David Anderson is a mild-mannered English professor until he walks into the classroom one day and discovers the corpse of one of his colleagues. She has been murdered. With all eyes on him, another woman, this time a former student of his, is also found murdered. In both cases, the killer has done the same thing: taken photos of the body and posted them anonymously online. Because of this, the media has dubbed him the Voyeur Killer. When it happens a third time, Detective Grimm, the cold and ruthless woman leading the investigation, narrows her sights on the English professor and begins to close in. Yet David, who has exhausted himself convincing others that he isn’t guilty, begins to question his own sanity. Is he the one committing these murders? Has he been doing it without his own knowledge? Desperate to clear his own name and discover what is happening, he begins to unravel the secrets of a twisted and depraved mind. The only question: is it his own?
David Anderson is a poetry writing university professor, a very likeable fellow, and a good dad, even in the most trying of situations. His childhood was like a warzone thanks to his drugging and drinking mom whose "dating" life was a swinging door of degenerate thugs who often tried to abuse or hurt David. But his mom is dead now. It's amazing that David has grown into such a well balanced, well liked man, who is doing a fine job of raising a drug addicted daughter alone since his wife died.
Death does seem to follow David. The morning he plans to ask a colleague for a date he finds her murdered at work. Then a former student is married and then another woman is murdered. Eyes are on David, with his connections to his victims and the deaths of those close to him. The thing is, David has never coped with his past well and often blanks out during certain situations. He has gaps in his mind for some of the time periods when the murders might have taken place. Often times he's at the cemetery, standing over his mother's grave, telling her how much he hates her.
While we see most of the story from David's viewpoint, there is another narrator, also. This narrator is pure evil, death is in this person's past and this person glories in all the hurt and violence that they have inflicted on living things. They have a horrid past that sounds a lot like David's past. So what is going on...is this second narrator David, or is David being framed for things he hasn't done?
This story is very compelling and David is a character that cared about, could relate to in his ordinary-ness. I like to read books like this that keep me glued to the page, wanting the best for the character but having this niggling worry he's not all he seems to be. The evil narrator filled me with such dread, pure evil with hope of redemption, a human horror story.
I did set the book down at 35% because the animal abuse was too much for me. It was when my friend, Jayme, decided to read the book that I picked it up again to finish it. I wanted to finish the story and wish the parts concerning cats could have been toned way down because I feel like those parts interfered with the good story for me. I would like some of evil person's darkness to have stayed hidden from me.
Published March 24, 2021
Thank you to the author for the gift of this book. It is available on Kindle Unlimited for those who have a subscription.
Just click on “preview” 📖 under the book on Goodreads, or Look inside ⬇️ On Amazon, and read the first 4 chapters of this book, and I just KNOW you will want to continue on to see how this plays out!
That is what happened to me...I read them, and just HAD to move the book to the TOP of my tumbling pile 📚 so I could find out what happens!
David Anderson is an English Professor and poet, who endured a dysfunctional childhood, and many other tragedies over the course of his life. He combines his background with the works of his favorite poets, Edgar Allen Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to teach his students at Long Beach City College, that you can either take the challenges that life hands you, and go DARK as Poe did, or do the opposite and seize life, as Longfellow chose to do.
He has always prided himself on being a “Longfellow”.
A colleague is killed, followed by a former student, and photos of the gruesome murders are posted anonymously online, leading the police to believe that they are dealing with a serial killer, with clues at each crime scene pointing to David.
The lead Detective, Serena Grimm, believes that he is “The Voyeur Killer” as the media as has dubbed the perpetrator, and as she closes in, and he begins to investigate on his own to clear his name, he starts to question his own sanity...
Is he a reliable narrator? Could he actually be a “Poe”?
The plot is taut, the characters are well developed, and the dialogue is realistic. Misdirection had me changing my mind several times, as the clues were revealed.
I couldn’t put the book down!
So, why haven’t you heard of this author? He has self published this book, and doesn’t have the marketing team of a large Publishing house. Yet it is better than MANY that I have read this year by more well known names.
The only negative: a brief but upsetting description of the first time the killer took a life-that of a stray cat. If you can skim past those two sentences, you are in for some compulsive reading!!
Also available to read for free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!
Go ahead and open those preview chapters now!
Thank You to the author for sending me a gifted copy in exchange for a candid review!
I think this book started better than it finished. David Anderson is an English lit teacher at a college. He had a tough childhood and even though his wife died and his only child, Scarlett, is in and out of drug rehab he is ‘glass half full’ kind of guy. He writes poetry, isn’t that sweet?
