Twisted

Why is the identity of mega-best-selling crime-fiction author ""J. T. LeBeau"" so closely guarded? Why doesn't he come forward and bask in the glory of revealing himself to be Ken Follett, or perhaps even Stephen King? Maybe he has something to hide? Indeed, he does, much of it buried under concrete in basements of his various houses. Like the fictional LeBeau, whose trademark twists in his stories consistently drive astonishing sales, author Cavanagh offers a master class in the unguessable. Maria Cooper is full of resentment toward her husband, Paul, who rides around in a $90,000 Maserati while she is driving a four-year-old Nissan. She and her lover, Darryl, discover a bank statement that leads Maria to believe that Paul is J. T. LeBeau, but is he really? In her search for the answer, Maria will come to realize that in the hope of cashing in on the discovery, she has ""let a monster into her life. The narrative moves at a ferocious pace and culminates in a knockout punch the kind of ending you need to read one more time, then again, to make sure you really got it. Readers may utter an occasional Oh, come on! but they will devour every word. This stand-alone follows Cavanagh's hard-to-top international best-seller Thirteen (2019), the third of his Eddie Flynn legal thrillers.--Jane Murphy Copyright 2020 Booklist

In a note at the start of this clever standalone from Cavanagh (the Eddie Flynn series), the pseudonymous J.T. LeBeau, a bestselling thriller author, warns readers not to "believe a single word you read." Outside an L.A. theater where a memorial service is being held for LeBeau, Paul Cooper waits nervously, intent on shooting one of the mourners. Flash back four months. In Port Lonely on the East Coast, Maria, Paul's wife, who has begun an affair with Daryl Oakes, a waiter at the Coopers' country club, discovers a bank statement revealing that Paul has received $20 million from LeBeau Enterprises that he has concealed from her. Paul himself seems to be in hiding from a possible murderer. After Maria is brutally attacked and Paul disappears, local law-enforcement suspect Paul is involved in the attack and that Daryl also has a role; in any event, uncovering LeBeau's identity is crucial to cracking the case. Fresh twists on identity and motivation make up for some overly familiar final revelations. Cavanagh fans won't be disappointed, despite this not being his best. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management. (Feb.)