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Twenty-Seven Strands
The scariest monsters don't hide in the shadows.
They hide in plain sight... smiling back at you.
A PERFECT LIFE. A PERFECT SETUP.
A killer who's been waiting twenty-seven years.
She was just a mom running errands.
A quick trip to Target while her son was at baseball practice was supposed to be an ordinary Saturday morning.
Instead, Bailey Henderson is arrested for the brutal murder of a woman she insists she's never met.
The evidence is undeniable.
Her DNA.
The victim's car.
A motive prosecutors can't wait to present to a jury.
There is only one problem.
Bailey is innocent.
As the investigation unfolds, long-buried secrets begin surfacing in a quiet Oklahoma town. A grieving wife. A broken marriage. A devoted friend. A runaway with a violent past.. A mechanic haunted by old demons.
Everyone has something to hide.
While police are convinced they've caught a killer...
The real monster is still carrying out his plan.
SOME MURDERS ARE ABOUT REVENGE.
THIS ONE WAS NEVER ABOUT THE VICTIM.
Experience Twenty-Seven Strands, the unforgettable debut psychological thriller by Oklahoma native Nellie Holman. A relentless race against time, a desperate search for the truth, and twists you won't see coming.
They hide in plain sight... smiling back at you.
A PERFECT LIFE. A PERFECT SETUP.
A killer who's been waiting twenty-seven years.
She was just a mom running errands.
A quick trip to Target while her son was at baseball practice was supposed to be an ordinary Saturday morning.
Instead, Bailey Henderson is arrested for the brutal murder of a woman she insists she's never met.
The evidence is undeniable.
Her DNA.
The victim's car.
A motive prosecutors can't wait to present to a jury.
There is only one problem.
Bailey is innocent.
As the investigation unfolds, long-buried secrets begin surfacing in a quiet Oklahoma town. A grieving wife. A broken marriage. A devoted friend. A runaway with a violent past.. A mechanic haunted by old demons.
Everyone has something to hide.
While police are convinced they've caught a killer...
The real monster is still carrying out his plan.
SOME MURDERS ARE ABOUT REVENGE.
THIS ONE WAS NEVER ABOUT THE VICTIM.
Experience Twenty-Seven Strands, the unforgettable debut psychological thriller by Oklahoma native Nellie Holman. A relentless race against time, a desperate search for the truth, and twists you won't see coming.
386 pages, Paperback
Published July 10, 2026
About the author
Nellie Holman
1 book6 followers**A Note About the Formatting**
I made one intentional formatting choice while writing *Twenty-Seven Strands* that I'd like to share.
I intentionally chose shorter paragraphs and more visual breaks throughout the novel rather than filling every page with dense, margin-to-margin text. For me, this creates a faster pace and makes it easier to stay immersed in the story. It wasn't a formatting error or an oversight—it was a deliberate creative decision.
This book was written by someone with ADHD for readers who, like me, find heavily condensed pages harder to stay engaged with. My hope was to create a reading experience that feels inviting, fast-paced, and easy to settle into—one that keeps the focus on the story rather than the page itself.
I know every reader has different preferences, and that's one of the things I love about books. Some enjoy longer, more traditional formatting, while others appreciate a quicker visual rhythm. Neither is right or wrong. I'm just trying to make reading a better experience for people like me with shorter attention spans.
Thank you for taking a chance on my debut novel. I hope you enjoy the journey through Red Creek as much as I enjoyed creating it.
I made one intentional formatting choice while writing *Twenty-Seven Strands* that I'd like to share.
I intentionally chose shorter paragraphs and more visual breaks throughout the novel rather than filling every page with dense, margin-to-margin text. For me, this creates a faster pace and makes it easier to stay immersed in the story. It wasn't a formatting error or an oversight—it was a deliberate creative decision.
This book was written by someone with ADHD for readers who, like me, find heavily condensed pages harder to stay engaged with. My hope was to create a reading experience that feels inviting, fast-paced, and easy to settle into—one that keeps the focus on the story rather than the page itself.
I know every reader has different preferences, and that's one of the things I love about books. Some enjoy longer, more traditional formatting, while others appreciate a quicker visual rhythm. Neither is right or wrong. I'm just trying to make reading a better experience for people like me with shorter attention spans.
Thank you for taking a chance on my debut novel. I hope you enjoy the journey through Red Creek as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 23, 2026
Debut twisty thriller which was a relatively quick read. I found it quite enjoyable however it is a hard to keep track of the characters and how they relate to one another as there’s quite a lot going on.
July 28, 2026
It was a good easy read. Difficult to keep up with characters. I’m just a little confused about when the hair and Stanley cup was gathered during an auto detail- immediately thought it was Sam. I don’t recall Levi being in her car cleaning it, unless I misunderstood that part
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2026
Great story
I throughly enjoyed the story. Kept me guessing to the end. Great characters that I will remember for a long time.
I throughly enjoyed the story. Kept me guessing to the end. Great characters that I will remember for a long time.
July 29, 2026
Overall enjoyed the book. Like a few others , it was confusing when it came to all of the characters and how they intertwined. There were a few times I had to go back and re-read .
July 28, 2026
This could be a good book…however it was too fast, rushed. Not enough detail to give real background about the characters to help the reader know and learn them; and there were so many introduced so quickly. It was hard to keep track of people. To me, this was like a loose rough draft that didn’t have details added in. No info about the timeline or who you were reading about with each chapter. It was confusing in some ways because of that. Easily could give that information without giving anything away in the book. The book was roughly 380 pages however the font was huge and like 120 words on a page. If lines were filled it would be half as many pages. Novice writer, but has potential to put out some great books eventually.
July 24, 2026
Meh- read quickly. Too predictable for me.
July 28, 2026
2.5ish stars // Stopped reading @ 150 pages.
The storyline had the potential to be good, and I appreciated the shorter chapters, HOWEVER, the number of characters was just too much. I was very difficult to keep track of them (the names were not titled on the first page of the chapter, which could have helped).
There were also quite a few grammatical errors, which normally wouldn't be a huge deal, but it was hard to follow (example, lack of quotations made it hard to determine if it was a thought or someone speaking).
I started reading this based on great reviews in Facebook groups.
The storyline had the potential to be good, and I appreciated the shorter chapters, HOWEVER, the number of characters was just too much. I was very difficult to keep track of them (the names were not titled on the first page of the chapter, which could have helped).
There were also quite a few grammatical errors, which normally wouldn't be a huge deal, but it was hard to follow (example, lack of quotations made it hard to determine if it was a thought or someone speaking).
I started reading this based on great reviews in Facebook groups.
July 24, 2026
a great book!
What a great first book for my Nellie! It’s one of those Thrillers where you think you have it figured out but then a curveball. Nellie is a friend of mine and I love that she has the location in our home state of Oklahoma with a small town feel. Everybody knows everybody or at least you think you do! She already in the process of writing her second book and I can’t wait to read it too!!
What a great first book for my Nellie! It’s one of those Thrillers where you think you have it figured out but then a curveball. Nellie is a friend of mine and I love that she has the location in our home state of Oklahoma with a small town feel. Everybody knows everybody or at least you think you do! She already in the process of writing her second book and I can’t wait to read it too!!
August 2, 2026
Thank you for the accessible formatting!!
Engaging story with a twisty plot line! I read this book in two days and I will be waiting anxiously for her next release.
Also, as someone who struggles with ADHD, I cannot express enough how much I appreciate the formatting of this book!
It’s everything I never knew I needed in my life and it’s going to be difficult to go back to “normal” formatting now. Thank you!
Engaging story with a twisty plot line! I read this book in two days and I will be waiting anxiously for her next release.
Also, as someone who struggles with ADHD, I cannot express enough how much I appreciate the formatting of this book!
It’s everything I never knew I needed in my life and it’s going to be difficult to go back to “normal” formatting now. Thank you!
July 21, 2026
I dont know where all the 5 * reviews are coming from. This is my opinion
I started reading this as people had said it was an easy read and they couldnt put it down.
Found it really hard to follow. Didn't hold my interest. Found it hard to work out the characters and how they fit in, constantly swapping and changing. I gave up after 100 pages.
I started reading this as people had said it was an easy read and they couldnt put it down.
Found it really hard to follow. Didn't hold my interest. Found it hard to work out the characters and how they fit in, constantly swapping and changing. I gave up after 100 pages.
July 24, 2026
4⭐️
I thought this was a pretty good story. Definitely a page turner and a quick read. I like a good murder mystery. It was a bit predictable and there was a lot going on with how many characters there were. Overall, good creepy story.
I thought this was a pretty good story. Definitely a page turner and a quick read. I like a good murder mystery. It was a bit predictable and there was a lot going on with how many characters there were. Overall, good creepy story.
July 24, 2026
Too many insignificant characters and storylines that don’t amount to anything. I thought because it was so confusing and didn’t tie together at all that it would’ve come together at the end but it failed to do so. Probably the most unremarkable book I’ve ever read.
August 1, 2026
Okkk was a very quick read. But oh my kind of a mess. Soooo many characters. I couldn't keep them all straight. Even at the end I was like wait who was that again? The story was good. It was just hard to get to. Does it seem like a sequel is coming? The epilogue kinda hinted at it I think.
Did Not Finish
August 6, 2026Quit reading at 19%. I hated the format of one sentence at a time, there were way too many characters to keep track of, and when the writing switched from 3rd person to 1st person all on the same page, I decided I was done.
July 19, 2026
Don't start reading if you have things to do. Once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down! It's an easy to read, psycological-thriller, with twists you just don't see coming.
July 21, 2026
This book is excellent, thought I had it figured out all the way to the last few chapters, so many twists and turns, but I was SURPRISED! Can’t wait for the sequel
July 21, 2026
The book had too many characters, so I had to stop reading and create a relationship tree for all of them. It's a fast read, but not particularly intriguing or exciting—just okay.
July 22, 2026
It was amazing! I read it all in one day. This is a book you just can’t put down.
July 28, 2026
I don't love to read, but I found this book easy and fast-pces. Great twist.
July 31, 2026
Really enjoyed this read, definitely had a little trouble keeping track of the characters and who was with who/etc but enjoyed it.
August 2, 2026
amazing!
Loved this book! Kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend this thriller!
Loved this book! Kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend this thriller!
August 5, 2026
Enjoyed reading it. Kept me interested but the amount of characters made it hard to follow at times.
August 5, 2026
Fast paced thriller!
A lot of characters so it did jump
Back and forth a bit.
Overall I really enjoyed this book!
A lot of characters so it did jump
Back and forth a bit.
Overall I really enjoyed this book!
August 7, 2026
Such a fast, fantastic read that left me guessing from the beginning!
August 9, 2026
I loved everything about this book. The formatting was perfect for my ADHD. I actually read it a second time and noticed the hints as early as chapter one. The author told us exactly who it was in chapter two, she just did it so subtly that I think a lot of people missed it which is kind of brilliant. I always like to go back and see those types of things. 5/5 for me. The epilogue makes me hopeful for another book soon. I'll definitely be on the lookout. If her writing style continues targeting people like me with little to no reading comprehension I will read everything she writes. I really appreciated the formatting.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews