Twisted Window

by Lois Duncan

Tracy, a high school junior, becomes embroiled in the problems of a strange boy, who asks her assistance in "snatching" his half-sister from her father who has allegedly kidnapped her.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Horror, Suspense, Teen

183 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Lois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz) was an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.

Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.

Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.

In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.

Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.

The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).

Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.


Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com

Reviews

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good YA psychological thriller, in which a gullible, alienated 17-year-old girl is enticed by a strange (in both senses of the word) boy into abetting him in a harebrained scheme to abduct his missing toddler sister, who he says was kidnapped by her divorced father. She goes along with the plan even though she knows from the beginning that there is something "off" about this boy. What could possibly go wrong?

Originally published in 1987, the book was updated for reissue in 2012. I'm not sure the updating of these books was really necessary, as it seems mainly to consist of thinking of reasons why people can't use their cell phones (they forgot to bring their charger, no signal, etc.).

Anyway, I always enjoy Lois Duncan's suspense novels, and I was glad to find one I hadn't read yet.

[❤Ninja Bunneh❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book portrays a girl with the least common sense I have ever come across. Ever. In any book I have ever read. I'm talking thousands. If she isn't the most moronic, then she certainly hits the top 5. But, I digress.

The Twisted Window introduces us to Brad. Brad is a teenage boy casing out the local high school in a small town. He doesn't attend this high school, oh no. He is there to recruit a girl to assist him in his master plan. Edward Cullen has got nothing on this boy.



Brad settles on 17 year old Tracy AKA The Moron. He proceeds to stalk her, finally getting her to go out with him alone. Brad tells Tracy a sob story regarding his little baby sister being abducted. He needs Tracy's help to rescue her. Tracy, being the absolute brainiac that she is, believes his story but doesn't trust him. She feels he isn't who he says he is and yet, continues to see him. Yeh, makes perfect sense.

See, Tracy has her own demons. Mom was killed a year before, stabbed to death. Mom and dear old Dad had been Hollywood movie stars. Dad decides he cant give Tracy what she needs and sends her to live in small town USA with her aunt and uncle. That way, he can also pursue his career, which is what Tracy feels was his true motive. She is unappreciative of her aunt and uncle. There is still no excuse for her lacking a brain, however. I pretty much couldn't stand her.

Anywhoo, Tracy decides to help Brad with his plan which of course leads to a whole bunch of fuckery. Not the good kind.



After I got over my extreme dislike of Tracy, I became rather entertained by her. Instead of calling her a stupid moron in my head, I waited to see how far she would dig her own grave. And boy, did she ever.

The huge plot twist I had figured out pretty early on. That didn't deter me from enjoying the book.

The Twisted Window is a good quick thrill ride. It has sufficient twists and turns to stay entertaining.

3 Ninja-Bunnehs-Stalking-You stars

(Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I received no fluffeh bunnehs in exchange for an honest review)

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 2.5

I didn't like the main character in this. She was an idiot.

I didn't enjoy this one. I thought it was dull, and with the main character being a complete idiot, a lot of it was annoying.

I'm really glad this one was only short, because it definately would have dragged badly otherwise.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Twisted Window is a thriller about a young girl named Tracy Lloyd. Tracy lives with her aunt and uncle because, after her mother was killed, her father didn't feel like he was about to care for her. She is bitter and angry with her life. She meets an attractive new kid named Brad and asks a huge favor of her. His little sister has been taken by his stepfather and Brad wants to get her back. Tracy agrees, not thinking much about the possible consequences. It's his sister after all, so it's not kidnapping. But Tracy doesn't know exactly what happened with Brad's little sister. And neither does Brad.

I always loved Lois Duncan books when I was younger. I remember them being very thrilling and sometimes scary. And I think if I was ten they still would be. It was very predictable but it was still fun and exciting at times. In some ways, I had a hard time believing some of the characters could be that stupid and make such stupid choices, but I guess we all do that at some points in our lives. Great read for young adults. Not so much for adults.

[Nina Test · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back cover really didnt give me much to go off of. I thought this book would be about a stalker/killer, but it wasnt that at all. The was partly a disappointment to me.
This book was a nice quick easy read but not something I loved.
I felt there were many unanswered questions at the end which bothered me. I liked the idea of the book but I think it could have been more thought out and explained or taken even more twists and turns through out...

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lois Duncan delivers a great Young Adult thriller with just the right amount of creepy-woo-woo factor, from the very start when a new boy at school “chooses” a special girl for reasons unknown. So far, I’m there in the story, ready to go! But from that point, as Brad reveals his “mission” to Tracy Lloyd, a teen dissatisfied with her current life, the two of them jump headfirst into danger and intrigue as Tracy decided to help Brad get his baby sister back from the man who took her. But what has Tracy really gotten herself into? Are things as they seem? The Twisted Window is a raw picture of how distorted lives can become in the blink of an eye.
Sometimes, a thriller written for a younger audience fails to dig deep enough into the story to really give the reader a satisfying feel at the end of the book. I loved the idea and the main thrust, but the delivery was just shy of keeping me in a vise grip until the end. The action seemed to skip a little in the fleshing out department with too many gaps and too much rushing blinding into the jaws of danger by Tracy.

A review copy was provided by NetGalley and Open Road Media in exchange for my honest review of this re-released YA Thriller.

Publication Date: 1988 - Re-released August, 2012
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 9781453263372
Number of Pages: 194
Genre: YA Thriller
My Rating: 3.5

Available from: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything written by Lois Duncan before and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It is a page turner and you have to read until the last chapter to receive the answers to your questions: Why and when has Brad became so disturbed and what exactly happened to Mindy, his little sister?

The story begins with Brad searching for a particular type of girl to help him out. We don't know why and what his plan is (for a few pages I actually thought he was a murderer who was looking for his next victim), but he finds Tracy who seems to be the right choice. She is attracted to him and she thinks he is interested in her, but soon she finds out that's not the case. He just wants her help to get back his sister who has been kidnapped by his stepfather. Brad has good answers to all of Tracy's questions (why isn't the police involved, why is he hiding from his mother the fact that he found Mindy?...) and he convinces her to help. She mainly agrees because she is angry with her father abandoning her to her uncle and aunt's home and she makes a connection between her story and Mindy's.
After succeeding in helping Brad she finds out that he is not exactly what he seemed, that everything was far from the truth. She realises that she made a bad decision trusting him and now she has to fix her mistake.

I liked that the story was told from alternating point of views, mainly from Tracy's and Brad's, that it was full of suspense, twists and turns and I think the author did a good job describing the characters.

I think that Tracy's decision of helping Brad was rushed...he was a stranger, a person whom she met only a couple of days before. I understand that there were some events that triggered her decision, but still...she could of seen that there was something odd about Brad's behavior. There were many signs that indicated the fact that she was making a mistake, but she saw them too late.

The Twisted Window is an intense YA thriller and I recommend it to others.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Open Road Media for sending me this e-book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love late 80s/early 90s YA books but I don't understand why this book got half an update. Either keep it as a gem from decades past where teens hog the telephone and meet at the mall, or fully update it with modern technology. This book awkwardly tries to force in references to cell phones where it doesn't fit. One character is annoyed that he forgot his cell phone charger, so he goes to use a landline and phone book instead. Another scene talks about "renting a movie for the VCR," and another references a nice new car's ashtray. My particular favorite was when one character says her cell is broken and she needs to call to get her TV and Internet set up, so another character says she can use the phone on the wall and the directory on the counter. What even? It's jarring and takes away from the story.

[Katy Jean Vance · Rating 1 out of 5]

I joined NetGalley, saw this book by Lois Duncan and thought perfect! I'll read one of her books! I LOVED her when I was younger!

I was all prepared to write an absolutely scathing review, and then I checked the copyright date. I feel a little relieved knowing that it was originally written in 1987 and this must just be her publishers trying to drum up popularity for an out of date writer. Unsuccessful.

My only slightly scathing review: It was terrible. The characters were flat, the descriptions of anyone female felt mysogynistic, and the plot was completely unbelieveable. I guess when I was younger, I was a less discerning reader.

Unrecommended. For anyone.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pro: Good book to read to make time fly while running on a treadmill.

Con: No common sense! The main character's lack of common sense drove me crazy. I really hope my teenagers are smarter than this.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

when you see the cover of this book you would think it was a disturbed horror novel, but it is actually not. and it is a great book! pretty short entertaining read FULL of surprises!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

deeply sad. everyone please go to therapy!!

[Madame Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling ride by the master of suspense Lois Duncan.

[Lizzy Lessard · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a trend in YA fiction about unhealthy relationships and the characters are blind to how abnormal the attraction is between a girl and a boy. When we’re first introduce to Tracy and the guy watching her, THE TWISTED WINDOW seems to follow that trend. Then the book switches to his point of view and he exhibits all signs of a sociopath.

Run. Tracy. Run.

Tracy doesn’t run, but she does have some hesitation about getting to know him. He seems to know too much about her. He shows up at her house unannounced, follows her in the street, and obsesses over getting her to do what he wants. He convinces her and us in his POV that he’s not a completely bad guy.

But soon enough, I wanted to scream at her and tell her over and over again to get away from him. There are clues everywhere, minuet yet chilling, that what Tracy thinks is happening is something entirely different.

The book twists, turns, and drives the plot into places so cleverly hidden that you don’t know what’s going on until it happens. With unreliable narration, complex characters that have their own lives off-screen, and parents that actively influence the plot and both Tracy and Brad’s decisions, this is one mystery both you and Tracy will figure out too late. I’m not a fan of mysteries, but I am a fan of Lois Duncan now. (4 1/2 stars)

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Brad, the new kid at school, approaches Tracy for help, she is reluctant. He wants her to help him get back his little sister, Mindy, who, he claims, has been kidnapped by his ex-stepfather. Tracy doesn't know him and parts of his story don't add up. Shouldn't he go the cops, his mother, anybody in authority? But Brad has a perfectly good explanation for all her objections. Finally, after seeing the beautiful little girl and, if she is being honest, partly because she is angry with her aunt and uncle with whom she lives, she agrees to help. It seems like the right thing to do and Brad's plan seems fool-proof.

Except, of course, it's not and when it all goes sideways, Tracy finds herself on the run with a boy who may or may not be a psychopath and a little girl who may or may not be his sister.

Lois Duncan is one of the Grand Dames of YA fiction. Her books are always filled with enough red herrings, sleight-of-hand, and unexpected plot twists that they can make the most seasoned reader slap himself on the forehead and exclaim, "damn, I didn't see that coming". The Twisted Window is no exception. Originally written in 1987, it may be more than twenty years old but it is still a heck of a page turner. And as an added bonus, it is being brought back with a short biography of Ms Duncan and some great photos of her life.

[Nattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I thought the book was good and a quick read. I found Tracy's treatment of her Aunt to be very disturbing, and I also did not understand why she was willing to go along with Brad's plan; a stranger.

Brad's story was quite sad, but he was a sick puppy and should have been getting help. I hated how Jamie kept defending him, she didn't seem to truly want to acknowledge that Brad was sick.

