Author David Ellis says that Simon Dobias and Vicky Lanier are two of his favorite characters he has ever written. They are sure to be two of readers' all-time favorites, as well. 

The book opens on May 13 and an article written by Simon, an associate law professor, has just been quoted in an opinion issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. That is a very big deal indeed, and his friend and fellow professor, Anshu, is attempting to convince him to "dress for success" to enhance his chances of becoming a full professor. Moments later, he is summoned to the dean's office and informed that it would be best if he waits until next year to apply. As he leaves campus, Simon drags his key along the side of the dean's silver Mercedes coupe, leaving "a hideous scrape across the driver's-side panel." As he continues walking, he sees Lauren, a woman from his past. He follows her, at a distance, into a condo building and learns that she is married to a wealthy older businessman. With that information, he is able to locate Lauren's Facebook profile and glean more insight into her life. Suddenly, "it's all coming back, washing over me again," Simon explains in the first-person narrative through which Ellis tells Simon's story. "I should forget I saw you. I've put you behind me." But, of course, Simon is not capable of doing that. Simon purchases a journal with a green cover to match his green burner phone in which he writes to Lauren, documenting their first meeting after nineteen years and the details of the affair they launch into. Simon never got over what happened with Lauren so many years ago. Although he loves Vicky and acknowledges that he is a better man with her, theirs is a marriage without the passionate feelings he has for Lauren. Also, Simon longs to have children but Vicky flatly refuses. Soon, Simon is planning to leave Vicky in order to be with Lauren, who is already in the midst of divorce proceedings. In the meantime, with her husband out of town, Simon and Lauren enjoy trysts at her condo and text each other only at agreed-upon times. He uses his green burner phone and she uses the pink one he bought for her.

Simon inherited twenty-one million dollars from his father, who was also an attorney. But the money is held in a trust under the terms of which Simon cannot access the funds for any purpose that would benefit Vicky in any way for a period of ten years following the first day of their marriage. They will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary on November 3, and on that date the restriction will be lifted only if Simon and Vicky have remained married and neither of them has ever petitioned to dissolve the marriage. So Simon cannot begin divorce proceedings until that date. And on that date, the funds become joint property. Simon is adamant that he and Vicky still care deeply for each other and he wants to share his inheritance with Vicky, although Lauren urges him to take steps to ensure that Simon collects the entire fortune.

Vicky keeps a cop-turned-private-investigator on retainer to ensure that it remains safe to continuing using the identity she assumed when she left home in 2003. The real Vicky Lanier was a seventeen-year-old high school student who went missing from Fairmont, West Virginia, and was never found. She was never fingerprinted or arrested, and never filed a tax return, enrolled in school, opened a bank account or obtained a credit card, received a 1099 or W-2, or established a social media account. Vicky looks enough like the missing girl to be convincing so long as no one checks her fingerprints, which are on file and would reveal her true identity. Vicky, who works as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, met Simon six weeks after her sister's suicide. Simon was facilitating a support group she attended. She was sad and angry, and Simon admits he was drawn to her because he was able to help her. Now, in her first-person account, Vicky describes her meeting with Christian Newsome, a strikingly fit and handsome investment advisor who only works with clients who have a minimum of ten million dollars to invest. He assures Vicky that once the trust assets become community property, she can spend the money without Simon's approval or knowledge. Vicky immediately commences an affair with Christian, who is not really a legitimate investment advisor. In fact, Christian is not his real name. He is a con artist looking for his next big score, as revealed in his first-person narrative.

In alternating chapters, Ellis also details the investigative efforts of Sergeant Jane Burke, a dedicated thirty-seven-year-old detective set on finding the person who murdered Lauren on Halloween while wearing a Grim Reaper costume and specific brand of sneakers.

Or perhaps, with the exception of the details surrounding Lauren's murder and the search for the killer, none of the above is entirely accurate.

Because in Look Closer, nothing is as it initially appears. All of the narrators are wholly unreliable. Ellis skillfully keeps readers guessing as he injects shocking plot developments and unpredictable revelations into his fast-paced, inventive, and superbly clever story. It quickly becomes evident that his characters do not, in all cases, possess accurate information about each other but, rather, are operating on the basis of their own beliefs and assumptions, many of which are erroneous. Even though each of them believes that they are fooling the others. Ellis lets readers in on his characters' secrets as the story proceeds, allowing them to enjoy seeing what the clueless characters will do next, and inspiring feverish reading to see if the characters get tripped up by their misperceptions.

Remarkably, Ellis manages to make both Simon and Vicky so likable that, even as more details are revealed about their respective pasts, motivations, and goals, it is hard not to cheer them on  . . . despite the fact that many of their actions are downright despicable. Credit Ellis's ability to invoke empathy for two people with troubled backgrounds who have sustained great losses. In Vicky's case, the tragic loss of her sister continually reverberates in her life and inalterably altered the trajectory of the lives of her two beloved nieces and her sister's widower. Vicky is committed to preventing what happened to her sister from happening to other women and their families. But does that justify her actions? Simon is a Fourth Amendment scholar who truly loves the law and teaching, in large part because of the example set by his mother, who was a trailblazing, brilliant, and fearless litigator. His family history, however, has made him the subject of suspicion, speculation, and gossip. And informs the angry, resentful, and obsessed man he is today. But, as with Vicky, Ellis challenges readers to ponder whether Simon's long-simmering desire for retribution is a morally acceptable motive for his behavior. Ellis says he wanted to write about both justice and revenge. "I tried to hit it all," he recalls. "I couldn't pick, so I decided to throw both in." It was a savvy choice.

Eventually, Ellis reveals the surprising ways in which all four characters -- Simon, Vicky, Lauren, and Christian -- "are tied up with each other" and chronicles Burke's dogged refusal to conclude her investigation until she uncovers the relevant connections between them. But can she muster enough credible evidence to hold anyone accountable for murder? Ellis credits his partnership with Patterson with teaching him the value of the succinct, crisp writing style that propels the story forward at an unrelenting pace. The crackling dialogue is entertaining and revelatory. Ellis deftly uses his characters' conversations and Simon's journal to display their core traits, old grudges, and relationships with each other. 

The fun Ellis had writing the book is readily apparent on each page . . . and infectious. Look Closer is a smart, thoroughly engaging, and enjoyable thriller about obsession, revenge, greed, and a ruthless quest for justice. It is one of the best psychological thrillers of 2022.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.