Twisted by Steve Cavanagh

Twisted
By Steve Cavanagh
Published by Orion (4 April 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

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...

My verdict
Well, Twisted certainly does what it says on the tin - fills the reader's head with twists from beginning to end, with tension and suspense all the way through.

Twisted is Steve Cavanagh's first standalone, following his successful Eddie Flynn series. Thirteen, the most recent book is such a brilliant read, so you must check this series out. And the author couldn't resist mentioning Eddie Flynn in Twisted, I noticed!

So, back to Twisted.

The plot is centred around an elusive bestselling crime fiction author who prides himself on the killer twists in his books. No one knows who he is - not even his publishers. When Paul Cooper's wife, Maria, discovers his bank account statement, she realises that her husband has been keeping secrets - and now it's time to take what she's owed.

This is certainly lots of fun, with a rising body count and plenty of surprises in store. I can imagine it must have been lots of fun to write too, blasting the reader with twist after twist after twist. The characters are all quite insane, even the detectives conducting the investigation into a break-in at Paul and Maria's home.

This entertaining rollercoaster ride of a read is thrilling crime fiction fans - and I'm not surprised!

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If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman

If Only I could Tell you
By Hannah Beckerman
Published by Orion (21 February 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

Audrey's family has fallen apart. Her two grown-up daughters, Jess and Lily, are estranged, and her two teenage granddaughters have never been allowed to meet. A secret that echoes back thirty years has splintered the family in two, but is also the one thing keeping them connected. 

As tensions reach breaking point, the irrevocable choice that one of them made all those years ago is about to surface. After years of secrets and silence, how can one broken family find their way back to each other?

My verdict
If Only I Could Tell You is a moving story of a family torn apart by secrets, grief and loss.

Audrey wishes she could reunite her daughters Jess and Lily after 30 years of estrangement - in doing so, she would also enable her two teenage granddaughters to be part of each other's lives. But some wounds are embedded so deeply that they seem impossible to mend. Now the clock is ticking, is it possible for them all to move onwards, forwards and upwards?

If Only I Could Tell You is cleverly plotted, with a mystery at its heart - what caused Jess and Lily to fall out those years ago? It switches seamlessly from past to present, and back again, as secrets are unlocked and emotions are laid bare. This is a story about sisters, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, and tragic secrets that can bring families together but also rip them to shreds.

There was a game-changer around halfway through the book, which floored me and then put everything else into perspective, switching my views on the different characters and the parts they played. By the time the truth was there, I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

This book is an ideal choice for a book club or reading group. It's heartbreaking, poignant and uplifting, and raises many moral questions about serious issues by the end - perfect for discussions.

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BEST OF CRIME with Louisa de Lange

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 

Today I'm delighted to welcome 

LOUISA DE LANGE

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

When I was growing up I read a lot of Stephen King. While not strictly crime, they are a master class in writing thrilling, gripping stories. And I loved the element of something different - things were never as they seemed at first glance. This was a huge influence when I came to putting my own pen to paper, and these aspects have sneaked through for both The Dream Wife and my second novel, Double Take.

... FILMS/MOVIES

I love a good story, clever dialogue, a twist that makes me gasp, and preferably a romance thrown in, so Ocean’s 11 has to be at the top for me as one of the best crime capers out there. And Brad Pitt and George Clooney together in one movie doesn’t hurt either…

... TV DRAMAS

I have just started rewatching Castle, and remembering how unashamedly beautifully cheesy it is. A mystery writer teams up with a New York detective to solve murders! I love a bit of easy escapism and this is definitely that.

Away from the cheese, I’m a devotee to NCIS (all versions), Criminal Minds, CSI  (all versions, always on repeat), Elementary, Blindspot, The Mentalist, Bones and most recently, Killing Eve. Stick a handsome-slash-beautiful troubled FBI agent-slash-homicide detective in the plot and I’m there! (And yes, I do watch a lot of television!)

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Patrick Bateman. I read American Psycho while I was at university and didn’t dare go out for a week. Patrick Bateman was such a terrifying misogynistic psychopath, he has stuck with me ever since. And I’ve never dared read it again. Then, of course, there’s the debate around the ending, which I loved for its ambiguity and skill.

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

I love anything written by Kate Atkinson, but especially the Jackson Brodie novels. Kate Atkinson has a way of creating characters so rich in believable detail, down to the smallest observations about a person, that I couldn’t help be swept up in him and his investigations.

... MURDER WEAPONS

Roald Dahl’s darker side is often very clear in his children’s books but I have always loved the macabre short story from Tales of the Unexpected where a wife kills her husband with a leg of lamb, then cooks it and serves it to the police officer investigating his murder. It’s so brilliantly cold and calculating!

    

... DEATH SCENES

I would have to say the death of Brad Pitt’s wife in Se7en, poor old Gwyneth, is one that sticks in my mind. It isn’t a death you see on screen, but it’s certainly one of the most shocking and heart breaking I can remember – and also so integral for the plot. I remember everyone in the cinema shouting, “Don’t look in the box, Brad! Don’t look in the box!”

