Lynda La Plante Twisted Review

It’s time to kick things off with our first book: Twisted from the international bestselling author Lynda La Plante.

This is the story of the well to do Fulfords family driven to madness by the disappearance if their teenage daughter and the police officer who investigates it.

Lena Fulford and her husband Marcus have been separated for two years and after their first meeting with their divorce lawyers, Lena who returns home seething and upset tries to contact her daughter; no answer.

Within hours it comes to light that their daughter Amy has not been seen for almost 3 days and because she was meant to be at a sleepover and attends boarding school neither parent had become concerned when they could not reach her.

With so much time passed already the police officer heading up the case receives not only pressure from Amy’s parents but also from his superiors and as the time she has been missing increases hope of her being found alive dwindles.

Vicky: I love a good thriller so this book was right up my street and I couldn’t wait to dive in and try and discover the mystery behind this enthralling story.

This book did not disappoint as right from the beginning you are totally immersed into the main characters lives, feeling sympathy and empathy for them especially Lena and the situation she has been put in by others.

All of the characters portrayed in this story are well thought out and in depth, so much so that you begin to feel like these could be real people.

As this tale unfolds you will be gripped by the investigation and the shocking evidence that is uncovered, whilst still routing for a happy ending providing closure for all those involved.

This suspense filled novel will be difficult to put down at points as new pieces of the puzzle come to light making it addictive because your opinions of the characters will change so frequently.

However I did feel that parts of this book went into too much detail and were more drawn out than they needed to be especially in terms of the descriptions of what people were wearing which I felt were unnecessary and didn’t fit with the all over tone this book was trying to achieve.

I was also unlucky with this book as I had read one similar not long ago, so saw the twist (there’s always at least one in any good thriller) coming well before another reader who hadn’t would.

Overall I enjoyed this book immensely but was left with too many unanswered questions in the end however I would still highly recommend it as if has all the components that make up a good gritty suspense story.

I would score Twisted by Lynda La Plante:  7/10

Becky: When I was asked to be a member of the new VCP book club I was over the moon, I’m a complete book nerd and experience palpitations and feeling akin with panic if I so much as get on the short bus ride to work without my current read. The chance to get my hands on the latest novels from some amazing authors was something I was going to grab by the horns and exploit fully.

Naturally we began with a thriller, Twisted by Lynda La Plante! With an impressive 27 novels under her belt it was sure to be a corker. Being new to this author I was not sure just what to expect. However I had to say I did enjoy parts of this book immensely.

As a psychology graduate (without giving too much away) I found the depiction of emotional stress fascinating and true to the point. Linda La Plant has a way of getting the reader to empathise with the characters, you really want to step inside the pages and help out.

I found the narrative incredibly rich in detail, which I love, the characters, their surroundings and turmoil’s were described in such a way that you were able to visualise them with ease. However at places the writing style was a tad wishy washy and rife with common phases that lend themselves to more inexperienced writers.

The first two thirds of this book were well planned out, with plenty of life and mystery. Never giving too much away at once instead dangling snippets of plot in front of your nose so you felt compelled to read just one more chapter before stopping (something I am guilty of doing regularly, half a book has usually been devoured before I drag myself away).

The last third of the book was a different matter altogether. To put it bluntly, I didn’t buy it! There was gaping holes in the plot that just were not explained or even touched upon. Some of the characters actions seemed to make no sense and it became clear the reasons behind them were not going to be divulged.

The last few chapters of the book had a rushed quality that gave the impression the writer was on a deadline, it all seemed wrapped up much to fast which left some seems unravelled. If all questions were answered then perhaps this book could have been a great read, as it stands a good read was what was achieved.

Overall this book would gain a 6/10 from me!

Rest assured most of this book was wonderful, let down by the conclusion but in no way ruined. I would be more than happy to reach for another Lynda La Plante book in the future.  

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