Behind a Twisted Smile

by Faith Mortimer

Behind a Twisted Smile (A Dark Minds Mystery Suspense Thriller)

What do you do when an ex-lover won’t take no for an answer? Moya thinks Martyn will eventually take the hint, but the rejected lover has no such intention.

Three weeks later, Moya meets her older sister, Evie, at a picnic and learns she has recently met the man of her dreams. Only problem is, he’s Moya’s spurned ex.

Almost at once, Moya finds herself in a long and terrifying ordeal; she has to deal with an adversary who loves playing sinister mind games.

As the months slip away, the mental battles with Martyn move insidiously towards physical conflict. A conflict where only one person will step away…. alive…

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2014

About the author

Faith Mortimer was born in Manchester and educated in Singapore, Malaya and Hampshire, England. A Registered nurse,then changed careers to oversee a number of travel and sport related companies. Faith is happily married and has two children. She lives in the south of England and so far, has written three series of books which are also, all standalone novels.

ALL BOOKS ARE PUBLISHED IN PAPERBACK & EBOOK FORM:

NEW! PARADISE PRISON published 7th Jan 2017 #4th book in The Dark Minds Psychological Thriller Series http://amzn.to/2gD2u8G

A VERY DISTANT AFFAIR #5 book in the Very Affair series (all standalone). Set in England and Australia. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Distant...

THE GREEN ROOM #3rd book in The Dark Mind Psychological Thriller Series. Is NOW published!! Set in England http://amzn.to/1N1t7rO

THE ASSASSINS' VILLAGE,#1 Diana Rivers Series Murder mystery set in Cyprus. This novel was chosen by Harper Collins/Authonomy to be the Number 1 book. ttp://amzn.to/1DJ0s8r

CHILDREN OF THE PLANTATION,#2 Diana Rivers Series, murder mystery, set in Malaysia during the 1950s & the present. http://amzn.to/1AX0NVA

THE SURGEON'S BLADE,#3 Diana Rivers Series A tense psychological thriller set in England. http://amzn.to/1IAgrX8

THE BAMBOO MIRROR. An eclectic collection of short stories, covering ghosts, murder, mystery, romance and greed. http://amzn.to/1xOEeB1

THE SEEDS OF TIME BOOK 1 THE CROSSING. Set in Europe. Romance/Drama/Action. http://amzn.to/1AFLC43

HARVEST BOOK 2 THE CROSSING. Set in Europe. Romance/Drama/Action http://amzn.to/1shmqhs

CAMERA ACTION...MURDER! #4 Diana Rivers Series Mystery/suspense. Set in England. http://amzn.to/1tVdq2y

A VERY FRENCH AFFAIR,Edgy romantic drama.Set on the south coast of France. http://amzn.to/17taQH1

CHILDHUNT #5 Diana Rivers Series. Psychological Suspense Thriller, set in Cyprus. http://amzn.to/1AX02Mg

ON DEVIL'S BRAE #1 in the Dark Minds Series, set in Scotland: Psychological Suspense Thriller http://amzn.to/14FJqMY

ON CHRISTMAS HILL A Seasonal Romance in The Very Affair Series, set in England. http://amzn.to/1y2LJn0

A DEADLY LEARNING,The 6th #Diana Rivers Mystery suspense, set in Portugal. http://amzn.to/1y0q6GU

A VERY ENGLISH AFFAIR - Edgy romantic drama, set in England. http://amzn.to/14FJfRQ

BEHIND A TWISTED SMILE - #2 Dark Minds Psychological Thriller, set in England. http://amzn.to/1AWYEcy

NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS - Edgy romantic drama in The Very Affair Series, set in England. http://amzn.to/1y2Lpog

THE GREEN ROOM #3rd book in The Dark Minds Psychological Thriller Series. Set in England http://amzn.to/1N1t7rO

A VERY DISTANT AFFAIR Taut romantic drama, set in England and Australia. http://amzn.to/2hqySYN

NEW! PARADISE PRISON published 7th Jan 2017 #4th book in The Dark Minds Psychological Thriller Series http://amzn.to/2gD2u8G

I'm always glad to talk to readers & answer questions...contact me:

Please follow on Facebook on page, www.facebook.com/FaithMortimer.Author

Twitter @FaithMortimer

Website,
http://www.faithmortimerauthor.com

Happy reading and thanks for dropping by!x

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind a Twisted Smile is the second book in the Dark Mind series. There is no need to have read the first one as they are both stand alone novels, though after reading this one I am pretty certain you will want to read Devil's Brae which is the first.

I have to say Faith really got the adrenalin coursing through me with this book. I'm not a violent person but by heck did I want to give quite a few characters a really good slap for being so blind.

Moya is a very independent lady and after catching her new boyfriend Martyn snooping on her computer she has no problem in sending him packing. Moya thinks she has seen the last of him until her older sister Evie introduces her new boyfriend to her.

