Jonathan Kellerman is an international bestselling thriller writer chiefly known for his novels about Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who routinely helps out Los Angeles homicide detective Milo Sturgis. When The Bough Breaks, Kellerman’s first novel, introduced Alex Delaware. At the time, the author was still a working psychologist, specializing in child psychology, which was also Delaware’s field.
However, Kellerman sometimes breaks free of his primary series character for a run through new territory. The break isn't large in Twisted because Petra Connor, its central character, debuted in an Alex Delaware novel called A Cold Heart.
In Twisted, Petra Connor works as a homicide detective in Hollywood. She’s recently fallen in love Eric Stahl, her partner, and is still fumbling her way through that, trying to figure out how much it’s going to impact her life and whether or not she should even let it. Eric lost his wife and child to a drunk driver and has been emotionally dead for years. Petra’s love has brought him back to life somewhat, but neither of them know if it’s going to be enough to bring him all the way.
Petra doesn’t work within conventional boundaries. She’s abrasive and dogged in her approach. Once she’s dedicated herself to tracking down a murderer, Petra will do whatever she has to do to get the job done. That hardnosed approach has brought her trouble in the past, and it adds up quickly in this book.
As the novel opens up, Eric has been drawn back into military special forces and intelligence operations, which was where he’d come from before signing on with the LAPD. After the 9/11 bombing, with all the new openings at Homeland Security, Eric got moved back into military intelligence and is currently in the Middle East.
Petra struggles with being alone and trying to figure out where she’s going. Working the night shift, Petra gets called into a mass shooting that leaves several teenagers dead, including a girl wearing pink tennis shoes that remind Petra how young the victims are. Kellerman’s ear for dialogue and people’s actions and reactions in this scene is dead-on. The imagery is stark and moving, and propels the reader (listener, in this case) to start wondering why something like this would happen and who would do it.
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