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Twerk

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A steamy noir thriller“Dark, delicious, and fit to be devoured. Yummy.” CJ Roberts“This author is one to look out for. The writing - excellent. The story - raw, gritty, sexy and intense.” Bonny BennettA regular Sunday night in a Las Vegas strip club is rocked when a local oddball dies during his private dance. Amber falls immediately in lust with the hot paramedic who arrives and follows him outside, anticipating sizzling romance. Five days later, and it’s Lana’s next shift at the club. Where is Amber? And what about the dead client? Was it an accident? Suicide? Or murder? An addictively dark, psychological thriller laced with steamy romance, mystery, action, and suspense; Twerk exposes the working lives of Las Vegas dancers behind the glamor - the challenges, the rewards, and the deadly risks.

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2018

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85 people want to read

About the author

Isobel Blackthorn

49 books176 followers
Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of unique and engaging fiction. She writes across a range of genres, including dark psychological thrillers, gripping mystery novels, captivating travel fiction and hilarious dark satire. Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism for her groundbreaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives in Spain.

www.isobelblackthorn.com
https://www.creativia.org/isobel-blac...
https://twitter.com/IBlackthorn
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Susan Hampson.
1,521 reviews69 followers
January 8, 2019
This book sizzles from the start as it joins the ladies of the sleazy Las Vegas strip clubs, well one, where girls can get rich and men are eager to part with cash just to be near them. No touching gentlemen please! Oh, there are the regulars who have their favourite girls, which is almost seen by them as some sort of relationship but making a buck for these girls is putting some through college and others healthy real estate investments, if they have their head screwed on that is!
When one of the clients suddenly dies at the club, a paramedic is soon on the scene. Now women as well as men have needs and Amber maybe a stripper making good money but she doesn’t play round with the clients, but a real fit paramedic well that is different.
This is one real hot story in every possible respect. There is a super build to the actual story as the author describes the workings of the club. I was pretty fascinated by it all. I loved hearing the girls thoughts as they worked, as they drifted away from what they were doing in their minds. Their aching backs and knee problems from working the poles and stage. Now lots of these girls have come to Vegas with higher hopes for better things, with their families thinking they were in different work. They often lived on their own and to be honest who would miss a stripper? Realistically only a weekly call home to mom being missed or the absence of missing a shift at work.
The story follows Amber the most, over about a week. The journey isn’t for the faint hearted. It is brutal, cruel and absolutely petrifying. Each new event more shocking than the one before. The story is told from varying view points, Lana, stripper by night and law school student by day, is Amber’s best friend at work, and the only concerned person about missing Amber. So out she comes pushing the police and the club owner about the dead client and Amber.
If this was a film I would be watching behind fanned fingers over my squashed up eyes. It is a cracking story line, you just have to get to the end to find out the what, why and who! This will stay in my mind for three reasons. The title is perfect, the book cover fabulous and the story an absolutely corking dark psychological thriller. So read if you dare but be warned it does contain triggers.
I wish to thank Isobel Blackthorn for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Profile Image for Terry.
1,059 reviews34 followers
October 28, 2018
What a book. Out Dec, 2018. I was lucky enough to be offered an Arc and so glad I did.
This book Took me for a ride and a half!
Going in my top 5 for 2018, it’s got everything!
Characters are interesting and the setting is a full coloured and fiery pole dancing club, then the story that runs under the few days this covers. The story alone will give readers a chill. It’s dark and creepy and gave me goosebumps.
Def an adult book but it’s got such a great tempo. Not an adult book in the strain of its rude but adult in it’s full on with the whole tale. Honestly read it when it’s out
you will not be disappointed!
Profile Image for Elizabeth Edwards.
5,548 reviews9 followers
December 7, 2018
I was lucky enough to be asked by Isobel to review this book, I am new to Isobel's writing, such a fun cool writing style and was asked to give my honest opinions and thoughts. I am American and I do know what a fortnight (if i recall the 1st time I heard it was watching the movie with Richard Gere when he was a knight, heard it and wondered what it was, look it up in a dictionary, 'cause back them we did have google. Then i think i said it in a few sentence to keep it in my mind, kind of sounded cool to say it, i guess i am not effect by words like some, whatever make u happy, for me it doesn't bug me, i say use the word u so desire, i prefer books without cuss words, but it doesn't mean i will not read a book with them in it, i love reading and i am not going to keep words i don't like from keeping me from a book, i just skip over them. no worries, what i didn't realize is how fortnight was spelled? not the greatest speller but I do have many many many words maybe that most might not know within my field of knowledge, spelling is not my strong skills, i love learning and i appreciate folks respecting that we are all different, all at different skill ranges and so folks seems to get roughed-up over folks not spelling well, we are all unique in our way and not all of us can do what u might do well. it makes us extra great and special. find the positive not the negative, that is what i say ...please don't knock down all Americans for knowing British terms or unique wording? I love the British folks and I appreciate all differences in many of us all across the world ... we are not total goobers (my humor is my favorite 2nd best genre in the book world) ... a lot of us are well educated and way intelligent. just saying. we can not lump all individual into one location ever. I enjoy how creative Isobel was and how she just took us on this wild interesting ride. in this ride - u will have hot and steamy moments, way creative characters, a story line that might trip u up a bit? or not??! awesome characters. My go 2 reading materials are always mystery books ... i love a good whodunit, makes you think and u have to really watch, listen and maybe even re-read some of the book ... if you get lost??! loved it and look forward to more from Isobel. awesome mysterious cover too! ( ;
Profile Image for Graham Wynd.
Author 13 books13 followers
February 3, 2019
Set in the world of Vegas strip clubs, Blackthorn's novel shows the real -- and often decidedly unglamourous -- life that means.  The women suffer all the aches and pains of the hyper-athletic work they do on stage and in the more intimate surroundings of the special after-shows -- no touching though! The club's license hinges on not turning into a brothel. Some of the women work in the sex trade, too, but on the outside. Most just use the club to finance their kids or a dream.

