Review of Look Closer

I read Look Closer by David Ellis back in the summer and liked it well enough. Now it seems to be gaining traction on social media, so I thought I’d tell you what I thought. Here’s my review of Look Closer.

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Look Closer by David Ellis

Synopsis: Simon and Vicky couldn’t seem more normal: a wealthy Chicago couple, he a respected law professor, she an advocate for domestic violence victims.

But one thing’s for sure … things are not what they seem. The pair are far from normal, and one of them just may be a killer. 

When the body of a beautiful socialite is found hanging in a mansion in a nearby suburb, Simon and Vicky’s secrets begin to unravel. A secret whirlwind affair. A twenty-million-dollar trust fund about to come due. A decades-long grudge and obsession with revenge.

These are just a few of the lies that make up this couple’s complex web…and they will have devastating consequences. And while both Vicky and Simon are liars, just who exactly is conning who?

What Other Books Has David Ellis Written?

Ellis is a judge and a writer. He has co-written books with James Patterson. He also has a mystery series about lawyer Jason Kolarich.

Review of Look Closer

I was impressed by this book’s very high Goodreads ratings so had to see what I thought of Look Closer.

I think the strength of Look Closer is the very clever set-up

The book is about four people, each of whom thinks they are successfully conning someone else.

There’s Simon, a successful law professor who is hoping to get tenure, but is competing with someone who has serious connections.

Vicky is his wife, and works to help victims of domestic violence.

Lauren is a ex of Simon’s. Now wealthy, she pops up out of the past to cause him trouble.

Christian is a “financial planner” aka slimy con artist who targets woman. He has is eye on Vicky as his next victim.

All of these four have ulterior motives. There’s a big pot up money up for grabs. One of them ends up dead.

But who is really conning whom, and who is going to come out on top of this conniving, duplicitous quartet?

Some more thoughts that might help you decide if Look Closer is for you:

Look Closer was a fun read with a lot of surprises.

The book is LONG. Like 450 pages. I’ve seen people calling it “slow burn” but I think that is because of the length. It kept my interest because of all the twists and turns.

It was definitely plot-driven, and also was one of those books where all the characters are pretty much amoral and unlikeable.

I’m not the biggest fan of multiple POV books, but I think this book needed that in order to keep the twists coming.

What are other books like Look Closer?

The most similar book I can think of is The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. It had a similar format of three (I think) people caught in a twisted rivalry.

If you like the con artist element of this one, you can check out The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark or The Passenger by Lisa Lutz.

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