I was rather underwhelmed by Twisted. I had heard that Thirteen was very good, so I thought I’d try this one, but it seemed pretty run-of-the-mill stuff to me. The plot is based around a reclusive, mysterious author, JT LeBeau, whose books make millions but whose life seems to be involved with a number of murders. To say more would be a significant spoiler.

The thing is, the book is constructed entirely so that there can be “Twists”. (And just in case we don’t admire them sufficiently we’re even told by a character how very difficult this is.) I am prepared to suspend disbelief, sometimes from a considerable height for a really good book, but I found a lot of Twisted rather silly and a bit dull. The opening hundred pages or so are padded with masses of tedious and largely irrelevant detail about unconvincing characters’ lives, thoughts and so on, to the extent that I kept suspecting that the author was paid by the word, thinking “get on with it!” and skimming judiciously. I didn’t miss anything important. When things did begin to happen, nothing was much of a surprise and there are some ridiculous coincidences and some utter implausibilities: for example, a character who is obsessed with concealing his true background isn’t really sure where he left a vital document which may or may not have been stolen. Really? Later, another similarly obsessed character leaves his laptop alone with someone else and available to be read, to the extent that it doesn’t even require a password to bring it out of sleep mode. Huh? Even mine does that. And so on.

It’s well enough written to be readable, but the knowledge that we’re always being set up for the next Twist made it unengaging for me, and that knowledge meant that I saw several of the Twists coming. The ending is absurdly silly and I wasn’t all that sorry to finish it. This might be OK for a brain-off beach read or the like, but nothing more.

(My thanks to Orion for an ARC via NetGalley.)

The author once again delivers a gripp8ng story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Brilliant characters and fantastic story line

Thank you to NetGalley, Orion and Steve Cavanagh for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am already a huge fan of Steve Cavanagh so I was very excited to receive this arc and get reading. The book title says it all really. The story is so full of twists and turns I think I've whiplash after finishing it. Although unlike a lot of thrillers that are this 'twisted', it works. You're not expecting the twists and you certainly can't predict them. I especially enjoyed how Maria was developed as character almost quietly in the background without you noticing. A compelling read, with a killer ending.

Immensely divertying, self-referential sinuous thriller.

I'm a big believer in the synopsis, if it holds my attention then I don't tend to look at reviews. Cavanagh's previous novel, Thirt3en, drew me in from a summary alone, and this standalone psychological thriller also ensnared me.

I loved the way the author plays with the reader throughout, offering teasers, clues, a book-within-a-book, a frame of reference with real authors mentioned, as if this book and the writer contained within it were a genuine bestselling sensation.

The author in question is J. T. LeBeau, a reclusive writer whose every crime novel sells millions, with a knack for devising 'killer twists' that nobody sees coming. A young wife, having a passionate affair through loneliness, comes to realise her husband Paul IS this world-famous but never seen author, and he has millions he has been keeping from her.

The stage is thus set for a series of events that saw me racing from chapter to chapter, viewpoint to viewpoint: the husband, the wife, the detective, the lover. Having read one of the author's previous works, I enjoyed the references to 'Eddie Flynn', to Child and Connolly. Cavanagh hits the nail on the head when he asks us: who cares about a reclusive writer, "this mysterious, hermetic writer....? Isn't it enough that we have the books? Yes. And no." Everyone wants to unravel a mystery, to know the secret. And as a reader, I wanted to uncover and guess for myself all the hidden enigmas of Twisted.

The title itself is smart, the characters equally so, you know who you want to trust, but nobody is clear-cut black-or-white hero-or-villain here. All have back stories, motivations.

This moves along nicely, carrying you along in the action, guessing how it's going to end. One final twist in the tail which made me smile, and it really is a clever creation. It's one I can see making an excellent film, wonderful set-pieces and tension.

It won't be easy to readers to guess how it's all going to end, and the story doesn't speak down to you. A cut above (if that's not a little blackly ironic) the regular thriller.