Lana falls into the latter group. During the week she's an ambitious law student. On the weekends she's a highly skilled stripper with a unique act. But then there's a client death at the club which sets in motion a lot of strange events leading to a surprising climax.

The novel alternates between point of view: from Amber who falls for a hot paramedic and gets a lot more than she bargained for, to Lana, who's finding social media can connect you with the past and that's not always a pleasant thing, to the mysterious 'Lacuna' whose bizarre ramblings let you know there's a very dangerous person in the mix. Blackthorn manages the narrative suspense by moving between actions and voices until the end where they all come together in a tense showdown after hours in the club.

You may be drawn in by the stripper theme, but you'll keep reading for the suspense. Just like the strippers who are a lot more than just empty fantasies, the story dives beneath the surface to explore fears and pain and how some can nurture them for a lifetime until they explode. 
Profile Image for Michael Zimecki.
Author 7 books3 followers
December 13, 2018
Billy is a regular at Hot Foxies, a strip club. He’s getting a lap dance from Amy, one of the dancers there, when he dies. Lana, another dancer at the club and a third-year law student, thinks his death is suspicious. Billy has some stuff on somebody, and somebody may have poisoned his drink, or so Lana thinks. She would like to confirm her suspicions with Amber, the dancer who was giving a lap dance to Frank, a high roller flush with cash he’d won at a casino. Amber and Frank were in the booth next to Amy’s when Billy died, and Frank had been sitting at the bar next to Billy before he went off for his dance. Amber, however, is nowhere to be found. She has gone off with Dwight Creen, the paramedic who took Billy’s body to the ER, and hasn’t shown up for her next shift. What’s more, she isn’t responding to any of Lana’s texts.

Amber is safe with Creen. Or is she? Is he Billy’s killer? Or is it Frank? Or, possibly, somebody else?

Blackthorn’s story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Amber and Lana with chapters in between, called Lacuna, narrated by a mysterious voice, the voice of someone who goes unidentified until much later in the novel. Once you learn who it is, the denouement rapidly follows, but it won’t be disclosed here. If you want to know, you’re going to have to read Isobel Blackthorn’s novel.
Profile Image for S.
Author 5 books13 followers
October 24, 2018
First a thank you to Isobel for allowing me opportunity to read Twerk.