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

I always get a clear idea of what my characters and locations are like when I’m writing, and I find Pinterest is a great place to collect all these images together. It then acts as inspiration when I get stuck and a reference for anything descriptive. It’s also a wonderful way to procrastinate so I do have to be careful. Too many hours lost getting distracted!

... WRITING TIPS

Just write! I find the writing process very organic, and the ideas and inspiration doesn’t seem to flow until I’m actually getting words down on the page. Then once the first draft is done I’ll rip it all apart, plan my chapters and make sure the story I want to tell makes sense. But getting those words down is the first step, and often the hardest, mentally.

... WRITING SNACKS

Writing is not a great profession for the waistline, so I try to avoid smuggling food into my study. (Especially chocolate. Definitely chocolate.) However, a cup of tea is my constant companion. It’s always a good excuse to take me away from the desk and have a think - many a plot line has been worked through standing by a boiling kettle.

About LOUISA DE LANGE

Louisa de Lange is a freelance copywriter, mum of a little boy and a keen runner, blogger and photographer. Turns out the combination of psychology and motherhood is a potent one.

Find Louisa de Lange on her website here and on Twitter - @paperclipgirl

About THE DREAM WIFE

Publisher's description

Annie is the dream wife.

Mother to two-year-old Johnny and wife to David, she is everything her husband expects her to be - supportive, respectful and mild - but what he expects isn't who she truly is.

Annie is a prisoner in her home.

Her finances, her routine, her social life are all controlled by him. It's the love for her boy that she lives for, and at night she dreams of a world where she is free.

But Annie is going to fight back.

The Dream Wife was published in paperback by Orion Books on 4 October 2018.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

Authors' Creative Pursuits - Fanny Blake

Authors are a very creative bunch - and for many of them, this isn’t only with words on the page. From drawing to painting, pottery to needlework, composing to singing, here’s a look at some authors’ creative pursuits.

I am delighted to welcome 

FANNY BLAKE

AUTHOR OF OUR SUMMER TOGETHER
(ORION BOOKS) AND AN ITALIAN SUMMER (ORION BOOKS, PUBLISHED IN JULY 2018)

TO TALK ABOUT HER LOVE OF KNITTING 

 

Have you always been creative – and not just with words? 

I’ve always loved making things. It started when I was a kid and made hundreds of Airfix models. I was so pleased when my children got to an age when they enjoyed that too. My mum taught me to knit and embroider but I’ve been through phases of doing crochet, patchwork, macramé, tapestry, dress-making, you name it, but knitting is the one that’s lasted. I still love browsing in a wool shop and am always tempted by the colours and textures.  

When did you first learn to knit and did you start knitting for any particular reason?
My mum taught me to knit so long ago that I can’t remember if there was a reason. I suspect it was simply that she knitted and I wanted to copy her. I remember starting with a cotton reel with four nails hammered into the top. I’d make a long trail of knitted multi-coloured wool that I’d turn into circular mats. After that I moved on to more advanced things. I got my Guide badge in knitting and I remember a green jumper with a very wonky green V-neck, and a pair of unwearable socks with heels I couldn’t turn properly. Since then I’ve got better, though I’m very far from being an expert.

How often do you knit and how easy is it to find the time?

I always knit whenever I’m watching TV. I do occasionally just sit and knit without doing anything else at the same time, but very rarely. 

Do you do any other arts and crafts?

I’ve just taken a course in botanical painting. It’s an extremely precise art that’s all-absorbing and extremely satisfying or, in my case, frustrating because I find it very hard. I like the idea of doing it well though so have signed up for another course though I think it needs much more practice than I’m currently able to do.

Do you think knitting (or the time you spend knitting) helps with your writing and overall wellbeing?  

It helps with my writing if I do it when I’m not watching TV. It’s a little like walking in that it’s time when your conscious mind slips and ideas bubble up from   your sub-conscious. That’s when plot problems are sometimes solved when least expected.

What have you knitted recently?

I’ve recently knitted a cardigan for me, a jumper for a friend (she put it the washing machine and shrunk it to a doll’s size!) and one for my daughter-in-law. At the moment I’m concentrating on baby clothes for my new granddaughter – very satisfying because they’re so quick to do.

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, FANNY!

About FANNY BLAKE

Fanny Blake was a publisher for many years, editing both fiction and non-fiction before becoming a freelance journalist and writer. She has written various non-fiction  titles, acted as a ghost writer for a number of celebrities and is also the Books Editor for Woman & Home magazine. She has written seven novels including House of Dreams and Our Summer Together. Her seventh, An Italian Summer (Orion) is out in July.

Find Fanny Blake on Twitter - @FannyBlake1

I'm hoping to feature more Authors' Creative Pursuits
on Off-the-Shelf Books in the future. 

So if you're a published author and have a talent for arts and crafts, music, photography, baking or other creative activities, and would like to feature on my blog, please do get in touch!