Have shifted to Orkut...manoj7698

Finished the "Twisted" by Jonathan Kellerman yesterday.

Had tried his book out for the first time.

What struck me most was the way in which characters were introduced. One facet of the character was thrown out first as a teaser to be followed a bit later with more background to complete the picture. Really piques the interest of the reader.

The second thing I liked about the book was the one-liners. Representing internal thoughts, or social dogmas, these gave an insight into American society and also establishes the fact that the author is acutely aware of his characters as they would behave in real life.

Having said these, the story winds itself in knots and loses steam around mid-way.

Spoken primarily through the view point of a successful lady detective - Petra - going through a tumultous personal life - with the aid of a bit of inferiority complex portrayed intelligently - the story details how two gruesome murders are resolved.

The first one deals with a mass murderer while the second one deals with a serial killer adhering to a "twisted" algorithm. The first murder is resolved through painstaking detective work focusing on all the dark corners of the room and is also used by the author to highlight the politics and frustrations involved in detective work.

The second murderer is caught through the assistance of "super IQ" teen - Issac - who first caught the pattern and brought it to Petra's attention.

There is a sub-plot running through the book focusing on the evolution of Issac's sexual awareness and experience.

Where the author fails is in binding the three plots together and bringing them to a cohesive end. In itself, the first murder and Issac's longing for acceptance by Petra, becomes an interesting back drop. However, the resolution of second murder is too predictable and the reader can close the book around 50 pages before the closure without missing out anything. Also, the James Bondesque character - Eric - appears too perfect and hero-like to feel real. Maybe, Jonathan is setting up these characters for a future book.

Overall, I would rate the book 2.5 on 5. And would surely read another of his books to see how it turns out.

PS: These views are purely personal, and do not construe any attempt on my part to tarnish the image of the author or the book.