Review: Copycat by Alex Lake

Title: Copycat

Author: Alex Lake

Published: September 2017, HarperCollins

Format: Paperback, 416 pages

Source: Personal copy

Summary: 

Your stalker is everywhere.
Your stalker knows everything.
But the real problem is that your stalker is you.

Sarah Havenant discovers–when an old friend points it out–that there are two Facebook profiles in her name.

One,
she recognizes: it is hers. The other, she has never seen. But
everything in it is accurate. Recent photos of her and her friends, her
and her husband, her and her kids. Even of her new kitchen. A photo
taken inside her house.

She is bemused, angry, and worried. Who was able to do this? Any why?

But
this, it soon turns out, is just the beginning. It is only now–almost
as though someone has been watching, waiting for her to find the
profile–that her problems really start…

My thoughts: I have been a huge fan of Alex Lake since reading the author’s first book, After Anna. Since then, I have devoured his books and have not been disappointed – they are quick reads, great psychological thrillers and incredibly twisted!

This latest book not only was twisted and creepy, but really kept me thinking! In an age where we all use social media on a daily basis, it’s scary to think just how wrong things can go when someone takes advantage of what you put out there. Just how well do you really know the people that you “friend” on these sites? We really are quite vulnerable when it comes to these sites, and let’s be honest…do we really take the time to make sure we are up to date on all the latest security settings with all the social media sites we frequent? Do we have them set to the highest level so that we are protecting ourselves from cyber-stalkers?

These were just some of the thoughts that were running through my head while I was reading this book because this is what was happening to Sarah. Someone was stalking via cyberspace and it was creeping her out – heck it was creeping me out! And the crazy part was that it all starting so innocently and at first, no one believed it wasn’t her doing it. 

The way this book is crafted is so brilliant that even I questioned her…I loved that! I really couldn’t decide if she was mentally unstable or a victim for a while. But I admit, I did figure it out just before the reveal. But no worries – this in no way detracted any enjoyment of this book…even though I figured it out, I needed to know the why and believe me, I was knocking my head against the wall trying to put all the pieces together.

This is a dark, twisted, fast-paced book that grips you from the first page and never really lets up. It will get under your skin and have you questioning twice about the information you share online. Just how private are our private lives in the digital world?