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Brigid Quinn #3
A Twist of the Knife
'Wow! Chilling, smart, funny, and what a voice she has' Gillian Flynn'A twisting, high-stakes story . . . Brilliant' Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next DoorFormer FBI agent Brigid Quinn has seen it all, and survived. But nothing can cut her closer to the bone than family... When her father falls ill, Brigid returns to Florida. There, she meets up with former colleague Laura Coleman. Laura once saved Brigid's life, but now is working on an 'innocence project', investigating cold cases, and one in particular has caught her attention. Marcus Creighton was convicted of murdering his family fifteen years before, and has been sentenced to death. Worried that her friend is getting in too deep, and that there is more to this case than meets the eye, Brigid promises to help. But what if her instincts are betraying her?
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2017
173 people are currently reading
2708 people want to read
About the author
Becky Masterman
15 books345 followersBecky Masterman created her heroine, Brigid Quinn while working as an editor for a forensic science and law enforcement press. Her debut thriller, Rage Against the Dying, was a finalist for the Edgar Awards and the CWA Gold Dagger, as well as the Macavity, Barry, ITW and Anthony awards. Becky lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews
March 19, 2017
For those new to the series, you need to know something; Brigid Quinn is one hard core senior citizen. Basically, because I'm an old soul, she's my spirit animal and I connected well with her right from book one. Who doesn't like to go hunting for peculiar stones and snuggle their pet pugs during retirement? We've followed Quinn from her first moments in being dragged out of retirement from the FBI (Book #1), to taking down a silent killer (Book #2), and now on to assisting in the case of a death row inmate. I had no idea what to expect this go around, as the third book in a series tends to be the "make or break" point on whether I'll continue to put in the time and effort to carry on reading, but I'm really pleased with the direction Masterman chose to go here. Also, is it coincidence that autocorrect keeps trying to change Masterman to Mastermind? I think not.
"Revenge, Revenge,
See the furies arise."
-John Dryden
We lead off in the prologue witnessing a man being executed on death row via the electric chair in the 1980's. One of the things I love about the author is how she puts so much careful consideration into making sure her descriptions of procedures via law enforcement are detailed and as accurate as possible. This was a chilling scene; I felt like I was in the room watching alongside young Brigid and got a glimpse of one tiny fracture in the full blown chasm that has shaped who she became. In fact, the first half of the book is mostly dedicated to personal characterization of Brigid and her immediate family. There isn't a lot of action during this section; we are introduced to the case she will be helping on and are able to catch up on how Laura Coleman (remember her from Rage Against the Dying?) is healing from the trauma she previously faced alongside Quinn. We are mainly focused on Brigid's private life, something we haven't been privy to much of in the past; her father is very ill and she travels over to Florida to visit, which happens to be where the case is concerning the death row inmate petitioning for a stay of execution. Two birds with one stone, right?
"Sentences weren't as stiff in the nineties for that kind of thing, and the guy would have gotten out of jail in another two years if he hadn't died. I'm sure you've already heard what happens to child molesters in prison. So I know what you can do with fingerprints to convict a guy. That's me, and that deed I did once was not lawful but it was righteous. I bet you would have done it, too. Right?
PS: I followed the life of the daughter, and she's okay. She's okay."
The above describes Brigid to a T. She is ruthless, devouring anything deemed evil in her path, while ironically could be called evil herself. She's so concerned about getting the proper outcome she'll do it by any means necessary. This is no surprise for those who have read the series up until this point; we know of her past transgressions and what she's capable of, but this book let's us in to see a whole new side of Brigid, one that's frankly a little terrifying and haunting. While the pacing was slow up until about the 50% point, I think it was necessary to give us that deeper insight into Quinn and understanding her and why everyone in her family is so hard. I also loved the parallels between Brigid and Laura that show how we can watch someone start down the same path we went and what lengths we'll go to protect them from the same outcomes.
If you enjoyed Quinn's snarky attitude and potty mouth before, don't worry, it's still evident here. I spent most of my time reading this one on the elliptical and I swear people think I have some weird snorting disease. Yes I can't seem to make myself go to the gym unless I'm reading, sue me. I missed having her husband Carlos being a central focus of the book, but I understand why he had to take a backseat in this installment to let Brigid shine on her own. There was definitely a more intimate feel to this book than the previous two; the focus wasn't on the action and the individual case, so it gave it a tender and heartfelt atmosphere. If you have been following the series and waiting for the book that contains more backstory into Brigid, this is it baby. I can't wait to hear what other's think of this one. I feel if people keep an open mind and appreciate this for what it is, an insight necessary into connecting deeper with Brigid Quinn and her crew, they will enjoy savoring this book and be very pleased with their new understanding of our retired heroine.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a delight to post my honest thoughts in a review here.
"Revenge, Revenge,
See the furies arise."
-John Dryden
We lead off in the prologue witnessing a man being executed on death row via the electric chair in the 1980's. One of the things I love about the author is how she puts so much careful consideration into making sure her descriptions of procedures via law enforcement are detailed and as accurate as possible. This was a chilling scene; I felt like I was in the room watching alongside young Brigid and got a glimpse of one tiny fracture in the full blown chasm that has shaped who she became. In fact, the first half of the book is mostly dedicated to personal characterization of Brigid and her immediate family. There isn't a lot of action during this section; we are introduced to the case she will be helping on and are able to catch up on how Laura Coleman (remember her from Rage Against the Dying?) is healing from the trauma she previously faced alongside Quinn. We are mainly focused on Brigid's private life, something we haven't been privy to much of in the past; her father is very ill and she travels over to Florida to visit, which happens to be where the case is concerning the death row inmate petitioning for a stay of execution. Two birds with one stone, right?
"Sentences weren't as stiff in the nineties for that kind of thing, and the guy would have gotten out of jail in another two years if he hadn't died. I'm sure you've already heard what happens to child molesters in prison. So I know what you can do with fingerprints to convict a guy. That's me, and that deed I did once was not lawful but it was righteous. I bet you would have done it, too. Right?
PS: I followed the life of the daughter, and she's okay. She's okay."
The above describes Brigid to a T. She is ruthless, devouring anything deemed evil in her path, while ironically could be called evil herself. She's so concerned about getting the proper outcome she'll do it by any means necessary. This is no surprise for those who have read the series up until this point; we know of her past transgressions and what she's capable of, but this book let's us in to see a whole new side of Brigid, one that's frankly a little terrifying and haunting. While the pacing was slow up until about the 50% point, I think it was necessary to give us that deeper insight into Quinn and understanding her and why everyone in her family is so hard. I also loved the parallels between Brigid and Laura that show how we can watch someone start down the same path we went and what lengths we'll go to protect them from the same outcomes.
If you enjoyed Quinn's snarky attitude and potty mouth before, don't worry, it's still evident here. I spent most of my time reading this one on the elliptical and I swear people think I have some weird snorting disease. Yes I can't seem to make myself go to the gym unless I'm reading, sue me. I missed having her husband Carlos being a central focus of the book, but I understand why he had to take a backseat in this installment to let Brigid shine on her own. There was definitely a more intimate feel to this book than the previous two; the focus wasn't on the action and the individual case, so it gave it a tender and heartfelt atmosphere. If you have been following the series and waiting for the book that contains more backstory into Brigid, this is it baby. I can't wait to hear what other's think of this one. I feel if people keep an open mind and appreciate this for what it is, an insight necessary into connecting deeper with Brigid Quinn and her crew, they will enjoy savoring this book and be very pleased with their new understanding of our retired heroine.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a delight to post my honest thoughts in a review here.
December 14, 2020
A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman is a 2017 Minotaur publication.
This third installment in the series sends Brigid to Florida, where her father is facing a serious health crisis- but her main reason for this trip is to touch base with her former partner, Laura, who needs Brigid’s help with a case involving a death row inmate she feels certain is innocent.
The situation is urgent, as the execution date is quickly approaching.
While Brigid is not totally convinced of the man’s innocence, she goes all in to help Laura search for the evidence needed to save his life.
Any story centered around a race against time saga that could save the life of a potentially innocent person sitting on death row, about to be executed, is certain to be a tense and compelling drama.
Brigid’s view is pragmatic, where as Laura has allowed herself to become emotionally involved. The did he- or didn’t he- factor keeps the reader conflicted, and the ethical issues with Laura adds to the uncertainty.
While the story is absorbing, it doesn’t have the same edge as the two previous installments. Despite that, it is still a solid entry in the series and provides the reader with bit more insight into Brigid’s family dynamic, as well.
While not the best addition, I still enjoyed the story and am looking forward to meeting up with Brigid again in the near future.
3.5 stars
This third installment in the series sends Brigid to Florida, where her father is facing a serious health crisis- but her main reason for this trip is to touch base with her former partner, Laura, who needs Brigid’s help with a case involving a death row inmate she feels certain is innocent.
The situation is urgent, as the execution date is quickly approaching.
While Brigid is not totally convinced of the man’s innocence, she goes all in to help Laura search for the evidence needed to save his life.
Any story centered around a race against time saga that could save the life of a potentially innocent person sitting on death row, about to be executed, is certain to be a tense and compelling drama.
Brigid’s view is pragmatic, where as Laura has allowed herself to become emotionally involved. The did he- or didn’t he- factor keeps the reader conflicted, and the ethical issues with Laura adds to the uncertainty.
While the story is absorbing, it doesn’t have the same edge as the two previous installments. Despite that, it is still a solid entry in the series and provides the reader with bit more insight into Brigid’s family dynamic, as well.
While not the best addition, I still enjoyed the story and am looking forward to meeting up with Brigid again in the near future.
3.5 stars
June 15, 2019
”The first execution I attended wasn’t by lethal injection but by Old Sparky. That’s what they affectionately call the electric chair at Raiford Penitentiary in the northeast part of Florida. It was in 1980, a few years after the death penalty was reinstated across the country. They had come up with the lethal injection cocktail by that time, but you were allowed to choose your method of dying.”
I was really struck by Brigid Quinn’s thoughts as she sat there passively and watched this man die. As an FBI agent, she had been trained to protect people, and as she observed these people methodically going about their business of killing this man, there was a part of her that felt that she was supposed to intercede.
A primary directive was being overridden by a law stipulating that, beyond judge and jury, we are also executioners. ”Thou shalt not kill.” In the same book, it also says, ”an eye for an eye.” Which one do you choose? Brigid had doubts, but being an indoctrinated law enforcement officer, she doesn't oppose the death penalty. In fact, in the course of her duties, she has had to be judge, jury, and executioner, all in a matter of moments.
I’d feel better about all of this if we at least knew for sure we were executing the actual perpetrator of the crime. One lawyer in the book said that he could clear over half the death row inmates if he had DNA evidence, which didn’t exist when they were convicted. If that is true, that makes my blood run cold.
Marcus Creighton had days to live. His appeals have run out, and with the new Timely Justice Act, the executions of death row inmates in Florida have been sped up exponentially. Brigid’s old friend from Tucson, Laura Coleman,has tugged on some of the loose ends in the case to see if she could find anything that would create enough reasonable doubt to delay his execution. Brigid has come back to Florida to see her dad. His health has deteriorated; a lifetime smoker, his lungs were like tissue paper. Brigid believed that Creighton was guilty, but she couldn’t help getting drawn into the case. For one thing, it becomes a distraction from the problems with her father, and she also wanted to help her friend.
There developed this tug and pull on her time between spending potentially the last few moments with her father or trying to save a man from execution. There is a certain amount of helplessness associated with both these endeavors. She found herself caught between a governor who didn’t want to seem soft on crime and a grim reaper who waited for no one.
There was a really big nagging concern in the Creighton case. His wife was murdered in his house, but what happened to the kids? Three kids were never found, dead or alive. So if Creighton committed the murder, what did he do with the kids? Who else had reason to want his wife dead? His mistress? A loan shark reminding him of his vig? Was that tied in somehow? As Brigid and Laura continued to overturn rocks in the case, rocks that were shifted many times before, I started to think to myself, what the hell really happened?
”Florida. It’s a wet heat.”I had to laugh out loud when I read that line. When I lived in Tucson, and it was 106 in the shade, we used to tell visitors, no, no, it’s fine. It’s a dry heat.
Brigid is this dimitive, 59 year old woman with a shock of white hair. She doesn’t look threatening, well, unless you happened to meet her eyes, and then something glittering in there might give you pause, but guys who were used to their height and weight winning a fight before it ever gets started would think, this was going to be an easy woman to intimidate.”While I waited, the older woman in the booth across the way looked at me with a sour little smirk that said I was in for it now. The two men who had been arguing at the counter arrived at my table and pulled out chairs on either side of me. Looked like we were going small-town noir.” Does that sound like a worried woman to you? I’ve become very fond of Brigid Quinn, but I didn’t feel even an ounce of anxiety for her. All that weight and height she lacked was what she was going to use against them.
Small-town noir, Becky Masterman tickled me with her hardboiled language.
The tension continued to ratchet up as time became the enemy of Brigid’s father and for Marcus Creighton. Brigid’s mom was also, understandably, seemingly going off the rails, but maybe she was just redefining herself or maybe even finding herself for the first time. The prospect of a life undefined by her husband was scary, but also liberating...which carried its own share of guilt. As we all know, it is hard to be happy and even harder to find happiness without doubt or shame wrapping barbed wire around our contentment.
”The fact is, you may think you know someone else’s story, but you don’t. How can you, when you don’t even know your own? Maybe we’re all mysteries that can’t be solved.”
I think we all worry about being understood, but maybe we should spend more time trying to understand ourselves than wailing about the fact that others don’t understand us. There are some pretty heavy themes in this book, with the scrutinizing of the death penalty and the myriad of emotions that compose our relationships with our parents. As always, Masterman lightens up the plot with humor and self-deprecating asides that make Brigid Quinn, even outside the confines of Arizona, a joy to spend time with.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
I was really struck by Brigid Quinn’s thoughts as she sat there passively and watched this man die. As an FBI agent, she had been trained to protect people, and as she observed these people methodically going about their business of killing this man, there was a part of her that felt that she was supposed to intercede.
A primary directive was being overridden by a law stipulating that, beyond judge and jury, we are also executioners. ”Thou shalt not kill.” In the same book, it also says, ”an eye for an eye.” Which one do you choose? Brigid had doubts, but being an indoctrinated law enforcement officer, she doesn't oppose the death penalty. In fact, in the course of her duties, she has had to be judge, jury, and executioner, all in a matter of moments.
I’d feel better about all of this if we at least knew for sure we were executing the actual perpetrator of the crime. One lawyer in the book said that he could clear over half the death row inmates if he had DNA evidence, which didn’t exist when they were convicted. If that is true, that makes my blood run cold.
Marcus Creighton had days to live. His appeals have run out, and with the new Timely Justice Act, the executions of death row inmates in Florida have been sped up exponentially. Brigid’s old friend from Tucson, Laura Coleman,has tugged on some of the loose ends in the case to see if she could find anything that would create enough reasonable doubt to delay his execution. Brigid has come back to Florida to see her dad. His health has deteriorated; a lifetime smoker, his lungs were like tissue paper. Brigid believed that Creighton was guilty, but she couldn’t help getting drawn into the case. For one thing, it becomes a distraction from the problems with her father, and she also wanted to help her friend.
There developed this tug and pull on her time between spending potentially the last few moments with her father or trying to save a man from execution. There is a certain amount of helplessness associated with both these endeavors. She found herself caught between a governor who didn’t want to seem soft on crime and a grim reaper who waited for no one.
There was a really big nagging concern in the Creighton case. His wife was murdered in his house, but what happened to the kids? Three kids were never found, dead or alive. So if Creighton committed the murder, what did he do with the kids? Who else had reason to want his wife dead? His mistress? A loan shark reminding him of his vig? Was that tied in somehow? As Brigid and Laura continued to overturn rocks in the case, rocks that were shifted many times before, I started to think to myself, what the hell really happened?
”Florida. It’s a wet heat.”I had to laugh out loud when I read that line. When I lived in Tucson, and it was 106 in the shade, we used to tell visitors, no, no, it’s fine. It’s a dry heat.
Brigid is this dimitive, 59 year old woman with a shock of white hair. She doesn’t look threatening, well, unless you happened to meet her eyes, and then something glittering in there might give you pause, but guys who were used to their height and weight winning a fight before it ever gets started would think, this was going to be an easy woman to intimidate.”While I waited, the older woman in the booth across the way looked at me with a sour little smirk that said I was in for it now. The two men who had been arguing at the counter arrived at my table and pulled out chairs on either side of me. Looked like we were going small-town noir.” Does that sound like a worried woman to you? I’ve become very fond of Brigid Quinn, but I didn’t feel even an ounce of anxiety for her. All that weight and height she lacked was what she was going to use against them.
Small-town noir, Becky Masterman tickled me with her hardboiled language.
The tension continued to ratchet up as time became the enemy of Brigid’s father and for Marcus Creighton. Brigid’s mom was also, understandably, seemingly going off the rails, but maybe she was just redefining herself or maybe even finding herself for the first time. The prospect of a life undefined by her husband was scary, but also liberating...which carried its own share of guilt. As we all know, it is hard to be happy and even harder to find happiness without doubt or shame wrapping barbed wire around our contentment.
”The fact is, you may think you know someone else’s story, but you don’t. How can you, when you don’t even know your own? Maybe we’re all mysteries that can’t be solved.”
I think we all worry about being understood, but maybe we should spend more time trying to understand ourselves than wailing about the fact that others don’t understand us. There are some pretty heavy themes in this book, with the scrutinizing of the death penalty and the myriad of emotions that compose our relationships with our parents. As always, Masterman lightens up the plot with humor and self-deprecating asides that make Brigid Quinn, even outside the confines of Arizona, a joy to spend time with.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
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January 3, 2017The Hook - I couldn’t have been more engaged with Brigid Quinn, 59 year-old, former Ex-FBI Agent than in the first book in the series
I believe I intended to review book #2 but felt so conflicted I just marked it as read.
