Twisted: A Novel [Hardcover]

Jonathan Kellerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hollywood homicide detective Petra Connor takes center stage in bestseller Kellerman's elaborate, suspenseful, albeit improbable, thriller. Connor, who assisted Kellerman's main series detective, psychologist Alex Delaware, in 2003's A Cold Heart, proves an engaging protagonist, fully capable of carrying a story on her own. She's investigating a seemingly random drive-by shooting that claimed four teenage victims when a precocious 22-year-old graduate student intern, Isaac Gomez, presents her with evidence that a serial killer has struck on the same day, June 28, every year for the past six years. Though his proof relies entirely on a statistical analysis he's performed, his unquestioned brilliance prompts Connor to do a little extracurricular digging that turns up suggestive clues supporting Gomez's theory. Meanwhile, after doggedly pursuing even the slightest lead in the drive-by shooting case, Connor suspects that one of the victims, perhaps the one who wasn't claimed by any next-of-kin, was deliberately targeted. While Connor finds the socially immature Gomez to be a challenging assistant, he displays considerable cool in the climactic showdown with the June 28 killer. Despite a last minute plot twist that comes out of left field, this is vintage Kellerman, sure to please his legions of fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Following her debut as Milo Sturgi's fellow officer in the Delaware/Sturgis mystery A Cold Heart (2003), L.A. Detective Petra Connor emerges on her own. Unfortunately, if Kellerman is testing the waters for a new series character, Petra, though tough enough and with the usual screwed-up love life, is nothing special. The best thing here is 22-year-old Isaac Gomez, a nerdy whiz kid who is investigating patterns in unsolved L.A. homicides for his doctoral dissertation. Although Petra is supposed to be working on the death of an unidentified teen in a drive-by shooting, when Isaac confronts her with several cold cases that have compelling links, she can't help but feel they deserve some attention, too. While Petra does most of the footwork, Isaac pulls up the background on his laptop and makes a few trips to the library, where an unusually randy librarian helps him out in both the physical and intellectual senses. The idea of a prodigy torn between his hardworking family and the excitement of police work is what supplies the energy here. Perhaps Kellerman should consider a series based on Isaac rather than Petra. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1ST edition (November 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345465253
• ISBN-13: 978-0345465252
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #725,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Kellerman is one of the world's most popular authors. He has brought his expertise as a clinical psychologist to more than thirty bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher's Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted,and True Detectives. With his wife, the novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored the bestsellers Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. He is the author of numerous essays, short stories, scientific articles, two children's books, and three volumes of psychology, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children, as well as the lavishly illustrated With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award.

Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California and New Mexico. Their four children include the novelist Jesse Kellerman.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really great Kellerman story stars Petra and Latino genius !, November 28, 2004

By 

Gerald M. Bull "Jerry Bull" (Fairview, TN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twisted: A Novel (Hardcover)

We're long-time Jonathan Kellerman fans, and have generally enjoyed his entire book list. We've noticed his last few books seemed to lack some of the interest and pizzazz of the earlier ones, particularly those featuring his leading man Alex Delaware. Noticing that "Twisted" is his fifth novel published in the last 24 months, counting his somewhat disappointing book co-authored with wife Faye ["Double Homicide"], we didn't have particularly high expectations for a stunning return to form. Surprise! Not only is this a Petra Conner story (her second starring role, plus a few bit parts here and there), but sidekick Isaac Gomez, a genius just barely out of his teens nearing completion of his PhD, is so interesting a character he steals the show, not to mention our hearts! Assigned as an intern to the LAPD, he shows Petra the results of some extensive statistical sampling of homicide case data he has compiled, noting unusual similarities between six cold cases that have never previously been considered connected. Although Petra is officially involved in a high profile shooting investigation, in which she shows very expertly her skills and persistence, she latches on to Isaac's work with great curiosity - and soon a spellbinding hunt for a possible serial killer is on. Some amusing (and sexy) incidents at the research library meanwhile shed some light on the murders, and a nice twist at the end wraps things up in a very cool fashion.

Kellerman's writing crafts have never been in question, but it just seemed lately he might be tiring. However, "Twisted" ranks to us with his best work: a clever plot, an intriguing mystery, some dogged police and amateur investigative work, with plenty of time to identify with and care about the principals, all add up to a most entertaining tale that was difficult to put down. One of the best books we've read this year deserves our high praise and five stars!

46 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can Barbie and a Young Genius Catch the Murderers?, November 25, 2004

By 

Tucker Andersen (Wall Street) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twisted: A Novel (Hardcover)

Warning #1: Alex Delaware does not appear in this novel; he is only mentioned briefly due to the fact that he has worked with one of the detectives previously.

