A Twist of the Knife

Although A Twist of the Knife is the 3rd book in the Brigid Quinn series, I decided to jump straight in and I'm really pleased that I did. For me, you can tell that this is part of a series as the characters are already very well developed and I think I missed out a little bit by not reading the first 2 books (something I do intend to remedy very soon). Putting that to one side, this is a great book and there is so much going on that your head will be in a spin until the cleverly drawn out conclusion.

A Twist of the Knife has one of the most chilling prologues I have ever read, as Brigid witnesses her first execution. 35 years later Brigid heads to Florida as her Dad is in hospital and whilst there meets up with Laura Coleman. Laura is show more working on a death row case, that of Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children. The bodies of the children were never found, which has caught the attention of Alison Samuels who works for an organisation specialising in locating missing children. With four days left before Marcus Creighton is executed, can Laura, with help from Brigid, prove that he didn't kill his family and will Alison Samuels find the missing Creighton children?

Brigid Quinn is such a feisty character. She keeps her emotions very close to her chest and I loved her interactions with her very dysfunctional family over her father's hospital bed. The Quinns know just which buttons to press in each other and you can almost feel them fizzing with barely controlled emotions. It was while enjoying such scenes that I realised how much of the building up of Brigid's character that I had missed by not reading the first 2 books. Not that it spoiled my enjoyment of the story at all, I just think it would have been enhanced by knowing more about her in advance.

The story of Marcus Creighton was excellent. Not that I could say whether it was accurate or not, but the police procedural element appeared to have been meticulously researched. I felt like I was in a race against time as the countdown to Marcus's execution began and I truly believed that he was as innocent as Laura claimed him to be. Will Brigid be able to uncover the truth before it is too late? You will just have to read it and see!

This definitely has the potential to be a 5 star book but, through no fault of the author, I have awarded 4 stars purely because I felt that I was missing something. Totally my fault by not reading the books in order, but it is the mark of a good book when I am looking to add the earlier books to my TBR pile in order to catch up with Brigid's story.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

In "A Twist of the Knife," by Becky Masterman, sixty-year old retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn travels from her home in Arizona to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to visit her seriously ill father and distraught mother. As if this isn't enough to occupy her mind, Brigid becomes involved in the death penalty case of Marcus Creighton, thanks to her former colleague, Laura Coleman. Laura works as an investigator for William Hench, an attorney who does pro bono work on behalf of felons on Death Row. Creighton, who has been in prison for fifteen years, has little time left. If no new exculpatory evidence comes to light, he will soon be put to death by lethal injection for murdering his wife, son, and two daughters. Laura believes that Marcus is show more innocent, and is working with Hench to gather information that she hopes will earn the doomed man a stay of execution. Brigid goes over the case notes and agrees to assist Laura in any way she can. When another victim's body turns up, Brigid suspects that the latest murder is linked to the Creighton inquiry.

Not only must she cope with her father’s decline, but Brigid is also the target of her mother’s resentment. The three Quinn siblings have not been not dutiful children; in fact, Brigid is the only one who visits her hospitalized father regularly. However, her relationship with her mother is prickly, and Brigid has no desire to engage in verbal sparring during this difficult time. When she is not at the hospital, Brigid is busy tracking down anything she can learn about the Creightons: She interviews the detective who was in charge of the case; studies the transcript of the trial testimony; speaks with Marcus; and wrangles with a woman named Alison Samuels, who is a passionate advocate for missing and exploited children. Alison wants Creighton to pay the ultimate price for his crimes.

This is an intense novel that deals with such themes as the pros and cons of capital punishment; the often contentious relationship between parents and children; and the tragic consequences of the terrible mistakes people make, the secrets they keep, and the lies that they tell. The darkly humorous dialogue is terrific; the forensics are fascinating; Masterman wisely avoids sentimental contrivances; and the characters are, for the most part, flawed human beings whose good intentions do not prevent them from making horrendous decisions. This is an engrossing entry in a quirky series whose heroine hides her goodhearted nature behind a tough and sarcastic façade. Brigid Quinn uses her considerable intellect, common sense, and blunt but effective communication skills to help uncover the truth at last. show less

I have read and enjoyed Becky Masterman's previous two Brigid Quinn books Rage Against the Dying and Fear the Darkness, and I really looked forward to A Twist of the Knife. While still a strong book, I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as the other two.

I think one of my problems was the fact that I missed two things quite a bit: the Tucson setting of the other books, and the absence of Brigid's husband Carlo. Carlo is such a wise, strong, comforting presence that Skyping and phone calls just didn't cut the mustard for me. Perhaps it's because I identify too strongly with Brigid, another woman who found the love of her life after the age of fifty. Watching Brigid become accustomed to sharing her life with another person has been a show more pleasure for me.

Due to the scheduled execution date of the condemned man, the action of A Twist of the Knife takes place within a very short period of time, and Brigid has to go nonstop in order to take care of both her parents and of her share of the investigation. Masterman made me feel as exhausted as Brigid had to be.

Family dynamics play a crucial role in this book. After all, the man is on death row for killing his family, and we have the added drama of Brigid's own family web of secrets. Her relationship with her parents has always been troubled, and we learn the reasons why. Her father is gravely ill. Her mother is acting very strangely. She's unhappy with her brother Todd who's ignoring his father's illness and concentrating on the same investigation on which his sister is working. Many times it felt as though Brigid's own family situation was working against the subplot of proving (or disproving) the condemned man's innocence, and this weakened both storylines for me a bit.

A Twist of the Knife is still a good, strong book with a main character I'm addicted to. How can I resist a woman who's seen so much evil, who's experienced so much, and who now believes that "we're all mysteries that can't be solved"? show less

Did I read the same book as these other reviewers? This third entry in the Brigid Quinn series is a clunker. Although the feisty, 60-ish Quinn is still a great character, author Becky Masterman sends her to Florida and surrounds her with deadly dull situations and people. I found that I really didn't care about the guy on death row or the circumstances that got him there, or any of the others involved, including the boring FBI colleague Laura Coleman, or the (yawn) subplot with Brigid's aging parents. The energy and plot pacing in the first two books were MIA in this one. Go back to Arizona, Ms. Quinn!

Being a newbie to this series, I like that I was able to jump right into this book having no background of the characters. The way this book started had me hooked. From there my level of interest pretty much stayed the same all the way through until the end. I like the way that the author had me conflicted between if Marcus was innocent or guilty. Mrs. Masterman kept me wondering if Brigid was truly fighting for the right man. Therefore, I could not stop reading to find out the truth.

Speaking of Brigid. She is a bit of a flawed character, which makes her perfect. She had family issues that did play out some in this story. Yet, I was glad to she that she was not perfect as it made her more personable. I felt some tension between she and show more her brother but it was nice to see them come together to work on this case. To be honest, I did not see the "twist" in the story. I look forward to going back and checking out the prior novels. show less

A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman is a 201i Minotaur publication.

This third installment in this series sends Brigid to Florida, where her father is facing a serious health crisis- but her main reason for this trip is to touch base with her former partner, Laura, who needs Brigid’s help with a case involving a death row inmate she feels certain is innocent.

The situation is urgent, as the execution date is quickly approaching.

While Brigid is not totally convinced of the man’s innocence, she goes all in to help Laura search for the evidence needed to save his life.

Any story centered around a race against time saga that could save the life of a potentially innocent person sitting on death row, about to be executed, is certain show more to be a tense and compelling drama.

Brigid’s view is pragmatic, where as Laura has allowed herself to become emotionally involved. The did he- or didn’t he- factor keeps the reader conflicted, and the ethical issues with Laura adds to the uncertainty.

While the story is absorbing, it doesn’t have the same edge as the two previous installments. Despite that, it is still a solid entry in the series and provides the reader with bit more insight into Brigid’s family dynamic, as well.

While not the best addition, I still enjoyed the story and am looking forward to meeting up with Brigid again in the near future.

3.5 stars show less

The usual disclaimers: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for a review -- thank you! Also, while this is the third book in a series, I haven't read the first two.

A Twist of the Knife is one heck of a read. The protagonist is awesome (and also pushing 60, which is something that I don't often see in a thriller). The character development is impressive. And the plot is gripping and deftly provides information about capital punishment.

Definitely recommended if you're looking for an intelligent, thought-provoking, can't-put-it-down mystery.