This book deserves more than the 5 stars I can give. I have read this author before and really enjoyed Thirteen but This book is something else. This book just throws surprises (twists) into the story that you just have to read some parts at least twice to ensure what you think you read is correct. I do not think I have ever read a book with so many twists as this one before. The book is about an author whose books sell really well In part due to the twisted ending he gives the books, but who is the true author and are the crimes he writes about real. This is the premise of the book. But the ending OMG I truly never saw it coming. I just hope Steve Cavanagh can top this one with the next as I can't wait.

Who doesn’t love a great twist? ‘Twisted’ is a book that sells itself on the fact that it has great ones. It’s right there in the title and it’s pretty clear that author Steve Cavanagh has spent a lot of time coming up with devious ways to trick and surprise his readers.

The set up is interesting. JT LeBeau is the world’s bestselling crime writer. His work is beloved by millions of fans but nobody knows his real identity. When a woman and her lover discover papers in her husband’s office that suggest he is LeBeau, a mystery kicks off that is filled with as much betrayal and as many twists as the title suggests,

Being a book about a writer, Cavanagh spends some time reflecting on the craft and on what makes a good twist. Reading the book I found myself thinking of truly great twists in novels and movies. Things like ‘Psycho’, ‘Fight Club’, ‘The Crying Game’, ‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘Behind Her Eyes’. It occurred to me that what the twists in those works have in common is that they change your perception of what has gone before. They make the reader or viewer reflect back on the story and characters and replay it with the new knowledge they have gained. That’s a really powerful thing because it makes you obsessively analyse the story. It’s why all the titles I’ve mentioned above are so memorable.

None of the twists in ‘Twisted’ did that for me. They change the direction of the plot, but they didn’t have that kind of revelatory impact. To put it simply, I never had a “whoa!” moment.

The other thing great twists have in common is that you don’t see them coming. You’re so wrapped up in the story that they hit you without warning. Because ‘Twisted’ sells itself on its twists I found myself constantly looking for them, so that when they did come, they weren’t that unexpected. Often, I’d spent so much time thinking about them that I’d already figured out what they were going to be.

The biggest problem though, is that ‘Twisted’ really feels built around the turns in its plot. The characters and events are just there to carry you from one twist to another. As a result, I found myself not caring at all about what happened to the people I was reading about. That is the kiss of death for any book, no matter how good the twists are.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Orion Publishing Group Ltd for this Advanced Review Copy.

Twisted opens with a note from the fictitious writer, J T LeBeau, which states “On my specific instructions my publishers have not edited this text.” … All I can say is, it shows. But, of course, editors have gone through this book. They get credited in the end pages. So why the typos, bad grammar, and appalling punctuation? I get that this is an ARC, but still, by the time it goes to reviewers, this type of thing should have been sorted out. This reduced my enjoyment of the read significantly. And that’s just the start.

Because it is an ARC, I will say nothing on the formatting issues, as I trust they will be taken care of in the final version.

With so much hype about the great twists to come, I felt disappointed with this story. This isn’t a book that blew me away. Neither did it surprise me in any good way. It took a lot of work to keep reading to the end, which itself felt rushed, unplanned, and a let-down. Worse still, I didn’t gel with any of the characters. Despite a good storyline and a fair amount of suspense, this book failed to thrill.

This book has a promising premise, and wanting to know how it would all turn out did keep me reading.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

A clever premise which yielded a tale as twisty as the title promised. It was an entertaining read and definitely worth cuddling up with on an afternoon of unsettled weather with an unspecified beverage.

Steve Cavanagh showed in the stunning Thirteen what a brilliant and inventive writer he is. Although this follow-up is not part of his excellent Eddie Flynn series, it is equally engrossing, and Eddie is still name-checked! Twisted is appropriately named as the reader is never sure of who is who and what will happen next! A truly absorbing and superb thriller!

Daaaaaaaaaamn.

You should go into this book as blindly as possible, so forgive me for the vague and cliche review.

What an incredible page turner. I read 80% of the book in a single sitting and the other 20% over the course of a day.

