Twisted River

by Siobhán MacDonald

‘She would never have fit as neatly into the trunk of his own car.’

An unmissable psychological thriller for fans of B A Paris’s Behind Closed Doors about two families in crisis and a house swap gone terribly wrong

Limerick, Ireland: Oscar Harvey finds the body of a woman in a car boot, beaten and bloody. But let’s start at the beginning…

Kate and Mannix O’Brien live in a lovely Limerick house they can barely afford. Their autistic son is bullied at school and their daughter Izzy wishes she could protect him. When Kate spots a gorgeous New York flat on a home-exchange website, she decides her family needs a holiday.

Hazel and Oscar Harvey, and their two children, live on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Though they seem successful, Hazel has mysterious bruises and Oscar is hiding things about his dental practice.

Hazel is keen to revisit her native Limerick, and the house swap offers a perfect chance to soothe two troubled marriages.

But this will be anything but a perfect break. And the body is just the beginning.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Suspense

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2014

About the author

Siobhán studied electronic engineering at National University of Ireland Galway and had a successful career writing for the technology sector in Scotland, France and Ireland. A plot-aholic, Siobhán now spends her time writing crime and thriller novels.

She published her first novel in 2016, the widely acclaimed TWISTED RIVER. THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE - 'Her terrific debut novel, Twisted River, could hardly be more steeped in classic American pulp. MacDonald develops her twin stories with masterly control of mood and scene.' THE TORONTO STAR - 'In a remarkable debut novel, MacDonald keeps the reader riveted'. KIRKUS REVIEWS - 'MacDonald toys with the reader, leading right then feinting left with plot twists that genuinely surprise. The big thrill here is the constant undermining of assumptions.' Author Kimberly McCreight - 'Evocative and richly detailed, Twisted River is a page-turning mystery about the tragic consequences that result when the tightly held secrets of two families collide.' INSTYLE MAGAZINE - 'This gripping novel commands your attention from the very beginning ... a property swap fraught with problems. Expect to finish this one seriously debating your next Airbnb reservation.' CHRIS PAVONE, NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author – ‘Twisted River is a superb thriller – gripping, surprising, and terrifically rewarding.’ RT BOOK REVIEWS – ‘Dark and intriguing… MacDonald's strong writing accentuates pertinent details, and her vivid descriptions will have readers feeling the suspense throughout the story.’

Siobhán followed up this success with her second novel THE BLUE POOL, a thriller described as an 'ingenious and unpredictable psychological thriller ... a mesmerising exploration of loyalty, friendship, and the corrosive effects of guilt'. CRIME REVIEW - 'Similar to TWISTED RIVER, in that she achieves fantastic levels of tension. THE BLUE POOL is an intense read that you will want to devour as quickly as possible.'

GUILTY had its Irish début in 2020 to equal praise. THE IRISH TIMES - 'This is a terrifically dark, twisty thriller, skilfully plotted and stylishly written.' THE IRISH EXAMINER - 'Page turner guilty of a gripping story. You could choke on the delicious venality & hypocrisy. Just one of the creepy thrills in this page turner.' THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT - 'GUILTY is a classy and cleverly plotted psychological thriller that grips from page one, packed with well-drawn characters and delivering an absolute zinger of a twist in the tale in the final pages.' RTE GUIDE - 'GUILTY is a twisty tale of ruthless ambition, family dysfunction and cold-blooded vengeance.'

The Bride Collector published on 29 July 2021 and is being well-received. Declan Hughes of THE IRISH TIMES says, “MacDonald builds the action to a spectacularly creepy climax and there is a spectacularly worked twist to follow that will take your breath away”. Dymphna Nugent of THE WATERFORD STAR says, “A gripping sinister novel, where a serial killer in a small Kerry town targets brides-to-be. Fast-paced, engaging, and terrifying.” Mairead Hearne, SWIRL AND THREAD Book reviewer says, “An engrossing read with some very unexpected twists.”

She is published in the UK & Ireland by Little Brown, in the US and Canada by Viking Penguin, in France by Archipel and in Germany by Piper. Siobhan lives in Ireland with her husband and two sons. Twitter @SiobhanMMacD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siobhan.m.m... Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SiobhanMacDo...

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An American and Irish family swap homes during an October holiday and their lives collide in unexpected ways...

This thriller was fine. There were a couple of unexpected twists which I appreciated and didn’t see coming, I liked the unpredictability as I thought I’d figured it out from the start.

The ending was abrupt and left some unanswered questions and as usual, all of the men were cheaters or criminals or a mixture of the two.

The news is full recently of how vile some men, especially those in power, can be towards women, of how women have suffered silently so that they can keep their jobs or because they’re scared. This book feels very timely in that respect, as do a great many thrillers lately. I think it’s such an important issue that needs to be addressed, however, I believe that there are good-hearted, principled men out there too and I’d like to see some of them in books as well.

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...I'd almost give this one a 2.5 star rating. Something that was building up steam all along, and marketed to be like "Girl on the Train, like Before I Go To Sleep", sure did fizzle out and come to a dull and pretty abrupt ending. There wasn't so much a shock to the end but more of a That was it? After all of that? That's the end? It certainly left a whole lot of loose plot points left unraveling and spinning out in the air. Not a bad read, but one filled to the brim with the stereotypical abusive, cheating, controlling and jealous men and the pathetic and desperate wives that love them. I don't know...I think it's time to put an end to the "if you liked Girl on the Train" books and plot. I know I'll be finished with this kind of thriller style read for a little bit now.

[Cardmaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seemed like a good idea for a story and I'm sure it could have been if written by someone else.

The characters were too blah and I had a very difficult time figuring out which couple I was reading about because they were so much alike. They were uninteresting most of the time and plain out dull in between. I didn't really care what happened to any of them.

There was no suspense to the ending. And really, what kind of police force just walks away from a family they're supposed to be protecting from some nutcase murderer because they think she's been spotted up the coast? Yep, just everyone leave so she can come in and do whatever. I saw that coming from a mile off.

No, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted River is the story of two families – both hiding secrets of different kinds – who swap houses for holiday purposes, this event bringing things to a head. It starts with a body then tells the tale of what led to this moment. For me, Twisted River was an excellent character study and an intriguing and engaging tale throughout, bit of a page turner and written well with enough difference about it to make it stand out somewhat in the plethora of this type of story around at the moment.

The construction was effective – hearing from four characters, seeing their lives both before and afterwards, the author does a great job of blurring the lines so that things are unexpected and unpredictable. Siobhan Macdonald has a great eye for pace and atmosphere, exploring themes of marriage and loyalty, the things we keep hidden from each other and the cost of lies.

I really enjoyed Twisted River it has to be said, was sympathetic to some characters whilst rolling my eyes at others, you get immersed into the lives of these people and it has a dark tone to it that appealed to me. Overall definitely recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

The extra half star is for the premise. With the popularity of AirBnB, a house exchange as the theme the plot revolves around is a great idea.

Too bad I couldn't stand the characters; the women were typical, doormat-y types (is that even a word?), the men were equally cliche and douchey (definitely a word) and I was able to guess the 'twist' before it happened.

Also, I could not buy the stalker girlfriend. It felt contrived and corny. I mean, where did she come from? Okay, I laughed. And rolled my eyes. I could do both.

For some reason, I could only picture Shannen Doherty holding a knife to (insert popular 90s actress name here) and flipping her hair around in a semi hysterical state. Not a pretty picture.

The ending? What ending? Anti-climatic and in a way, exactly as I predicted.

[Erin (from Long Island, NY) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

[A Turtles Nest Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Twisted is definitely a perfect word to be in the title. Definitely makes you think twice about house swapping. A few parts drug on a little for my taste but the storyline was excellent. Will be looking for more books by this author.

[Shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

So! This was a fairly quick read, clocking in at somewhere just over 250 pages. It's short length and quick pace were actually a pro in the case of this novel; if I had spent more than four hours reading it, I would have been more frustrated/irritated at the book. Fair warning, below the cut is a very, very long and spoiler-y review about all the trickery and lies that went on in the book.

