TWISTS - AND NO TURNING THE LIGHT OUT! (Twisted - Jonathan Kellerman)

Member Name: Skyedame

Product:	Twisted - Jonathan Kellerman
Date:	24/11/05 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, exciting, worth reading

Disadvantages: None of importance

I am a fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s psychological thrillers, particularly if they centre around my favourite recurring characters of Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis. ‘Twisted’ features neither and whilst I don’t always enjoy the author’s departure from this ‘odd couple’, this enthralling page-turner was an exception.

TWISTED is the second novel to feature Petra Connor (the first was ‘Billy Straight’). As I haven’t read that novel, I can’t say how it compares.

THE TALE JK HAS TO TELL:

Petra, is a 30-year-old detective with the LAPD, based in Hollywood’s Homicide Division. Around midnight on 28th June 2002, a crowd of teenagers are leaving a club when four of them are gunned down in a drive-by shooting.

Did these kids get in the way of a madman - or were the murders deliberate? Sinister theories and possible perpetrators are put forward for consideration, and Petra must uncover the truth.

meanwhile…

Whilst Petra is busy investigating these killings, Isaac Gomez, a 22-year-old student researching crime patterns for his Ph.D thesis in Sociology, is assigned to Petra to aid his research and in the course of this has access to old files. Forgotten murders which have never been solved. But his research has brought to light a pattern which he finds interesting.

Like a dog with a bone, he digs deep. His only clues are from his calculations, not street experience. Somewhere within his computer generated maze of speculative figuring is the answer. With nothing but a hunch to support his theory, he approaches Petra with his findings.

------
Petra, overworked and under stress at her Division, is struggling to make headway with her immediate male boss who tries to undermine her at every turn. She’s very much alone within her working environment.

She is in turns refreshed, charmed and exasperated by Isaac’s puppy-dog enthusiasm. Whilst Isaac’s thesis and hunches excite and consume him, Petra is swamped under the burden of her burgeoning caseloads.

Petra’s current squeeze, Eric Stahl, a strange and taciturn detective, offers to do a spot of moonlighting on her behalf. His skills are invaluable to Petra as she sets out to discover the truth behind these murders.


WHY I ENJOYED THE STORY:

The twists and turns in the plot make for compelling reading. Kellerman builds up the suspense so subtly one is gripped with the need to turn another page … read just one more chapter. There is a high “Come on! Come on!” factor in this story! With June 28th only a month away, obviously the ‘Ticking clock’ theme creates a sense of thrumming excitement. An almost unbearable hovering cloud of tension is quite palpable at times.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Petra Connor made me want to shake her! She came across as something of a wishy-washy character, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. There are moments of interaction between her and her ‘secretary’ that I just didn’t find believable. For a supposedly tough cookie, I’m afraid Petra Connor is a wimp beneath the thumb of her clerical staff!

Kellerman’s male heroes have charisma and guts, whereas Petra falls with a dainty thud somewhere in between. I think Kellerman first introduced Petra Connor in Cold Heart, and she didn’t ‘grab’ me then, either! Books I’ve read by female thriller/crime writers tend to give their female ‘leads’ brave hearts and minds, which most women in ‘real life’ do have – mo matter what kind of lives they lead.

Maybe I’m missing the point. Perhaps he has deliberately chosen not to have Petra’s character hijack the story with hi-jinks. The story is intriguing and strong enough to hold its own.

I MOST DEFINITELY LIKED..

Isaac!

Isaac is awesomely clever. This rather gentle, naïve character from the poorer streets of Hollywood, struggled for acceptance not only amongst his peers in his own neighbourhood but also his fellow students at University – many from privileged backgrounds. This has added a dogged persistence to his make-up and given him a great strength of character.

He comes across as unsure of himself – but sure of himself. It’s a case of “Go, Isaac, go!”

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:

What made the book especially interesting for me is that I was lucky enough to visit Hollywood a while ago. It was glossy, gaudy, hip and exciting. A sunset tour round the mansions of Bel Air and Sunset Boulevard left me with the impression of wealth and privilege: whilst a drive down Sunset Strip in the early evening when the hucksters and cheaply dressed wannabes looking for excitement brought the realisation that beneath the outward glossy exterior manufactured for the tourist, is a seedy
underbelly. The façade of the glitter hides a struggling, sometimes dangerous, underclass; a drug-driven gun and blade culture making for mean streets after dark in downtown areas.

An avid reader of thriller/crime stories, most of which are set in America, it was with some delight that I recognised street names and places, which I’d only read about between the pages of an unlikely story.

Was I scared? Nah!


FINALLY:

Seasoned writers will tell you that there is no original plot. True. The ‘race against the clock’ plot will always capture the imagination. Take any number of master chefs, give them similar ingredients - and each will come up with something different and exciting.

TWISTED is no exception.

Thank you for reading!



Published by: Headline
Available from: All good book stores (are there any bad ones?!) or
Amazon both new and used
Published 11 October 2004: ISBN 0755307372


© Skyedame – Dooyoo November 2005

Summary: Excellent. Kellerman fans won't be disappointed.