All comments made on my own

One story , two Las Vegas stripper's , a client who dies mysteriously while having a private dance and paramedic who isn't what he appears to be

I can honestly say Isobel's book has left its mark on me and won't be leaving me for a very time. If you're looking for a dark, psychological thriller with an added touch of steamy romance then this book is highly recommended.

My four comments below best describe how I feel about 'Twerk'

"Very addictive, page tuner "

"Has the shock and awe factor"

"Not be read late at night"

" Total shocked by one particular chapter can't say which one or why as this would give furture readers a major spolier"

Well done to Isobel Blackthorn for another finally written book and for giving this reader a few sleepless nights can't wait to see what she writes next.
Profile Image for Amy Shannon.
Author 137 books134 followers
December 7, 2018
Steamy and dark!

Twerk by Blackthorn is a wonderfully steamy and dark story. It's a wildly hypnotic story that brings the reader in, not wanting to look away. The story brings the reader into Amber's and Lana's life, things unravel from there. Blackthorn writes a good story, and gives the characters some depth. It's a great journey into the night life of a psychopath. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Profile Image for P.J. Blakey-Novis.
Author 70 books72 followers
May 28, 2020
I’d had Twerk by Isobel Blackthorn on my Kindle for a while and now I wish I’d read it sooner. I was unsure what to expect but that made it all the more interesting. Set in the world of strippers in Las Vegas, Twerk give a realistic portrayal of that line of work set around a murder mystery and some rather unsavoury characters. Full of twists and turns, this was a hard book to put down. If you’re looking for a well written, spicy, clever thriller then Twerk could be just your thing.
Profile Image for The Literary Vixen.
611 reviews22 followers
February 16, 2019
Twerk is a dark story that has murder and suspense. Add in some strippers and you have a pretty good read. The book started off a little too slow for me but it picked up and I enjoyed it. If you love dark reads, definitely check this out! I give this 4 stars.
Profile Image for K.J. Simmill.
Author 9 books145 followers
September 4, 2019
When a regular customer dies in the middle of a VIP dance all hell breaks loose, starting a chain of events of the likes never experienced in the Vegas strip club, Hot Foxies. Lana, part-time law student, part-time stripper, was not working in the night in question, but the sudden disappearance of her mentor and friend Amber following the events has left her worried. She was last seen leaving with the paramedic, and no one seems to care she has once again not arrived for her shift. The lawyer in her turns sleuth as she tried to piece together events from that fateful Sunday, was the punter's death suicide, an accident, or perhaps even murder. No one seems to want to disclose anything. Determined to find answers, Lana begins her own explorations into the events of that night, unaware of the danger she invites. With her investigation, a missing best friend, death threats from her ex, and a precision hate attack on her social media accounts, she certainly has her hands full, but can she discover the truth before things take a darker turn?

Twerk is a thrilling erotic mystery by Isobel Blackthorn, It focuses primarily on the first-person perspective of the two main characters, Amber and Lana, while giving insight into the real scene behind the Vegas strip clubs. The characters are certainly unique, realistic, and developed. It was easy to imagine yourself right in the centre of events, watching as they unfold and you try to piece together who is the coyote amongst the foxes. I enjoyed the banter between characters, and the insight into the mind of a stripper. When most people write about strippers, they become nothing more than objects and a representation of sex, so I loved how you were immediately brought to seeing them as people, not just objects of desire, and I may have chuckled at some of the internal monologues and thoughts being had while Lana went about her routine. Fast-paced, raunchy, with the threat of impending danger growing ever closer, this steamy noir thriller will keep you entertained until the final climax.
Profile Image for Isaac Thorne.
Author 14 books249 followers
April 28, 2019
I enjoyed this story. Although I'm not typically a reader of erotic thrillers, I think TWERK fits into that category. The characters are fully developed (at times a little too much so and the pace of the tale suffers a bit from that).

There's a particular balance between plot and story that most genre authors try to achieve in order to hold the reader's interest. During the AMBER segments, this pace is well done. Some of the others feel like we're drifting off into the character's stream of consciousness, which makes it difficult to discern what's actually important to the story and what might just be more character development.

That said, Blackthorn's TWERK is a worthy and interesting read even when Amber is not in the spotlight. The background of the "Gentlemen's Club" creates the opportunity for some behind-the-scenes vignettes that allows the dancers their humanity amid what could have been scenes played merely for more prurient interests.

Blackthorn's villain in this tale is very much a sadistic bastard. If you're not Amber--who finds that she at first is attracted to him as much as she is repulsed by him--you'll hate him. And you should.

If you're a fan of the genre, I think TWERK is worth your time. The characters are interesting, the setting is unique, and the plot is compelling. My rating for it would definitely go up if it were shortened and tightened a bit so that all the character development segments blended with the action segments a bit better.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews133 followers
Want to read
April 13, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/13/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Brian Stoddart.
Author 25 books29 followers
February 24, 2019
Isobel Blackthorn delivers here a compellingly unique blend of seriously hard noir, social commentary, psychological thriller, cybercrime and erotica.
A demonstrably psychopathic stalker focuses on one woman in order to get at her workmate and principal friend who, he imagines, derided him back in their school days. Since then he has turned himself into a buff seducer with a deranged mind, and as the story unfolds from several POVs, including his own, the depths of his depravity are revealed in chilling form.
At the heart of this is the women’s workplace, because they are Vegas “gentlemen’s club” strippers. As always, the word “gentlemen” is predominantly ironic because the passing characters in that parade are portrayed mostly as sad sacks.
One of the central strengths of this book, and there are many, is the hugely revealing insights into just who these women are, how their lives run, and how they cope with that toxic environment. Who knew that knee damage could be a health and safety issue for them?
Then there is the psychology/sociology of that profession. The main female character and the killer’s prime objective (he hacks her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts as one piece of undermining) is a fly-in/fly-out stripper who otherwise pursues a law degree while taking care of her parents back in New Mexico. She now has to turn amateur sleuth to both find her friend and unravel why her online world is being destroyed and the psychopath, of course, is the cause of both problems. Her separation of those roles is a master class in distancing, and is very revealing as to how many of these women survive by fixing on family, paying bills and ensuring security as well as creating a new future.
Blackthorn gives all these women a distinctive character, and that includes the envy/hate/suspicion/bitchiness brought on in such a highly charged and demanding work environment. She also conjures up some chilling hard noir and some memorable settings – having now read this, one will never think of the Hoover Dam as before!
Twerk will be a very different read for many, but an instructive and important one.

Profile Image for Steph Warren.
1,759 reviews39 followers
February 26, 2019
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

I’m not certain what I expected from Twerk, but I certainly got a surprise!

The book interlaces two narratives, from two different dancers – Amber and Lana – with some creepy interjectionary passages from a mysterious ‘Lacuna’ (it means ‘an unfilled space’).

We start the story with Amber witnessing the death of a punter during a private dance, and falling in lust with the paramedic who attends the body. As she disappears for some hot, impulsive, stranger-sex we skip to Lana; same time and place but a week later. Lana is wracked with worry. Her love life is complicated by her double-persona, someone is messing with her social media accounts, her best friend is MIA, and to top it all she just cannot get last week’s strange death off her mind.

The story continues in these two separate threads: Amber’s story full of bad decisions, risky behaviour and red flags; whilst Lana’s is a long, slow saunter through a lapdancing shift as she casually questions her colleagues about recent events whilst pondering her future and who she can trust.

The pace of Lana’s sections is so slow that it drags at the tempo of the main plot (whilst Amber’s bits speed things up), however personally I found the insight into this particular workplace and lifestyle utterly fascinating. It is evident that the author has thoroughly researched the experiences and atmosphere of a lap-dancing club, and it really shows as these parts of the story ring with truth.

Which makes the latter part of the story all the more shocking. I don’t want to spoil anything, but will just say that the story takes a dramatic turn to the dark side in the final third and the sex and violence (torture) are graphic, visceral and thoroughly disturbing. I went from being entertained by an informative peek into a world I know little of, to being riveted to the pages with shock and with concern for the characters I had come to know through the story. I will confess to a small disappointment in the rather weak motive revealed, but realised that part of what made ‘Lacuna’ so terrifying was that no logical motive was really required for this particular brand of sociopathic insanity.

This is a recommended read for those who like their thrillers to be well-researched, and to burn slowly, then explode into gory Technicolor action!



Another forward step in her high, high heels and she kneels on the chair, hooking her feet on the insides of his thighs, to press them open.
No closure. No contact.
As she gyrates her pelvis.
As she teases.
As she strokes the air down there between her thighs and his.
She goes in close, breathes in his ear.
And takes a peek at her watch, its huge silvery face as large as her wrist, its distinct numbering illuminated in the dim light of the booth.
Three.
She leans away from Frank-en-bulge, arches her back, grasps her sweat-dampened breasts, and rubs them against his cheeks.
She thinks she still has half a protein bar out the back.
Maybe some of last night’s stir-fry.
Or did she finish that earlier?
The song pushes on.

– Isobel Blackthorn, Twerk

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Profile Image for Chantal Boudreau.
Author 71 books89 followers
April 8, 2019
I have to be honest–in the past when I’ve read horror with an erotic element, it tends to be on the vulgar side without stylistic sophistication, so I was pleased to see a writing style with this story that exceeded my expectations (Although it wasn’t exactly delicate in its approach and some of the “terminology” and metaphors made me chuckle.) It captures the pole dancing experience in great detail, giving it a sense of being tangible. It also carries the perspective over into the realm of social media–a reflection of real life.

I appreciated the descriptive imagery, covering multiple senses. It allows for a freer transition from the hot physicality of lust to the cold reality of death. I enjoyed the story and it kept my interest and attention, strong in most ways. If there was one weakness I would have to say it lay in the characterization. While I felt entrenched in the plot as I read, caught up in the gritty “behind the scenes” of the dancers, I didn’t feel equally invested in the characters. Character interaction and childhood stories helped with character development, but I was still missing a sense of connection. As the story spiraled to its violent conclusion, though, this didn’t seem to matter as much.

All in all, I would recommend this as a good read, four out of five stars, particularly if you have a yen to read something very dark and a little depraved.
Profile Image for Bob Laerhoven.
Author 83 books119 followers
December 28, 2018
A superior mélange of brazenness and subtlety

With "Twerk", Isobel Blackthorn has written a suspense novel set in the milieu of strip dancers with a superior mélange of brazenness and subtlety that, in my eyes, would be unattainable for a male author writing about the same theme. I’ll be short about the suspense aspect of the novel: Mrs. Blackthorn knows how to captivate a reader with a tale that is getting eerier with every page. The lust-driven killer in "Twerk" is a deeply sinister character. Mrs. Blackthorn describes his sadistic nature in scenes that definitely will chill your bones. Near the end of her story, she unveils the reason why this man is so ruthless and scary, and then you realize that the seeds of enjoying the fear, humiliation, and pain of others lie in all of us. Isobel Blackthorn has the gift of weaving tension in a spiral through her novel: she lets it smolder for a while, and then suddenly jumps to hair-raising levels. Afterward, she cuts back a little, only to go full throttle again when you don’t expect it.
But the high-grade suspense in "Twerk" isn’t the most important ingredient that makes this novel special. It’s the candidness with which Mrs. Blackthorn writes about the way the sex workers of the bar Hot Foxies think and feel when they’re dancing seductively around their poles, or about their relationship with their own bodies, and the differences in using sexual power between men and women. In showing the small intrigues, backbiting, and slander behind the podium, where the dancers behave like an extended family, she proves her understanding of the dancer’s lives. I wondered how she had done such thorough research until I read Blackthorn’s daughter Vicky’s Foreword: Vicky is a dancer in a club, and her stories have inspired her mother to write this unusual thriller. I was intrigued by this openness and visited Mrs. Blackthorn’s website where I read under the title "Society, Strippers and Shame" a beautiful and heart-captivating text about how Mrs. Blackthorn handled the fact that her daughter chose to be an exotic dancer. I tip my hat for the courage and strength of both mother and daughter, and in my eyes, the authenticity that is tangible in "Twerk", making the novel special, is a result of that courage.
But "Twerk" gives more than a detailed insight in a strip dancer’s life: for a male author like me, it was equally fascinating to read how Isobel Blackthorn dissects the distorted male sexuality in the killer’s character. Blackthorn knows that underneath the virility and macho veneer of the male, lurks manhood’s eternal proof pressure to squash insecurity. I like well-written books that present a reader with more than suspense alone: "Twerk" is definitely such a novel.

Profile Image for Ciclochick.
610 reviews14 followers
March 17, 2019
I don't know much about the world of strippers and lap dancers…but my concept of it has certainly been endorsed. It's a bit seedy, unsophisticated, unglamorous and a bit pathetic. Attended by either men who need company, to forget their unhappy lives or merely just to objectify women. The strippers are women trying to survive financially by earning a quick and lucrative buck: let's face it, their shelf life is pretty short in this industry.

But the thriller set in this backdrop was quite accomplished. Lana is trying to finance herself through law school by working as a lap dancer in the club and finds herself turning into a bit of a sleuth when a rather undesirable regular to the club, Billy, collapses and dies. Amber is Lana's best friend and falls in lust with the paramedic who comes to attend to the dead man. But Lana is concerned. She's not so sure Billy's death is quite so cut and dried. And Amber isn't picking up her calls. And Lana seems to be getting trolled on social media. And her ex-boyfriend is sending her death threats…or is he?

This moves along at a very decent pace and keeps you fully engaged right to the (perhaps a little over-dramatic) end. I could have done without the constant mention of every detail of every song played by the club's DJ, and the present-tense narrative didn't work for me at all, but that aside, this was packed with suspense, darkness, sizzle and drama.

Not for late-night reading, though…and be prepared to be quite a little bit shocked…
Profile Image for Cyrene Olson.
1,412 reviews18 followers
January 2, 2019
Uncaged Review: Set in Las Vegas in one of the more classy strip joints. A dancer turns detective after one of there more regular customers drops dead. I really enjoyed this book as it give me a inside look into the dancers and what they put up with. Also this book was very funny and has a lot of twists. Reviewed by Jennifer
Profile Image for Boundless Book Reviews.
2,242 reviews77 followers
December 9, 2018
I voluntarily received a copy of Twerk for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.  

Twerk had an interesting concept one that really piqued my interest.  But I found the pacing of the story too slow.  When the story was with Amber, it moved fairly quickly, and I stayed engaged.  Ambers POV is also where the “action” takes place.  When the story goes back to Lana the pace slows to a complete crawl, and I felt so much of her drama with the social media and other strippers added nothing to the suspense of the story.  About ½ way through I started skimming the Lana parts because they were getting so tedious and rambling.  

Blackthorn wrote a great psychopath that was terrifying and horrific, yet I felt the story fell flat at the end.  I was disappointed in his motivations and still don’t understand the Frank thing.  It was gruesome, but it wasn’t explained.  It felt like jealousy for Amber but then nothing made sense.  I guess crazy doesn’t always make sense, but my logical mind doesn’t do well when 1+1 doesn’t equal 2.  

The only other thing that drove me BONKERS is when a story is set in America with American characters, yet they are using British terms like Car Park.  I believe Blackthorn warned me about this and it doesn’t have a bearing on my review, it is just a pet peeve of mine.   The editor should have weeded this out.  Us Americans don’t even know what fortnight means.  

Overall I liked the concept and I think Blackthorn is a solid writer and I think some will love this story because it is well written and detailed.  I just personally like fewer details, more action at a quicker pace. 

Overall I am giving this 2.5 Boundless stars, It could have been better for me, but I did enjoy some aspects. 

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Profile Image for Carlos Colon.
Author 2 books4 followers
May 8, 2019
She's perfect looking; large, firm (often surgically enhanced) breasts, full, plump, sometimes collagen-filled lips, heck, now they're even padding up their rear ends. Yes, a stripper is a surreal figure of fantasy. She pretends to be interested in your personal life and or business because, of course, you're not like the others. You're special. She's never had such an in-depth conversation with another patron like the one she's had with you. But then in comes the next guy with even more wads of cash. The hustle starts again.

They are professionals. They work hard. They are there for different reasons. Some are single mothers, some are real estate agents, and others are students. One thing they have common, though, is that they make lots and lots of cash, amounts that are enviable to most. But it does come at a cost.

Isobel Blackthorn brings us into this world with well-researched detail. The insight into the lives of these ladies; the camaraderie, the backbiting and their anxieties over their social media accounts, remind you that these figures of fantasy, these living "sex toys", are real-life women with their own personal lives. Ms. Blackthorn illustrates this well. The characters live and breathe with assertive authenticity.

Set at a strip club off the beaten path in Las Vegas, Ms. Blackthorn draws the reader into an absorbing mystery surrounding a regular patron that dies while receiving a lap dance from his favorite showgirl. The women all respond differently; the lap dancer reacts with guilt and self pity, while another tries to use the tragic incident to draw attention to herself. The lead character Lana, however, smells a rat. She finds the whole matter suspicious and goes into amateur sleuth mode. Her best friend Amber, on the other hand. gets caught up in the charms of a hunky paramedic who arrives too late to save the patron. Smitten with lust, Amber impulsively throws herself into a licentious rendezvous with the paramedic that grows riskier with each moment they spend together.

Isobel Blackthorn's "Twerk" is a captivating psychological thriller that takes its time in unraveling the foreboding clues and disturbing moments that lead to a horrifying climax. Told in the first person from the point of view of several characters, we understand their actions even if we don't agree with them. With fluid prose, Ms. Blackthorn carefully builds suspense and rewards the reader with a tale that will not leave the mind any time soon.

Like the dancers in her story, Ms. Blackthorn knows what she's got, and she knows how to use it. I'm looking forward to her next dance.
Profile Image for Jo.
1,491 reviews12 followers
February 16, 2019
tried several times to get into this story. Whilst I appreciate what the author was trying to achieve here, for me the narrative voice was too sterile for me to make any kind of connection to the characters or the story.

Not for me I’m afraid.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
Profile Image for S.B. (Beauty in Ruins).
2,675 reviews244 followers
September 3, 2022
While you can't necessarily judge a book but its cover, you can tell a lot about a story by its opening chapter. With Twerk we get a really interesting take on a strip-club dance, one that is visually stimulating, but which subverts erotic expectations by having Amy think about shopping mall muzak, last night's stir fry, and funny noises. Having already caught us off guard, Isobel Blackthorn then proceeds to have the man Amy's dancing for start convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Hot stuff, right?

There are almost three stories being told here, two of which were fantastic, and one of which I felt was a drag on the narrative. Although, initially at least, Amber's story seems disconnected from the main narrative, her POV was far-and-away the most interesting. Part of it is her personality, and part of it is her situation, but it was her chapters that kept me reading.

Lana, on the other hand, is the character we'd expect to be following, a law student by day and stripper by night, who is trying to solve the dual mysteries of what happened to the dead guy, and to where Amber has disappeared. Her role in the story is interesting, and the death threats she receives for her efforts help keep the reader grounded in the consequences of playing detective, but her voice isn't nearly as interesting as Amber's, and all the drama she's dragged into - backstage and social media - becomes tiresome.

It is the third narrator, Lacuna, who really pulled me into the story. Creepy, twisted, sometimes nonsensical, and yet incredibly engaging, I kept wanting more. I had my ideas, my pet theories as to how Lacuna fit into things, but was still amazed at where Blackthorn took the story. The chapter on the town's history, the revelations about one character's genealogy, and the transformation of another character from victim into monster, was one of the best parts of the book. It's where we see things come together, and begin to understand all the connections, although there are still surprises - violent, bloody surprises - to come in the climax.

Twerk wasn't quite what I expected, and it's probably better for it. It's a dark, violent, sometimes romantic thriller, with some interesting insights into the human side of adult entertainment, with one of the best villains I've come across in a while. I've seen some reviewers complain about motivations, but I completely get them. Besides, madness is a motivation all its own.
Profile Image for Alan Lampe.
Author 7 books82 followers
May 15, 2019
This story starts out with a lap dance. You get to the action early. Lana and Amber are the two main point of view characters. Amber is drawn to a hunky paramedic and leaves with him. Lana remains at work trying to solve the mystery and wonder why Amber isn't returning her calls and texts. A good portion of the story takes place in the topless club. You really get a feel of the place and how the strippers feel about their job. Although the instigator is identified at the end of the story, not every single detail of mystery is revealed. The one that comes to mind, without giving away anything is: Who was the original target? Some may say it was Lana, but she wasn't working the night the story opens. Why did the instigator go through all this if the desired target wasn't there? It is a good story, but it doesn't answer all the questions.

There are grammatical errors and missing punctuation. Also, the page numbers / percentage read / minutes left in chapter are not configured for a Kindle. This is a basic feature to have and it was distracting at times not knowing how much of the chapter / book is left to read. A few other unresolved situations:
1. When Amber leaves the hunky paramedic, he doesn't even offer her a chance to go inside and throw on some clothes. She leaves in her skimpy lingerie. In my opinion, that should have set off some warning whistles in Amber's head. But they never popped in there. I don't understand why a dancer / stripper would willing leave the club in her skimpy lingerie and nothing else.
2. While Lana is trying to get a hold of Amber via texts and calls, why doesn't she here Amber's phone ding or chirp? It's in her purse / locker right there in the same room with Lana. Couldn't figure out why Lana did hear Amber's phone, or see her things still there.
3.Near the end Lana is told to tie up her co-workers. In her mind she reflects that she has to use "Pa's twine." However, it is Amber's Pa's twin, not Lana's. Amber repeatedly referenced the twine as she grew up on a sheep farm. Didn't understand why Lana would think she is using her own father's twine to tie up her co-workers.
Profile Image for TDCbookreviews.
705 reviews68 followers
December 24, 2018
Strip club regular, Billy, has died under mysterious circumstances. Taking it upon herself, weekend stripper Ruby (aka Lana who is a law student during the week) has decided to investigate. While asking her co-workers more about the night Billy died she also frets about her future, a potential date with the club's DJ, social media problems, her best friend in the club not answering her phone, and just regular drama between other strippers. While Ruby/Lana is at the club working on the mystery, her friend Amber has been taken on an impromptu date that will change her life forever.

This book is told mainly from Lana and Amber's perspectives, though there's also a few looks into the killer's psyche. Although the killer does come off completely unhinged, it takes awhile for him story to really come into focus, and until then his chapters are headache inducing. The book dragged when Lana was in the club, she worried so much about all the other things going on in her life that it seemed like a different book at times. Though at times it was interesting to read the "behind the scenes" parts they could have been cut down quite a bit. The plots did come together in the end, for the most part but it wasn't completely satisfactory. I rated this book three out of five stars.
Profile Image for Gerry.
1,972 reviews4 followers
December 23, 2023
In a strip club, a rather unlikeable character falls dead inexplicably in the middle of a lap dance. A paramedic arrives but is unable to revive him. Amber, one of the dancers, is attracted to him and accepts his invitation for a sexual tryst. But that turns out to be a major mistake. Her good friend Lana is concerned when she can't reach Amber and decides to investigate the death as well as Amber's disappearance. Interesting view of what a stripper's life is like and what it isn't. Some really ghastly bloody scenes as well as torture. Lots of red herrings to sort through. Not recommended for those with various triggers.
Profile Image for Jay Williams.
1,718 reviews33 followers
January 19, 2020
This is a great murder mystery set in a Las Vegas strip club. The club environment is well-described, and the characters have real depth. As the narrative unfolds, the actions of several characters are related separately, and it is close to the end when things finally mesh together. The sex was a little graphic, but not overdone. The nature of the encounters added to the interest of the story. I enjoy a story with lots oif grit, a dark side, and hot sex. This book filled all the bills.
Profile Image for Kathi.
242 reviews2 followers
December 10, 2018
3.5 stars
When this book started out, I thought where is this going? It got interesting pretty quick. For me though there was something missing in the story that didn’t keep me as engaged as it could have. There were a couple of dark parts in the book, that may be uncomfortable for some.
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