Twisted by name and twisted by nature.
This book is a definite page turner
The writing style and pace are first class

This was a brilliantly devious standalone and one I raced through. Steve Cavanagh is definitely an author I'll be reading more from.

First off, I’ll start by saying I’m a huge fan of Steve’s writing, and I think his Eddie Flynn series is exceptional. Twisted is a very different story and a very different kind of novel. I read in another review somewhere that this is one of those books where the less said, the better the reader experience will be, and I think that’s a great point.

The book starts in August, with Paul Cooper waiting outside a theatre where mourners are attending a memorial service dedicated to the late JT LeBeau. But Paul isn’t a mourner; he’s got a .38 and he’s there to kill someone.

Skip back 4 months and we’re taken back to when things were relatively normal for Paul. We watch his story steadily play its way out through love, betrayal, greed and revenge (your usual crime thriller fare), and then at almost exactly the half-way point of the novel (I think my Kindle said 51%), there’s a major twist. And from then on in, everything seems to have been tossed in the air, and there’s no telling where it’s going to land!

I’m going to say no more about the story, other than it’ll keep you guessing.

I’m pleased to say I loved it!

I have bought the paperback so will be reviewing and posting to my blog once I’ve read the book. I’m hoping to get to this one soon as have read so many positive reviews.

Okay I will start by admitting that it’s not me. I am NOT J.T. LeBeau! Or am I?! Yes, Twisted is one of those books that will knock your socks off and then make your toes curl with pure enjoyment of it’s fast paced, brilliantly crafted plot.

Everyone knows I LOVE a twisty book but am often disappointed because I’ve managed to work the twist out from page one. Not that I let that spoil my enjoyment of thrillers as it’s never all about the twist for me. But when the first twist hit me in Twisted, I was like WHAT??? It certainly wasn’t expected and was the first of many twists and turns that all came as total shocks to me. And I absolutely loved this book for each and every one of them!

I won’t go into plot details as all I want you to know is in the blurb above and I want readers to go in blind to this one. It’s a standalone novel and not an Eddie Flynn instalment but he does manage to get a little mention in there that made me smile! But the star of the show here is J.T. LeBeau and boy, does he know it!

Yes, Twisted is completely plot driven but with some fabulously brilliant characters within it clambering for you’re attention. It’s immensely addictive and very readable so make sure you clear your schedule once you start it as you won’t want to put it down! It’s twister than eating a Creme Egg Twisted bar, whilst playing Twister and listening to Twisted Sister. And as I’m sure I mentioned before, I absolutely loved it!

Steve Cavanagh is rapidly becoming my new favourite author! I recently read 'Thirteen' which I enjoyed immensely and I'm pleased to say 'Twisted' was even better in my opinion.
I usually give a fairly detailed review however this is just one of those books that I think it is best to read without knowing anything of the plot.
A crime thriller that most certainly lives up to it's title which I strongly recommend to all!
5 massive stars and thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As somebody who reads a lot of crime, I feel a little guilty confessing that Twisted is my first Steve Cavanagh book. I've read so many fabulous reviews of his Eddie Flynn series, particularly Thirteen so can only use the so many books, so little time defence as to why I'm just now climbing aboard the Cavanagh rollercoaster but after reading the fantastic blurb for Twisted (a standalone novel), I was hooked.
When I say rollercoaster, I'm perhaps not really doing justice to the author's fiendish mind because Twisted goes beyond the routine ups and downs of your standard amusement park attraction; this is the ride with the full works - ups and downs, shocking twists aplenty, times where it seems that everybody is in the dark and those moments where it feels as if your heart is in your mouth. It does mean that it's not the easiest book to review because I really don't want to give away any spoilers but it's fair to say that if you're looking for a nail-biting thriller packed with surprises then this is the book for you.
Twisted asks one big question - 'Who is JT LeBeau?' He's a best-selling author whose reputation grew through word-of-mouth but apart from that, he is a mystery. Over the years, speculation has led to people alleging he is any one of a number of well-known authors, from Stephen King, to J.K. Rowling to James Patterson. Numerous newspaper articles have asked the same question; until now, his secret has remained intact but could somebody be about to make a shocking discovery?
A toxic marriage, two dogmatic police officers, a cat-and-mouse game of revenge and a very twisted author meant that I sped through the pages - this is most definitely one of those, 'just one more chapter' books. It's very much plot-driven - and it does it really well - but as result I wasn't quite sure of my feelings about most of the characters. For a little while it bothered me a bit but the twists kept coming and I realised that I was still having enormous fun reading this riveting novel. And actually, as the book progresses, I grew quite fond of Officers Dole and Bloch as they try to untangle what little evidence they have. The story moves between the fictional affluent small town, Port Lonely to New York, Los Angeles and the Cayman Isles and each of the locations are described vividly giving a real sense of place to the book throughout.
Is Twisted entirely plausible? Probably not but it doesn't matter, it's such an entertaining read, I was happy to just give in to the thrills and see where the action took me. The surprises don't stop until the very end - if this is ever made into a film (and it would make a brilliant movie), I can imagine it will be highly advisable to stay seated until the end of the credits. Twisted is my introduction to Steve Cavanagh's writing but I'll be back for more, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Original plot and good ideas however it felt too far-fetched at times. I loved “Thirteen” and was left a little bit disappointed by this one.

