Customer Reviews

Twist of Fate

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I snap up all of Mary Jo Putney's books, but I have to admit this might be changing in regards to her contemporary novels. This most recent one was a good example of the problems I have with her contemporary efforts. I never felt a connection to the main characters - they were rather boring and flat. There is value in reading about the love of two ordinary people, but these people were not just ordinary; they were boring. I felt that the romantic situations were a little contrived, too. I read romance novels primarily for the character development, this definitely took a backseat to the plot in this novel. Unfortunately, I didn't have much interest in the plot, either. It, too, was sort of dull and flat. In the end, I was much more interested in the story of the secondary characters than the two protagonists. I gave the book two stars, mostly because I like Mary Jo Putney in general, but I do not recommend this book to other readers.

Val Covington, a workaholic city lawyer, decides to break away from her corporate law fim and start her own practice; a windfall from her actor friend Raine Marlowe allows her to decide that she will take on pro bono clients. In leasing her first premises, she meets good-looking Rob Smith, ostensibly a carpenter, and they start an affair. But Rob is not the carpenter he appears; he's a former Marine and former owner of his own computer business, gone into hiding after a family tragedy. They start to work together when Rob offers his investigative skills to help Val in her quest to prove a man on death row innocent of the murder of a cop.

The romance in this book is very flat. Val and Rob have sex - wham bam - and then they have sex again, and again, and then Rob is suddenly talking moving in and even marriage. Wait a minute... where's the wooing? Where's the heartfelt discussions? Where, for heaven's sake, is the *romance* which Putney includes in spades in other novels? Val apparently has a problem with commitment, but this is told to us - in fact, we're beaten over the head with it - rather than it being shown. And a two-year-old could have worked out why she has this problem; yet it seems to come as a massive discovery to both Val and Rob. Well... duh! I felt like saying.

Sorry - there was really no romance in this book worth talking about. At least, not between the two main characters. The love story which does provide some interest, however, is that between Kendra, Val's assistant, and the man on death row, Daniel, the father of Kendra's now-adult son.

As for the preachy part, this book is a polemic against the death penalty. Now, I should have no problem at all about that, since I am vehemently opposed to capital punishment and find it abhorrent. Putney should have been preaching to the converted here. And yet I felt patronised, lectured to and bored by this part of the book. Sure, all her arguments resonate with me - but that's not why I buy a Mary Jo Putney romance novel. I did find the plot itself, as regards the attempt to prove Daniel's innocence, interesting but, again, I didn't buy a crime/detective novel. I thought I was buying a romance novel.

I have now read three contemporary novels and one novella by Putney, and in every case they failed to live up to the standard set by her historical romances. Put this next to Thunder and Roses, or The Rake, or The Wild Child, and it pales drastically by comparison. Dull characters, next to the vibrance of Nicholas or Reginald or Clare. Preachy plot, next to her emotional, heartrending plotline about the effect of alcoholism in The Rake.

This was a huge disappointment. And, since I see that Putney now appears to be venturing into paranormal in her latest novel, I am not sure that she will be on my auto-buy list any more either. Such a shame, when about a year ago I'd have rated her as one of my top three favourite authors.

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Putney is one of those "if I see it, I'll buy it" authors - she consistently produces compelling, involving stories about people you care for.

Unfortunately, Twist of Fate falls far short of the high standard she has set in the past - especially its predecessor, "The Spiral Path".

Most jarring is the switching of viewpoints without warning. You're reading a scene told from, say, Val's point of view while conversing with Kendra, then all of a sudden you're reading what Kendra is thinking. I had to backtrack to figure out what was going on.

Then there are the events that apparently occur simply because the Romance 101 textbook says so - Val and Rob's first romantic encounter seemed to come out of the blue, with no real buildup or tension, for example. A case of "It's time for things to get hot so let's put these people in the sack". Frankly, the relationship didn't seem to develop naturally at all.

And there's the fact that the entire novel is a treatise against the death penalty, very thinly veiled as a novel. Putney could find far better and more effective forums for her activism. At the very least, the topic deserves something better written and more compelling. I simply didn't care enough about the characters.

After reading the past two books in this universe (Burning Point and The Spiral Path), I was thrilled to see yet another continuation. Spiral Path especially was so beautifully crafted and richly emotional; it seemed Putney was just getting better and better! But this novel disappointingly fell very flat. It was completely predictable from start to finish. At the first mention of each plot point, I knew immediately what the end result would be -- hardly the most fun way to read a mystery! I enjoyed the character of Val at first, but her emotional revelations seemed very forced.

Overall, the book read like a very good sermon against the death penalty, with some romance and mystery elements thrown in as an afterthought. Not a bad read, but not at all what we've come to expect from the very talented Putney.

