Twisted

A Novel

By: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrated by: Lindsay Crouse

Hollywood homicide detective Petra Connor has helped psychologist Alex Delaware crack tough cases in the past. And in Jonathan Kellerman’s New York Times bestseller Billy Straight she took the lead in the desperate hunt for a teenage runaway stalked by a vengeful murderer. Now the complex and wryly compassionate Petra is once again at the center of the action, in a novel of cunning twists and page-turning suspense.

Lifeless bodies sprawl in a dance-club parking lot after a brutal L.A. drive-by. Of the four seemingly random victims, one stands out: a girl with pink shoes who cannot be identified–and who, days later, remains a Jane Doe. With zero leads and no apparent motive, it’s another case destined for the cold file–until Petra decides to follow her instincts and descends into a world of traveling grifters and bloodthirsty killers, pursuing a possible eyewitness whose life is in mortal danger.

Finding her elusive quarry–alive–isn’t all Petra has on her plate: departmental politics threatens to sabotage her case, and her personal life isn’t doing much better. If all that wasn’t enough, Isaac Gomez, a whiz-kid grad student researching homicide statistics at the station house, is convinced he’s stumbled upon a bizarre connection between several unsolved murders. The victims had nothing in common, yet each died by the same method, on the same date–a date that’s rapidly approaching again. And that leaves Petra with little time to unravel the twisted logic of a cunning predator who’s evaded detection for years–and whose terrible hour is once more at hand.

“Why is it so hard to put down a Kellerman thriller?” asks Publishers Weekly. “It’s simple: the nonstop action leaves you breathless; the plot twists keep you guessing; the themes . . . are provocative.” Those in need of still further proof that “Kellerman has shaped the psychological mystery novel into an art form” (Los Angeles Times Book Review) need look no further than Twisted.©2004 Jonathan Kellerman; (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a divison of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

Praise for Jonathan Kellerman and The Conspiracy Club

“AN UNNERVING, HIGHLY CINEMATIC PLOT . . . [Kellerman has] headed off into different terrain . . . with striking success in this latest quick-witted outing.”
–JANET MASLIN, The New York Times

“Grabs the reader's attention and never lets go.”
–Associated Press

“[Kellerman] keeps the creepiness coming until the big-twist finish.”
–People

“Turn the page and you're hooked.”
–The New York Times Book Review

“Eerie...tantalizing.”
–Entertainment Weekly

twisted

Good story. A robotic narrator. Not a very good storyteller, basically seemed to read the book, no voice inflection. Seemed to have no distinction between characters. Will not spend money on similarily narrated books.

Twisted is a winner

I’ve read all of the Alex Delaware books and loved them. Then I read Billy Straight and now twisted. I loved this book the most out of all as the plot and characters were riveting. I truly hope that there will be another in this series or maybe a new series with Issac Gomez

Entertaining story

I liked this one because I like the character of Petra. Some of it a bit unbelievable but I enjoyed it over all

Petra is Great

Introduced in the book Billy Straight; and a key character in the book A Cold Heart Petra Connor takes on the case of a drive by shooting in the Paradiso theater parking lot. She is also at odds with her captain and her main squeeze Eric Stahl is away on an investigation in the middle east. In fact her only partner is Isaac Gomez; the son of Salvadoran refugees who is a math genius prodigy. Issac having finished med school at the age of 18 he's now earning a PHD in statistics. Petra has been given the role of babysitting him by Captain Stallcup, her nemesis within the department. Burdened by the lack of progress on the shootings at the Paradiso the last thing Petra needs is to be charged with the responsibility of keeping tract of "brain boy." Then Isaac comes to her with a statistical anomaly far too unusual to be accidental. Knowing that the young genius has political connections she stifles her urge to ignore the kid and begins an investigation. Working on the dual cases with the young genius she uncovers a small crimes family; a gangbanger college student; and a hundred year old series of murders that is being reenacted on the same date every year. Of course she and Isaac solve both crimes and she has a new captain at her station; her old partner Stu Bishop.
In the ten years since this book was written Petra hasn't been featured in any subsequent works, which is too bad. This is one of Kellerman's best works and perhaps the emotional distance the author has from this character is actually helpful to the story. Hopefully his fans haven't seen the last of Petra Connor in the main role or of Isaac Gomez either. This is a great mystery; highly recommended.

Vintage Kellerman

Another great Kellerman novel--fascinating plot, excellent character development, a psychological masterpiece. Although I thought I would, I didn't even miss Alex Delaware, who was mentioned only in passing once or twice but never actually appeared in this novel.

Hopefully, we will see more of Petra Conner, Eric Stoll and, yes, Isaac Gomez! They are as captivating a team as Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware.