grudgingly enjoyed Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. You’re probably wondering what that means, or not.

The email from said-respected friend said, “Have you read, Look Again by Lisa Scottoline? If not, it's a good un' - lots of twists, a super bad guy, and a gut wrenching ethical and moral decision.” Based on that snappy one-sentence inducement, I bit and I’m glad I did, sort of.

Could I get any wishy-washier? Yes, but first let’s get the obligatory, “tell what it's about without a spoiler,” out of the way. One of those “Have You Seen This Kid” flyers arrives in single mom,  Ellen's,  mail. The age-progressed picture on the flyer looks almost exactly like her three-year-old adopted son. Things then get weird. And there’s an exciting ending. OK, back to wishy-washy:

1. I tend not to read serial writers because their books always seem so formulaic,
2. I tend to read to learn, and
3. I like to think of myself as a book snob.

However, I couldn’t put Look Again down. It moved very fast, it was an easy read (no big words or complicated story lines), the chapters were all about three pages long (which made me feel like I was flying through the book), Scottoline’s writing created suspense that drove me page to page and, of course, I had to finish it before Tuesday.

So why can’t I just say that Look Again is a really good book and I recommend it? Because:

1. It was formulaic (I just love saying that),
2. The only thing I learned was how to relax on a holiday, and
3. Not recommending it supports my delusion that I’m a book snob.