With respect and sincere thanks to Becky Masterman, Edelweiss and Minotaur Books, Mcmillan Publishing, who provided an e-galley of Twist of the Knife on sale March 21, 2017, I give you my thoughts.
The Line - Publisher requests nothing be quoted unless confirmed in the finished copy. I’ll paraphrase. No matter if you’re good or evil, you have been born of someone. Not exact but close enough.
The Sinker - I love when you get to the place in a book when the choice of title is like a light bulb going off in your brain. A Twist of the Knife is aptly named.
As in Rage Against the Dying Masterman delivers a solid opening in the prologue taking place January 25, 1980, midnight. Brigid Quinn’s attendance at her first execution by Old Sparky, sort of a right of passage in her class at Quantico is written with gut-wrenching feeling. You are there but squirm to leave that room, hoping for it to just be over.
Thirty-five years later Quinn, now living in Tucson gets an urgent call from her mother in Florida. Her father has been transferred from his assistant living facility to the hospital as a bout with bronchitis turns much more serious. She had to go. The demons seep in, not only those regarding a dysfunctional family where in-jokes substitute for real conversation but also a meet-up with her former partner, Laura Coleman, who almost lost her life saving Quinn’s. Coleman needs help from Quinn to overturn what she believes is a wrongful conviction of a man on death row soon to be executed by lethal injection. At first Quinn is worried that Laura is obsessive without good cause, perhaps even in love with him triggering her insistence that he is innocent in the crime of killing his wife and possibly three missing children. However, evidence soon brings her on board. This turnaround is a bit sketchy, not the evidence but Quinn’s buy-in. I might have missed something here.
Masterman transportation of Quinn to Vero Beach, Florida seems a good move, giving a new landscape to keep a character from growing stale in one locale. In this instance it also provides a chance to further dig into Quinn’s past and that dysfunctional family. This is key to Quinn’s character and has been paramount in all three novels. I’m hoping in book four that we’ll be able to move on and not feel like we’re at a therapy session. I’d like to see more of the tough middle-aged woman that came out of that life she was handed. I’d also like to more of her relationship with her husband Carlo, who is an ex-priest and showed so much promise in the first installment. They are quite the couple.
The Acknowledgments include nods to several experts that helped Becky Masterman in keeping this story accurate. I intend to check some of these out as Masterman explains they all have books of their own worth reading.
Twist of the Knife was good but not as compelling as the first in the series for me. It was like I was picking the petals of a daisy at times, I love it, I love it not. I’m all in for #4 just the same. Early readers are more enthusiastic with their praises so be certain to read those reviews.
I believe I intended to review book #2 but felt so conflicted I just marked it as read.
With respect and sincere thanks to Becky Masterman, Edelweiss and Minotaur Books, Mcmillan Publishing, who provided an e-galley of Twist of the Knife on sale March 21, 2017, I give you my thoughts.
The Line - Publisher requests nothing be quoted unless confirmed in the finished copy. I’ll paraphrase. No matter if you’re good or evil, you have been born of someone. Not exact but close enough.
The Sinker - I love when you get to the place in a book when the choice of title is like a light bulb going off in your brain. A Twist of the Knife is aptly named.
As in Rage Against the Dying Masterman delivers a solid opening in the prologue taking place January 25, 1980, midnight. Brigid Quinn’s attendance at her first execution by Old Sparky, sort of a right of passage in her class at Quantico is written with gut-wrenching feeling. You are there but squirm to leave that room, hoping for it to just be over.
Thirty-five years later Quinn, now living in Tucson gets an urgent call from her mother in Florida. Her father has been transferred from his assistant living facility to the hospital as a bout with bronchitis turns much more serious. She had to go. The demons seep in, not only those regarding a dysfunctional family where in-jokes substitute for real conversation but also a meet-up with her former partner, Laura Coleman, who almost lost her life saving Quinn’s. Coleman needs help from Quinn to overturn what she believes is a wrongful conviction of a man on death row soon to be executed by lethal injection. At first Quinn is worried that Laura is obsessive without good cause, perhaps even in love with him triggering her insistence that he is innocent in the crime of killing his wife and possibly three missing children. However, evidence soon brings her on board. This turnaround is a bit sketchy, not the evidence but Quinn’s buy-in. I might have missed something here.
Masterman transportation of Quinn to Vero Beach, Florida seems a good move, giving a new landscape to keep a character from growing stale in one locale. In this instance it also provides a chance to further dig into Quinn’s past and that dysfunctional family. This is key to Quinn’s character and has been paramount in all three novels. I’m hoping in book four that we’ll be able to move on and not feel like we’re at a therapy session. I’d like to see more of the tough middle-aged woman that came out of that life she was handed. I’d also like to more of her relationship with her husband Carlo, who is an ex-priest and showed so much promise in the first installment. They are quite the couple.
The Acknowledgments include nods to several experts that helped Becky Masterman in keeping this story accurate. I intend to check some of these out as Masterman explains they all have books of their own worth reading.
Twist of the Knife was good but not as compelling as the first in the series for me. It was like I was picking the petals of a daisy at times, I love it, I love it not. I’m all in for #4 just the same. Early readers are more enthusiastic with their praises so be certain to read those reviews.
April 4, 2019
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. But the first time I tried to listen to this, I had to set it aside. It just didn’t grab me. Plus,I really didn’t care for the narrator’s voice. I waited a few months and picked this up again as I have book four in my TBR queue.
I had better luck the second time listening to this. I didn't remember Bridget being quite so sarcastic. Her attitude irritated me somewhat. But I totally sympathized with her when it came to dealing with aging, sick parents. Been there, done that and I felt in perfect sync with her every time she headed to the hospital. “Just because your family aren’t the Cleavers doesn’t lessen the guilt.” In the end, we learn a lot about Bridget’s family and her childhood.
What Masterman does so well is give you a great sense of time and place. She reminds me of Laura Lippman in this regard.
This book started off slowly and I didn’t get fully invested in the story until about the 25% mark. It could have benefited from a better editing job. There were several times I asked myself why I was being subjected to an unnecessary scene.
I was totally shocked at the direction this book took. It caught me off guard (which is a good thing). There are several current issues included here - Exoneration due to DNA testing and rightness of the death penalty. The ending was a bit weak and I can’t say it worked for me as well as I’d have liked. But overall, I enjoyed the book enough to move on to book four.
As I said, I really didn’t care for this narrator. She sounded really old. And Bridget is only in her early 60s. I’m glad I’ll be reading, not listening to book four.
March 19, 2017
3.5 stars. I've read Becky Masterman's two previous books in the Brigid Quinn series. Brigid is a middle aged retired officer. What I like most about these books is Brigid's character, but Masterman also does a good job with the settings and stories. I felt the same about A Twist of the Knife. And this one had the added bonus of a pretty pointed perspective on the death penalty. Brigid goes to Florida to see her ill father, and while there gets involved in an investigation involving an inmate on death row who was found guilty of killing his wife and three children. The book has two parallel stories focusing on Brigid's relationship with her family and on her work with a former colleague who is trying to exonerate the death row inmate. What I liked was Brigid's ongoing character development through her family relationships. I also really liked how Masterman developed the death row aspect of the story. What kept me from giving this one four stars was that some of the characters' emotions didn't always ring true -- especially those involving Brigid's colleague -- and Masterman touches on the issue of cops cutting corners with what felt like too much of a light hand. The flaws feel like the mild growing pains of a series still in its early days. They won't keep me from reading the next one in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
October 23, 2017
Books #1 and 2 both got 3 stars from me. I liked this one much more.
Brigid leaves husband Carlo in Tucson and heads to Florida upon learning her father is deathly ill. She doesn’t really want to go. Brigid has an awfully weird relationship with her parents and I had a hard time accepting that she could treat her mother like that. Through the course of the book, I came to understand the family dynamic. I believe Brigid came to a better understanding as well and became closer to her mother. Of course, the healing of a family takes more time and effort than portrayed here.
The other purpose for the trip was to visit Laura Coleman, a former FBI agent who is now working on cold cases. One case in particular, proving the innocence of a man who’s been on death row for 15 years, requires some help from Brigid. Laura had saved Brigid's life on a previous case, and she almost lost her own. Brigid sees herself in Laura. As the case heated up, I really enjoyed seeing Brigid working with her brother, Todd, who is a detective with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Learning Brigid's background really helped flesh out her character. I still have doubts about some of her professional behavior. There was one pivotal point in the story that I had to re-read because I thought it was improbable.
I’m curious where the author goes next with Brigid Quinn. What more can she do with a 60 year old retired FBI agent married to a former priest?
Brigid leaves husband Carlo in Tucson and heads to Florida upon learning her father is deathly ill. She doesn’t really want to go. Brigid has an awfully weird relationship with her parents and I had a hard time accepting that she could treat her mother like that. Through the course of the book, I came to understand the family dynamic. I believe Brigid came to a better understanding as well and became closer to her mother. Of course, the healing of a family takes more time and effort than portrayed here.
The other purpose for the trip was to visit Laura Coleman, a former FBI agent who is now working on cold cases. One case in particular, proving the innocence of a man who’s been on death row for 15 years, requires some help from Brigid. Laura had saved Brigid's life on a previous case, and she almost lost her own. Brigid sees herself in Laura. As the case heated up, I really enjoyed seeing Brigid working with her brother, Todd, who is a detective with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Learning Brigid's background really helped flesh out her character. I still have doubts about some of her professional behavior. There was one pivotal point in the story that I had to re-read because I thought it was improbable.
I’m curious where the author goes next with Brigid Quinn. What more can she do with a 60 year old retired FBI agent married to a former priest?
May 7, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
I’m sadly wrapping up my Becky Masterman binge here, I reviewed Rage Against the Dying and Fear the Darkness earlier this week, and though I LOVED my experience with this series, I’m bummed that I’m now caught up and I have to wait along with everyone else to see what Brigid Quinn gets up to next. This series is fantastic, the more I read, the more I loved Brigid and the third installment revealed so much more about her personal life and brought a deeper understanding of who she is and what drives her.
All of the books in this series have some seriously gripping prologues, but this one is my favorite thus far. It’s 1980 and a young Brigid is about to witness her first execution, a man on death row is about to be killed in the form of the electric chair. She talks about the odd feelings she has while simply sitting and watching as a man dies despite everything on the inside screaming at her to help him, its unnatural and goes against every instinct she has. It was very chilling and set the stage for the story perfectly.
Brigid leaves Arizona and heads to Florida when she receives word that her father is sick and in the hospital. While I missed the setting of AZ, I also appreciated seeing Brigid back home where it all began. Laura Coleman from Rage Against the Dying is back and it was nice to check in and see how she was recovering after the events that happened in that book. Coleman is working to exonerate a man named Marcus Creighton who was sentenced to death after the murder of his wife and the disappearance of his three children.
I’ve had a kind of morbid fascination about cases where an innocent man (or woman) is incarcerated for awhile now, so the premise for this one intrigued me. In 2015 alone, 149 people in US prisons were exonerated and released after their innocence was proven. On average, they spent 15 years behind bars. 15 years for something they didn’t do. Can you even imagine? It’s a terrifying thought, and while I won’t reveal if Creighton was actually innocent or guilty, I will say that this one gave me plenty of food for thought.
I don’t quite know how, but Brigid’s voice just gets stronger and more distinctive with each book. Maybe it’s because as the series progresses Masterman delves deeper into her character and peels back more layers of her personality, or maybe it’s because by now I’ve grown rather attached to her, but whatever the case is, my connection with this sarcastic, bullheaded, amazing woman continues to grow. She doesn’t just skirt the boundaries of the law when it suits her, she stomps on them, grinds them into dust and never looks back. She is one seriously tough, intimidating woman and if she was real, I would be tempted to knock on her door with a cup of coffee in my hand, the stories she could tell… The glimpses inside her head as she struggles to work out a case always draws me in, it’s like watching an extremely complicated puzzle being put together. Sometimes you think you have everything in the right spot until just a couple of pieces don’t fit exactly right, but then, you have an AHA moment and it all makes sense. Brigid always fits it all together faster than me, and that’s exactly how I like it as I don’t want to be able to figure it all out alone. Masterman is now an autobuy author for me and I can’t wait for book four, what a brilliant series this is.
I’m sadly wrapping up my Becky Masterman binge here, I reviewed Rage Against the Dying and Fear the Darkness earlier this week, and though I LOVED my experience with this series, I’m bummed that I’m now caught up and I have to wait along with everyone else to see what Brigid Quinn gets up to next. This series is fantastic, the more I read, the more I loved Brigid and the third installment revealed so much more about her personal life and brought a deeper understanding of who she is and what drives her.
All of the books in this series have some seriously gripping prologues, but this one is my favorite thus far. It’s 1980 and a young Brigid is about to witness her first execution, a man on death row is about to be killed in the form of the electric chair. She talks about the odd feelings she has while simply sitting and watching as a man dies despite everything on the inside screaming at her to help him, its unnatural and goes against every instinct she has. It was very chilling and set the stage for the story perfectly.
Brigid leaves Arizona and heads to Florida when she receives word that her father is sick and in the hospital. While I missed the setting of AZ, I also appreciated seeing Brigid back home where it all began. Laura Coleman from Rage Against the Dying is back and it was nice to check in and see how she was recovering after the events that happened in that book. Coleman is working to exonerate a man named Marcus Creighton who was sentenced to death after the murder of his wife and the disappearance of his three children.
I’ve had a kind of morbid fascination about cases where an innocent man (or woman) is incarcerated for awhile now, so the premise for this one intrigued me. In 2015 alone, 149 people in US prisons were exonerated and released after their innocence was proven. On average, they spent 15 years behind bars. 15 years for something they didn’t do. Can you even imagine? It’s a terrifying thought, and while I won’t reveal if Creighton was actually innocent or guilty, I will say that this one gave me plenty of food for thought.
I don’t quite know how, but Brigid’s voice just gets stronger and more distinctive with each book. Maybe it’s because as the series progresses Masterman delves deeper into her character and peels back more layers of her personality, or maybe it’s because by now I’ve grown rather attached to her, but whatever the case is, my connection with this sarcastic, bullheaded, amazing woman continues to grow. She doesn’t just skirt the boundaries of the law when it suits her, she stomps on them, grinds them into dust and never looks back. She is one seriously tough, intimidating woman and if she was real, I would be tempted to knock on her door with a cup of coffee in my hand, the stories she could tell… The glimpses inside her head as she struggles to work out a case always draws me in, it’s like watching an extremely complicated puzzle being put together. Sometimes you think you have everything in the right spot until just a couple of pieces don’t fit exactly right, but then, you have an AHA moment and it all makes sense. Brigid always fits it all together faster than me, and that’s exactly how I like it as I don’t want to be able to figure it all out alone. Masterman is now an autobuy author for me and I can’t wait for book four, what a brilliant series this is.
August 20, 2017
A Twist of the Knife is the third novel featuring Brigid Quinn and honestly for me this series just gets better and better – Brigid is probably the most diverse female lead in crime fiction right now – older, wiser in some things yet none the wiser in others, driven and often haunted but determined and following her own moral guidelines. She is entirely engaging, her thoughts and actions leap off the page pulling you along with her through some difficult and often thought provoking cases.
In this story she is worried about an ex colleague and friend of hers – they had faced previously a dangerous and life threatening situation together – now Laura is caught up in the case of a man on death row and may be way too involved for her own good. Brigid wades in and what follows is a highly addictive and intriguing read that asks a lot of questions of the reader and of Brigid. Often edge of the seat, with many emotional layers, you get sucked into this battle to save a possibly innocent man.
I love how Becky Masterman changes things up with each of her stories featuring Brigid – drip feeding us pieces of her personality and previous history – showing you all her sides and edges – at the same time always providing taut plotting and invariably twisted mystery elements. There are brilliantly placed psychological insights within each story and at the end of each one I always want more. Brigid’s relationships with family, friends, close loved ones are cleverly described and endlessly fascinating, the cases she investigates are dark and twisted, overall this series provides everything you might want from a crime novel and therefore they come highly recommended by me.
In this story she is worried about an ex colleague and friend of hers – they had faced previously a dangerous and life threatening situation together – now Laura is caught up in the case of a man on death row and may be way too involved for her own good. Brigid wades in and what follows is a highly addictive and intriguing read that asks a lot of questions of the reader and of Brigid. Often edge of the seat, with many emotional layers, you get sucked into this battle to save a possibly innocent man.
I love how Becky Masterman changes things up with each of her stories featuring Brigid – drip feeding us pieces of her personality and previous history – showing you all her sides and edges – at the same time always providing taut plotting and invariably twisted mystery elements. There are brilliantly placed psychological insights within each story and at the end of each one I always want more. Brigid’s relationships with family, friends, close loved ones are cleverly described and endlessly fascinating, the cases she investigates are dark and twisted, overall this series provides everything you might want from a crime novel and therefore they come highly recommended by me.
June 20, 2017
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*I received this copy from goodreads in exchange for my honest review*
Brigid Quinn is a retired FBI agent living in Tuscon. She receives a call from her mother saying that her father has fallen ill in Florida and she should come right away. While in Florida, Brigid looks up an old colleague of hers, Laura Coleman, and discovers she is working on a case concerning a man on death row who killed his entire family. Laura is convinced that Marcus Crieghton is innocent and with the help of Quinn, will stop at nothing to prove this.
I had no idea this was the third book in a series until I went to write this review! I had not read the first 2 books in this series before reading this one, although I still understood the story line so I don't believe it to be necessary. I really liked Brigid as a main character. She is a very strong female lead who takes no bullshit from anyone. I like how snarky and sarcastic she was. I found the pacing to be a bit slow up until the ending of the book when everything is revealed. The big reveal at the end was the best part for me as I definitely didn't see it coming!!
*I received this copy from goodreads in exchange for my honest review*
Brigid Quinn is a retired FBI agent living in Tuscon. She receives a call from her mother saying that her father has fallen ill in Florida and she should come right away. While in Florida, Brigid looks up an old colleague of hers, Laura Coleman, and discovers she is working on a case concerning a man on death row who killed his entire family. Laura is convinced that Marcus Crieghton is innocent and with the help of Quinn, will stop at nothing to prove this.
I had no idea this was the third book in a series until I went to write this review! I had not read the first 2 books in this series before reading this one, although I still understood the story line so I don't believe it to be necessary. I really liked Brigid as a main character. She is a very strong female lead who takes no bullshit from anyone. I like how snarky and sarcastic she was. I found the pacing to be a bit slow up until the ending of the book when everything is revealed. The big reveal at the end was the best part for me as I definitely didn't see it coming!!
February 4, 2017
I would like to thank Edelweiss, Minotaur Books, and Becky Masterman for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Retried FBI agent Brigid Quinn travels back to her Florida hometown to help out her friend and former partner, agent Laura Coleman, who has been volunteering to try to get, what Laura believes, an innocent man off death row. While Quinn is there assisting her friend, her father falls ill. Now Brigid must come to terms with her family issues as well as unravel a 30 year old crime without putting herself or friend in danger. This is the third Brigid Quinn installment by Masterman and it does not fail to disappoint.
Read
April 18, 2017This is book #3 of the Brigid Quinn series and I loved the first 2 books. I enjoy the fact that Becky Masterman has a 60-something feisty main character who has retired from the FBI but can't seem to drop her 'investigations'. I pre-ordered this book because it's one of those series that I call 'my own' because no matter what, I'm going to read the next book.
But, something went terribly wrong with this book. Maybe I'm getting old - I'm 60-something - but I can keep up with other books. So, I decided to take a cue from Carol and not rate this book.
The book begins with Brigid in Tuscon, AZ getting ready to leave her husband Carlos and her pugs to travel to Florida where a friend needs some help with a case and her father has been hospitalized. Her friend, Laura, was a colleague in the FBI and has asked Brigid for help in investigating a capital murder case because Laura believes the convicted man, Marcus Creighton, is innocent and he is to be executed in a short time. Again, I'm interested as it seems to be an "innocence project" case.
What goes wrong for me in this story is the editing. I seemed to be reading an uncorrected proof of this novel and I wasn't. I paid my $13.99 for the book. There seemed to be too many characters, too much running around by Brigid as she deals with her elderly parents and the case is a mess, not to mention her friend Laura's emotional state (and several others). There were also numerous writing errors - an example and I'm not quoting directly - Laura moved into the bathroom and Brigid followed after her into the bedroom. I found numerous times where words were incorrectly used or left out completely. It seemed to be a rough draft that didn't get the attention it needed.
So, if I may copy Carol one last time (thank you Carol and I hope you don't mind my referencing you) read some other reviews. This is listed as a 3.8 and maybe it's just this cranky old lady.
But, something went terribly wrong with this book. Maybe I'm getting old - I'm 60-something - but I can keep up with other books. So, I decided to take a cue from Carol and not rate this book.
The book begins with Brigid in Tuscon, AZ getting ready to leave her husband Carlos and her pugs to travel to Florida where a friend needs some help with a case and her father has been hospitalized. Her friend, Laura, was a colleague in the FBI and has asked Brigid for help in investigating a capital murder case because Laura believes the convicted man, Marcus Creighton, is innocent and he is to be executed in a short time. Again, I'm interested as it seems to be an "innocence project" case.
What goes wrong for me in this story is the editing. I seemed to be reading an uncorrected proof of this novel and I wasn't. I paid my $13.99 for the book. There seemed to be too many characters, too much running around by Brigid as she deals with her elderly parents and the case is a mess, not to mention her friend Laura's emotional state (and several others). There were also numerous writing errors - an example and I'm not quoting directly - Laura moved into the bathroom and Brigid followed after her into the bedroom. I found numerous times where words were incorrectly used or left out completely. It seemed to be a rough draft that didn't get the attention it needed.
So, if I may copy Carol one last time (thank you Carol and I hope you don't mind my referencing you) read some other reviews. This is listed as a 3.8 and maybe it's just this cranky old lady.
January 6, 2017
"You may think you know someone else's story, but you don't"
A taut tale set against the countdown to a death penalty execution: fifteen years ago Marcus Creighton was convicted for the murder of his wife and three children - today Brigid Quinn is brought into the case when an ex-FBI colleague is convinced the verdict was wrong - but with just five days before Creighton faces legal death by lethal injection can justice truly be served?
In a hugely over-crowded crime marketplace, this book stands out for its sharp, smart narrative voice; its authenticity of detail, notably the horrific descriptions of executions; and its complicated characterisations and plotting. This isn't a story which takes the easy way out with ludicrous twist-upon-twist: instead it combines a gripping plot with an intelligent look at the weaknesses and infelicities of the US justice system. That Quinn herself is fundamentally in favour of capital punishment and yet finds herself fighting for a convicted man's reprieve adds to the complexities of the issues.
There are some heart-stopping moments here but they make sense and develop organically out of the plot and interactions of characters. Although this is the third of a series, there's no problem joining Quinn's story here - a tense, well-crafted and intelligent story of guilt, innocence and the complicated and fraught pursuit of justice.
Review from an ARC via Amazon Vine
A taut tale set against the countdown to a death penalty execution: fifteen years ago Marcus Creighton was convicted for the murder of his wife and three children - today Brigid Quinn is brought into the case when an ex-FBI colleague is convinced the verdict was wrong - but with just five days before Creighton faces legal death by lethal injection can justice truly be served?
In a hugely over-crowded crime marketplace, this book stands out for its sharp, smart narrative voice; its authenticity of detail, notably the horrific descriptions of executions; and its complicated characterisations and plotting. This isn't a story which takes the easy way out with ludicrous twist-upon-twist: instead it combines a gripping plot with an intelligent look at the weaknesses and infelicities of the US justice system. That Quinn herself is fundamentally in favour of capital punishment and yet finds herself fighting for a convicted man's reprieve adds to the complexities of the issues.
There are some heart-stopping moments here but they make sense and develop organically out of the plot and interactions of characters. Although this is the third of a series, there's no problem joining Quinn's story here - a tense, well-crafted and intelligent story of guilt, innocence and the complicated and fraught pursuit of justice.
Review from an ARC via Amazon Vine
February 3, 2017
I enjoyed A Twist Of The Knife. It is clever, both serious and witty, and is a gripping read. It is the third in a series, but it works very well as a stand-alone book.
On the face of it, the plot sounds familiar and hackneyed, as a former FBI agent becomes involved in a friend's attempts to prove the innocence of a man before he is executed. In fact it felt original and fresh, and it also has important things to say about capital punishment. The plot develops in a credible way and avoids ridiculous "twists," but holds genuine surprises, some of which go very much against what one expects in a story like this.
The story is narrated by Brigid Quinn and it is her voice which makes this such a good book. She is 60 years old and in a stable marriage to a sane, supportive husband and is intelligent, tough, has some ordinary human frailties and is often sharply witty. It's a terrific voice which drives the story very well and also generates a very powerful sense of place in Florida. I thought the first half of the book was exceptionally good; the second half became rather less original in tone and structure; it was still well done, but the climax didn't grip me nearly as much as the first part of the book.
Small reservations aside, I can recommend this as a gripping and entertaining read and I will be looking out for more in the series.
On the face of it, the plot sounds familiar and hackneyed, as a former FBI agent becomes involved in a friend's attempts to prove the innocence of a man before he is executed. In fact it felt original and fresh, and it also has important things to say about capital punishment. The plot develops in a credible way and avoids ridiculous "twists," but holds genuine surprises, some of which go very much against what one expects in a story like this.
The story is narrated by Brigid Quinn and it is her voice which makes this such a good book. She is 60 years old and in a stable marriage to a sane, supportive husband and is intelligent, tough, has some ordinary human frailties and is often sharply witty. It's a terrific voice which drives the story very well and also generates a very powerful sense of place in Florida. I thought the first half of the book was exceptionally good; the second half became rather less original in tone and structure; it was still well done, but the climax didn't grip me nearly as much as the first part of the book.
Small reservations aside, I can recommend this as a gripping and entertaining read and I will be looking out for more in the series.
October 26, 2016
A Twist of the Knife has a complex plot, is fast paced, and beautifully written. Brigid Quinn is a flawed woman, but you’ll want her on your side if you get in trouble.. Retired from the FBI, Quinn helps a former agent solve a cold case in hopes of saving a man on death row from his execution. The best yet in the Brigid Quinn series!
August 17, 2019
A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman is book three in the Brigid Quinn crime novel series and adds another dimension to this already complicated and diverse main character. For my money, this may be the single most well developed character going in crime mystery novels this century. You have never met anyone quite like Brigid Quinn and you can consider it a loss, an emptiness in your soul, if you never do.
"...It is a well-established fact that stranger homicide is rare. Most murderers kill people close to them. This is a story about a man on death row for killing his family, and about the women who loved or hated him. This is a story about the lengths we go to seek justice as we see it. It's also about prisons, some made of stone. And along those lines, it's about the family legends we tell, to each other and ourselves, that imprison us. Heroes and villains, they all got family..."
Brigid Quinn is in her fifties, retired from the FBI and living a life she never thought she would have in Tucson, Arizona with her husband Carlo. A marriage and love that came to her late in her life. A marriage and love that she is not sure she deserves and isn't always sure she knows how to manage. Quinn is a stranger to happy relationships and happy family units. Her family is a cop family. Her father a policeman, her brother a Detective, her sister in CIA and herself, ex-FBI. The odd one of the group is her mother. A quiet woman in the raging storm of violence and death that the family Quinn brought home daily from their lives.
But family is family and when Brigid gets a call from her mother that her father is in the hospital, she boards a plane to Florida. At the same time she decides to look up an old colleague from the FBI so she doesn't have to spend too much of her time with family. Laura Coleman, a protege of Brigid's of sorts. A young agent whose life Quinn saved and who in return, saved hers. Coleman is on leave from the FBI and has been spending her time working a legal group trying to help death row inmates get new trials.
"...I didn't know everything, but I knew Marcus Creighton was guilty. Laura was going to lose. I remembered Laura didn't care much for losing..."
Marcus Creighton was on death row for the murder of his wife and three children. His only alibi was the young woman he was having an affair with when his wife was killed. Only the young woman wouldn't alibi him. It was a pretty tight case, but Laura Coleman was convinced that Creighton was innocent. But Coleman also had a habit for falling in love with the wrong man and it had gotten both her and Quinn in trouble before. But if Quinn and Coleman were going to prove his innocence they had to hurry, the clock was ticking and Creighton's time was almost up.
But Quinn had other things to deal with as well. A father dying in the hospital and the ghosts of the past coming to roost on the family Quinn.
With each mystery and tale, we are seeing Brigid Quinn reveal herself piece by piece. The beauty of it is that the character seems as surprised by the revelations as we, the reader, is. She is evolving at a time in her life when she probably believes she should be settling in. Brigid Quinn is anything but settling in.
A Twist of the Knife is a wonderful book with one of the best female detective characters going that you are going to find. Flawed and formidable. Brigid Quinn is realistic and brutal. She is an older woman yes, but don't expect her age to be a weakness. It is a strength, experience and jaded views on the world make her a detective to be reckoned with.
I am waiting eagerly for the next installment in the life of Brigid Quinn!
"...It is a well-established fact that stranger homicide is rare. Most murderers kill people close to them. This is a story about a man on death row for killing his family, and about the women who loved or hated him. This is a story about the lengths we go to seek justice as we see it. It's also about prisons, some made of stone. And along those lines, it's about the family legends we tell, to each other and ourselves, that imprison us. Heroes and villains, they all got family..."
Brigid Quinn is in her fifties, retired from the FBI and living a life she never thought she would have in Tucson, Arizona with her husband Carlo. A marriage and love that came to her late in her life. A marriage and love that she is not sure she deserves and isn't always sure she knows how to manage. Quinn is a stranger to happy relationships and happy family units. Her family is a cop family. Her father a policeman, her brother a Detective, her sister in CIA and herself, ex-FBI. The odd one of the group is her mother. A quiet woman in the raging storm of violence and death that the family Quinn brought home daily from their lives.
But family is family and when Brigid gets a call from her mother that her father is in the hospital, she boards a plane to Florida. At the same time she decides to look up an old colleague from the FBI so she doesn't have to spend too much of her time with family. Laura Coleman, a protege of Brigid's of sorts. A young agent whose life Quinn saved and who in return, saved hers. Coleman is on leave from the FBI and has been spending her time working a legal group trying to help death row inmates get new trials.
"...I didn't know everything, but I knew Marcus Creighton was guilty. Laura was going to lose. I remembered Laura didn't care much for losing..."
Marcus Creighton was on death row for the murder of his wife and three children. His only alibi was the young woman he was having an affair with when his wife was killed. Only the young woman wouldn't alibi him. It was a pretty tight case, but Laura Coleman was convinced that Creighton was innocent. But Coleman also had a habit for falling in love with the wrong man and it had gotten both her and Quinn in trouble before. But if Quinn and Coleman were going to prove his innocence they had to hurry, the clock was ticking and Creighton's time was almost up.
But Quinn had other things to deal with as well. A father dying in the hospital and the ghosts of the past coming to roost on the family Quinn.
With each mystery and tale, we are seeing Brigid Quinn reveal herself piece by piece. The beauty of it is that the character seems as surprised by the revelations as we, the reader, is. She is evolving at a time in her life when she probably believes she should be settling in. Brigid Quinn is anything but settling in.
A Twist of the Knife is a wonderful book with one of the best female detective characters going that you are going to find. Flawed and formidable. Brigid Quinn is realistic and brutal. She is an older woman yes, but don't expect her age to be a weakness. It is a strength, experience and jaded views on the world make her a detective to be reckoned with.
I am waiting eagerly for the next installment in the life of Brigid Quinn!
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August 10, 2019
Audiobook - 11:31 Hours - Narrator: Kate Harper
2.5-Stars: "It was OK+I (almost) Liked It" rounded up.
"She is dogged, determined and feisty. She bucks authority, can shoot straight and seriously kick arse if required."
...from my review of "#1, Rage Against the Dying".
"...I am desperate for Masterman to produce a book that fulfils the expectations created for Brigid Quinn, particularly in her first appearance."
...from my review of "#2, Fear the Darkness".
I am disappointed that "#3, A Twist of the Knife" was a disappointment! As a crime/thriller it was interesting enough, but the Brigid Quinn as depicted by Becky Masterman in "#1, Rage Against the Dying", was missing in action.
Her beloved husband, Carlo, was also missing in action because Brigid was visiting her parents in Florida and he was home in Tucson. His guiding hand and steady thinking were sadly missing and sorely needed as Brigid gets involved in an investigation blurred by jurisdictional problems.
With the introduction of her FBI friend from #1, Laura Coleman, who is fighting to save a death row prison inmate from execution, and who draws a reluctant Brigid into her investigation, I was hopeful that some "Brigid action" might be forthcoming, but unfortunately it didn't happen. The story rambled on and on without much happening at all. In fact, Brigid's involvement in the death row matter was strange because she had no direct connection with the original conviction, and she seemingly had no authority to do anything, except that she "...was a friend of the FBI" because of her status as "retired from the FBI" and her friendship with Laura. Why and how the police force members accepted her as part of what was ultimately an "investigation" is unclear.
Brigid's dealings with her pretty much unloved mother, her police officer brother, with whom she has a tense relationship, and her ailing father, were overwrought and in my inexpert opinion would have benefited from some serious editing. I found that the extended narrative involving all four characters became quite tiresome.
Before writing this little diatribe, I listened to about twenty minutes of the narration of "#2, Fear the Dying", skipping back and forth to properly appreciate the vocal characterisation by Kate Harper of Brigid Quinn in that novel. This is because when I started "#3, A Twist of the Knife", I noticed that Harper's interpretation of Quinn had seemed different, as I note in My Activity comment: "A somewhat softer sounding Brigid Quinn shows up in this, the third book of the series, but the story is shaping up well so far." As the reading progressed I found myself wishing for Harper's more aggressive and taut interpretation of Quinn from #2, rather than the more laid-back, less snarly vocalisation in #3.
So, a bit disappointing overall, but in the meantime I have purchased "#4, We Were Killers Once", as I am looking forward to the hopeful return of the "#1 Brigid Quinn" and the early reviews seem quite promising. Book #4 was released in Audible Australia just two days ago but I will let it rest and mellow for a while I try and do the same😎!
2.5-Stars: "It was OK+I (almost) Liked It" rounded up.
"She is dogged, determined and feisty. She bucks authority, can shoot straight and seriously kick arse if required."
...from my review of "#1, Rage Against the Dying".
"...I am desperate for Masterman to produce a book that fulfils the expectations created for Brigid Quinn, particularly in her first appearance."
...from my review of "#2, Fear the Darkness".
I am disappointed that "#3, A Twist of the Knife" was a disappointment! As a crime/thriller it was interesting enough, but the Brigid Quinn as depicted by Becky Masterman in "#1, Rage Against the Dying", was missing in action.
Her beloved husband, Carlo, was also missing in action because Brigid was visiting her parents in Florida and he was home in Tucson. His guiding hand and steady thinking were sadly missing and sorely needed as Brigid gets involved in an investigation blurred by jurisdictional problems.
With the introduction of her FBI friend from #1, Laura Coleman, who is fighting to save a death row prison inmate from execution, and who draws a reluctant Brigid into her investigation, I was hopeful that some "Brigid action" might be forthcoming, but unfortunately it didn't happen. The story rambled on and on without much happening at all. In fact, Brigid's involvement in the death row matter was strange because she had no direct connection with the original conviction, and she seemingly had no authority to do anything, except that she "...was a friend of the FBI" because of her status as "retired from the FBI" and her friendship with Laura. Why and how the police force members accepted her as part of what was ultimately an "investigation" is unclear.
Brigid's dealings with her pretty much unloved mother, her police officer brother, with whom she has a tense relationship, and her ailing father, were overwrought and in my inexpert opinion would have benefited from some serious editing. I found that the extended narrative involving all four characters became quite tiresome.
Before writing this little diatribe, I listened to about twenty minutes of the narration of "#2, Fear the Dying", skipping back and forth to properly appreciate the vocal characterisation by Kate Harper of Brigid Quinn in that novel. This is because when I started "#3, A Twist of the Knife", I noticed that Harper's interpretation of Quinn had seemed different, as I note in My Activity comment: "A somewhat softer sounding Brigid Quinn shows up in this, the third book of the series, but the story is shaping up well so far." As the reading progressed I found myself wishing for Harper's more aggressive and taut interpretation of Quinn from #2, rather than the more laid-back, less snarly vocalisation in #3.
So, a bit disappointing overall, but in the meantime I have purchased "#4, We Were Killers Once", as I am looking forward to the hopeful return of the "#1 Brigid Quinn" and the early reviews seem quite promising. Book #4 was released in Audible Australia just two days ago but I will let it rest and mellow for a while I try and do the same😎!
February 12, 2017
Brigid Quinn in back in Florida for two reasons in this episode. First, her father is in the hospital with pneumonia and Brigid is back to see him. Second, a former partner and someone who saved her life has asked for her help.
Brigid has an interesting family dynamic going on. She was very glad to leave home since her parents had and have a dysfunctional marriage. Her father was in law enforcement and encouraged his children to follow his path. However, he was also a very angry man whose violent temper caused him to throw things frequently. Her mother came off as something of a doormat. She left the kids to her husband and just kept a low profile in the family. It takes this hospital stay for Brigid to finally get to know her mother.
The second reason provides most of the mystery in this story. Her colleague Laura is on leave from the FBI and working with a lawyer who is trying to save people on death row that he feels were wrongly convicted. Their current case deals with Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children in 1999. The wife was found electrocuted in her bath and the children were missing. Brigid isn't convinced that Creighton is innocent but agrees to help her friend who seems to be in love with Creighton.
The investigation gives Brigid a chance to connect with people she knew and worked with in her early days in the FBI in Florida. We see that Brigid has a long history of taking the law into her own hands as she recalls events in her early career.
I thought this mystery was nicely twisty and had a number of surprises. Following the twists and turns of the investigation kept me reading this one late into the night. Fans of detectives who live firmly in the gray areas of law enforcement will enjoy this third Brigid Quinn story.
Brigid has an interesting family dynamic going on. She was very glad to leave home since her parents had and have a dysfunctional marriage. Her father was in law enforcement and encouraged his children to follow his path. However, he was also a very angry man whose violent temper caused him to throw things frequently. Her mother came off as something of a doormat. She left the kids to her husband and just kept a low profile in the family. It takes this hospital stay for Brigid to finally get to know her mother.
The second reason provides most of the mystery in this story. Her colleague Laura is on leave from the FBI and working with a lawyer who is trying to save people on death row that he feels were wrongly convicted. Their current case deals with Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children in 1999. The wife was found electrocuted in her bath and the children were missing. Brigid isn't convinced that Creighton is innocent but agrees to help her friend who seems to be in love with Creighton.
The investigation gives Brigid a chance to connect with people she knew and worked with in her early days in the FBI in Florida. We see that Brigid has a long history of taking the law into her own hands as she recalls events in her early career.
I thought this mystery was nicely twisty and had a number of surprises. Following the twists and turns of the investigation kept me reading this one late into the night. Fans of detectives who live firmly in the gray areas of law enforcement will enjoy this third Brigid Quinn story.
April 12, 2017
I very rarely even glance at others' reviews when I start a new book, but I did this time once I realized that this book is the third in a series. Another reviewer insisted that this book can stand on its own, so I went ahead and read this, but I do believe I would have been far more engaged with this story had I started with book 1.
I really wanted to love this book. I adore crime thrillers, and this one promised to be quite an engaging read. Plus I can't help but love strong female characters. So I'm thinking my lack of engagement is my fault, not the author's. Brigid Quinn is a total bad-ass (in the best sense of the word), and I find her even more inspiring knowing she's 60. We don't have enough stories about bad-ass older women who are far too young and full of life to sit around knitting all day.
I did, however, think there were a few too many characters to keep straight. Again, it could be that several were from prior novels, so a reader familiar with the series wouldn't have the same issue.
I will probably go back and read books 1 and 2 when I get a chance, and hopefully I'll be more engaged with the story line.
I really wanted to love this book. I adore crime thrillers, and this one promised to be quite an engaging read. Plus I can't help but love strong female characters. So I'm thinking my lack of engagement is my fault, not the author's. Brigid Quinn is a total bad-ass (in the best sense of the word), and I find her even more inspiring knowing she's 60. We don't have enough stories about bad-ass older women who are far too young and full of life to sit around knitting all day.
I did, however, think there were a few too many characters to keep straight. Again, it could be that several were from prior novels, so a reader familiar with the series wouldn't have the same issue.
I will probably go back and read books 1 and 2 when I get a chance, and hopefully I'll be more engaged with the story line.
August 22, 2017
3.25 Stars Brigid Quinn is a really difficult protagonist for me to like. She is harsh, cold, has questionable ethics and can be downright mean. Occasionally we see a bit of a softer side to her, and she is a former FBI agent and qualified investigator. This is an interesting story in which Brigid goes back to Florida as her father is sick in the hospital, and gets involved with a former colleague now working for an Innocence Project case investigating the case of a man on death row having been convicted of killing his wife and kids. I thought the facts of the death row case and lack of success at an appeal or stay were a bit skinny and unbelievable, but the underlying investigation was interesting. Bottom line, Brigid herself drags this story down for me. I just really don't like spending time with her.
April 17, 2017
Although A Twist of the Knife is the 3rd book in the Brigid Quinn series, I decided to jump straight in and I'm really pleased that I did. For me, you can tell that this is part of a series as the characters are already very well developed and I think I missed out a little bit by not reading the first 2 books (something I do intend to remedy very soon). Putting that to one side, this is a great book and there is so much going on that your head will be in a spin until the cleverly drawn out conclusion.
A Twist of the Knife has one of the most chilling prologues I have ever read, as Brigid witnesses her first execution. 35 years later Brigid heads to Florida as her Dad is in hospital and whilst there meets up with Laura Coleman. Laura is working on a death row case, that of Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children. The bodies of the children were never found, which has caught the attention of Alison Samuels who works for an organisation specialising in locating missing children. With four days left before Marcus Creighton is executed, can Laura, with help from Brigid, prove that he didn't kill his family and will Alison Samuels find the missing Creighton children?
Brigid Quinn is such a feisty character. She keeps her emotions very close to her chest and I loved her interactions with her very dysfunctional family over her father's hospital bed. The Quinns know just which buttons to press in each other and you can almost feel them fizzing with barely controlled emotions. It was while enjoying such scenes that I realised how much of the building up of Brigid's character that I had missed by not reading the first 2 books. Not that it spoiled my enjoyment of the story at all, I just think it would have been enhanced by knowing more about her in advance.
The story of Marcus Creighton was excellent. Not that I could say whether it was accurate or not, but the police procedural element appeared to have been meticulously researched. I felt like I was in a race against time as the countdown to Marcus's execution began and I truly believed that he was as innocent as Laura claimed him to be. Will Brigid be able to uncover the truth before it is too late? You will just have to read it and see!
This definitely has the potential to be a 5 star book but, through no fault of the author, I have awarded 4 stars purely because I felt that I was missing something. Totally my fault by not reading the books in order, but it is the mark of a good book when I am looking to add the earlier books to my TBR pile in order to catch up with Brigid's story.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
A Twist of the Knife has one of the most chilling prologues I have ever read, as Brigid witnesses her first execution. 35 years later Brigid heads to Florida as her Dad is in hospital and whilst there meets up with Laura Coleman. Laura is working on a death row case, that of Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children. The bodies of the children were never found, which has caught the attention of Alison Samuels who works for an organisation specialising in locating missing children. With four days left before Marcus Creighton is executed, can Laura, with help from Brigid, prove that he didn't kill his family and will Alison Samuels find the missing Creighton children?
Brigid Quinn is such a feisty character. She keeps her emotions very close to her chest and I loved her interactions with her very dysfunctional family over her father's hospital bed. The Quinns know just which buttons to press in each other and you can almost feel them fizzing with barely controlled emotions. It was while enjoying such scenes that I realised how much of the building up of Brigid's character that I had missed by not reading the first 2 books. Not that it spoiled my enjoyment of the story at all, I just think it would have been enhanced by knowing more about her in advance.
The story of Marcus Creighton was excellent. Not that I could say whether it was accurate or not, but the police procedural element appeared to have been meticulously researched. I felt like I was in a race against time as the countdown to Marcus's execution began and I truly believed that he was as innocent as Laura claimed him to be. Will Brigid be able to uncover the truth before it is too late? You will just have to read it and see!
This definitely has the potential to be a 5 star book but, through no fault of the author, I have awarded 4 stars purely because I felt that I was missing something. Totally my fault by not reading the books in order, but it is the mark of a good book when I am looking to add the earlier books to my TBR pile in order to catch up with Brigid's story.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
April 20, 2018
Really enjoyed this one! A strong, complex, female lead without the crippling dysfunction that makes you wonder how anyone puts up with her and without being a Mary Sue who can do no wrong. The plot moved along; the details seemed well formed and thought out. I had picked this up on a whim, so will have to go back and read the first in the series now.
February 6, 2020
Gosh, I like Brigid Quinn. I'd forgotten just how much, actually.
This third in the series provides not only a solid mystery, but a great deal of food for thought re the death penalty and the ethics of a criminal justice system that seems at times to tilt toward expediency.
While there wasn't as much of the relationship that I enjoy between Brigid and her new-ish husband Carlos (what? Love can find us later in life??), there was a very meaningful glimpse into the troubled family relationships Brigid has with her parents. Masterman didn't shortchange this complex structure by tying anything up into neat bows, a fact I appreciate.
While this could be read as a stand-alone, you really owe it to yourself to get to know Brigid from the beginning.
This third in the series provides not only a solid mystery, but a great deal of food for thought re the death penalty and the ethics of a criminal justice system that seems at times to tilt toward expediency.
While there wasn't as much of the relationship that I enjoy between Brigid and her new-ish husband Carlos (what? Love can find us later in life??), there was a very meaningful glimpse into the troubled family relationships Brigid has with her parents. Masterman didn't shortchange this complex structure by tying anything up into neat bows, a fact I appreciate.
While this could be read as a stand-alone, you really owe it to yourself to get to know Brigid from the beginning.
January 14, 2023
This was a police procedural with lots of stereotypical breaking of stereotypes. Theres this nearly senior citizen retired detective woman who is tougher than she should be. Theres a couple of families that are so disfunctional that they break the normal family dynamic. Guilty seeming cops who really are not as guilty as they seem. The shock value of breaking norms is lost as the method is so re-used by authors. The title suggests that there will be twists that we can't see coming, but because so many authors use similar twists, they are expected, and the only question is how long before they tell us about them. That said, this was a quick read with about as much interest as an episode of any of a hundred TV episodes. I like watching a few crime drama series, but I never think they are great and I feel the same about this book. Entertaining in a read, think a minute, and forget about way. Yep, that was an okay read...now what?
October 29, 2016
This novel is the third in the Brigid Quinn series and continues the story of Briigid's exploits after retiring from the FBI. She is a great heroine- a 60 year old retired agent who is not frightened to carry around a gun and use it when necessary. She has a great sense of right and wrong and sometimes blurs the line between what is legal and what is just. I love her voice which narrates the story and the asides to the reader which explain why she acts as she does.
In this story we learn more about Brigid's family background as she has to fly to Florida to be at the hospital bedside of her father who is very unwell. We find out a lot about her relationship with him and the difficulties Brigid has dealing with her mother.
As well as the personal back story Brigid is employed helping agent Laura Coleman try to clear Marcus Creighton who has been on death row for 16 years, convicted of murdering his wife and possibly his children who are missing.
The story moves between both places as Brigid meets Marcus and agrees to help find proof that he is innocent and the hospital where her family are gathering.
Themes in the book include parents' relationships with their children and how words left unsaid can lead to problems and misunderstandings later on in life.
Brigid was not aware of the difficulties between her parents and Marcus hid information from his wife and children which led to his conviction.
This book also highlighted the barbarity of the death penalty; it is such a final solution and there is no going back once it has happened, even if the person executed is innocent. Brigid describes witnessing an execution earlier in her career and this sets the scene for the novel.
I really enjoyed this book as I did the previous two novels in the series. Although you could read this as a stand alone novel I would recommend reading the earlier books as they explain some parts of the plot including Brigid's relationships with Carlo, her husband and Laura Coleman who she worked with previously. Unfortunately I will now have to wait a while until the next one in the series is published. I will definitely be first in the queue to purchase it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
In this story we learn more about Brigid's family background as she has to fly to Florida to be at the hospital bedside of her father who is very unwell. We find out a lot about her relationship with him and the difficulties Brigid has dealing with her mother.
As well as the personal back story Brigid is employed helping agent Laura Coleman try to clear Marcus Creighton who has been on death row for 16 years, convicted of murdering his wife and possibly his children who are missing.
The story moves between both places as Brigid meets Marcus and agrees to help find proof that he is innocent and the hospital where her family are gathering.
Themes in the book include parents' relationships with their children and how words left unsaid can lead to problems and misunderstandings later on in life.
Brigid was not aware of the difficulties between her parents and Marcus hid information from his wife and children which led to his conviction.
This book also highlighted the barbarity of the death penalty; it is such a final solution and there is no going back once it has happened, even if the person executed is innocent. Brigid describes witnessing an execution earlier in her career and this sets the scene for the novel.
I really enjoyed this book as I did the previous two novels in the series. Although you could read this as a stand alone novel I would recommend reading the earlier books as they explain some parts of the plot including Brigid's relationships with Carlo, her husband and Laura Coleman who she worked with previously. Unfortunately I will now have to wait a while until the next one in the series is published. I will definitely be first in the queue to purchase it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2017
This is the third book in a series featuring Brigid Quinn. I have not read the two previous books and I don't feel that it affected my enjoyment of the story very much. There were references to previous events but I don't believe that it's necessary to know all the backstory to understand this one. However, I do want to go back and read those two books because I liked spending time with Brigid. She's a mostly likable, smart, tough, kick-ass woman and the best part is she's in her 60's!
The main plot centers on a death row inmate's last minute appeal case and Brigid and her colleagues trying to find evidence on the cold case murder that sent him there. There wasn't a lot of happiness in this story, although there was plenty of snarky humour courtesy of Brigid. I've come out of the book feeling a little down and it's not a heart-warming feel good type of story. It definitely tended more towards gritty crime novel. The mystery was engaging and I was surprised more than once by the twists. This was a solid crime novel/mystery featuring an interesting protagonist and I'm excited to see where Brigid goes next!
I received this book for free through a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway but this has not influenced my review in any way.
The main plot centers on a death row inmate's last minute appeal case and Brigid and her colleagues trying to find evidence on the cold case murder that sent him there. There wasn't a lot of happiness in this story, although there was plenty of snarky humour courtesy of Brigid. I've come out of the book feeling a little down and it's not a heart-warming feel good type of story. It definitely tended more towards gritty crime novel. The mystery was engaging and I was surprised more than once by the twists. This was a solid crime novel/mystery featuring an interesting protagonist and I'm excited to see where Brigid goes next!
I received this book for free through a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway but this has not influenced my review in any way.
June 30, 2017
Being a newbie to this series, I like that I was able to jump right into this book having no background of the characters. The way this book started had me hooked. From there my level of interest pretty much stayed the same all the way through until the end. I like the way that the author had me conflicted between if Marcus was innocent or guilty. Mrs. Masterman kept me wondering if Brigid was truly fighting for the right man. Therefore, I could not stop reading to find out the truth.
Speaking of Brigid. She is a bit of a flawed character, which makes her perfect. She had family issues that did play out some in this story. Yet, I was glad to she that she was not perfect as it made her more personable. I felt some tension between she and her brother but it was nice to see them come together to work on this case. To be honest, I did not see the "twist" in the story. I look forward to going back and checking out the prior novels.
Speaking of Brigid. She is a bit of a flawed character, which makes her perfect. She had family issues that did play out some in this story. Yet, I was glad to she that she was not perfect as it made her more personable. I felt some tension between she and her brother but it was nice to see them come together to work on this case. To be honest, I did not see the "twist" in the story. I look forward to going back and checking out the prior novels.
April 28, 2017
I've enjoy this series but this book just wasn't as interesting as the first two. Perhaps because it was not Arizona? Too much dysfunctional family stuff? No Carlos? Not sure but I look forward to future Brigid episodes.
April 7, 2017
A crime novel that transcends the genre--a twisting, high-stakes story with characters so real, and so recognizably human, that it breaks your heart a little. Brilliant.
January 22, 2018
Third and latest in the Brigid Quinn series and an excellent third instalment in this interesting serial. This book spends more time showing us why and how Brigid came to be who she is. She spends it in Florida visiting her ailing father and trying to support her mother. Neither who she’s much deep family feelings for. Brigid connects back up with Laura Coleman, her FBI agent friend from Book #1 who is now working an investigation with an attorney trying to get a stay on a client’s execution who was found guilty of murdering his wife and children; the children’s bodies have never been found. This is a journey of discovery for Brigid; learning about herself and her family history. How she feels about justice, revenge, family, friendship, love and compassion. With her beloved husband Carlo back home in Tucson, it’s a journey Brigid must take on her own. Masterman delivers for the reader as well thought provoking insights into investigation, forensics, trial and punishment. And legalized killing. This is not a lighthearted book and it effectively shines a light on the complexities of justice, good and evil, crime and the punishment that goes with it. A great series and I can’t wait for book #4.
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