I do have a bit of a gripe, but it's not really about the book. I hate when books are reprinted or released and the publisher feels the need to try updating it. Why? If you're reading something from 1987, you ought to expect 1987 dialogue and behavior. If a reader selects a book from a different era, they get what they get, if they don't like it they can read something modern.
People don't go around updating books like Jane Eyre, so why is it OK to change details of books from the 1980's or the 1990's? This is why I read original copies.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brad's little sister has been kidnapped by his step-father, so he travels to Texas to find her. Living with her aunt and uncle since her mother's murder, high school junior Tracy is at first reluctant to help the good looking stranger. After considering her estrangement from her own father, she agrees to help. What could go wrong?
Lois Duncan has created an implausible tale and readers will have to suspend their beliefs that a sixteen year old from New York City is naive enough to trust a stranger and engage in criminal behavior. Perhaps younger teens might enjoy the story, but I think more mature kids won't buy into the premise of the story. While Tracy is an interesting character with some degree of depth, we're privy to little about Brad expect what he shares. The novel switches POVs more often than I could count, including adult POVs which doesn't work well in this YA novel.
Still, I have to credit Duncan for her prolific body of work and a creative story.

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up to 5 stars from 4.5 for GR.

The subject matter wouldn't be called amazing and I do say this in the most positive way that I can but I'm not even sure what word I want to use.

This book...wrecked me? Broke me? Attached itself to my psyche and kept me from sleeping for hours.

The Twisted Window was written in 1987, two years before the murder of Duncan's daughter Kaitlyn, so it should give you some clue as to why my reaction to the words in this story I read are the way they are. If I didn't know and had read it, I don't really think it would change anything except perhaps some heartbreaking hindsight.

Seventeen year old Tracy Lloyd has been sent to a small Texas town to live with her Aunt Rene and her Uncle Cory, her aunt her mother's sister. This was done by her actor father Richard after his ex-wife Danielle was murdered back in New York.

Her mother stabbed during a robbery, Tracy is closed off emotionally since her dad would rather be a movie star filming in Italy than have his daughter live with him in L.A. and her guardians still treat her like a child. Being here, Tracy hasn't made many friends but she at least has someone to eat lunch with and share a locker with in Gina.

They are different just like the shades of their hair with blonde and bubbly Gina and quiet, brunette Tracy but something is about to happen that will change Tracy's whole life...as well as herself.

It happens when a new boy shows up at school.

Tracy sees him at the water fountain and finds that he is handsome with dark hair in the hallway that morning. At lunch, Tracy has a view of him and notices him walking over to her table where she is sitting with Gina. He introduces himself as Brad Johnson and he is charming with that smile and his eyes, saying all the right things to get Gina flirting with him.

Yet Brad is more interested in Tracy.

We get some insight into Brad's thoughts and realizes there is a certain reason he wants to talk to Tracy. She has the look and maturity he needs and not some giggly bubble-head blonde laughing at his every word despite her stacked figure. Brad seems to not get Tracy's interest but is surprised when she tells him he can find her under her aunt and uncle's name of Stevenson in the phone book.

Later that evening, Brad goes to Tracy's house and convinces her to go with him to get a Coke at McDonald's. Tracy agrees to go but only because her aunt is telling her when to be home and not to stay out too late and she tells Brad she won't get in his car because she doesn't trust him.

Tracy is a semi-smart girl and soon figures out that Brad isn't being honest with her because his lines today at lunch were lies. Also learning that Brad was following her in his car this afternoon almost has her heading back home until Brad...comes clean.

He needs a girl like Tracy to help him find his baby sister Mindy...she has been kidnapped by his ex-stepdad a man named Gavin Brummer. His mother and his best friend Jamie think that Brad is crazy to leave Albuquerque and try and find the man...as well as the police.

Brad was able to find the town where Gavin moved to but he can't risk Gavin seeing him if Brad snoops around the singles complex where he lives. It doesn't allow children so Brad believes Gavin is keeping his half-sister somewhere else and if no one he knows will help him...perhaps a stranger will.

There is something about Tracy that Brad feels he can trust and Tracy has an understanding of how Brad can not like a man like his ex-stepfather or how it feels to be abandoned by everyone you thought loved you. Seeing a picture of a toddler with blonde curls in Brad's wallet and the pain in his eyes and his voice as he talks about Mindy, Tracy agrees to help Brad.

