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Twisted Justice

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Twisted Justice

Seven years have passed in Laura Nelson's life since she debuted in Patricia Gussin's first novel, Shadow of Death. Now, in Twisted Justice, it is the later '70s. Jimmy Carter is President of the US, Laura Nelson has completed medical school and has become a thoracic surgeon and mother of five bright children: Mike, 14; Kevin, 11; Patrick (child of the rape that occurred in Shadow of Death), 7; and twin daughters Natalie and Nicole, three. Steve, her gorgeous husband, appears on billboards across the Tampa Bay area as co-anchor on Channel 8's 11 o'clock news with the blonde and lovely Kim Connor, who, we quickly learn, is the more talented of the duo. It's a seemingly beautiful, busy, and successful time in all their lives as we open the book.

Called to the hospital for emergency surgery on a little girl, Laura arrives home at 2:30 a.m. and discovers her husband and Kim Connor in what Steve later swears is his first indiscretion since their marriage. Laura is hurt and devastated as Steve explains that Kim's boyfriend beat her up, that he invited her over to comfort her, and things took an unexpected turn. As they talk, we sense that their marriage has been floundering for some time while each has worked to advance their careers. Laura tells Steve to move out. Kim resigns and moves away from her abusive boyfriend, the TV station lets Steve go, and when Kim is found murdered in Steve's apartment, the evidence points to Laura, who is arrested and jailed.

The plot moves at a rapid-fire pace and holds the reader intently. Laura Nelson is a self-actualized woman who manages her mounting challenges smartly, yet with genuine emotion. This could be rather unbelievable if it were not for the fact that she has a circle of friends, acquaintances, and distant college contacts who value her highly and want to help. Conveniently, too, Laura has a large stash of money in a hidden account left to her by a friend--unknown to Steve, who has nearly cleaned out their joint bank accounts. This enables her to hire a team of lawyers and an investigator, who work with her to unravel the fascinating twists and turns of this compelling mystery, as Laura determines to regain her life, children, and career.

The historical setting of the later '70s adds another fascinating dimension to this mystery. Gussin's first novel, Shadow of Death (a nominee for Best First Novel in the Thriller Awards), was selected by Michigan State University as one of the textbooks for a U.S. Urban History course and also as a freshman text at Duquesne University.

A mystery lover all my life, I couldn't put Twisted Justice down. I've already ordered Gussin's first novel and will be anticipating her next.

This review also appears at www.storycirclebookreviews.org

I loved this book! First off, instead of just coming along with the story which I'm usually doing when reading a mystery, I felt myself echoing each choice made by the characters, often feeling as if I would speak in the same voice were I in that situation. Gussin's ability to place the reader within the plot in such a visceral, yet subtle way, is a true talent. Her protagonist, Dr. Laura Nelson, is a real woman, who despite being a top thoracic surgeon, can be hurt just like any woman when she finds her husband cheating on her. When the woman her husband cheated on her with is found dead, she's accused of the murder, and to make matters worse, her husband thinks she did it. While the backbone of the plot is the murder mystery, the story of her family being pulled apart and what she has to do to keep it together is the heart of the novel. Gussin paints a layered portrait of how fragile happiness can be.

Reviewed by Rachael Dimond

Laura Nelson is a successful thoracic surgeon, one who specializes in chest diseases and operations. Her husband, Steve, is a famous newscaster. They have five children and live a comfortable life together with a housekeeper who helps them with their children.

After a late night at the hospital, Laura comes homet to the shocking site of her husband being intimate with another woman, his co-anchor Kim Connor. Laura kicks Steve out of the house and plans to file for divorce.

But before she can file any papers, Steve takes all five children with him and doesn't contact Laura to let her know when they will be coming home. After two days of worrying about her children, Laura drives to her husband's apartment to see if they are there. Instead of finding Steve and the kids, she stumbles upon Kim Connor's dead body.

With a specialty in chest injuries, Laura decides to try to save the woman but is caught by police with blood on her hands. Laura is arrested for the murder of Kim Connor and ends up fighting for her life back and the custody of her missing children.

