The Resemblance

I'm not saying I don't experience fear - I've seen enough to worry about every female coed walking home alone at night ... But that's why I chose this job. My fearlessness is a gift.

On a November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps into a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. A local and the daughter of a professor at the university, she knows all its shameful history. But in the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets in the sprawling, interconnected system of fraternities and sororities that empower the university's most elite students.

The lines between Marlitt's police work and her own past begin to blur as she seeks to bring to justice an institution that took something precious from her many years ago. When threats against her escalate, Marlitt must question whether the corruption in her home town has run off campus and into the police force, and how far these brotherhoods will go to protect their own.


WINNER FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL AT THE INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS AWARDS 2023

PRAISE FOR THE RESEMBLANCE

'Twisty, dark and brilliant, The Resemblance is a chilling crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages faster than you can binge a true crime podcast.' Sally Hepworth

'The Resemblance is a menacing whodunnit that explores the importance of brothers, but the dangers of elite brotherhoods. You'll never look at men in the corridors of power the same way again. Detective Marlitt Kaplan is a heroine for our times.' Justine Ford

'At once a careful, nuanced dismantling of toxic masculinity and an exploration of academia's dark underbelly, The Resemblance is a powerhouse of a book that is as timely as it is terrifying. Perpetually twisty and full of chilling secrets, this masterful debut heralds Lauren Nossett as a fearless new voice in crime thrillers.' Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

'The Resemblance is a taut campus mystery that grows bigger and dives deeper into the community as the crime unfolds. Twisty turns with an emotional punch deliver a captivating read.' Wendy Walker

'A campus crime plunges a driven young detective into the shadowy depths of Greek life, where power and privilege hide sinister secrets. In The Resemblance, Nossett pushes the stakes ever higher, and the horrors of this hidden world feel all too real. A timely and compelling thriller, and a jagged new twist on dark academia.' Laura McHugh

'Lauren Nossett's The Resemblance is a fresh, haunting take on dark academia that brilliantly peels back the layers of genteel southern Greek life to reveal the horrors lurking underneath. A sinister, addictive blend of self-aware police procedural and campus novel, this is the kind of book that slips its fingers around your throat and doesn't let go, complete with a jaw-dropping twist. Nossett is a gutsy, sensational new voice in crime fiction.' Ashley Winstead