Level-headed yet still apprehensive as she should be, Tracy is able to learn of an address on a street not to far away from where she lives with her aunt and uncle. Obtaining this information and helping Brad, however, causes Tracy to forget her curfew and come home late with no word or phone call to her uncle's ire.

When the two of them find the house and Brad recognizes the familiar vehicle parked out front, he and Tracy look through the window where they can see but are not seen. Brad sees Mindy with Gavin and a couple that are Gavin's sister and her husband, Sally and Doug Carver.

The next part of Brad's plan to get his half-sister back all depends on Tracy but she has no idea just how off the rails this whole plan is about to go...

It doesn't take much to figure out the next event but the twists about to come are enough to blur what we see and what we want to see and believe. There is not a moment when you won't feel your mouth drop open or your heart sink or feel as if your stomach is going to come through your throat, tied up in knots by all the tension.

Getting to the final act and the last few moments are powerful enough to punch you in the gut and bring about the urge to cry out loud while reading. It is not a happy ending but it is also not a downer ending but just the right balance of bitter and sweet with a glimmer of hope to keep your spirit from feeling crushed.

The paranormal and stories of thrills and suspense were Lois Duncan's claim to fame but she also had an understanding of human beings and their emotions. Characters who we could relate to and were open and vulnerable to us through her descriptions and sometimes that is what makes us enjoy the other works besides the ones that scare us.

Real-life is horrifying enough...you don't always need the supernatural to prove that point or gore to give you a thrill. Human pain is visceral as well as human grief...

[WaltS_C2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an amazing book. I found it quite touching when Brad found out and remembered what happened to Mindy, his little sister, and realized that the girl he kidnapped is not Mindy, but is indeed the Carvers' daughter, Cricket. Most people can relate to this because it is something that people do quite often. When you're in the moment you think the thing you're arguing about is the right thing, but later you realize you were wrong and the other person was right. Also like saying an action is justifiable, when It's really not (like "revenge").

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super suspenseful YA novel from acclaimed author Lois Duncan, THE TWISTED WINDOW is a convoluted mystery that kept me breathless and my head metaphorically spinning as revelation after revelation unfolded and the plot twisted like a boa. The characters are well done and convincing and the conclusion is thought provoking.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy read and will hold student's attention as only Lois Duncan can. Add this title to your collection and recommend it to teachers looking for good mysteries for readers who cannot read AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Christie.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pls view my review here:
http://musingsofagallivanter.blogspot...

[JonathanMota · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, I like the twist it has in the story. Turns out that Brad is crazy, should have known. Its crazy that Jamie turned out to be a girl. I thought she was a guy honestly.

[Vickie Brannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely fiction. Surely no female would make choices like the main character did.

[Kirsty-Marie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on StudioReads

The Twisted Window

Author: Lois Duncan

Current Publication Date: Aug 28 2012

Source : Open Road Media via Netgalley (Thank you!)

The Twisted Window

The new guy at Tracy's school is handsome, intense, and desperately needs her help--but there's something about him that isn't quite right

High school junior Tracy Lloyd is unsure about the new guy in school. Brad Johnson is attractive, smart, and polite, but Tracy can't help but feel he watches her too closely. Then one day Brad confides in Tracy a horrible secret: His little sister Mindy has been kidnapped by his stepfather, and he needs Tracy's help to get her back. But even as Tracy commits to a plan to help her vulnerable new friend, details emerge that suggest nothing is what it seems.

Review

Last summer Tracy Lloyd’s mother died which forced her to move to Winfield to live with her aunt and uncle. Tracy’s distant, she doesn’t get attached, and she’s blasé to guys who might approach her. She has no interests in having friends either, except for the usual hot-blonde-long-legged best friend, Gina who she keeps at arm’s length but shares a locker with. Instantly were introduced to New Blood, Brad Johnson, who Gina pegs as “Mr. Gorgeous” with his curly hair and a “face that launched a thousand ships.”

First off, I’d like to say, whether intentional or not those first few chapters creeped the hell out of me, and not in a good way. Brad “in denial” Johnson is definitely not who he seems to be, and we know that, from his point of view from the get go. He’s not a transfer student from Albuquerque, in fact, he’s not enrolled in the school at all. Which I found a little unbelievable, because Brad’s just roaming the school, in the intention of pretty much stalking the girls of Winfield High and yet nobody questions it. Okay, I get the fact he can lie to the students and they wouldn’t question it but teachers?

That’s where he finds Tracy in the first place, lurking at the water fountain, solitary, mature, abrasive Tracy that meets the criteria Brad’s looking for.


•Attractive,-but not flashy? Check.

•A loner? Check.

•No boyfriend? Check.

•Tall, pretty, looked mature than the rest of the students of her age? Check.


He even sits through three lunch periods to scope her out and talk to her, to set a plan in motion and at this point you haven’t gotten the full story, so it was a little awkward and sleazy, and even with the explanation of all the girl stalking, I still found it creepy.


Tracy doesn’t trust anyone, and certainly not Brad Johnson, she somehow knows something is off about him and the false information he feeds them when he introduces himself. She’s cautious, though she still basically gives him her Aunt and Uncles phone number, which is listed in the phonebook.


Later that afternoon when Tracy’s walking home, she feels like someone is watching her, though unseen, she can feel someone is following her, and she’s afraid she’d end up the same fate as her mother- attacked and stabbed. But as she runs, the watcher doesn’t follow.


Though unnerved, Tracy carries on home, and even after that when Brad shows up on her doorstep that same night she agrees to go get a coke with him though she’s getting serious bad vibes from “Mr. gorgeous.”


Brad’s half baby sister, Mindy, had been kidnapped four months ago, at the mere age of 18 months by Brad’s step-father Gavin -Mindy’s father, and he’s come to Winfield on his spring break to find her, unknown to his mother, since Gavin has a sister there, Brad figured it was the best place to start. But, Brad needs help as he’s afraid if Gavin finds out Brad’s here, that’ll he’ll take Mindy and run, again. He rails Tracy in and she agrees to help, and together they go and investigate to track Gavin down.

Ready for the catch? Because there’s always a catch.

Nothing, and I mean nothing is what it seems.

Not Brad, not his story, not the state of his mind.

Forget what we’re shown, and told, what we have here is a very, very twisted window.

What I liked; Brad’s unrelenting fire for finding his sister, even if he’s twisted the truth to his own liking, but the desperation comes across on how much he wanted to make things right, however impossible it was, and Tracy’s determination to help him even though she’s left in the dark.


What I didn’t like was the pace.


The pace was way too fast for me; Brad introduced himself to Tracy, unexpectedly followed her through a park, turned up on her doorstep to ask her on a date and tells her about why he’s really here in Winfield, and coerces Tracy into helping him- all in one day. For me, it would have been scarier with a slower burn.

I also didn’t like Brad for the same reason I liked him, to me it made him come off as a little creepy by the way it was written, especially when describing his little sister, and the fact he can’t take no for an answer when Tracy thinks they’re both in over their heads and should let the police handle it. Of course, up until that point. It was pretty unbelievable that Tracy would just up and leave just like that when she hasn’t known the guy that long, I just didn’t get it and it didn’t seem to fit.


Overall, keeping in mind that this was first published in 1978, the dialect isn’t exactly of todays it was a fast pace thriller, and it owned up to its expectations.



Rating: 3/5

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tracy Lloyd. Just a normal girl in a normal high school with normal friends. Nothing different or strange about her. She’s smart and pretty just like most girls in her high school. She has a normal family and a normal home. So why did Brad Johnson choose her to help him carry out his unintentionally sinister plan?
Now I introduce you to the book The Twisted Window, by Lois Duncan (copyright 1987, 183 pages). If you are looking for an exciting mystery this could be the book for you. This novel contains drama, secrets, betrayal, crime, anger, love, hate and death…
Two people narrate this book. Sometimes you get to hear the same chapter from both, sometimes just from one. The book starts with Tracy. It’s near the end of the school year around now. Tracy is at school in Winfield, Texas. She has been eyeing a new student, Brad Johnson, in the halls. When she finally gets to talk to Mr. Gorgeous, she gets wrapped up in a conversation and ends up agreeing to help him find his missing sister, Mindy. Tracy thinks that she’s just helping Brad find a missing family member but as they get deeper into Brad’s plan, Tracy discovers she’s in a disastrous situation that’s impossible to get out of.
So now let’s hear Brad’s side of the story. Brad Johnson gets the idea to sneak away from his home in Albuquerque to search for his sister, Mindy, who was kidnapped by Brad’s step-dad, Gavin. It was really child snatching, which wasn’t illegal since Mindy was Gavin’s daughter, but Brad still wants to steal her back. Brad goes to a school in town in search of someone to help him and finds Tracy. He’s relieved that she agrees to help him out but later wishes he chose someone who, let’s say, didn’t care so much about being left out of a few details of his plan. At first Brad thinks he’s got everything in control. But when he ends up involving Tracy in too many of his own problems, he gets in over his head and ends up solving everything the wrong way.
As you get into this book you will see how sometimes, it’s best to just let things go. It’s true. Sometimes you do have to give up. I’m not saying to go and try for a minute and then give up, and then do something else and then give up with that, and then try something else, and so on and so on. I’m saying, sometimes you just have to live and let be. You can’t solve all of your problems. You can’t take them out on other people either. Don’t give up on everything. I think this is the hidden theme of The Twisted Window. There’s nothing wrong with challenging the impossible. But when you know that you can’t change something, when it’s done for good, don’t try to go out and reverse the ways of life.
One connection I noticed with this book is that the plot is a lot like most of the plots in Lois Duncan’s other books. I’ve read seven or eight of Lois Duncan’s books and a lot of them are about teenagers who commit a crime, try to cover it up, get in more trouble then they were in before, and finally have to work it out by admitting they did wrong. All of these plots are trying to express that it is not okay to lie about something even if you’ll get in trouble for telling the truth. Many characters in these books find out the hard way that it’s better to confess right away then to wait until there’s nothing else you can do. I think that this is also a theme of The Twisted Window.
My favorite part is actually the last sentence in the book because it wraps up the story in a way that I like. The Twisted Window’s end makes you happy because the character you were rooting for did the right thing. There’s still a blank space where you can decide for yourself what happened after, but in a way where you just know that what happened was good. That is why the last sentence is my favorite part.
(Incase you’re wondering why I didn’t tell you what the last sentence was, I didn’t because it totally spoils the book. Sorry. You actually do have to read the book to see what I mean and why (and you have to read it front to back too to make sense of anything).)
If you’re wondering if you should read this book, I do recommend it. It’s not one of my all time favorites but it’s definitely worthwhile reading. But, if you are someone who has nightmares after reading a really scary and dramatic book, do not read this book. Believe me, you could be staying up all night wondering if this plot could happen to you and searching under your bed for kidnappers, waiting to snatch you once you’re asleep.
Overall, this is a book about making decisions, doing the right thing, and letting things go (and drama and secrets and betrayal and crime and anger and love and hate and death and so on). This isn’t just a scary mystery where the characters make the wrong decisions. No, it’s much deeper then that. I think that Lois Duncan hides very important messages in her books. These messages are the keys to life. If we don’t follow them, we will most likely end up like Brad at the end of The Twisted Window. Brad decides to lie, make horrible decisions, solve some problems using violence, and keep holding on to things that he knows are lost forever. Doing as Brad has done, we have started wars, segregation, and many other problems in this world. What this book is trying to say is, do the right thing. Good will always come of it.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 4.5 read for me at first. Now it’s more of a 3.5-4 star. I love Lois Duncan, but this wasn’t as good as I Know What Last Summer or Summer of Fear. It was good, but I wanted to see more Gina because she was funny.

[tam tam]

which one was this? ohh yes, the one that would make a good Ramsey Campbell plot. i mainly read it to be a completist with Loisuzz later titles. I think she write this one as part of a three-book deal? with Locked In Time & whichever other one I can't think of right now. Boy I sure do type whatever goes through my head don't I

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Twisted Window is a story about Brad Johnson and Tracy Lloyd. Brad has traveled to Texas from New Mexico in order to track down his baby sister Mindy, who has been kidnapped by his stepfather. Enrolling Tracy in his plan to get her back and bring her home, the two teenagers come together to help Brad's family become reunited.

The beginning was strange for me, with Brad looking over girls in a high school to find "the right one" for his plan. However, after all that was over, I was automatically interested in his story. The main theme of the book is about relationships between families, and I quickly got sucked into the characters' lives and their family troubles. Tracy, especially, has an interesting background and her relationship with her relatives play quite a big role in framing what happens throughout the story.

The main characters' stories were what got me through this book -- much of the plot was over-the-top. I was more frustrated with the side characters than anything. I can't say much at risk of revealing the big twist, but I'm not sure how Brad actually gets the opportunity to kidnap his sister. A lot of the major plot points had issues in believability for me, which kind of turned me off the whole story. I do recommend The Twisted Window more for middle-grade readers than for older people. It is too undeveloped to be a very satisfying read to most adults and even older teenagers. There are a lot of unresolved issues at the end, especially in regards to Tracy and her relationship with her aunt, uncle, and father.

This particular edition has some edits made to help it fit in with the newer generation (the use of cell phones and other updated technology). Overall, these worked great, but there was one time where the CD player suddenly became a cassette player.

However, the twist at the end is very good. I didn't start suspecting that something like that was coming until quite late in the book, so it was a nice surprise. Overall, it's a fast read and great if you're looking for a quick suspenseful story.

*I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having just joined NetGalley through a recommendation on a blog website I set about reading the summary’s of the books listed on the site and happened across this book. The Twisted Window. The summary reads like this;

“The new guy at Tracy’s school is handsome, intense, and desperately needs her help—but there’s something about him that isn’t quite right

High school junior Tracy Lloyd is unsure about the new guy in school. Brad Johnson is attractive, smart, and polite, but Tracy can’t help but feel he watches her too closely. Then one day Brad confides in Tracy a horrible secret: His little sister Mindy has been kidnapped by his stepfather, and he needs Tracy’s help to get her back. But even as Tracy commits to a plan to help her vulnerable new friend, details emerge that suggest nothing is what it seems.” - NetGalley


Based on the summary I thought this was a book that I would want to read and so, without any further research into the book I requested it. A few days later I was approved and set about reading it. It isn’t a long book 184 when read on the Kindle and therefore it didn’t take me long to read at all. Did I enjoy it? No, not at all. At times I was thinking to myself “When will this end” and eventually it did end… And the ending was even less satisfying than I thought was possible. Having read through the book, gone along with Brad, who is crazy for the ending to be what it was? It was a let down.

The way in which I judge a book is not by its cover, no, I judge a book by the first line. It has always been the first line of a book that has told me whether or not I am going to enjoy it and the first line of this book told me all I needed to know. I could read it but I wasn’t going to enjoy it. It wasn’t going to be a book that I recommended to the masses as a must read.

Should you read it? If you have a spare hour an half, like a book that leaves you with an “Oh, okay” feeling at the end then yes, yes you should read it but if you want a book that’s going to leave you thinking about it for days, a book where you will love the characters and care about them then no, don’t read this book.