Non-spoilery review? This book is a mystery/suspense novel that achieves its "surprises" and "twists" by tricking the reader. This is a huge pet peeve of mine--it's not fair to the reader if you say one thing, and then at the end pop out with "surprise! it was ACTUALLY (Blank)!" I can't stand it. If the readers have no chance of figuring out the ending, then it's just an exercise in frustration. If you spend the whole novel actively working to make your reader come to the wrong conclusion, the "twist" ending feels incomplete/unbelievable/a let down. There has to be foreshadowing and hints throughout the novel that point to the real culprit, and you can't twist the non-culprit characters into knots for the sole purpose of making them into red herrings. Obviously, there's a fine line here that's difficult, at times, for an author to walk. How do you know if you're "tricking" your reader or just following the rules of the game and not making it obvious who the killer is? Unfortunately, in this case, I felt there were too many factors and characters that pushed this firmly over to the "trick-your-readers" side of the line.

Overall, the book was an interesting read, but it's not something I'd want to read again except to point out/annotate all the moments where the author purposely misleads and tricks the reader. I think the concept was really innovative--though I do think I've seen one other book with the "house-swap-cum-murder" premise. However, I left the novel feeling betrayed and tricked by the author.

SPOILERS below the cut! If you're riding with us today and haven't read this book before, please keep all hands, feet, and eyes above the line at all times to ensure a safe and spoiler-free flight.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Okay! So. This is the part where I get into the specific instances of "trick the readers."

The very first strike was the actual summary of the book. I think this was the most irritating thing to me, because the summary should never actually lie to readers in order to draw them into the book. The summary of this novel says that while vacationing in Ireland via a house-swap with a couple who wanted to visit New York, "Oscar Harvey opens the trunk of his hosts’ car and finds the body of a woman, beaten and bloody." (That's the GoodReads summary). The summary on the back of my book was nearly the same, stating that Oscar finds the body of a woman in the trunk of the car that belongs to the other couple that they're house-swapping with.

That, readers, is a lie from the very beginning of the novel and indicates the pattern of how the rest of the novel will go. Oscar doesn't just find a random woman's body in the trunk of a car. He watches his own damn wife get murdered from an upstairs window and then runs downstairs--and then HE HIMSELF shoves her body in the trunk to prevent his kids from seeing her.

The novel opens with the scene of Oscar shoving his dead wife's body in the trunk of the car. Readers, from that moment on, are lead to believe that he killed her. But even if that scene hadn't opened the novel, the author made sure to implicate Oscar at every turn. Oscar is a widow, but we don't know how his previous wife died until the very end of the novel when it's revealed in a single sentence (which is actually just talking about his sister's support) that she died of cancer. Oscar is also verbally abusive to his sister about her weight. There's several mentions about Oscar being involved in a lawsuit where his dentistry partner, a woman, accused him of sexual assault--and, it's important to note, Oscar used his own friend's law firm to settle the suit out of court and Oscar/his friend talk about how the law firm hasn't ever had an innocent client.

But what's most frustrating about Oscar's treatment is not any of that. It's that the author purposely makes it seem like he's abusing his own wife, Hazel, and that she's afraid of him. There's several instances where Hazel thinks consciously about not pushing Oscar, about keeping him happy and from becoming angry. We hardly ever see good interactions between Oscar and Hazel, and he acts callous and cold towards Hazel, thinking only that she "should have listened to him."

But then, of course, we find out at the very end that the person who was abusing Hazel was one of her students at the "last-chance" school she works at. She didn't want to turn him in because he would have gotten kicked out of the school. This line of reasoning doesn't bother me--Hazel seems to have a big heart, and it makes sense that she felt it would have completely destroyed his future if he had been kicked out, but...the logistics of how this kid was abusing Hazel (if it happened during the school day--in the bathrooms, I believe it said--how did no one notice when Hazel left the bathroom? Her face was completely bruised and she had a large bump on the back of her head. No one thought that was suspicious? Did she go home for the day after it happened? Why was she okay letting people think it was her husband? Etc) just didn't make sense. Also, the student who abused her asked if the bruises were from her husband keeping her in line. Why would he ask that when he was the one who did it?

