Killer Twist (Ghostwriter Mystery 1)
By C.A. Larmer
3.5/5
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About this ebook
With slick black hair, tortoise-shell glasses and a penchant for cheap Merlot, Roxy Parker is a sassy new female detective ... except she’s not strictly a detective. Rather, she’s a writer with a taste for the morbid and mysterious—and this time her little sideline may get her in way over her head ...
In the first book of the Ghostwriter Mystery series, Roxy is hired to ghostwrite the life story of department store heiress Beatrice Musgrave. Beatrice has promised Roxy a secret worth writing about, but before she gets the chance to tell all, the socialite is found ripped to shreds at the bottom of a cliff. The police say it's suicide but Roxy knows better—there are too many people looking way too relieved.
And so she embarks on an investigation of her own. From the posh suburbs of inner-city Sydney to remote outback Australia, Roxy finds herself lured into a web of deceit where time has healed no wounds and no one is who they appear to be. One thing, however, is crystal clear: chasing headlines can be a deadly occupation. Roxy must also act fast—there's a menacing stranger threatening her life, a handsome best friend growing increasingly impatient, and her mother is really starting to get on her nerves.
Killer Twist is a fun, fast-paced adventure for anyone who loves a good cozy mystery with a little wine swilling and fashionable accessories on the side.
A Word of Caution About the Language
This story is set in Australia so you may come across some unusual colloquialisms and cursing. Both are an everyday part of our vernacular but I apologise for any confusion or offence; it is not intended.
C.A. Larmer
Christina (C.A.) Larmer tried writing a romance at the age of 13 but pretty soon she'd slaughtered the hero and planted it on the heroine. It was the beginning of a beautiful love affair that has now resulted in four crime series, including the Murder Mystery Book Club, the Sleuths of Last Resort, the Ghostwriter mysteries, the Posthumous Mystery series, a domestic suspense novel, and a stand-alone mystery masquerading as a family saga (she's fooling nobody).Born and bred in Papua New Guinea, Christina has lived and worked around the world from New York and Los Angeles to London and Sydney. A journalist, editor, teacher and mentor, she now runs an indie publishing business from the east coast of Australia, where she lives with her musician husband, two sons, a devilish 'Bluey' and countless koalas and snakes, none of which come close to the villains in her books. Well, maybe just the Bluey...Sign up for news, views, discounts and giveaways: calarmer.comGet in touch: christina@calarmer.com
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Titles in the series (7)
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Reviews for Killer Twist (Ghostwriter Mystery 1)
22 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Set in Australia, C.A. Larmer’s Killer Twist offers fascinatingly detailed locations, and an intriguing female protagonist with a solidly believable character. Protagonist Roxy is a ghostwriter, and I never knew ghostwriting could be so lucrative or so dangerous. Though, to be fair, the danger might come from the writing of magazine articles too, or anything else she’s recently tackled. (I want to learn her job.)Roxy’s agent’s got her back. A stranger’s hand slaps her back, sending her flying into danger in the street. And to get her own life back, she just might have to emulate Hercule Poirot. Meanwhile mundane laundry and shopping intervene.“Finding work was never a real problem for this talented writer,” so I suspect I’m not as talented as Roxy—I’m sure I'm not as talented at surviving death threats and danger. But I really enjoyed the read.Disclosure: I won an ecopy and thoroughly enjoyed the read.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I read this book for my World Challenge as the author was born in Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately the book itself is set in Sydney. I much prefer it if the book is set in the country of birth so that I can get a feel for that country, but that’s not always possible. This book could have been set anywhere – there is no sense of the author’s background at all. I do have another option - Mama Kuma: One Woman, Two Cultures by Deborah Carlyon who was born in Papua – but that’s not available from my library so I will probably leave it for now.
This is a self-published book. This one was free – there are other sequels to it which cost – I guess the author is hoping that people will enjoy the first in the series and then pay for the rest. I’m not against self-published books but I do think that e-readers are perhaps making it harder for customers to choose well-written self-published books. The basic storyline for this was not bad – a little predictable but quite enjoyable, but the writing let it down – this book is in desperate need of a good editor.
The first thing that grated was the Scottish accent of the café owner. Sometimes he had a Scottish accent and sometimes he didn’t. He used phrases such as “looky booger” A Chinese housekeeper speaks thus: “T’ankyou velly much” – I mean, come on!
On page 54 it was Saturday morning but by page 56 it was suddenly Sunday morning –and the worse thing, as far as I am concerned was her describing a detective as being “stood standing in the official ‘at ease’ position” – that’s just terrible grammar!1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really enjoyed this story. The mystery was great and kept me chasing all the loose ends, which wrapped up in a satisfying ending.
1 person found this helpful