One night he does a poetry reading at a bar and some of his students and a new teacher, Leslie Brooke, attend among others. Leslie seems pretty nice so David decides he will ask her out and he drops in to her office first thing the next morning. But, oh no, she is lying dead on the floor.
The police arrive and Detective Serena Grimm is gunning for David as the killer. She gives him a really hard time. More deaths follow and it seems like someone is trying to set David up as the killer. Or is he actually the killer? We are privy to the killer’s thoughts at various parts throughout the narrative and it is hard to tell. The killer’s thoughts are very dark and it is clear he, too, had an awful childhood. Or is it David’s thoughts we are hearing? But he seems so nice!
A few other people are dangled before you as potential suspects. I was enjoying the story until we got to the end game which I thought was a bit silly and quite implausible. It kind of spoiled the book for me. Other people enjoyed this book more than I did so check out their reviews too.
Wow. I'm not going to summarize this book. Instead, I will share my perspective.
Honestly, this isn't really my genre. It is just not the type of book that I generally seek out.
But I started reading it, and once I did, I could not put it down.
The beginning of the book was interesting enough. Even though it is not my genre I felt some connection with the main character, and smirked at a number of his insights and revelations, while feeling repulsed at some others.
Yet as I read, my connection with the story increased, and my sense of dread deepened with each page. It felt like I was swirling downward into a pit of despair, and as my depression deepened, so did my need to turn the page to find out what would happen next.
I am a busy man, and I had to set the book down a number of times to deal with life. Yet I found myself drawn magnetically back to the book, picking up the story line at streetlights, while waiting in lines, and during each spare moment. I just couldn't free myself of the unfolding tale.
...and as I progressed, the plot thickened, broadened, and swirled... leaving me intrigued and speculative.
The book so gripped me that I blazed through the thing in less than two days.
...and I was not disappointed.
I imagine you will not be either.
If you like intrigue, drama, and/or a good murder mystery, then this book is for you.
If you like conspiracy theories, then this book is probably for you.
If you aren't drawn to either of these genres, then you may still like this one as a fresh perspective along a different trajectory.
Regardless, I imagine you may be as gripped by the tale as I was.
A page-turner story of a caring English professor who gets involved in a set of crimes. The author opens a window that lets readers see some of the struggles that teachers, single parents, and others go through these days and craftily weaves a story that keeps readers engaged. There’s action, comedy, suspense, and drama in this story. Definitely a good buy.
“Doppelganger” turned out to be an intense psychological thriller mixed with murder and intrigue, and I enjoyed reading this book.
The author added many twists and turns and took the story in a direction that I did not expect. I also enjoyed the way the author dwelled into David’s life, and it keeps you guessing if David is behind the murders as people suspect him. David is a complex character who keeps getting blackouts and finds himself in places like the cemetery. Hence, you wonder if he is the reason behind some characters like Marissa and Leslie.
I also liked how the author balanced David’s personal life with his complex relationship with daughter Scarlet. However, the highlight of the story was David’s interactions with Detective Grimm. I found Detective Grimm to be fascinating and thought the character brought the story to life. Moreover, I liked how the author changed the perspective from David to the killer, where we see how he would attack the next victim. This part was intriguing as this person also has a similar history to David.
However, there were times where I felt like the book was lengthy, and the author paced the mystery a bit slow. The author could have trimmed a few areas to shorten the tale, mainly when he follows a typical workday as a professor.
But, overall, “Doppelganger” was an exciting, psychological thriller that keeps you guessing as to how is behind the murders and has a thrilling climax. I enjoyed reading this one.
My Recommendation: ★★★★★★★★★✰ (I received this book free in exchange for my honest review)
As a lover of thrillers and mysteries, I have to say I was quite intrigued with this book. Though I have read a few with a similar take, few have kept me on the ropes like this one. I quite enjoy books that do the dual POV, especially when one of the POV's is of the killer.
That brings me to where I feel like this story missed the target by a smidge. There was for me, just not enough of that killer POV. Though I enjoy reading about David's daily life, even when it was, dull. I believe those duller moments and lulls in David's life, could have been taken by the killer's POV. It would have kept the story moving at a steady pace, adding just a little bit of a extra layer to bring this already dark twisted read home. Instead, I felt like there was this choppy feel at times that drew me out of the story. Outside of that, this book did bring a newness to the pages that kept me reading and engaged. Time was spent on devolving the characters; giving it a realistic feel. I like the foreshadowing that appeared not long after the first murder. I kind of connect the dots rather quick after that, thought I didn't quite know who the killer was until later on. I also liked how that foreshadowing was linked throughout the book. Almost like a tragic play, or rather, a tragic poem that was being acted and written at the same time. Oddly realistic, and fascinating, cause we all know a pair like this.