With the novel Twisted we see king of the legal thriller Steve Cavanagh move into a more psychological thriller narrative. This title surround a mysterious author known only my his author name J.T Lebeau. Very few people know exactly who this author is and that is the way the author intends to keep it.

‘Don’t believe a single word you read’

The novel opens with a character known only as Paul Cooper planning a murder. He is attending the memorial service for JT Lebeau and I began to wonder, if not JT who does he plan on killing? But all will final be revealed…

‘Dead writers can’t do signings’

The novel then jumps backwards to four months previously and shows the reader exactly what took place in the months leading to the attempted murder. And my god, does it make for one hell of a twisted ride.
The novel details a toxic marriage where both spouses are hiding secrets from one another. But with a large amount of money at stake, things are about to get deadly…

‘Twenty million dollars was more than just money’

By the end of chapter 21, I was completely hooked! The lengths people will go to with secrets and lies, makes for fascinating reading. The reasons for the secrecy and the authors past are slowly revealed. With the pace and the consistent twists in the tale, I was completely gripped the entire read! 4*

This was my first Steve Cavanagh book to read and I wasn't disappointed. I'm looking forward to reading the Eddie Flynn series soon. Twisted definitely kept my attention throughout and it was most certainly 'twisted' in every way! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I hadn't! The characters were interesting and I loved the fact that it had an 'author' topic. It was well plotted and paced. Overall, a good enjoyable read.

My thanks to Orion and NetGalley

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I had read some of the Eddie Flynn series by this author and was looking forward to reading this stand-alone novel. I was amused to see Eddie mentioned, if only briefly.

There has been a lot of chat recently about publishers who constantly use the phrase ‘you won’t see the twist coming’ and more often than not the reader does. Or spends that much time anticipating it they stop enjoying the novel. Steve Cavanagh has used this and more to write a cracking novel that has so many twists I lost count. I’m not going to say if I spotted them or if they worked, it didn’t matter. This book is great entertainment.

It is difficult to review without discussing the characters or the plot because of the twists. But I can say that the female characters in particular are very strong, especially Deputy Bloch who was probably my favourite. She was an officer who could see things that many others would miss and knew immediately that what they had been told by Maria wasn’t strictly accurate.

It is very different to the series, this is more black comedy, at times it was similar to Fargo. There is violence but most of what you read about concerns what each of the characters are planning. Some want revenge and the money. The police just want answers.