With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be the last. It was so different from other psychological thrillers with a totally unique storyline. I loved all the twists and turns. Would highly recommend this book

Oh my gosh! This book is amazing!!!

There are more twists and turns in this then I could count! Steve Cavanagh truly keeps you on your toes throughout this book and makes it one that is impossible to put down!!!!

More Twists than a pretzel !
Another amazing read thanks to Steve Cavanagh. If you loved Thirteen and his other Eddie Flynn stories you’re going to love Twisted.
In Twisted Eddie Flynn only gets a passing nod as a character is referred to as ‘no Eddie Flynn’ but Steve’s best known character isn’t missed in his latest offering.
The characters in Twisted are at times complex with them all bringing a different dimension to the story, which is essentially a story of lies, greed, revenge and psychopaths.
Just when you think you’ve worked out the characters and where the story is leading you, Steve’s writing manages to twist it in a different and unexpected direction. I think I lost count of the amount of times I exclaimed ‘Oh my God!’ and ‘What!’.
I would dare anyone to read this and then not be recommending it everyone they meet. Another winner from Steve Cavanagh.

Twisted is a fast paced thriller with ‘a twist’ Difficult to describe the plot as I feel I’d give away main spoilers, a story within a story that I took a little time to get my head around particularly when the twist occurred. I did enjoy this book though not as much as this authors previous books especially Thirteen which is brilliant.
I think my main problem was that I didn’t particularly like any of the characters so wasn’t really invested in what happened to them, that said this is a well constructed thriller that keeps you turning those pages and causing a few episodes of breath holding.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Absolutely loved this, and will be buying the rest of Cavanagh’s books based on this. With a title like this, I expected twists in the plot, however after a few years of predominantly reading twisty thrillers I’ve become adept at spotting them.

Not this time.

Superbly plotted and well written. Will be reading again in the hope of spotting some clues!

Do not read this book if you are unable to finish it off in one go. You will resent everyone and everything around you that come in the way of you and this book! An absolute must read for all readers who love psychological thrillers with a twist!!

Best thriller I’ve read in ages! Fast paced and it just doesn’t stop the whole way through the book. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.

Wow, that was intense!

This had me hooked from the outset.

Dark tale with so many twists I found myself stopping to try decide what was fact & what was fiction.

Quirky & so different from the norm.

What’s not to love?

4.5 stars

A brilliantly twisted and oft unexpected standalone thriller from Steve Cavanagh, probably the most fun you'll have with a book this year.


Bit of a rollercoaster with some insane characters and a terrific finale. Clever and hugely addictive. 

Full review to follow for the tour.

Twistier than a double helix, with a supercharged pace, this book is ideally placed for adaptation as a Hollywood blockbuster.. It's Cavanagh's first stand alone but I doubt it will be his last.

Twisted by Steve CAVANAGH

Such a great premise for a thriller. The story of an anonymous serial killer written by an anonymous serial killer who writes fiction bestsellers about the crimes he has committed. But no one knows who he is, not even his publisher. Will the past catch up with him as we come to twist after unexpected twist? Written as a fast paced thriller with the protagonists being chased down by the unlikely pairing of police detectives Bloch and Dole, a riveting plot which winds it's way through many unexpected direction changes.
A hard book to review without giving anything away. Think - multiple unreliable narrators, think- follow the money, think- marital secrets and infidelity, think- lone wolf.....and you may get a slight flavour of this JT LeBeau/Steve Cavanagh masterpiece. Once read, never forgotten.

"Twisted" repeatedly takes you to the brink, leaves you there, then comes back for more. Undeniably, it’s a story that has several stings in its ‘tale’.

Having plot spirals wound tighter than coiled springs, just when you think you’ve got it all straightened out another one pops up! This considerable scheming is sustained, all of which is consistently sharp, bold, and controlled throughout.

Although I didn’t settle into the ride straight away, once I became comfortable with the direction the book was steering toward it floored the accelerator and I read non-stop ‘til the end.

