I wasn't sure about this book. I had read Thirteen, and really enjoyed it, especially the character of Eddie Flynn. This new book is not about Eddie Flynn, which I knew, but I struggled to connect to any of the characters really. The plot is convoluted, which you would expect from a book called Twisted, and it does keep you guessing, but overall I thought it tried a little too hard and didn't quite hit the mark for pace and believability. Despite that, it was a good read, and I will definitely read other books by Steve Cavanagh.

As usual, I enjoyed Cavanagh's writing and though the story wasn't very believable in areas, his writing still hooked me. However, had another author written this, I might've DNF'd it. So well done to Cavanagh for being able to write that well. Thirteen was my first Cavanagh book and Twisted wasn't as thrilling as Thirteen was, but reading a second book by this author has cemented him as an author that I'll read more of in the future. Starting with the three books preceding Thirteen in the Eddie Flynn series.

How do you solve a problem like JT LeBeau?

From the very start, the reader and Cavanagh are engaged in a sinuous , treacherous tango that skirts facts, rearranges the truth, turns you upside down and leaves you gasping for more

From the setup to the cataclysmic finale, you want more and boy do you get it!

In lesser hands, this would have appeared to be an exercise in 'look how good I can write, ma!', however, in the tradition of previous bestseller, 'Thirteen', Steve Cavanagh turns reality inside out by stating that every word that you read will be a lie (or is it? Is that a lie?) all centred on the enigmatic life and death of JT LeBeau.

Playing with the unreliable narrator in a way that recalls to mind the master of this technique, Agatha Christie, Cavanagh will play with your mind as he opens with a funeral, a state affair with throngs of mourners, full on Hollywood prescence, armed guards the works for JT LeBeau.

One person in the crowd is not who they seem, Paul , a hitman for hire (possibly) is stalking the crowd to take out one of the 4 people who know LeBeau's real identity . But before can do that, a revelation rings out louder than the intended shot of death but which lands with the full force of a bullet.

And from then on in the twists come thick and fast as the plot backtracks to four months earlier and spins you around with multiple narratives, clues and red herrings coming at you thick and fast until you are left breathless at the pace.

And as someone who finds Waltzers a tad fast,this book should come with a warning-may induce vertigo or cause whiplash, best taken with a stiff shot (or 10) and a travel sickness tablet


Clear the decks, get some fine alcohol and snacks in, turn off the wifi and make sure you have a sick bag to hand-it's going to be a turbulent ride !

4.5/5

BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK I WANT YOU TO KNOW THREE THINGS:

1. The police are looking to charge me with murder.

2. No one knows who I am. Or how I did it.

3. If you think you've found me. I'm coming for you next.

After you've read this book, you'll know: the truth is far more twisted......

As most of you know from people either talking about Twisted or you've seen the campaign through social media, you've definitely heard about JT LeBeau in some way but who exactly are they?


Are they a best-selling crime writer, whose words have gripped the world?


The only mystery greater than his stories is his true identity.


One woman thinks she's found him - her husband has millions in the bank and a letter for the enigmatic author.


But the truth is far more twisted than the title....


Well, where do I start about Twisted, other than saying I absolutely LOVED it, I don't want to say too much about it in case I say something I shouldn't apart from that it's a stand alone thriller away from the Eddie Flynn collection although he does get a mention where a smile did creep across my face while reading it. Just when you think you're working out what's going to happen something is thrown in and the story gets Twisted on it's head again, many the time I thought I was smart and worked it out and then a red herring is thrown into your path. This book is full of brilliant twists and turns, more than you'd experience on a rollercoaster and it's definitely twistier than a Tangle Twister. Just go and get it immediately and read it, you won't be disappointed.


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Well this book was definitely interesting! Not too many characters and yet I still struggled to keep up with what was happening - not necessarily in a bad way. I had a lot of ‘huh?’ & ‘what on earth?’ moments when things took me by surprise. Fair few twists and turns and a twisty little ending! This was my first book by Steve Cavanagh and it won’t be my last.

Absolutely fantastic had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from.this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to.connect with

Thank you for the advanced copy

JT LeBeau is a hugely successful author who specialises in the twist. He, or could it be she, hides his or her identity from the world, and this mystique of course only adds to the hype around her or his books. She, or is it he, will do anything to keep his or her secret...

OK, every review I’ve read of this has started in basically the same way and now I’m adding to it – this is one that’s impossible to say much about without giving away too much, so this review will be short and not very informative!

It’s all in the title – this is a book full of twists about an author who writes books full of twists. It’s clever and amusing and a bit self-referential, in that it’s lightly mocking what it itself is. Cavanagh has fun with the twists and plays with the idea of authors using secret identities, not shying away from referencing the likes of JK Rowling, aka Robert Galbraith.

It’s very well written and the plot holds together pretty well despite the twists. However, it’s light on characterisation – it has to be really, so we can continually be surprised. This makes it a light read despite some dark moments. There’s no feeling of depth, nor does the reader get the opportunity to care much about the characters. The only one I built up any kind of feeling for was the local Sheriff who was investigating the... oh, sorry, can’t tell you what he was investigating. And not surprisingly, as twist piles on twist, credibility is the chief victim.