Why would Steve take the kids and run off with them? Who killed Kim Connor? Quickly, Laura's life unravels into tiny pieces with one disaster after another. Will Laura be able to get her children back and clear her name?

Twisted Justice is an intense family-oriented mystery about one woman's fight to keep her children safe and clear her name after being arrested for murder. The mystery is tightly plotted with exciting revelations around every turn. The suspense never lets up with one exciting event after another unfolding.

Twisted Justice is a fantastic mystery that I would highly recommend. I read this book rather quickly, desperately needing to know the outcome of the scenario. It is an adrenaline ride of pure suspense that will demand your undivided attention from start to finish.

Armchair Interviews says: You won't be disappointed.

This is the definition of a solid thriller. Too often, I'm annoyed by dialogue or plot devices that feel shoe-horned in just so the author can stunt a little. Twisted Justice feels real: you can see yourself making the same decisions, good and bad, that the characters make. That authenticity elevates the novel far above most of the other books I've read in the genre. The novel also doesn't rely just on the murder mystery aspect of the plot: it fleshes out the relationships between characters who are, once again in recognizable fashion, often acting on gut instinct, sometimes to disastrous effect. A fascinating and assured addition to the mystery thriller canon.

Twisted Justice by Patricia Gussin was an absolute delight from beginning to end. Not only was it a well-drawn and detailed mystery thriller, with precise and accurate descriptions of medical procedure, at its core, it's a naturalistic portrait of a family caught in a horrible situation. Dr. Laura Nelson, mother of five, finds her husband, Steve in bed with his co-worker, Kim, who also happens to be the girlfriend of a local mobster.
Laura's distraught and goes to talk to Kim, only to find her dying from a chest wound. Laura tries to save her, but the cops show up and take her into custody on suspicion of the murder. When Steve cravenly assumes that Laura is guilty, she's left alone to marshal her defense and try to keep her family from falling apart. I was amazed at how real each plot point felt, particularly in a genre where the twists are mainly just to keep you off-balance. Great characters, with authentic flaws and believable actions, make this a winner.

Dr. Laura Nelson was a highly respected thoracic surgeon, angry because her surgical team could not save a ten-year-old girl involved in a car accident. Her husband Steve and his co-anchor Kim were on the chopping block due to falling ratings of their Tampa Bay prime-time news show.

Later that night, Laura found Steve and Kim in a compromising position in her home. Heart-broken, she returned to the hospital, only to run into a personal injury lawyer determined to get compensation for the little girl's father, the only surviving family member.

During the next couple of weeks Laura kicks Steve out of the house, he gets fired from his job, and he begins to plot his next move. When Steve doesn't bring their children home after a visit, Laura shows up at Steve's new apartment where she finds Kim's body. Before she can call the police, they show up at the door and arrest her on suspicion of murder.

After Steve wiped out their bank account, Laura tapped into a hidden cache unknown to her husband. With that money she was able to hire lawyers and an investigator to help get her children and her life back together.

Twisted Justice, by Patricia Gussin, takes a look at a family that seems to have everything, and how easily circumstances can unravel the fragile ties that are sometimes hidden within an otherwise happy home. The tragic results of poor timing and bad decisions not only take a toll on the parents, but up end the children as well.

This hard-hitting novel sets the pace in the first paragraph and never lets up. Readers are in for a roller coaster ride that will keep them turning pages and burning the midnight oil in an effort to keep up with the Nelson family - until the shocking climax.

Warning: POSSIBLE SLIGHT SPOILERS!

I hated this book..then I liked this book..all at the same time...let me explain ;)

Seven hears after Shadow of Death life continues for the Nelsons...Laura is a respected cardiac surgeon in the Tampa Bay area...Steve is co anchor of the local area 11 o'clock news. They seemingly have everything. Great jobs, great kids. What lies underneath however is much darker. Laura kept her deep dark secret from the previous novel but more immediate than that, their marriage hasn't been what it was when they were younger. Both focused on their careers and the kids they've grown apart.