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...
Thus reads the blurb for this standalone thriller. It certainly sets its stall out clearly – it’s out to try and fool me. OK then, book. Game on.
There are two main types of twists in novels. There a character doing something unexpected and the more impressive everything-you-know-is-wrong. A lot of modern thrillers seem to hang on a single iteration of the second type of twist, a twist that generally isn’t easy to pull off without people spotting it a mile away. The best way is not to advertise that a twist is coming – so bury it in what looks like a standard thriller.
Jeffrey Deaver was the master of this – I say was as now when reading Deaver, I find myself anticipating what is coming. You get used to the beats of a reader – not that I don’t enjoy his work, rest assured that I do, just that I’ve never been wowed recently like I was with, say, The Coffin Dancer or The Devil’s Teardrop. But it was early Deaver that I was reminded of when reading this book.
Yes, the reader can spot/guess some of the twists in the first half of the book – well, this reader did, anyway – but it’s a cracking opening to the tale, with a few impressive game-changing twists. But…
… while it still remains a very entertaining page-turner, the surprises in the second half are less exciting, consisting almost entirely of unexpected-behaviour twists. The blurb suggests some sort of meta-thriller but that never really materialises. It’s a very entertaining read that I couldn’t put down, a clever thriller, especially the first half of the book. But for me, I was expecting that little bit more from the blurb. Go in with expectations of “just a really good read”, and you won’t be disappointed.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton for the tour invitation and to the publisher for the copy to review.


Twisted is one of those thrillers that the less you know of the story beforehand, the more thrilling the ride. It’s difficult to go into detail about the plot without giving away spoilers, so this review will be a brief one. I should mention that this is a standalone and although lawyer Eddie Flynn does get a mention, it is not part of that series.

J T LeBeau, the author of Twisted, is a multi-million dollar best-selling author, hiding behind a veil of secrecy. Their publisher doesn’t even know his or her true identity and they will go to any lengths to keep it that way.

Twisted is the perfect title for this book. Just when you think you have a handle on what’s happening, the rug is pulled from under you and you are spun around, again and again. I lost count of how many times I thought I’d worked out the ‘who and the what’ only to then find out that everything had turned completely on its head.

With multiple narrators moving the story along, the book has a slower pace to begin with whilst the scene is set but then reaches a point where there is barely time to pause for breath before each rollercoaster ride begins again.

Twisted is a thoroughly entertaining and addictive read with the suspense just racking up right until the very last page, it will certainly mess with your head until you won’t know which way is up. I think it’s fair to say that the emphasis is more on the plot and the twists than on any depth of character but in this case, that didn’t bother me. To my shame, this is the first book I have read by Steve Cavanagh – I’ve seen so many positive reviews for his previous books and now I can see why.

Twisted was such a fun and suspenseful read. I really enjoyed it.

Twisted is not an Eddie Flynn thriller, but a standalone thriller set in the literary world of America. J.T LeBeau is a bestselling author, one of the most famous authors in the country but no one knows who J.T LeBeau is, or more accurately no one alive knows who he is. Those who do find out come to an unfortunate end, the secrecy of the writer adds to the mystery of the books. This is a complex and dark read of secrets, lies, blackmail and murder.

I have to say that this is one of the hardest reviews I have had to write, as I don’t want to give anything away; it will probably be my shortest review as well. The title Twisted is perfect for this book as this is a very twisted and disturbing thriller, that had me gripped. The suspense builds throughout and had my stomach turning during all the twists and turns of the plot that took me in so many different directions I didn’t know which way I was going.

There are three main characters, again I’m not saying too much, but none of them come out of this book covered in glory and I have to say I didn’t warm to any of them. Just how is an attempted murder, a lover, a famous writer and a missing husband connected? and the big question is ‘who is J.T LeBeau’, and do you really want to know the answer to the question?

Twisted is no doubt a brilliant thriller that will grab your attention and make you on a journey you won’t forget. I was a huge fan of Thirteen but for me this book just wasn’t as good in my opinion; the characters weren’t as well developed and I have to say the plot didn’t have the same impact. However, it is still a great thriller with an innovative plot that will give you goosebumps.

We are told 3 things going in to this book:-
1. The police are looking to charge the author with murder.
2. Nobody knows who the author is or how they did it.
3. If you think you've found the author, they're coming for you next.


I picked this out from Goodreads because the blurb caught my eye, it sounded like an interesting thriller that would keep me guessing.  Unfortunately it was a bad choice.  After reading the book I'm not entirely sure what the author was actually aiming for.  I've seen a few reviews post reading suggesting he was trying to satirise the thriller genre, but I didn't get that feeling whilst reading.