It would be absurd of me to attempt to outline even the basics of the plot. I’ll just say that although events may skirt around the edges of credibility they present opportunities for pure, undiluted thrills and a massive case of second-guessing for any reader!

A somewhat insignificant thing I appreciated was the blink-and-you’d- miss-it ‘cameo’ role of fictional lawyer ‘Eddie Flynn’. There’s no lasting connection or relevance to this story, just a subtle and brief nod to the seasoned star of this author’s other well-established novels.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the integrity of the characters unravel and seeing how the many devious threads of their stories tied together. Nicely done.

Twisted Steve Cavanagh

"From here on in, don't believe a single word you read." I knew as soon as I read this sentence that I would enjoy this book. This is a book that is a thriller while also being a sort of guide about how to write a thriller.

There's a quote from the book which I think describes it very well, "twists good enough to make the reader drop the goddamned book". This book certainly has a good few twists in it and they are the kind of twists that make you think you have missed something. You cannot trust the words you read.

There is a writer and a killer. A writer by the name J.T. LeBeau is a very famous and successful crime writer, however no one knows who the writer is as he likes his anonymity. We follow the mystery of J.T. LeBeau. Parallel to this we follow the story of Maria who is having an affair and wants to leave her husband when she finds out he has lied to her about money. After Maria discoverers this things begin to get dangerous to everyone involved.

The mystery gripped me more than the characterisation. I enjoyed following the mystery and how I the twists shocked me. Usually when I read thrillers I can usually tell what is going to happen but I didn't with this book. If you like thrillers then give this a try!

Already a strong contender for ‘top books of 2019’ and it’s only the start of January, that’s how good this book is!

I quite literally read through it in one sitting and that was even re-reading some pages to make sure I had read it right!

It certainly lives up to the title Twisted with some hefty plot twists, to the point on one of them I had to go back a few pages to make sure I hadn’t missed something major, but no, I hadn’t missed anything, it was just a very clever, unexpected change in direction causing me enough wrinkles in my forehead from frowning at the book to need major doses of Botox to iron them out!

The book blurb doesn’t give much away but has an irresistible magnet effect pulling you into it just from just those six lines and the very first page of the book sinks its teeth in even further.

This will be my last book. I won’t write another. The reasons should be clear by the time you come to the end of this story. That’s an interesting word – story. Is this a true story? Is it a memoir? Or fiction?

I can’t say. You may have found this book on the true crime shelf, or in the thriller section of your local bookstore. It doesn’t matter.

Forget about that. There are only two things you need to know:

1. On my specific instructions my publishers have not edited this text. There have been no editorial notes, structural edits or other outside interference. It’s just you and me.

2. From here on in, don’t believe a single word you read.

J. T. LeBeau,

Now if that doesn’t draw you in like a moth to a flame I don’t know what will!

This is a standalone book so no need to have read any of the previous books, you can jump straight in with this one and then go back and read the others which is what I will now be doing and I can safely say I have another new author to add to my favourite pile from this book alone.

I won’t go over the plot as there are plenty of reviews out there already that have done that but my advice would be to go into this book just from what is written on the back cover and that opening page and find out for yourselves what and why everyone will be talking about this book.

Twisted will be published on 24 January 2019 and can be pre ordered now.

A huge thanks to the author Steve Cavanagh, publishers Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and independent review.

https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/01/09/twisted-by-steve-cavanagh/

I was intrigued to see what Steve Cavanagh did when stepping away from Eddie Flynn, and pleased to say it was well worth the wait. Really does live up to the title, with enough twists and turns to leave you dizzy. He sets a fair pace right from the off, and doesn't let it slip until the very last page. I'd tried to predict the outcome, but none of my speculations were on the money. Great characters as always, info drip-fed to the reader in just the right quantities to keep you turning pages. All in all a cracker that I'm sure will do very well this year!

I was dying to read Twisted since I heard it was coming so I started it as soon as I got it. While it is twisty, if didn’t really live up to the hype for my personally. I prefer his Eddie Flynn series I think! Gutted not to have loved this one, but it just wasn’t for me!