Enter major bad decision number one. Steve's co anchor, the sexy kim, has been having boyfriend issues...black eye the next day boyfriend issues. Steve asks her to come over the house one night so he can talk her out of moving from the tampa bay area to escape her jealous lover. You see, the ratings haven't been great and without Kim, Steve is on the unemployment line. She's very upset about her boyfriend and how he'll react to her leaving. Steve tries to comfort her while saving his own skin. That comforting turns into Steve cheating on Laura....but things wouldn't have gone so horrible wrong if Laura hadn't walked in on them in the midst of things. Laura subsequently throws Steve out of the house and is looking for divorce considering they haven't been totally happy since moving to Tampa...Steve more or less becomes unhinged..to top it all off, Kim ends up dead in Steve's borrowed apartment..on top of THAT Laura goes to see Steve in said apartment and finds Kim dead...she picked up the gun out of surprise while trying to check Kim's vitals (she is a doctor after all) and she's literally caught red handed by the police. Laura and Steve's lives will NEVER be the same, that's for sure..

So that's the synopsis...At first I really didn't like the direction this book was taking. In time it sort of made sense. See, I tried to like Steve during the first book. I thought he was generally a good guy, just having a lot of balls in the air with his job, the five kids, his wife's super crazy medical school schedule.

Frankly i was incensed the way Laura just threw him out of the house when she caught Steve and Kim. Why? Considering her deep dark secret from the first book and the results of them, I felt as if she really didn't have the right to react that way. I figured he deserved a pass on this one. Then as time went on Steve just kept making bad decision after bad decision. Sure there were reasons for it but his behavior was really inexcusable much of the time. I won't say I hated Steve in the end, but I was more prone to take Laura's side as things progressed.

It also made me think back to the original book...how Steve was sometimes short, etc. I think the author was laying the groundwork for a not so happy marriage way before this book came out.

In the end I really enjoyed this book although I will say there's no story book ending. A previous reviewer entitled their review 'American Tragedy'. That pretty much sums it up. Some of this is hard to read considering how two people could become so venomous towards one another. Especially when there are so many kids involved. It really strikes a chord.

I will say that I almost felt this should have been the final chapter in a three part series. The jumping ahead 7 years, all that groundwork that could have been laid to REALLY get into these characters' heads would have been enjoyable and probably even upped the impact of this one. I also sort of miss some of the characters that were so prominent in the Detroit setting. But the new characters were good.

The first one was more of a drama than anything else, this was more of a suspense, mystery, whodunnit. Really facst paced and it'll make you want to find out how everything resolves itself. Do I really like how Steve ended up being portrayed? No. But conflict makes for good character moments and an enjoyable read.

Good stuff.

I really was exhausted when I finished reading this. There wasn't a dull moment with people flying here and there, murders, secrets,surgery...Whew! Just when I thought nothing else bad could happen, it did. Laura, dedicated to her family and career and Steve, a self-centered jerk-just the kind of husband you want to slap or worse. I couldn't put it down. It is very fast paced and a very good read.

Patricia Gussin is on my list from here on out: I haven't read her other work, but I'm looking forward to it after picking this one up on a whim. When a heart surgeon finds her husband in bed with his sexy co-anchor at the news station, she knows her first priority is making sure her family is all right. But when she's arrested for the anchorwoman's murder, she's left at the mercy of the justice system and her increasingly unhinged husband. Every twist and reveal feels organic, which doesn't often happen in thrillers. I really enjoyed the way her characters make bad decisions on occasion and keep secrets from one another in recognizable ways that don't just serve to move the plot forward in arbitrary fashion. Really strong, enjoyable read.

I was knocked out by this book, but in a slow-burn way. Gussin's prose has a way of sneaking up on you: it doesn't show off, because it doesn't have to. Many entries in this genre feel like chest-puffing exercises in braggadocio, but this novel relies on the basics: realistic plotting, solid characters and relentless pacing. A novel about adultery and how it fractures a marriage and a few lives in the process, Twisted Justice moves carefully through a plot that doesn't let up until the last sentence. Her work with different voices is amazing: she's equally comfortable with detailed medical jargon as she is with the rough criminal dialect of Florida mobsters. I won't ruin the ending, but I was genuinely surprised at the reveal of what actually happened in that blood-stained apartment...a treat for thriller aficionados of any stripe.