I got this book from Netgalley and the ONLY reason I even requested it is because I'm going to an author talk with Ian Rankin and Steve Cavanagh in April, so figured I should read the book Cavanagh would be pushing.

I'm so glad I did. This is easily in the top 5 thrillers I've EVER read, and will no doubt be one of the best (and most fun - this is such a great ride) I read all year. Absolutely stunning.

After I got over the fact that this isn't an Eddie Flynn novel (I was quite slow to realize he wasn't featuring, four chapters in to be exact); I enjoyed this twist on the twisty thriller genre that seems to be everywhere at the moment. It was good and lots of great twists but honestly I really just wanted Eddie.

Not mega fussed.This book went on and on about the twists so I was expecting to be blown away...this did not happen.The book is fine,it keeps you reading but finished it feeling fairly underwhelmed.

Well Steve Cavanagh has done it again. A real page turner. I thought I had it pretty much figured out and then the plot twists in a way I dd not see coming.
This book like Thirteen is amazing and will certainly be one everyone is talking about. I refuse to say too much as it will completely spoil it and if you read it do not share the secrets.
BRILLIANT!

If you are writing a book about a multi-million pound best selling author who reigns as the king of the devious twist, you had better make sure you deliver a jaw dropping twist of your own. This book does deliver a killer twist, in-fact, it delivers several twists and this is where, unfortunately, the book lost some of its way. So tied up in achieving this, I felt that this was at the expense of consistent characters for example. Bloch is portrayed as a stoical introvert throughout the book, with an eye for detail and an uncanny way of seeing beyond initial impressions, so it is incredibly jarring when she says "What about the f**king mailbox?" and closes down Dole's gut feeling that they are missing something. Similarly Dole suddenly undergoes a dramatic physical change towards the end of the book and starts chugging Advil, although earlier in the book much is made of his decision not to ever ask a pharmacist to fill in an Advil prescription because of small town gossip. (This didn't even need to be in the book, which makes it even more frustrating)
It's a 3.5 star rating from me. Massive fun, but slightly spoiled because of jarring inconsistencies.However, I am reading an advanced copy, so maybe these won't be in the final release?

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Good storyline, interesting characters, great amount of suspense and a twist. Everything that a good thriller needs. However, there was something about this book that I didn’t like. I’m not sure exactly what that thing is, but I just feel a little disappointed by this one. I was also confused at several parts, and some bits seemed a bit factually incorrect. I’m not sure if they are incorrect, but they definitely feel unlikely to be true. I’ve only read Thirteen and Twisted, so haven’t read much of this series, but I’m definitely hooked on the J. T. LeBeau storyline. I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series at some point. I’ve been left with a lot of questions at the end of this book, so I’m really hoping that there’s another one to come. I hate feeling like things haven’t been wrapped up properly. The characters in this one were well-written, though some of them could be a bit annoying. I didn’t see the twist coming, but I wasn’t completely surprised by it. Overall I enjoyed this book, and will definitely be reading more from Steve Cavanagh, but I feel like this book was a bit disappointing.

Steve Cavanagh is the author of the captivating and twisty series featuring the brilliant lawyer Eddie Flynn, which I absolutely love. Now he has a new stand-alone coming out (although there is a small funny mention of Eddie Flynn), and once again he proved that he is a great storyteller who knows how to create a plot so shocking and gripping that it literally kept me on the edge of my seat.

Never title was more fitting for a story. There is twist after twist that completely take you by surprise, that make you question everything you’ve read so far, that make it impossible for you to put the book down because you absolutely need to know what happens next.

Who is J. T. Lebeau? He is an author who sold millions and millions of copies. Everyone knows his name and has read at least one of his books that attract readers for its many twists. But no one, not even his editor, has ever met him or knows his true identity.

Paul and Maria Cooper have been married for two years, but he is keeping secrets and she is unhappy and tired of his continuous absence and lies. When Maria finds out the truth about her husband, she sets in motion a series of events that quickly spiral out of control.