Overall this is a well written book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There will be times where you don't know who's side of the story is real. Who is truly good and who is truly evil. Please take my high recommendation and my stamp of approval that you will get captured by this my twisty read.
Warning: There are themes of animal abuse, SA, drugs, and DA, in this book.
I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I read Storm Taken by William Michael Davidson a while back and liked it, so I was happy to read this book. I liked it even better!
Once I got to the second or third chapter of Doppelganger, it was difficult to put down. David Anderson decides to ask a colleague out but when he gets to her office, she’s been murdered. Of course, since he found her, he’s a suspect. And when a former student is found, he’s in real trouble. As there are more murders, he even begins to wonder if he’s going crazy. Could he have committed murder(s) without knowing about it?
On top of all of this, David also has to deal with his daughter, Scarlet, who is an addict. She’s in rehab but wants to leave and live with her boyfriend who is also an addict. Talk about having a lot to deal with all at one time!
The story is told from David and the killer’s points of view…or is it all David’s point of view? As David questions his sanity, I did as well. There are several twists along the way, and once everything falls into place, it makes a satisfying ending. I look forward to reading more thrillers by William Michael Davidson.
Typically, thrillers aren’t my go-to genre because they sometimes lend the horror genre. However, “Doppelganger” was intriguing and captivating. I’m glad I gave this book a chance.
What kept this from being a 5-star review was that there was a lot of telling and not showing. It was intriguing, but it had to build up to that. I enjoyed the dual point-of-view. Davidson wrote the POVs so that sometimes you questioned if the main character, David, was the villain, making the story that much more compelling. What I thought was interesting was the good vs. evil dynamic.
So many of the characters are damaged, David being one of the most damaged characters. From David’s past to his present, he’s surrounded by death, but he remains a grounded individual. The second point-of-view is the epitome of evil. The interactions between David and the secondary characters were great. It kept me glued to the story. There were moments of frustration with David, but it moved the story along.
This story had intrigued and mystery. This was a story worth giving a chance, and I’m glad I did.
This is darker, and slightly more violent, than other books I have read by William Michael Davidson. When this one got close to the end I decided to finish it during the day, depending on what might happen. No way to explain this without spoilers, which I don’t do.
Although this claims to be part of the Haines and Grimm Detective series, only Serena Grimm is part of the story. I wish her former colleague, Otto Haines, had been included somehow. I have read three books in that series and really enjoyed them.
David, the main character here, is an instructor at a community college. I work at a community college (not as an instructor) and liked the discussions related to teaching and different kinds of students. I didn’t care much for a friend of David’s who tries to fix him up with a couple of women. Didn’t add anything to the story, in my opinion, but maybe it was meant to lighten the overall mood.
Davidson is an excellent writer and I hope for another book with David and Serena, with at least a cameo by Otto Haines.
I won this book in Goodreads Giveaways. I found this book the be very entertaining! I would’ve finished it much earlier, but will blame having a newborn on the extended reading time. The main character, David Anderson, is a highly flawed individual, who you can’t help but root for. This book’s twists and turns are fun and unexpected. I’m interested to see if William Davison uses any of the characters who make it out in future works...
This book was really good! I suspected just about every character except the right one! Lol! The author did an excellent job of painting a portrait of a truly sick serial killer! It was a fast paced quick read. I was able to easily imagine everything as it was happening in the book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars from me! If serial killer mysteries are your jam you better grab your copy now! I truly enjoyed it.
How can be be so alike and very different at the same time. Follow along and try to solve the murders before the. Next person gets killed. Everyone is a suspect, even people you might not suspect. #GoodreadsGiveaway
I won this boom through goodreads giveaway! This book was a fantastic murder mystery, and I really didn't know who the killer was until the author intentionally revealed it. I would have to say my critique is that after the big reveal, the climax fizzled out very quickly. The slow build was exciting though and I had a bit of a challenge getting into the writing, but got into the story eventually, and was very happy I stuck with it.
Great read! Very different than the thrillers I usually read which is good. Interesting story based in the city I live in. I would definitely recommend.
Not sure where I got the idea (the cover? the listing in the giveaway?) but I started this book thinking it was a horror novel and spent the first half of the book utterly confused. Although the murders that took place in the book are indeed horrific, the book itself is a thriller with a dose of police procedural thrown in.
The novel was a well-paced page turner. The writing is strong, and the author did an excellent job dropping clues, keeping you guessing. The main character, David Anderson, was well fleshed out. At times I struggled with the interaction/conversation between characters, felt stiff and unrealistic. The protagonist felt a bit cliché.
I would like to thank the author Willian Michael Davidson for providing a giveaway copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.