Twisted By Steve Cavanagh

Steve Cavanagh’s Thirteen truly kept me engrossed, making me a fan of his. So I started reading his Twisted with high expectations and it did not disappoint me. It ensnared me from the first page until the end. It is a suspense-filled compelling read filled with twists that will have you on tenterhooks throughout.

When you think you have a grip on what is going on and you believe you know who J.T. Lebeau is, the rug is pulled from underneath you. Throughout the course of the book, you will rethink what you read and what you thought you knew about the characters and the story on numerous occasions.

The short blurb to Twisted is enticing and the book starts with a dedication by the author, J. T. LeBeau. J T LeBeau is the pen name of an anonymous author. Only a handful of people who know who he is. Those who do know have to be very careful and keep the secret to the grave otherwise the consequences can be deadly. Attempts by fans, journalists and the media to find out his identity have failed. Are the twist-filled books written by him fiction? Or are they memoirs? Are there more to his  best selling books than what first meets the eye?

Paul Conner is a marketing executive. That is what he told his wife Maria. He gives Maria just enough allowance each month to meet their expenses.  Maria loves to live a more affluent lifestyle but with the limited funds, she has to contend with living within her means.

Maria has been having an affair with Daryl, a waiter who works at the local country club. During one of their afternoon trysts, Maria and Daryl discover a secret. An offshore bank statement in Paul’s locked drawer reveals that he has twenty million dollars stashed in that account.  Maria becomes angry and is ready to confront Paul. Paul Cooper has led a secretive life as a writer in Port Lonely and the funds in his offshore bank account have all come from  J. T. LeBeau Enterprises. Daryl, an avid reader of crime novels, recognises the name J. T. LeBeau as being one of the most successful writers of blockbuster thrillers in the USA. Based on what they discover, it would appear that Paul is actually the famous J.T. LeBeau. Worried that they will be found out, Maria and Daryl concoct a fake robbery so that Paul is none the wiser to their breaking into his office.

If they play their cards right, Maria and Daryl can set up a nice little life for themselves. But Maria is then attacked by hammer blows and left for dead. Paul becomes the prime suspect for his wife’s attempted murder but he has gone missing.  Sheriff Dole and Officer Bloch attempt to get to the bottom of the growing mystery of who the bad guy is. 

Kudos, Mr. Cavanagh!