I won’t tell you more about the story, I won’t tell you how Maria and Paul are linked to a mysterious best-seller author, what I will tell you is that reading TWISTED was quite a ride. There are lies, deceit, secret identities, and much more. The characters are insane, dark, and multi-layered, and you never know who to trust. Nothing is predictable and when you think you have reached the most shocking revelation you then find out that there are more astonishing surprises waiting for you.

TWISTED is an excellent, superb, and jaw-dropping thriller from an author that continues to take me by surprise and I’d like to thank Orion for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Absolutely loved this book. It’s everything you can want in a crime thriller-fanatastic pace, characters and twists galore!!
I had been looking forward to reading this after loving Thirteen, but this, in my opinion, far surpassed all of Steve Cavanagh’s back catalogue. I raced through it, wanting to find out how it would end, but never wanting it to end at the same time. I’d love to describe the plot but don’t want to give anything away to those lucky enough to be starting it soon.

This is the second Book from Steve Cavanagh that I have read and I loved this one just as much as Thirteen. His writing style gets you gripped immediately and you can't help turn page after page and before you know it it's finished. And once again this book was amazing I loved the plot so original and so TWISTED ... every time I thought I had sussed the plot and the ending the book took a turn right around and I was back to guessing all over again...

I really enjoyed this book and the ending was so well done I really can't wait to see what he might write next. I really hope some of his books make it to the movies or as a tv series as I really feel that these would be books I would love to watch ...

Thanks once again Net Galley

Have loved all of Steve Cavanagh’s books,especially Thirteen but this one comes a close second. It lived up to its title and just when I thought I had figured out who J.T. LeBeau was ,up popped another twist to confuse me further. I was about half way through the book before I finally got to grips with what was happening thanks to a detailed explanation of previous events. Very cleverly written and kept me on tenterhooks until the end.
Few books have the ability to make me not want to put it down but this was the case with the last few chapters. Possibly (for me)the biggest twist of all was the one at the end. Did not see that one coming. Highly recommend “Twisted “for all fans of Steve Cavanagh’s books.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers who allowed me to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

“Who is J. T. LeBeau?”
A few years back there was a television series called ‘Harper’s Island’ which essentially took ‘And Then There Were None/Ten Little Indians’ and slasher movies and ramped up the intensity until it almost, but, importantly, not quite, became parody. It was great fun. In ‘Twisted’, Steve Cavanagh has done the same thing for the current trend for ‘this novel has a twist you will not believe’ books.
J. T. LeBeau is the blockbuster thriller version of J. D. Salinger. His novels fly off the shelves, constantly at the top of the bestseller lists and yet nobody knows who he is, not even his publisher. Except, that’s not quite right. Four people know who he is and two of them are dead… When Maria Cooper and her lover discover that Maria’s husband has $20 Million dollars in a hidden bank account, she suspects that her spouse is in fact J. T. LeBeau. And she wants her share of that money.
Cavanagh piles twist upon twist, poking fun at publishers’ need to SELL THE TWIST, while doing what a lot of the popular ‘twist’ books forget to – telling a compelling and exciting story. Yes, it veers close to spoof at times but, crucially, Steve Cavanagh expertly keeps it, just, on the side of believability and keeps the thrills, well, thrilling.
‘Twisted’ is great fun and I’m sure it will be a huge hit. And perhaps the producers of ‘Harper’s Island’ should give it a read…

This book was twiiiiiisted, excuse the pun. I'm actually going to refrain from giving an introduction that surmises the book’s premise and an overall in-depth review of the book, for the reason being, I'm petrified the way I word or explain things could potentially spoil this rollercoaster story for prospective readers. All I’ll say is the story contains: secrets, betrayals, a whole lot of money, police procedure, murder and twists…

Twisted is the definition of a book that ensnares the reader from the get-go. I was sucked into this tense plot, which kept me on my toes right until the end. The plot was utterly gripping and exciting: it was full of suspense, suspicion and shock. The story was well written, and the pace was largely consistent and enjoyable. There were some minor issues, like excessive or repetitive detail in character’s actions like eating or what not. Nonetheless, due to how entertaining this book was, the issue was largely compensated for. I devoured it because I had to find out how it was going to play out.

Well, the book’s title certainly implies there will be twists, which there definitely was. I didn’t see the biggest twists coming, and even the minor ones weren’t too obvious until they were just about to unfold. I’m usually quick to sift out the crumbs for plot twists or revelations, which didn’t happen, so Twisted was a refreshing read for me in this manner too.

There was an array of characters I liked and loathed at the points I was meant to. Paul and Maria, who are husband and wife, whose marriage has come under strain as of late. Sheriff Dole and Officer Bloch are introduced quite early, as they attempt to get to the bottom of the growing mystery of who the bad guy is. Ultimately, all of the characters were developed to the points they needed to be, by the end of the book, to wrap it up nicely.

My favourite aspect of this book was that the detectives in this story weren't presented as blinded idiots. I really can't handle it when stories are written with prejudiced and narrow-minded law officers, who can't solve a case to save themselves, because of their own superiority complex. Obviously there are real people like that, just as much as I know there will be people who aren't like that. I was so, so, so relieved this story had down to earth law enforcers, because it allowed me to relax and appreciate the mystery/thriller, because I knew I wasn't going to be left too frustrated with idiocy. I would say this largely contributed to my enjoyment of the book, because Sheriff Dole and Bloch were likable.

Overall, this was one heck of a page-turning read. It took me two days to read, and I’ll give it a well-deserved 4.5/5 stars. I think any mystery-thriller lovers will enjoy reading this, and I hope it’s made into a movie, because I think it would be an excellent film. I’m now very interested in reading Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn book series.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc of this great book, in exchange for this honest review.

4.5 stars
Well... where do I start with reviewing this book... Definitely not saying anything about the actual storyline cos I think to even touch on anything that happens herein there's a chance of spoilers... This is a book to go in cold, to discover all the many delightful twists and turns exactly when the author intends.
I say many twists and that's no exaggeration. It's actually a bit of an understatement. This book really does live up to its name. In two ways. Obviously it's a bit twisted; goes with the genre! But what happens within the book is all a bit twisted in its other sense too.
We have three main characters and a couple of cops. Speaking honestly here (cos I have to), I think that there is so much emphasis on the twists and turns that happen frequently throughout the book that characterisation was, for me anyway, left a little behind in the quality stakes. I didn't really warm to any of them, which doesn't always matter to me but I also failed to connect to any of them strongly enough to really care what happened. Which was a bit of a shame really as I think this contributed to the fact that the ultimate ending didn't really do it for me. I actually think I was all twisted out! But, those things are personal to me and you may find it blows your socks off!
The story was good and well executed. Convoluted and interconnected all the way with secrets and lies and things happening that make you go "Huh!" until the explanation is delivered later and you kick yourself for not seeing it at the time. Hats off to the author for that!
I think this will be one of the few books that I re-read. Not cos it was that good, more for the fact that I'd love to read it with hindsight. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Well if I’m truthful this didn’t thrill me at all. As for the twists, you could see them coming and who was the real J T Lebeau from the start.

As a crime novel it was entertaining but drawn out and not as exciting as I’d have hoped. I don’t really know what all the hype was about if I’m honest.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This seemed an intriguing premise - a story with multiple twists, a fast-paced thriller where nothing is as it seems. It opens with a memorial service for a crime writer, LeBeau, before flashing back to where it all began and one woman's affair with a waiter. The whole story revolves round the identity of the mysterious LeBeau who will stop at nothing to protect his identity.

I'll admit that this kept me reading as I tried to keep up with the twists. It is a clever idea, but it felt more like a screenplay than a novel to me - lots of plot and action, but very little character development or depth. In fact, I really struggled to follow or believe in any of the characters' motivations as there didn't seem to be any real reason for anything. In order to facilitate the twists in the story, the characters changed direction and personality constantly and some of the events seemed a bit far-fetched. I wanted to immerse myself in the story, but I found it oddly cold and flat.

The many excellent reviews of this book (and others by the same writer) indicate that I'm pretty alone in my feelings about this. I accept that this will appeal to people who like a fast moving story with lots of twists and tension. However, it just didn't work for me - I want substance as well as style, although I'm giving this three stars for keeping me reading to the end.