I found that the book focused very much on the twists and reveals, rather than on the plot or characters.  This meant two things to me.  Firstly the characters became almost irrelevant.  There was no connection to ant of them, and as a reader you didn't care what happened to any of them.  Secondly the reveals themselves weren't particularly shocking, they became perfunctory and felt very contrived.  Since the twists seemed to be the main backbone of the novel, once they weren't working the book didn't work either.

I thought the plot idea was quite unique, and could have been a great book, but for me it was very poorly executed.  If it is meant to be satire as other people have commented then some of this makes a little more sense, I just didn't feel it though.  I felt it was written too seriously for satire.  A miss for me, I didn't really enjoy the reading experience and probably wouldn't have finished the book if I wasn't reviewing for NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an arc in exchange for an honest review

It is hard to know where to start with Twisted. This blog is very much a spoiler free zone so discussing the plot of Twisted without giving away too much information is going to be a challenge. So I shall start with the easy bit…Twisted is lots of fun to read. It’s a contender to be the poster child for the 2019 “page turner” campaign.

Once the story begins you get drawn in. Right from the off. Those first few pages will have you wondering what the Hell is going on? So you read a bit more. And more. And more. Then the story picks you up, shakes your understanding around a little and pops you back down. You venture into the next chapter and the next but now you aren’t sure what may happen next so you keep reading. Until the story picks you up, shakes you around a little and you are set back down to face another set of possibilities, with a whole new direction to travel. Repeat, repeat. It is perfect reading escapism.

But what is Twisted about? I would venture this brief outline. It is about a secret, an enigma, a hugely successful writer who has managed to keep his real identity a secret from the world. But someone is going to discover that secret and the carefully constructed life the writer has crafted for himself is going to start to unravel. But then maybe it isn’t that at all. It’s complicated. Actually it is Twisted.

What I can confirm is that the identity of the mysterious writer is a closely guarded secret. So much so that people have died in order for the writer (J.T. Le Beau) to keep his secret safe. Their deaths will be written into one of his books – and if THAT isn’t Twisted then I don’t know what is!

When you are packing for your summer holidays make sure Twisted is in your suitcase. But as it has already released I’d recommend buying your copy now.

Firstly thank you to Orion Publishing and NetGalley for this copy. Wow what can I say but Steve Cavanagh has only gone and done it again. Absolutely loved Thirteen and I love this one. Strap yourself in and be prepared to be hurtled through this story. A cracking read and to use an old cliché an absolute page turner of a read. Check out this author and if you don't, well you are spoiling a wonderful fantastic treat for yourself.

Excellent. I actually gasped out loud and said 'No' when the first twist came and had to back over the pages to see how I missed it. A really good page turner.

4.5 - 5

A very aptly titled stand alone read that you won't want to put down - yep all the cliches apply and this is a book that lives up to every word of the hype about it.

Written in short chapters which keep you turning those pages, great plot and characters. It would extremely difficult to review fully without spoilers so I'm wary of saying more but if you like a tense book that is so twisty you wonder which way is up then buy this one!

Many thanks to Orion and NetGalley for the ARC of this book - this review is my honest opinion of the book.

A big thank you to Tracy Fenton, the publisher and Netgalley for issuing me with my review copy of the book and for inviting to take part on the blog tour.

I have to say that having read and loved Thirteen, I was incredibly eager to read Twisted, the new standalone book by Steve Cavanagh. After finishing, I was amazed at just how the author managed to think up this incredibly brilliant and ‘twisted’ story!

I’ve found it quite hard to review Twisted for fear of giving some or any ounce of the plot away. I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I can probably describe it as trying to read a book whilst on a rollercoaster. Doing 200mph!

The writing and twists are superb. You think you have some slight idea of what is happening but no, you really don’t. The rug, carpet and floor are routinely pulled out from under you whilst you marvel at what the author has done. I was captivated from the first page and sat back stunned and shocked and every other emotion in between when I had finally turned the last page. I read the last part again just to make sure I had taken it all in.

I may never read another book like this and I actually hope that I don’t as I think it is a one in a million book for me that probably can’t be bettered!

Just outstanding!