Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
After the Seattle case, copycat killers emerge in other cities, taunting the FBI’s BAU team with gruesome bread crumb trails that always seems to end with a silenced suspect and barely any connecting evidence. Ada tries to find her place with the team after the return of their regular analyst, and to keep her boss in the dark about her involvement with the investigation. Sinister notes from the mysterious Sakima continue to surface and the animosity between Ada and James comes to a head. As the team struggles to keep the case alive, a carefully-laid trap separates the group and threatens not just their lives but the future of the entire investigation.

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2017

4 people want to read

About the author

J.J. Stone

8 books7 followers
J.J. Stone knew she wanted to be an author ever since she created her first story at the age of eleven. After a few years of working in the world of advertising, J.J. went back to school and earned her MFA in Creative Writing. Her debut novel The Mirror Stage was first written as a TV script for J.J.’s thesis project in grad school. After graduation, she refused to let the idea go to waste and translated the story from script form into her debut novel.

J.J. lives in a suburb outside Atlanta with her husband. their son, and their three dogs.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
5 (50%)
4 stars
5 (50%)
3 stars
0 (0%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Ana.
596 reviews68 followers
March 28, 2017
Got it free from the author.

I love books like this one, that have action, suspense, mystery and a bit of romance all mixed up.

I liked the concern of the author in making the link to the next book, leaving a clue that creates in the reader the desire of reading the trilogy's final.

The two main characters have a very peculiar dynamic. Adda and James are two people who deal with the past's ghost in a very different way.
James, an FBI agent, is professional, cool and methodical. Adda uses teaching and writing to deal with the fact of being a serial killer's daughter.

Together they try to solve a set of crimes practiced with extreme violence, which are an imitation of other previous crimes.


Hope to read the third book soon!!
Profile Image for Preri.
1,499 reviews464 followers
March 2, 2017
Review to come.

Okay, so review is here.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED IT!!!

I totally did not expect such awesomeness. This was wonderful.

- Ada is such a strong-willed character. At times, that posed a problem and I didn't like at her times because she was too stubborn. But I'm so thankful that she wasn't a dumb person who depended on James to save her life and random ish. So, go ADA!!!
- James is adorable. Genuinely. Adorable. I love him. And I definitely ship Ada and James together, but I want to see their relationship progress more. I want to see the camaraderie instead of being told about. Granted, there were some fantastic moments, but I'll talk about my qualm with this later.
- Brenda was completely flat in the first novel. I'm so glad we get to see a little more depth to her. And is anybody else shipping her and Dade?
- Dade. Um, still flat. I mean, he has depth, but I have no clue what made him who he is. Why is he so nice? Why is he so flirtatious? Why does he help James so much? That really needs to be fleshed out more.
- I was very skeptical about revealing the serial killers beforehand and introducing Sakima and everyone, but it worked. A lot of murder mysteries are murder mysteries. But this is something else, so it's all right. Bottom line, the plotline worked.
- However, I want more. I was so glad that this book was longer than the first one. It allowed for so much more conflict and plot. I was glad to see more variety in the events. But still, not so fleshed out enough. Everything could just have a little more to it, you know?
- THE WRITING STYLE IMPROVED. It didn't read like an English essay. It read like a well-written novel. So major props on that.
- So intriguing. I want to know more about Sakima and the cult. But I also wish I knew more about each individual serial killer. If you think of it as a TV show, which this actually really resembles because of its multiple serial killers, each episode still has depth and background. I feel like the overarching plotline was too focused on, and not enough attention was given to the basic plot.
- Currently, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a trilogy, but please don't make it a trilogy. JJ Stone will most definitely not be able to wrap up all of this in only one more book. Plus, this is a strong enough plotline to flesh out a little more. Okay, flesh out a lot.
- I genuinely want to read the next book. It has intrigued me that much. I am so excited to get my hands on the next book. It was that good.
- Uncle Mike is pretty useless. Don't know how he adds to the story, really. I mean, I do, but not enough.
- Still loved it.

Bottom line, this was wonderful. This is a really strong novel, and I have tremendous hopes for J.J. Stone. Super excited to read the next book.

And I'm out.
Profile Image for Kristy.
796 reviews41 followers
April 12, 2017
This was a great follow up to the first in the series & I can't wait to read what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how Ada & James's relationship progressed. I would highly recommend this book & series to anyone who enjoys mysteries.

*I want to thank the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.*
Profile Image for Kandi Lopez.
146 reviews3 followers
January 1, 2018
Received this book in exchange for my review

This book is the 2nd book in the Imago trilogy.This book carried on where The mirror stage left. In this book, you get to know the characters a little more. This book was certainly a page turner and the length was on spot, not too short not and not extremely long. Very interested to see what future holds for this brilliant author.
Profile Image for Tavia.
133 reviews22 followers
March 24, 2017
Source: Received book for free from author (Had no effect on my review)
Genre: Mystery

This is the second book in the Image Trilogy. I really enjoyed this book, as it continues with this series very well. We started off where we ended the first book at, so it was easy to transition right into the second book. My love for the characters grew, and I more intrigued in this second book. I am glad for the book length, because I did not like how short the first book was. The plot was fast paced and it contained a lot more action than the first book. I was so into the book that I forgot it was a trilogy. So, as I was reading I was getting closer and closer to the end, thinking that I was about to get answers to my questions. I turned the last full page of words and landed on a blank page and my mouth dropped open. I was confused for a few seconds until I realized that there would a third book. The book is definitely left on a cliffhanger.

This was a great intro to me reading mysteries again. I can't wait for the third book to come out and I would recommend it to a friend.

Rating: 3.5/5
Profile Image for Anton Preisinger.
3 reviews1 follower
February 20, 2017
The Imaginary continues a very exciting tale begun in The Mirror Stage. The pace and thrill of the first book are carried over brilliantly into the second and we get to know our protagonists even more closely.

J.J. Stone has a great talent for natural dialog, both internal and external, and sets a scene well. The Imaginary lives up to the demands of a true thriller being difficult to put down and keeping the reader riveted. Even more impressive, this is accomplished without cliffhangers and other tricks, it's simply an exciting, well told story. The third in this series should be an amazing finale.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.