Warning #2: There are some truly horrific murders described in gruesome and prolonged detail in this story. Normally such violence would disqualify a book for a five star rating from me, and in fact I might not have read the book if I had been aware of their inclusion. However, since in my view this depiction of detailed violence is essential to Kellerman's extremely clever plot, rather than reduce my rating I have chosen simply to warn potential readers that this is a book that has a true psychopath as one of the villains.

This is a police procedural that has it all: murderers to apprehend, character relationships to explore, and the tension of a race against time. Hollywood homicide detective Petra Conner (already known to Kellerman readers) hopes to take it easy after just solving two murders; however, she is awakened by a 1:15 AM call that four teenagers have just been gunned down in the parking lot of the Paradiso Club on Sunset Boulevard. Disappointingly, the eighteen "know-nothing" witnesses provide minimal information, no leads and no motive. In fact, the mystery is compounded by the fact that one of the young victims has no identification and as tare received matching her description. Thus, the department quickly reduces the manpower assigned to the case and it appears that it may end up in the cold casr file.

While Petra (you will also find out why she is called Barbie and what happened to Ken) doggedly continues to search for leads in that case, she is approached by Isaac Gomez, a twenty-one year old who genius who is writing his Ph.D. thesis in epidemiology and biostatistics. While Isaac researches his topic, which involves patterns of LA homicides, he is working as an LAPD intern assigned to Petra by a captain who dislikes her intensely. Isaac's statistical analysis has uncovered a seeming repetitive pattern linking several unsolved murders which previously seemed totally random and unrelated. Worse yet, if Isaac's seemingly bizarre analysis is correct, the serial killer will violently kill another victim in a few short weeks. After some initial skepticism, Petra decides she needs to privately investigate Isaac's thesis even as she hopes that he is wrong.

Juxtaposed against these investigations but extremely central to the plot are the frustrations of Petra's and Isaac's private lives. Due to his Special Forces military background, Eric Stahl, Petra's former partner and current lover, has been sent on a secret mission abroad as part of the new Homeland Security Squad. Meanwhile, Isaac has to handle the dichotomy between his evenings with his poor family in the marginal neighborhood in which they live and the elite world to which his intellect has gained him access.

This plot definitely has more than enough misdirection and action to keep it interesting. Meanwhile, the tight timeline adds considerable suspense as the countdown toward the apparent date of the next murder rapidly proceeds. However, the real charm of this book is due to the expertise of the author as a clinical psychologist; he manages to continually capture the seemingly true to life reactions of the central characters to the unfolding events. In fact, the delineation of the characters was the overwhelming source of the pleasure which I derived from this book. I was especially captivated by Isaac, a precocious young man whose intellectual development had far outpaced his social skills, a fact which leads to many anxious moments and difficult situations. Finally, while there are a few minor errors and one obvious mistake near the conclusion, the author did a better than usual job of tying together almost all the loose ends in a way that actually seemed an integral part of the story rather than just an afterthought. Therefore, this TWISTED tale receives my enthusiastic recommendation despite the gruesome portrayal of violence mentioned at the beginning of this review.

Tucker Andersen

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong police procedural, November 13, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twisted: A Novel (Hardcover)

LA Homicide Detective Petra Connor looks at the corpses of the four dead lying in a dance-club parking following a drive by massacre and wonders what connections beyond the club and death link these victims. A few days later, the girl in pink shoes remains a Jane Doe and the case is going nowhere frustrating Petra

At the same time that Petra struggles with no leads except rumors of a possible witness in hiding, twenty-two years old Ph.D. candidate Isaac Gomez has been analyzing homicide statistical patterns. He believes he has uncovered a trend involving a murderer who murders on June 28th and has for six years in row. No one in LAPD seems interested in the genius' findings writing him off as intellectual civilian and thereby ignoring any connections between these homicides though the MO are the same and none have been resolved. No one that is except Petra who knows that June 28th is coming soon and with the help of this young genius plans to end the serial killing of a twisted genius.

Petra is a strong effective cop as she makes her lead debut after being a minor player as an officer in A COLD HEART. However, she seems overshadowed by Isaac a refreshing character who brings trend analysis into the LAPD (and police procedurals) and struggles with what his family wants of him (not police work that for sure). The two prime cases are cleverly designed and Petra does a solid job, but TWISTED really soars when Isaac is front and center as even his personal life especially in the library is invigorating.

Harriet Klausner