THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lucy is stunned when her mother's identical twin sister shows up at the front door. Separated at birth, the twins have led dramatically different lives and Lucy's mother, Aliese, will do anything to make it up to Helen. But Lucy soon suspects that Helen enjoys being mistaken for her mother a bit too much. Then, on New Year's Day, Lucy finds her mother and aunt tied to chairs in the parlor. One has been brutally murdered--but which twin has died?

 

 

I have to admit that I'm a little fussy when it comes to books set in a historical setting, and don't actually read many of them for that reason. But the concept of this book intrigued me.

Lucy is thirteen when she answers the door one day and finds a woman who looks exactly like her mother standing there. She might be a mirror image of Aliese, but Helen is skinnier and definitely hasn't lived the same kind of life as her twin. She's lived a hard life, had to work hard for her meagre possessions, and now wants to reconnect with her long lost twin. Aliese is willing to do whatever it takes to accommodate her and convinces her husband to allow Helen to not only move in with them, but also learn how to behave in proper society.

Soon, people are confusing the twins and Helen gets the attention of many male suitors, but she turns all of them down. Lucy is still young and although she notices a series of strange things going on around the house, she doesn't get a clear picture. Not until the morning she finds both her mother and aunt tied to chairs, and one of them is clearly dead.

What follows is a dark story of betrayal and deception, one that Lucy is determined to investigate and is pretty sure she has worked out. But nothing can prepare her for the truth, because it's a lot more sinister than she expected...

I enjoyed following Lucy's story and the lonely, but prestigious life she lived with her parents. It was also nice to see her grow up with her friend Kit. The romance was subtle, but lasting and loyal. And the older she got, the more she understood about how bizarre her life really was. Having an aunt she had no idea existed wander into her life changed everything.

The Twin's Daughter is a well-written, interesting, personality switch story, which is often creepy. It's got several twists and turns, convincing the reader of one scenario but totally switching it near the end until the truth hits you. Yikes! Wasn't expecting that. LOL.

Some people are selfish enough to do whatever it takes to get their way. 

 

The Twin's Daughter, February 2014, ISBN  9781599906614, Bloomsbury Childrens USA