Review: 4.5 stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2013
Twisted by Laura K. Curtis is a suspense-laden mystery that is full of unexpected twists and turns. This impossible to put down novel is full of unforgettable characters but it is the unfolding investigation that fully grabbed my attention and kept me guessing the killer’s identity right up until the story’s dramatic conclusion.Lucy Saddler Caldwell is a successful true crime author whose next project is her mother’s unsolved murder. Her return to Dobbs Hollow stirs up a lot of unpleasant memories, both for herself and the town, and Lucy encounters plenty of hostility from the townspeople as she researches her mother’s life and tragic death. Lucy is pleasantly surprised by Police Chief Ethan Donovan’s cooperation and his willingness to provide her free access to her mother’s case files. When a woman resembling Lucy is viciously murdered, Ethan’s ensuing investigation reveals a series of unsolved rapes and unexplained disappearances of women in the neighboring vicinity. Unable to easily discern the connection between the old and new cases, Ethan and Lucy are in a race against time to unmask the deranged killer before he strikes again.Lucy and Ethan are both carrying plenty of unresolved baggage and carefully hidden secrets from their respective pasts. Lucy’s secrets stem from her dysfunctional and unhappy childhood in Dobbs Hollow while Ethan’s have their roots in his previous career in the Houston police department. While the secrets themselves are not too terribly horrible, it is the emotion attached to those memories that make Lucy and Ethan reluctant to reveal them. While Ethan’s revelation explains how he ended up as police chief in Dobbs Hollow, Lucy’s plays a crucial role in the overall storyline.The relationship between Lucy and Ethan is non-adversarial right from the very beginning. Lucy is not very trusting of Ethan but he soon proves to her that he really is on her side. There is a definite chemistry between them but their budding romance never overpowers the mystery aspect of the plot. I enjoyed watching Lucy let down her defenses and although they were slow to confide in each other, it never adversely affected their relationship. When it comes to the investigation, Lucy and Ethan are true partners, and they never intentionally withhold information from one another.Seventeen years ago, the investigation into Lucy’s mother’s death was superficial and quickly abandoned. With little to go on, Lucy begins digging into her mother’s past and comes up with very surprising information that gives her a more positive viewpoint of her rather notorious mother. I liked that Lucy was able to gain a better perspective of her childhood and that the good memories finally begin to outweigh the bad ones.The chilling behavior of two of the characters is revealed very early in the novel, but how their actions fit into the overall story is unclear. Equally perplexing are the seemingly unrelated crimes that Ethan’s research uncovers. The suspect list is a mile long and there are plenty of red herrings that throw the reader off track time and again.Twisted is a riveting mystery that kept me up long past my bedtime because I just HAD to know who killed Lucy’s mom. I just HAD to know who was behind the horrible crimes that Ethan uncovered. Darn you, Laura K. Curtis, for the sleepless night but THANK YOU for a fantastic story!I received a complimentary copy for review.