Claudine is a polished, successful political lobbyist in London. Her brother Jethro is a bedraggled, mentally-ill man barely hanging on, living in a dilapidated Fens farmhouse. Out of the blue he visits Claudine and then he is brutally murdered by a madman on a violent killing spree. The detective in charge, with issues of his own, is convinced that Jethro wasn't just a victim, but was involved. The investigation goes into strange places, delving into centuries of religious history. This was a gripping, creepy supernatural crime thriller. It combined many different elements to create a unique blend of procedural/gothic/thriller.

I have to be honest and admit that I have read my fair share of thrillers but this one was odd. A little overly chaotic which took the spotlight from the suspense element of the plot.

The premise of this novel was interesting but the plot and narrative was too twisted and bizarre to keep my attention. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Having a big brother to look up to should be something to be proud of but Claudine’s brother isn’t quite befitting her world of political lobbying. Watching your brother being stabbed to death is something no sibling should have to go through…. But Claudine did in traumatic circumstances and she goes on one hell of a journey as the police investigation progresses.

Lead police investigator Billy Dean has a horrific crime to solve and he’s doing it with some hefty personal baggage. Recovering alcoholic, acrimonious split from his wife who is also his superior officer… Billy’s got a lot to deal with. I was rooting for Billy. He’s a decent cop from what I could see and I wanted him to succeed.

Mark has written a tense thriller that jumps perspectives by chapter. He combines together a waft of murder, folklore, history and personal problems to form a complex story with twists and turns to confuse even the best armchair detective (that’s not me). This is my first taster to Mark’s writing and I really enjoyed the torrid case before me.

I enjoyed this novel. It was original and well written, and the atmosphere of the fens was brought to life.

Claudine witnesses her brother brutally murder at the hands of an armed man who has just slain a number of people in public near Londons Embankment. Her troubled brother Jethro soon becomes one of the suspects in the hunt by the police.

What begins as a traditional mystery soon becomes a dark gothic, twisty story punctuated with religious zealots and centuries of history. Truth is rewritten as hidden secrets come back to haunt the living. Although the pace was fast and I liked the unusual prose I found I didn’t actually like any of the main characters and was surprised with the almost supernatural ending. The authors use of the fens as a backdrop to the story was inspired. I almost felt like I was there chewing the thick acrid air. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

I found this book rather odd and whilst I could admire the style of writing it was not for me.
The characters were interesting to a point and I tried all the way through to get a feel for the book but failed

2.5* for my enjoyment

This is my first time reading David Mark now writing as D.L. Mark. I understand he's well liked. I just think his writing style is not for me.

The story starts out quite strong. Two people are having an adulterous tryst on the grounds of an old church but end up dead. Then the story jumps to a lady named Claudine who is a political lobbyist. Her brother, Jethro unexpectedly comes to visit her at work. He's always been a recluse and has had some sort of mental problems. While she wants to get rid of him before more people in her office realize he's there a man with a knife storms into the lobby area and stabs him to death. Then the story jumps once again to two police officers trying to finalize a divorce when they get the call that there has been a terror attack in London.

The story is very jumpy and complex. It was a little hard to follow at times. It turns quite dark and I'd consider this more of a gothic/horror type of novel. It's extremely atmospheric. It just went into a totally different direction then expected. I think this one was just not for me. Many others enjoyed it. If you like themes with the supernatural, and religious cults I think this one may be for you.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for granting me access to this Advance Reader Copy.

I really wanted to love this one the premise was brilliant. The characters were well drawn
but unlikable across the board, The plot I found it bizarre & just not for me.

This eerie and suspenseful book pulls the reader in from the beginning and doesn't let up. When it appears that a man went on a rampage and killed people randomly, a woman is left putting the pieces back together when one of them is her brother. When she goes back to their family home which she finds drastically run down, she's embarrassed by the squalor that he'd been living in and how out of touch she'd allowed herself to become with him.

There are several events within this story that all weave together. It's figuring out how that's the tricky part. The author did a nice job of making you wonder at times if things were imagined, really there or if the characters were truly having a psychotic moment.

The setting was done well. As the reader, I was well and truly creeped out by the places that Claudine was. In addition to her character, you also follow the police sergeant who is in the process of divorcing his high profile wife. He struggles with alcoholism and is fighting the urge to turn back to the bottle through almost the entire book. Due to his own personal issues, he isn't exactly impartial when he's dealing with other people.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it's creative storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