Throughout all the abuse, Hazel keeps track of the incidents in her journal, which is her most prized possession, though you wouldn't know it by the way she repeatedly leaves it out and loses it. Twice, it somehow falls out of her bag(?) in the diner where she and her friend meet, and the second time, she doesn't notice and leaves it there. Originally, I thought that the author was indicating that someone was stealing the book and reading it/editing it(??) while Hazel was distracted, but...no. The only reason that ever happened was to allow the book to be given to Kate later on in the novel.

Finally, the scene where Hazel is murdered was perhaps the second-worst offender of the "trick your readers" moments in the novel. It's told from Oscar's perspective, and he doesn't ever actually say that he saw someone kill Hazel until he recounts the story for the fourth or fifth time. Instead, he says he flies into a rage after seeing sweets and junk food in the trunk of her car. When he gets downstairs, he describes her dead body, and as he puts her in the trunk he thinks things like "not again" and sees that he had been mistaken about her only buying junk food--she had listened to him, after all. Oscar then calls the host family's brother instead of the police, and then his sister, at which point he suddenly realizes how much he depends on her despite how derisive and verbally abusive he was to her. After the big reveal, readers are supposed to believe that Oscar was acting so cold and remote because he was in shock.

And then, the biggest reveal! The murderer was actually a crazed single mother-cum-pole-dancer/stripper who fell in love with Mannix while they were having an affair, someone who readers never even know about until 3/4s of the way through the novel.

When the O'Brien family first hears about Hazel's murder at their family home, Kate believes it's Oscar who killed her--because, remember, the doorman delivers Hazel's private diary to a total stranger, Kate, who then reads the diary and comes to the conclusion (as we all did) that Oscar was verbally abusive. But Mannix finally admits the truth he's been hiding (poorly) from Kate all along...he'd been having an affair and the woman was crazy, and he never realized how crazy or dangerous until she sent the texts saying she had finally done it and they'd be together soon, etc.

And then, suddenly, Kate's concern about Oscar's theoretical abuse seems to vanish. She never brings it up again, it never comes up except for when Oscar is talking about the student abusing Hazel...it disappears from the book because it's no longer needed to make Oscar look guilty--the cat's out of the bag.

At the end of the book, Kate has decided to take on the promotion she had turned down (which doesn't make sense, either, since she had turned it down in order to be more present at home with her son, and now that she'll be divorced she would likely have an even harder time developing a routine for her son...but I digress), her mother is suddenly back in her lives (there's an entire other line of deception where the author tries to make readers believe that Kate's husband is involved in some sort of gang/mafia/whathaveyou and that's why the mom never comes around/what the mysterious texts are, etc), and Mannix is sleeping on his brother's couch. Whether they'll get back together is uncertain but it's implied that they won't. Oscar and his kids have, presumably, returned to the US with his sister and will be grieving/moving on in time. Without Hazel there to act afraid and wilting, Oscar seems like a totally normal dude who's a good father to two traumatized kids.

And this, I think, is where the "tricking your readers" point really hits home. After the "twist" is revealed, the red herrings are revealed to be empty, lifeless plot maneuvers, existing solely for the purpose of misleading the readers.

For instance, Mannix is a cowardly, lying cheater. But why? He seems to genuinely love Kate. The book tries to explain his initial cheating by saying Kate was withholding sex for some reason or another when Mannix met Joanne. He thinks about how the sex with Joanne was good, but...was that really the reason to have a months-long, drawn out affair? His motivations/reasons/character was never fleshed out in that regard, and so the entire premise of him having some secret affair that spun out of control fell flat from the outset.

Another instance: Oscar is a cold, verbally abusive, critical, controlling husband and brother. He refuses to allow his kids even the smallest piece of unhealthy food, thanks to his obsession with staying thin and healthy. But again, why? The memories we see of his first meeting Hazel make him seem like a charming, loving guy. We never see him and Hazel being cute/loving/happy together--at several points, when he shows physical affection to Hazel, she marks it as him being jealous of another man's attention to her and him "re-marking his territory". So why does she like him, why does she stay with him? Why do we never see the side of him that his kids, apparently, like? Because it would ruin the illusion that he's a physically abusive sociopath.

It's just frustrating because, at the end of the novel, the characters themselves exist as plot devices. Their own emotions/reactions/choices exist only to further the plot and maintain the illusions/tricks until the truth is finally revealed.

[Bryony Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, this book was super slow. I enjoyed the last two chapters but apart from that, it just took way too long to actually get anywhere. I liked the plot and the ideas behind it but it could have been executed better.

The characters were great. I HATED Oscar at the start but the further through the book you get, the more you just kind of feel slightly sorry for him as well as his wife Hazel. Mannix was hated through the whole thing. He couldn't really redeem himself. Kate was a very strong character though. I really liked her chapters and how fantastic of a mother she was, always wanting to protect her children and give them the best. I think Izzy was my favourite though. She seemed super smart and mature for an eleven year old and basically didn't take any shit. She was a fab sister too.

I also really enjoyed the home exchange idea. It was something I had never heard about or read before and thought that part of the plot was written very well.

Despite the great plot twists and the ending, I just think this book was a bit too slow for me.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracy Shephard · Rating 4 out of 5]

There Is no need to cover the premise of this fabulous read as the blurb covers it brilliantly.

Siobhan Macdonald leads the reader up one path and then takes them on another, in what is a stylish and cleverly written tale. The plot is evidently designed to twist and turn and this psychological thriller covers love-affairs, deadly revenge and family secrets. Even the children have their own dilemmas and struggles.

The descriptions of both Ireland and Manhattan add to the charm of this novel and it is one with a realistic and original scenario.

In equal measures, it has mystery, scares and violence, although I do think Macdonald has missed a trick with the ending. I would have liked to have read about the O'Briens 'run-in with the Bolgers in the next book and think this would have made a fabulous story about class warfare and division between the two families. Spike is a great character and I think he would have come into his own in this second book.....but that's just me.

Twisted River moves at a moderate pace that grips and intrigues, it is also one that I am happy to recommend.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As people know, there's nothing I love more than a book about a dysfunctional family....well, apart from a book about TWO dysfunctional families!! Siobhan MacDonald brings us a fantastically twisty tale about a house exchange and two families, both of whom seem to be hiding some very big secrets.

The opening scene here is one with great shock value as Oscar Harvey is examining a dead woman in the boot of his car. His kids are asking where their mum is...could it possibly be Oscars wife Hazel lying dead from a massive head wound? We are then spun back in time to meet our two families. Mannix and Kate have two children and are, like many modern families, struggling to find time for each other. They work, look after the kids and have the added worry of Fergus, their son, being bullied due to his autism. There is also an underlying secret causing Manny some troubling thoughts so when Kate finds them a house swap for the October half term holiday, he jumps at the chance to get away and spent some quality time with his family. But both families are heading into trouble and those secrets have a way of following you half way round the world.

I loved this so much I got incredibly caught up in all the drama and read it in one adrenaline filled afternoon. Told by all four main characters alternatively, we are totally misdirected many times into what is actually happening. I just love being surprised by a book and here, the author surprises us many times. I do hope someone has options on this for a film or tv drama as I think it would translate fabulously well! I loved the women, hated the men, felt emotional for the kids and was just thankful there was no dog-that would have been too much!!!!

I had been dithering as to whether to read this book as reviews have been rather mixed but I am so glad that I took the chance as otherwise I would have missed this great character driven study into the secrets that families keep and how they can destroy us. Top notch debut from Siobhan MacDonald and I look forward to more from her in the future!

I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Bookish_predator · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Huge thanks to Siobhán MacDonald, Canelo and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oohh this is a tricksy book! You think you know what's happening and suddenly the rug is pulled a little from under you, it happens throughout the book until you are surprised and wondering where the rug went.

It's told from 4 perspectives, Kate, Mannix, Hazel and Oscar and from both Ireland and New York, the tale of two families doing a house swap and everything that happens inbetween.

I really enjoyed this book and although a few things were left unanswered I still thought the ending was as it should be. Really recommend this book.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of Gone Girl this may appeal. A house swap between 2 couples from Limerick and New York takes a turn for the worse. Relationships are not always what they seem . Easy read of a book but it just lacked the chill and the thrill I look for in a book, I felt there was a depth missing and somehow the story was skimmed over at times - enjoyable but didn't have the wow factor for me I'm afraid

[Clarabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deux familles décident d'échanger leurs maisons pour les vacances d'automne. Pour Kate et Mannix, l'opportunité est trop belle pour embarquer leurs deux enfants à New York et oublier leurs petits soucis. Quant à Hazel et Oscar, c'est surtout l'occasion de visiter le comté de Limerick dans un charmant cottage proche des chutes de Curragower.
Mais dès leur arrivée, la mère de famille est saisie d'un doute malsain et conserve pour elle cette sensation pour ne pas inquiéter ses proches. Or, on sait que l'histoire va mal tourner. Le roman s'ouvre sur la découverte d'un corps... Oscar a les mains couvertes de sang. Les enfants réclament leur maman. Visage livide et sourire crispé sur le visage de l'homme.

Roman lu sans déplaisir : suspense correct, mise en place tardive avec des petits indices qui retiennent l'attention et personnages ordinaires qu'on voudrait rendre plus louches qu'ils ne sont réellement... Le dénouement n'est pas follement ingénieux mais se calque sur certaines tendances actuelles à vouloir pomper le genre cinématographique. Concrètement ça stimule l'adrénaline et ça fait tourner les pages compulsivement.
Une lecture que je cadre idéalement pour le #challengehalloween par exemple ! Peut-être pas mémorable mais petits frissons garantis avec ambiance automnale & tension dramatique.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel has an interesting premise and had potential but fell flat for me. The characters were all pretty boring and a predicable twist. Several story lines were introduced then never developed. I have it two stars because I had enough interest to finish, hoping it would payoff.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't that!
This is twisty as hell, full of incredible reveals and a plot that had me going 'Ok, you ARE AWESOME SIOBHAN.'
It just blew me away and I couldn't read it fast enough. It had so many secrets, increasing tension and the most amazing twists that made me gasp and think NO ACTUAL WAY DID THAT JUST HAPPEN.
Siobhan is now on my list of 'MUST READ EVERYTHING THIS AUTHOR EVER WRITES.'
The characters were well drawn and I loved that I never really completely knew how to feel about any of them. I especially loved how it played on the prejudice nature of the reader and how I drew my own conclusions about certain things based on incomplete information.
I just loved it!
Well done Siobhan!

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I was rather disappointed with this book. It was marketed as a thriller in the same vein as "Girl on the Train", which I read and enjoyed. It felt like a character study, except the characters were all so alike, there wasn't much to be learned. The build-up and foundation of the two families took up most of the book, and the ending was far-fetched and reminded me of a bad, low-budget revenge/horror film from the 90's. I wanted to like this, and I do think MacDonald has talent, but this just felt too contrived for my taste.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book- got to my 20% threshold and at that point couldn't relate to any character nor did I care what happened. Not sure if I missed something or just didn't read far enough, but I gave up...

[Chalida · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. MacDonald's plot had an interesting premise but then became too predictable. I also found that it ended very abruptly with no real closure and finding out what happens to the families after, when they return to their homes, feels like where the real story could take place.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was sooo slow and dumb.

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a great fondness for dark crime novels, so I picked Twisted River off of a display labeled "Celtic Noir" with great excitement, having never heard of author Siobhan MacDonald. It's always exciting to discover a new favorite author. What I discovered instead is that while I love the genre, I also love a well-written and well-plotted book, and Twisted River was neither of those things.

Two families swap houses for a week in October. Kate and Mannix want to give their sensitive and bullied son the treat of a week in New York and Hazel wants to show her hometown of Limerick, Ireland to her family. Told in chapters that alternate between the adults, the reader learns about the problems both families are facing.

The story starts to take off on page 159, although the two women mention that they are feeling a sense of rising dread or impending doom several times. The tension in the story is based on characters withholding information from the reader even as the chapter is told from their point of view. So one character will ruminate at length on the ominous text messages he's receiving, while failing to think about the actual messages, or a character will make oblique references in a personal journal that point in one direction, but this will be shown to be a red herring later on. And the ending was just silly.

I loved that this book was set in an unrepresented locale. That's what was good about this book.

[Kirsta · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was so good.

I wonder if publishers have noted the wild success of Gone Girl et al and are rushing things to print without a thorough edit. These characters needed a lot of development, there were whole wasted passages that did nothing to advance the story (the whole political rant by one of the moms about her sons shirt), I don't even know which woman was which because every female in the story had the exact same interests and hobbies and build, except for poor Helen who had so much potential but even her creator couldn't peg her for anything more than the fat girl. The idea was there for this to be Gillian Flynn level thriller but this author is no Gillian Flynn.

[Graces_infinite_tbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was almost a 5 ⭐️ but something about the ending was a little lack luster and at times, I was skimming the pages because there was a lot of filler that I felt was not needed. Now, the twists were twisting. This book had you thinking you knew what was happening in the beginning but oh were you so so wrong!

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I read it in one sitting so that's saying something. I liked it but after I finished, I thought I might want to go back 'cause there's a couple loose ends/things not explained. I don't want to say too much 'cause I don't want to reveal spoilers. But there's a LOT of twists in Twisted River.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good thriller that does a masterful job of misdirection. The characters are multi-faceted and the plot gimmick (a vacation house swap) is terrific. Really well done.

[Kai Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid thriller with decent twists and turns. A family from NYC and a family from Limerick, Ireland exchange houses for a vacation-- problems ensue. Fun read, but maybe not the best choice before spending a week in Airbnb homes.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't need my thriller books to end with everything tied in a bow, but this book had a very dissatisfactory ending.

You never find what the asshole husband freaks out about, but it has something to do with food? Asshole husband also gets away with murdering his wife, and then you never hear from him again. Then cheating husband, who's girlfriend is pinned with the murder and is very conveniently unhindged, is blamed with the murder.

[Jovdb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio book was well read but the story lacked a certain cohesiveness.

Two families, one in Ireland, one in USA, swap homes via Airbnb. Both families have secrets, and issues, that they hope will be addressed as they spend "quality" time together.

The story is told from the four adults point of view.

Kate is a working mom who is coping with her job, her husband's new job (as he was laid off from his previous employment), her younger son being bullied at school, and her daughter taking on too much responsibility in the house because her parents are too wrapped up in their own problems. Mannix, Kate's husband, is suffering in the depressed economic climate in Ireland. While the economy was booming, he invested in property and got caught out when everything tanked. He is now doing work that he feels is beneath him and this is causing stress in the marriage.

In the USA, the other family consists of a stay at home mom, Hazel. She was originally from Ireland and thinks that going back to her roots will give her some perspective. Her husband, Oscar, is a dentist. There has been some problems at work that have resulted in him having to tighten his belt and get used to a less affluent lifestyle. Although, having said that, they still live in a very swanky apartment in a very upscale area. There children don't really play much of a role in the story. Oscar is an abusive husband. Hazel has a stressful job as a teacher in a rough inner city school. She is idealistic and has had difficulty facing her husband's abuse.

So, the two families take their vacation. A tragic event occurs in Ireland. The story is about events that lead up to this act, that has a profound effect on all involved.

An intersting idea for a story but the ending was poor; too many loose threads.

[Dragonlady · Rating 5 out of 5]

What could possibly go wrong when two families swap houses for a nice vacation without breaking the bank? As it turns out, quite a bit. Kate and Mannix O’Brien of Limerick, Ireland have more than just financial issues that include their son Fergus being continually picked on by a bully and his gang. Daughter Izzy is seriously frustrated by her parent’s inability to effectively deal with Fergus’s problems and despite her young age, feels it necessary to shoulder that responsibility. Mannix feels bad that Izzy is losing so much of her childhood to Fergus’s needs yet is clueless how to rectify the situation.

Across the pond in Manhattan, New York, Hazel and Oscar Harvey live in a lovely apartment with their two children and though apparently the perfect couple, they also have their problems and family friction. After sharing information on a home-swap website, both families embark on their vacations with hopes of healing strained relationships, especially Hazel who is looking forward to showing her family around Limerick where she grew up. It doesn’t take long for both families to realize their host families have secrets that should never have been exposed to the light of day.

Like a skilled magician, MacDonald sets the stage, develops characters and story lines that allow readers to make certain assumptions and all the while, she is cleverly redirecting attention away from what is really going on. This psychological thriller is a treat as the dark tale twists, turns and folds back on itself in unexpected ways while revealing the hidden underbelly of murderous family secrets.