Twisted, by Jeffery Deaver
Short stories with surprises inside; trying too hard
(Review posted 20 Aug 2004 03:01:22)

I listened to this in audiobook form, but I don't think that had much to do with my opinion of it.

The ideal twist or surprise story (think O. Henry) starts out as a good story, a story you've enjoyed reading so far, and then at the very end, in the last paragraph or the last sentence or in the very last word, something happens that reaches back and changes your entire understanding of what you've just read, and you think back over it again, and it's all different and now it's an even better story.

Few of the stories in "Twisted" aspire to that standard, and none reach it. Most of these stories start out as sordid and uninteresting stories about flat and obvious characters, go on for a bit too long doing that, and then something happens and you find out that it's really a different sordid story about different flat and obvious characters, and then it goes on for a bit too long making sure you got the surprise, and then it finally ends.

Even in the one case ("Triangle") where I'd found the main part of the story nearly interesting, and the twist had come as a complete surprise that made me go back and re-evaluate the entire thing, the effect was severely diminished by how long the story went on purposelessly after the twist, just to make sure I'd gotten it, and had time to admire the author's cleverness.

Not particularly recommended.