One minor irritation is that Cavanagh, clearly feeling that constant repetition of he/she, her/his, etc., would be irritating, chooses to use they/their instead – grammatically tooth-drilling to my pedantic soul. We really need to create a gender-neutral word. So, since the fault lies with the inadequacy of our language, I bit the bullet and forgave the author. Just.

Overall, I found it a fast-paced page-turner that kept me amused while reading, and will almost instantly be forgotten. That’s fine, though – sometimes entertainment is all that’s wanted, and this delivers well on that score. Recommended as a well written bit of fun.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion.

Whew this book was a ride. The story certainly lives up to both the title and synopsis! It was full of twists and turns, action, crime, mystery, and was a thoroughly entertaining read from beginning to end. I am going to do my best to write a spoiler free review, because this book has so many twists (as mentioned) that I don't want to ruin them for you!

I'm going to start by praising Steve Cavanagh because I am a serial ending ruiner. I guess the end within a third of the book without trying. I don't set out to try and work it out, it just happens, so I almost always ruin the ending for myself (books, films, TV, you name it!) and that did not happen with this story. I'm not sure what I actually thought about the ending, I think each person will have a different reaction, but I didn't see it coming and that is a pleasant departure from the norm for me.

The loose concept behind the story is that there is an author (who I equate to James Patterson in term of literary genre and popularity) who writes under a pseudonym and is entirely unknown to the entirety of the world (except their editor). Every time someone gets close to guessing the identity of J T LeBeau, or approaches the person to out their identity, they are murdered in clinical and forensically clean fashion, often appearing as a story line/victim in a subsequent novel. This premise was great, and really fascinatingly done as you were reading the book as though it was a J T LeBeau novel and not one about the author which was pretty cool to read as well, if only novel in it's execution.

The characters themselves were not in abundance, and while I am often all about the side characters, that was a good thing in this book. The close knit circle of protagonists and antagonists were forever moving and changing and having a small selection (I think just 5 that were really explored) made this ever shifting web of deceit and complexity that much more dynamic. For reasons that will become evident if you ever read the book, `I won't go too much into each character for fear of spoiling the novel, but it follows a married couple entering their their year of less than wedded bliss who are facing marital challenges. The woman is having an affair with a local guy and has been for 5 months, and the guy has a secret he has been keeping from her. Alongside this we have an older policeman who is working alongside an introverted and analytical female cop who he admires immensely for her ability to work things out. The book features murder, kidnapping, blackmail, and violence, plus a whole host of other things, and occurs almost exclusively within this tight knit circle, always featuring one, some, or all of these characters. At different points in the book, I believed it was 4 of the different characters within the story, which shows just how many twists there are in the book and how many ways the reader is pulled.

The only negative I did have about the book that did knock it down a level was the convoluted nature of the plot. Yes, it twisted and turned, and yes it wasn't an end I could guess, but I think it was due to the complicated nature of the story and the often unrealistic storyline. OK, I am not one to talk about enjoying unrealistic storylines, especially when it comes to thrillers, but elements of this didn't sit right and impacted my overall enjoyment. The detectives, for a start, are described as being competent and throughout have an attention to detail, yet cold case murders and investigations mentioned and featured would suggest otherwise. The author/murderer is described as ruthless and has the ability to dispatch victims with ease, without a trace, but I am not sure I believe the number of deaths could be explained without a link back to them in some way. Would I have suspended belief more if the character was a spy/high level military operative, yeah, probably, because I don't know that world at all and could believe that had been trained to have the skills needed, but the story is about ordinary people who have succeeded in normal professions and therefore creates an unbelievable dichotomy between the author and the murderer, even though they're the same person.

I fear this review sounds more negative than positive, which wasn't really my intention, it is just easy to write negative aspects spoiler free than the positives and bits you liked without ruining the story. I did thoroughly enjoy the book, and would still recommend it, because overall, it was a good book. I did enjoy it, it was action packed, and I had fun reading it on holiday. I do think it falls more into throwaway thriller fiction for a holiday read, and there is nothing wrong with that at all, so if that is your jam then I think you will really enjoy this book. If you do notice discrepancies or find plot twists quite jarring, it might not be the one for you. It kept me hooked in, and even though I did find it a little complicated and convoluted, it did still hold together to a plausible(ish) ending and was true to the narrative Cavanagh has constructed.

My Thoughts:
The description of this book does not give too much away. The title gives you an idea… but not of the plot. So I prefer to keep this review vague on the plotline and only tell you my thoughts.
It is Amazing! A gripping, page turning, very clever and very twisty read.
I went in blind only with the expectations of it being so good after reading Steve Cavanagh’s last book. This was a good thing to do. Just when I thought I knew what was going on….bam… something else.
Twisted is a standalone book by the author who wrote the Eddie Flynn series. I haven’t read the Eddie Flynn books, but you can bet I’m going to read them now.
There are gory murder parts, characters to root for and to hate. And twists that will make you dizzy and addicted to this authors stories.
This book is different in a way I haven’t read a book before. If you are on Twitter you may have seen the Authors Wife tweeting about ‘who is JT LeBeau?‘. I think I read somewhere that Mrs C helped Mr Cavanagh with his inspiration for this book. So thanks also to the Authors Wife.
Twisted is written by an amazing imaginative Author, with a mind for very dark plots and evil twisted characters.
I want to use the word Twisted so much whole writing this. The title of this book is perfect. This is a book of twisted characters, a twisted plot and a twisted book of thrills. As the Twitter hashtag says #ThisBookisTwisted.
My recommendation…. go read now!