Val Covington, is a corporate lawyer in one of the more prestigious law firms in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Working the fast track and establishing herself as one of the hottest lawyers in the firm she'd finally been offered a partnership but disenchantment with the corporate type of law she was practicing was leading her to explore other options. Val wants to step back from the boardrooms and do more pro bono work. When a close friend points her in the direction of available office space in a restored church, the seeds that had been planted for some time of going into private practice blossom. Not only is the space ideal but there is a bonus of a handsome, rugged looking landlord who looks like just the type of guy she's attracted to.

Rob Smith, landlord, ex-marine, and many other hidden talents turns out to have investigative experience so that their paths become entwined both romantically and professionally, but the road to romance is filled with many pitfalls and a lot of baggage that make the romance quite secondary.

Offering her paralegal assistant the opportunity to come and work with, and for her Kendra Brooks agrees on the condition that Val would represent her former lover and the father of her child, sitting on death row. This being a last ditch effort to save him from execution, Kendra swears that Daniel Monroe was unjustly tried and convicted for a murder that he didn't commit. She should know, because at the time it was committed, he was with her.

While Ms. Putney's previous novels held me enthralled with adventure and romance, I felt that her purpose with this was more towards taking a stand against capital punishment than providing a romantic novel. While there was a romance going on, based primarily in Rob's mind - it took longer for it to click in Val's. I found there to be more emotional feeling in some of the secondary characterizations than in the lead couple. It is definitely a compelling read that gives the reader something to think about as to where they would stand on capital punishment, but as far as putting you in the mood for romance, it falls short for the love and passion that I've generally attributed to Ms. Putney's former books. Would I recommend it? Yes, it is a very good, compelling, and thought provoking read, but if you are looking for truly romantic love story, go and find any of her `Fallen Angel series'.

If anyone other than Mary Jo Putney had written this book I would have given it more stars. After the emotional brilliance of The Spiral Path however, it seems to pale in comparison. I still give her amazing credit for dealing with harsh subjects like the death penalty, and in that respect cannot find fault with this novel. All in all there was nothing in this that would haunt me afterwards like I find in the majority of her works. The Bride series is one of the most troubling series found in historical fiction today, and this book just didn't stay with me after the first reading. I am the first to admit that I am on my second copies of many of her works, but Twist of Fate is probably my least favorite out of all of her writings.

I read pretty much all of Mary Jo Putney books, but I am a little disapointed in this one. This book has way too many referenced characters on her previous books that makes it a bit awkward to read. These characters just conviniencely drop into the plot and make this book very boring.

I like Mary Jo Putney best when she writes Historical romances.

I am reviewing the unabridged audio version of this book. And, in all honesty, if I hadn't paid so darned much for it I never would've finished it.

The heroine is a corporate lawyer who is feeling burned out and fears she's going to die inside if she doesn't give up fighting for the "fat cats". As luck would have it, she inherits a windfall of a million bucks (how come this stuff never happens to ME?) and decides to give up the high paying partnership for "do-gooder" work. She takes along her trusty paralegal who just so happens to have an ex-lover in the clinker facing death-row. Ah huh! This is heroine's chance to do some good. So this corporate lawyer immediately takes on this difficult criminal case and hires a carpenter who was a marine in his younger days to assist her. Huh? Did I hear that correctly? It simply did not make any sense to me.

I've enjoyed Mary Jo Putney's work in the past which is why I bought this book and was surprised at the lack of connection I felt to any of these characters here. The love story took a back seat to a whole lot of preachiness about the death penalty and the importance of finding spiritual happiness. That's all find and good in real life but here it was boring. I felt like I had been wholloped upside the head about the evils of our justice system and was rather put off by the whole thing. The only part I somewhat enjoyed was the relationship between the heroine and her "little sister" but even that developed a little too quickly as the heroine managed to break through the girls' defenses in what seemed like only two visits.

This isn't a book I'd enjoy re-reading as I felt very bored throughout most of it.

this mystery book got 2 stars because it had a decent ending, but it was so slow and painful, I'm surprised I even made it to the end. i didnt like the characters and i was especially unconvinced with their no chemistry romance. save your money, buy something else.

Val Covington gets tired of the fast paced corporate life, so she turns her back on her law firm to open her own office. Idealistically, she dreams of helping the downtrodden, taking on hopeless cases, and having a slower paced life.

Two out of three is better than nothing. Her life becomes even more fast paced after openig her office in a newly renovated church. It is not long before she has taken on a case at the behast of her assistant, one that may be her first case and first defeat in private practice. She has the challenge to get her assistant's former lover off of death row where he was sent after a false conviction. Helping her untangle the legal snares that trapped an innocent man is her new lover, Rob Smith, a man haunted with his own secrets. As they fight the legal system and the clock, Val and Rob find something wonderful in their own hearts.

***** This is Ms Putney's best contemporary book in a while. The story is complex and touching with detailed characterization.

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore