The Scapegoat

By chance, John and Jean -- one English, the other French -- meet in a provincial railway station. Their resemblance to each other is uncanny, and they spend the next few hours talking and drinking - until at last John falls into a drunken stupor. It's to be his last carefree moment, for when he wakes, Jean has stolen his identity and disappeared. So the Englishman steps into the Frenchman's shoes, and faces a variety of perplexing roles - as owner of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a fractious family, and master of nothing.

Gripping and complex, The Scapegoat is a masterful exploration of doubling and identity, and of the dark side of the self.

"A dazzlingly clever and immensely entertaining novel."-New York Times

My favorite Daphne DuMaurier book so far!

If you could sum up The Scapegoat in three words, what would they be?

Couldn't put it down!

What did you like best about this story?

Great premise for a story and well written!

Any additional comments?

I started this book on audio but was so hooked, I also bought it on Kindle for $2.99 because I could not put it down!

Good, but...

Du Maurier is a seminol author who helped to pave the path for women in mystery/suspense. Though this book is not really a nail-biter, it's an interesting premise with good writing. The disappointing part of this book is that a woman is raped and instead of being outraged at the man who did it, she provides life advice and compliments his personality. The substitute man sleeps with a woman who thinks he is her boyfriend. She was consenting to her boyfriend, not some rando whose name she didn't even know. He misled her to get in her pants. I know this was written long ago, but who would not be upset if this happened to them? It's unrealistic.

Such an intriguing story. Beautifully performed.

I was immediately swept up in this story. It never lagged or ceased to entertain. Paul Shelley was the perfect narrator. Do yourself a favor and give this one a listen.

Captivating. Compelling.

Superb narration does justice to this tale, one much more nuanced, psychologically complex & redemptive than most body double plots. Even had the novel lacked these sophisticated elements, it would still have been a rollicking good story; with them it is a gem.

Classic and twisted

I like psychological thrillers but find them hard to discuss at book groups. This has plenty of human behavior and perception questions to chew on.