Loved this book. This author just gets better and better. Really enjoyed Thirteen but this topped it. Cannot wait for another title by Mr Cavanagh 📚

Bestselling crime writer JT LeBeau is a whodunit himself, keeping his identity a secret. Neglected by her frugal husband Paul, unsuspecting Maria Cooper begins an affair with the local barman Darryl. They stumble across Paul's true identity and hidden millions and devise a scheme to steal his fortune. Twist upon twist turns this clever and chiller thriller on it's head

The thing is, and I don't know if you agree with me, when an author becomes known for writing brilliantly clever and evil plots, and then his new book has the reading world waiting with baited breath in anticipation, something is bound to go wrong! No need to panic, there's nothing wrong with Twisted; it's crafty, quirky, unique and Curly-Wurly-esque in its twistedness. (I'm just making words up now). If this had been my cherry popping Steve Cavanagh book, it would get 5 stars; but it's not. Mr Cavanagh is a victim of his own success, because, you see, I love Eddie Flynn. I really, really love Eddie Flynn, and I love Adam Sims, the narrator, therefore anything Mr Cavanagh writes that doesn't have Eddie Flynn in the starring role and isn't narrated by Adam Sims, I'm going to struggle with. Having said all that, Laurence Bouvard narrates Twisted superbly. I just adore her accent, and the story line is inspired and unique in a literary world that has seen every twist and turn possible, Mr Cavanagh has managed to carve out an entirely new loop-the-loop. His writing is masterful and eloquent and I listened to nearly 12 hours in just 2 sessions because I was transfixed. The only thing missing for me is Eddie! Assuming you are a normal and rational person and not in love with a fictional character in a book, then I highly recommend you listen to Twisted and give it the full 5 stars. You can thank me later!
1 like

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down! Lots of twists and turns, just like the name suggests. After reading Thirteen, this book didn't disappoint.

Twisted is the first book I’ve read by this author and it certainly lives up to it’s title. There are so many twists in this story that it’s hard to put the book down (or to breath). Bottom line: I recommend Twisted and this won't be the last book I read from SC .

Well, the title literally sums up this book as a whole! There are so many twists and turns I felt like I was driving down a country lane at high speed! I do have to say that I preferred Thirteen but that is just my opinion.

Maria is married to Paul and they live in a prosperous seaside town. Both are from New York and Maria, starting to get a little bored with small-town life, embarks on an affair with Daryl. Whilst Paul is away on business she discovers a statement that implies that Paul is a multi-millionaire elusive author. At this point Maria decides that she's had enough but not everything is at seems.
I have really enjoyed the Eddie Flynn novels by Cavanagh and he certainly knows how to write a twisty populist thriller. However I found this book rather irritating, it is almost as if Cavanagh decided to take the title as the theme and insert a twist of plot every couple of chapters, just as an exercise to see if he could do it. The book is the sort that would really entertain me if on holiday and wanting something not too demanding - an airport blockbuster!

Given the title, twists were expected but still managed to surprise. A good hook to start with, change of POVs and a non-linear storytelling helped with the tension building. Interesting premise well executed, I enjoyed this thriller.

This was a great book.

The author has created an author of who no-one knows the real identity of.

There is so much that goes on in this book and so much actio.

The boobs named twisted and twists there are.

I would recommend this novel

As good, if not better than Thirteen (which I loved) Steve Cavanagh writes with depth about his characters, pulling you into their web of deceit and leaving you desperate to find out how it will play out!

Twisted is an absolute belter of a book! Having previously loved Steve Cavanagh‘s Thirteen, I jumped at the chance to join the Blog Tour for his new standalone thriller and I was not disappointed.

From the minute I joined the Blog Tour I did not read anything about this book and so went into it practically blind and it is safe to say that I did not see any of it coming! If you can, please do the same thing: the blurb above is just enough to tempt you, without giving anything away.

At any given time, I guarantee, you will not be able to predict what is coming next. I gasped out loud so many times reading this that my husband thought I was having an asthma attack. It reminded me of The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson, as the rug just keeps being pulled out from under you.

There were times I was also reminded of Thirteen in the sense that you are almost (almost!) rooting for the villain at some points, plus Steve Cavanagh manages to evoke just the right amount of sympathy for the central characters as the story goes on.

As you can see, I’m not talking in detail about the plot or the characters, because it would be practically impossible to do so without giving anything away. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a copy of the book NOW, so you can read it before anyone or anything spoils it for you!

Bring on the next Steve Cavanagh book!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Orion for my copy of Twisted and to Tracy Fenton for my stop on the Blog Tour.