The book starts with an illicit affair in the cemeteries maintenance shack that ends in Horror. Then we go to London proper to meet Claudine Cajail and her brother Jethro at her workplace somewhere her mentally ill genius brother never goes. This will also end in horror but who did it? This is what the angry police detective is trying to find out his name is Billy Dean and he is going through a divorce and doesn’t want to, not that he needs reasons to get angry it’s something he does quite quickly and throughout the book you see quite frequently. We also get to know another character named Enoch but what does he have to do with the story you have to read the book and find out. This was a great book and although I found her pros unlike any I’ve read before they were a great breath of fresh new things to read as opposed to the Samo Samo . This book isn’t tricking on its own with her new descriptive prose made it that much better to read. It flows quickly and if you like me you’ll really feel sorry for the poor Claudine I love that in the book when she goes back home although she grew up there she is out of her element but quickly adapts this is just an all-around great book a total five star read. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you for letting me have an advanced copy of this book. However, I couldn’t finished it, it just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you D.L. Mark, Aria & Aries, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC e-book. This book was one I couldn't put down. I loved all the characters and their backstory and how they could all be tied together in a deeper way then just their roles in the story. I kept wondering what twist was next to come and devoured this book within a few days. Loved it!

The writing was fantastic but I did stop reading at 40% as it was painfully slow and very hard for me stay interested in reading it. Overall, I just don’t think it was a read for me, that’s all!

well I love a mystery set around a mediaeval cult, so I was ready to get stuck into this, and Im very glad I did.

From the opening prologues of an illicit encounter in a churchyard (urgh, so seedy...) where the amorous couple are interrupted by some dark clothed beings, 'Twist of Fate' grabbed my attention and took me on a fantastic & unique crime thriller of a journey.

Sister and brother Claudine and Jethro couldnt be more different but when he turns up at her place of work asking for help, she is there. Tragically Jethro is fatally attacked in the office lobby before he can tell Claudine what has happened. Her investigations into his murder take her far and wide, both literally and metaphorically.
DS Billy Dean is tasked with investigating the killing- he's desperate to impress his boss, who is also his soon-to-be ex wife - she's about to leave him for lack of ambition, is this what he needs to prove he's still the one for her?

With supernatural elements in the story, as well as a fascinating historical & religious storyline, there's lots in the story for readers to get stuck into. Unlike anything Ive read before, and with a story that will stay with me for a while, I can highly recommend this book.

This was a different book for me to read. I liked the outline, story and characters.
Claudine, a very well respected PR person, gets an unexpected visit at work from her brother Jethro. Jethro has been battling some sort of personality disorder, and Claudine is listening just with a half and ear, as she has been doing for years. While she is thinking of how to get him to move along a person burst into the lobby and kills Jethro. This gets us down the path of the internal struggles that Claudine has been dealing with, the history of Jethro’s health and his obsession.
I didn’t like D.S. Billy Dean who is doing the investigation.
The story seemed very dark, and at times I got lost, but once finished I was noticing that I kept thinking back to certain scenes and comments made.

This book will be out tomorrow - it's Twist of Fate by D. L. Mark and I received it from Aria & Aries (Head of Zeus) via Netgalley.

The line on the cover says a lot about the book: she says he's a victim. They say he's a killer. That's basically what the entire book is about - this quest for the truth.

I just couldn't get through the book. The writing did not appeal to me at all - the descriptions, the sentence structure, the vocabulary used. I couldn't get used to it and couldn't quite get into the story. The story itself was not that well worked out - lots of repetition and the fact that the focus of the investigation was somehow immediately turned to this one person is extremely unbelievable. I was so glad I finished it...and not in a positive way.

1,5/5⭐

Thank you to #NetGalley, D. L. Mark and Aria & Airies Publishers for the opportunity to read an advance copy of TWIST OF FATE, to be published 2 March 2023. This novel was more of a Gothic than a psychological thriller because of the variety of religious, supernatural and unrealism that was involved. It was a little difficult to follow at times. This would be a good read for someone into Gothic fantasies. #NetGalley. #D.L.Mark. #Aria&AiriesPublications. #TwistofFate

The description of this book lures you in a state of its a who done it. A sister watches her troubled brother who she has not seen in years brutually murdered by a serial killer. After a while the police start to think he's not quite so innocent.
The story is full of supernatural. And Religious elements. These are interweaven alongside the story of a sister searching for the truth and a troubled copper trying to sort it all out.
The back story of the copper didn't add much to the story for me as it was never resolved .
I liked all the elements of the story but felt it tried to do so much in a short time it lost itself in places. You were overwhelmed with the info and tge finsl twist although very good felt rushed. It was a challenging read in places but tgete was good direction from the author to keep you reading and invested in the story. Some elements were to out of this wotld to believe which did take a bit a way from the story.
Thanks for rhe arc it was a good read i would recommend it as a solid read but state you need to be ok with the religious element as yoy vould easily get lost. It was just a shame it finished too quickly

3.5 upped to 4
There's a lot going on in this world: a women who find herself in the darker side of life, cults, violence, a man who could be the who organized a massacre or not.
I loved the descriptions of the Fens and found the book interesting enough to read it but it's a bit confusing at times.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine