Twice (Lydia Strong Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lisa Miscione (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2006 | Series: Lydia Strong Novels

Lisa Miscione's first two mysteries featuring Lydia Strong, Angel Fire and The Darkness Gathers, received praise for their lyrical prose and achingly suspenseful plotting. Now Miscione delivers her best novel to date: Lydia and her partner, P.I. Jeff Mark, must confront not only a brutal murderer but the demons from their own past. Julian Ross, a brilliant and acclaimed New York City artist, has been charged with brutally killing her second husband. She was found at the scene, hysterical, over his bloody, lifeless corpse. She maintains her innocence, but the cops are having trouble believing her: Ten years ago Julian was indicted and acquitted of murdering her first husband in exactly the same way. Julian's mother, Eleanor, is convinced of her daughter's innocence and hires Lydia and Jeff to clear her name. A cold woman, Eleanor nonetheless seems dedicated to her family, even looking after Julian's five-year-old twins. But Lydia and Jeff, who are still dealing with the aftermath of a confrontation with Lydia's mother's murderer, dive into the case only to discover that little about the family is what it seems to be. In a gripping, tense and surprising thriller, once again the talented Lisa Miscione delivers a complicated novel about the nature of evil, and the redemption of survival.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers who like their psychological thrillers complex, melodramatic and almost completely implausible will find Miscione's third Lydia Strong novel (Angel Fire; The Darkness Gathers) right up their alley. Everything comes in pairsâ€"murders of an artist's ex-husbands, possible twin villains, missing twin childrenâ€"to such a degree that the book should have had a second jacket. The novel begins as New Yorker Strong, a true-crime writer, jogs along the streets of lower Manhattan toward the Brooklyn Bridge, worrying about two major dilemmasâ€"she has just learned that she is pregnant, and the psychopath who killed her mother 15 years before is back on the streets and stalking her. Then comes the savage murder of the second husband of famous painter Julian Ross, who lost her first husband in a similar brutal attack 10 years earlier. Hired by the artist's imperious but touching mother to prove that Julian (acquitted by a jury in the first murder) isn't guilty of the second, either, Lydia, lover/partner Jeff Mark and their associates two-step their way through a convoluted plot with more strands than a DNA sample. A certain amount of suspense is generated along the way, especially for readers who can suspend disbelief, but Miscione finally loses her gamble by doubling her ante one time too many.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Miscione's third Lydia Strong novel finds the tough-as-nails crime writer pregnant but refusing to slow down despite the fact that Jed McIntyre, the serial killer who murdered Lydia's mother, is on the loose and out for blood--Lydia's, among others. As she jogs through Manhattan, tailed by Aussie bodyguard Dax Chicago, Lydia yearns for the day when Jed is finally out of her life. Meanwhile, the mother of famous New York artist Julian Ross hires Lydia's firm to investigate the murder of Julian's second husband. Some of Miscione's characters are a little overblown--serial murderer McIntyre seems as incapable of dying as the bad guy in a low-budget horror film. However, a fascinating subplot involving the community of homeless people who live in tunnels beneath Manhattan keeps the plot from becoming too cartoonish. And Miscione avoids the temptation to tie up Lydia and her boyfriend-partner Jeff's relationship in a neat little bow. A steadily developing series, not without rough spots but with a strong central character. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (June 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084395731X
• ISBN-13: 978-0843957310
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #861,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Suspense Thriller!, April 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Twice (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic read. What I like most about it is that intiguing historical facts are explored in detail (much like her previous books). If you like suspense based in real world settings, this is the book for you. Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a terrific thriller!, April 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Twice (Hardcover)

If you want to read a good book pick up a copy of Twice. I was so excited to read this book because the last two books by Lisa Miscione possessed such intriguing characters and plot development. Without a doubt Lisa Misione is a gifted storyteller.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine private sleuth tale, March 28, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twice (Hardcover)

New York City Detective Halford "Ford" McKirdy feels déjà vu as he investigates the murder of Richard Stratton III. The obvious suspect is Julian Ross who slept through the decapitation and dismembering of her spouse though sharing the bed just like a decade ago when her first husband Tad Jansen was killed. Julian's mother Eleanor hires private eyes Jeffrey Marks and pregnant Lydia Strong to find out who killed her son-in-law, but hides some eerie similarities between mother and daughter from her sleuths.

While the twosome and peer Dax Chicago investigate, Jed McIntyre escapes from the asylum he went to for killing Lydia's mother to stalk his victim's daughter. Meanwhile the three detectives learn about the Ross family tree filled with generations of twins and similar deaths to that of Richard and Tad. Following the clues the threesome leaves the Manhattan subways for Haunted, New York where confrontations with the past and present will haunt everyone for the rest of their lives.

Though the tension starts at a high pace, unfortunately the suspense never fully retains that early feel of weird intrigue of THE DARKNESS GATHERS when Ford struggles with the impossibility of the physical evidence. The story line contains twin subplots that ultimately merge, but is strongest when the private sleuths investigate the murders. The tale is weakened by the cleverly written, unnecessary personalized stalker killer subplot that provides some light on what makes the fire inside the intrepid no angel Lydia burn. Lisa Miscione provides a terse tale starring strong heroes who make their mark in this tale and previous series books (see ANGEL FIRE).

Harriet Klausner