From this point on, Moyas whole life just spirals downwards. Martyn very quickly wins all her family and friends round so that he has everyone believing that Moya is taking the break up badly and it is him that ended it with her.

Martyn is one character that the reader will dislike from the start and to be honest by the end I just felt pure hatred for the horrible man that he really is.

It was so frustrating as only the reader and Moya could see Martyn for who he really is and I often had to stop myself from screaming and shouting at my kindle at the injustice that Moyas friends and family were showing her.

Behind a Twisted Smile is one seriously twisted read. I honestly thought I had found all my favourite reads from this year but this one has just jumped right up there with the others.

If you love psychological thrillers this is one that is an absolute must read.

[Tracy Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

started this at 11pm and basically read it all night. A great psychological thriller which I literally could not put down

[JESSICA · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars - For Getting A Rise Out Of Me! And Nearly Destroying My Kindle! ;)


Omfg! This was one fast-paced terrific psychological thriller. Which kept me on the edge, and pissed me off greatly. It was so frustrating to sit back and watch Moya, all the hardships she went through without anyone on her side. No one to believe her. Her family was something else! Especially her desperate sister! And don't get me started on her so-called best friend - total b*tch! It's truly amazing how some complete stranger could just come in and wreak havoc on people's lives. I absolutely hated and I mean hated Martyn, I swear that man was the devil in the flesh. He deserved an Oscar for his performance. What a deceitful and manipulate man.

I’d highly recommend it if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers.

[Victoria Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an excellent psychological thriller. I couldn't put it down - literally been glued to it for the last couple of hours. It's creepy, filled with suspense and a great read. It's very well written and I was sucked into the story straight away. This is my first Faith Mortimer book, although the book description says #2 Dark Minds - you don't need to read another Faith Mortimer book to enjoy this one. I look forward to reading more of this author's books asap.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

I gave this 4* on Amazon, 3.5* on my blog and 3* on here as on Goodreads 3* means 'I liked it'

Keen marathon runner Moya Waterford has had a brief relationship with Martyn Cousins, and thinks she will hear no more from him when she calls it a day. This, however, is when the trouble starts, as he insinuates himself into the life of her family and manages to convince everyone that he is a really nice guy. Moya suspects differently, especially when she finds out details about his past. Alas, no-one believes her....

This is a fairly standard plot, but it's in the telling, right? I sped through the first fifty per cent of the book on a long train journey without even noticing I had read so much of it; I found the writing style very readable, and there were no long boring bits or diversions that might have tempted me to skip read. Martyn was delightfully slimy, sister Evie and mother Belinda irritating in their naiveté; the dialogue is mostly smooth and the book starts with a good punch.

I'm in two minds about this one; one the one hand I did enjoy it, but on the other hand I felt frustrated by it because the whole premise by which the plot hangs is, I think, unfeasible. Very slight spoiler alert here; skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know anything at all about the plot. Right from the beginning Martyn gives Moya's friends and family the impression that he dumped her and she is upset and jealous because he is now with her sister, Evie. So why doesn't Moya make clear that it is she who finished it and she doesn't even like him much, thus putting her family in the picture about what sort of man he is? She's supposed to be a strong, outspoken sort of woman but for some reason is struck dumb about this detail until much later. Next, someone from Martyn's past travels hundreds of miles to reveal shocking details about her own experience with him, and to warn Moya that he is dangerous, but, curiously, Moya does little about it, and doesn't even seem to give it more than a cursory consideration although the pattern is clearly repeating itself. When she does finally start to reveal details, her lifelong best friend chooses to believe Martyn over her, despite all the evidence.

I liked Faith Mortimer's writing style; she knows what she's doing with tension building, dramatic effect, etc and I'd be happy to read another book by her; if you are good at suspending disbelief this might work for you (as I can see by the reviews it has for many), but for me it needed more thinking out, perhaps another draft or two to tighten up the prose, and less inclusion of unlikely occurrences in order to push the plot forward. I was expecting much more of a twist in the tale all the way through, and suspected another character's involvement in the evil-doing; I thought I'd been really clever and guessed it at 57% but I was wrong. A really great twist at the end would have made the novel so much stronger, but I'd still recommend it if you like this sort of book.

[Ciclochick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Look out, Glenn Close. Your bunny-boiling crown has been stolen, well and truly.

This second book in Faith’s Dark Minds series really makes you forget to breathe. The suspense is, quite literally, breathtaking!

I’m going to be very bold and say that this is Faith’s best offering yet. And that’s saying something, when Faith never writes anything but a cracking book.

When Moya breaks off her rather brief and somewhat unexciting relationship with Martyn, she expects that that will be it: a short liaison that didn’t work out. They’ll both move on. But imagine her surprise when her sister, unaware Martyn and Moya have already met, introduces him to her a short while later. And, it seems, they’re totally besotted with each other. But Moya is unsettled…and worried. Her anxieties are further intensified when Martyn starts to act deviously and manipulatively. He is not going to let her go that easily.

With her usual dexterity, Faith keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very end. All devoted fans won’t fail to be delighted with this book and any new reader, who might be pondering whether or not to take a chance on an author they’ve not read before, will become an avid member of the Mortimer club instantly.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very rare five stars from me for this book. I was gripped from the first page. I was with Moya all the way. Every book I have read by Faith Mortimer has been good but with this one she is at her best. I don't believe in revealing the story but if you like a strong female lead you wan't go wrong with this book. Recommended.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read but nothing particularly exciting about this book. The story had the potential to go a lot further, disappointingly it did not.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had previously read two of Faith Mortimer's books in the Diana River's Mystery series and really enjoyed them-Book#3 The Surgeon's Blade and Book#7 A Brutal Trade. I will be reading the rest in that series but this one caught my eye!

Moya dumps Martyn after a couple of weeks-but somehow it all gets twisted and Moya is made out to be the bad one when Martyn somehow ends up dating Moya's older sister-then her friend's younger sister. Close family and friends of Moya's start dying and Moya knows in her heart who did it. But how can she convince others when the killer is so kind and considerate to everyone. Martyn is a true psychopath and only Moya can see through him. Can Moya somehow prove her case and can Martyn get his just deserts? I think he did! But you will never guess how unless you read this novel!

Behind a Twisted Smile is a psychological suspense thriller that you won't want to miss reading. I just finished it and there are chills running up and down my spine. The thought that this was based on a true life scenario makes it even more chilling.
Behind a Twisted Smile

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moya has a brief fling with Martyn but after he effectively breaks into her flat and uses her computer without her knowledge, she realises there’s no real relationship there and she dumps him. Just a few weeks later, she finds he’s going out with her sister and making out to her family that he finished the relationship and she’s bitter about it. He has every appearance of being a gold-digger but nobody else can see past his immense charm. As the story progresses, more people are taken in by Martyn and Moya feels increasingly isolated, until she meets Jon. The story had me so paranoid I wondered about him, too.

As I read on, I felt Moya’s frustration at the degree of manipulation Martyn brought into play. I seemed to be the only one who believed her! The final acts of the story were very tense and exciting and I enjoy this a great deal. I think I need to read more of Faith Mortimer’s books!

[Joey Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the Dark Minds series and I was not disappointed. A typical story of guy meets girl, girl rejects guy and guy turns out to be a stalker. I won't say anymore as it spoils the pace of the story. Once again, the characters were excellently crafted and I found myself desperate to know where the story was going and if Moya would eve be able to put things to rest without worrying. A true psychological thriller that was fast paced and down right scary at times. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking for the next in the series when it comes out. Faith is a great author and one I have come to enjoy immensely. Five stars and highly recommended!

[Tom Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faith Mortimer. 2nd in series.
Behind A Twisted Smile.
This book will have you at your wits end. One of the best books you will read this year, but beware of your blood pressure rising. The bad guy in this story will have you shouting at your kindle, my family think I am crazy. The further you go in this book, the better it becomes. But be warned the bad guy only gets worse. I can assure you 5 stars is no where near enough for this book.
5 stars + 21 November 2014.

[Hilary Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely one of the best reads in the last few months. Up there with my favourites. Kept me hooked from page one right until the end. Generally, you could guess the plot, but there was the odd glitch that surprised me.

It was well written and captivating and at times breathtaking.

Will definitely look out for more from this author and recommend it highly to all those physological thriller addicts and generally to people who enjoy a good exciting read.

[Marla Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot, but the story seemed vaguely familiar to me. Either it was similar to another I've read, or it is a re-release.
Either way, great suspense story, keeps you reading from page one, eagerly awaiting the outcome. I thought at times Moya was rather
unbelievable in what she put up with from her friends and family, though, but it fit the storyline.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book as soon as it was available and Faith has done it again. The story line and the characters pull you in from the first pages and keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. This is another must read from Faith for anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced exciting thriller.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a 'Can't Put it Down' read- loved it!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book . Revenge is best served cold . The ending was just how I imagined it to be . Another 5 star book

[CaroleL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compelling psychological story which kept me on the edge of my seat, Even to get up at 6.15 am to finish reading it! A damn good read

[Cyteria Nicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough read

Slow and repetitive. Moya proved to be very gullible and not very smart. She could have saved many lives if she was more persistent with her beliefs. Very hard to finish.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent thriller, this book kept me on edge suspecting all the characters a great read

[Julie Mckay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm really not sure how anyone could give this book more than 1 star. The storyline was pathetic and totally unbelievable. Absolute garbage!

[Karren321 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. I feel like the writer just finished some sort of writing course and the plot line was very run of the mill