Starting the Next Chapter: Review: The Twisted Thread

by Charlotte Bacon
publisher: Hyperion Voice
date of publication: June 14, 2011
format: ARC
pages: 374
source: from the publisher
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge

From Goodreads

When beautiful but aloof Claire Harkness is found dead in her dorm room one spring morning, prestigious Armitage Academy is shaken to its core. Everyone connected to school, and to Claire, finds their lives upended, from the local police detective who has a personal history with the academy, to the various faculty and staff whose lives are immersed in the daily rituals associated with it.
Everyone wants to know how Claire died, at whose hands, and more importantly, where the baby that she recently gave birth to is a baby that almost no one, except her small innermost circle, knew she was carrying.
At the center of the investigation is Madeline Christopher, an intern in the English department who is forced to examine the nature of the relationship between the school s students and the adults meant to guide them. As the case unravels, the dark intricacies of adolescent privilege at a powerful institution are exposed, and both teachers and students emerge as suspects as the novel rushes to its thrilling conclusion.

What I Thought

The Twisted Thread is not one of my typical reads. Instead, it is an adult murder mystery that intrigued me when I first read the description of it. I decided to request it from the publisher after seeing an ad in a Shelf Awareness newsletter. I was glad I did. As it turns out, I do like a good mystery every now and again.

When the story opens, Madeline, an intern at the prestigious Armitage Academy, returns from her run to be greeted with the news that Claire, a girl from her own dorm, has just been found dead in her room. As the revelation is made that Claire had recently given birth and that the baby is missing, the investigation takes on even more urgency. The coming weeks will uncover the darkness that lies beneath the shiny veneer of the academy as suspects are questioned, secret societies are revealed, and trust is questioned at every turn.

At first, I wasn't so sure that I was going to like this book. It was a bit of a slow starter and the discovery of Claire occupied the first few chapters. After a while my attention began to wane, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with a riveting murder mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. The book also explored themes such as peer pressure, bullying, and the importance of boundaries for teens. Some parts were horrifying while others were amazingly poignant. The details revealed about the secret society called the Reign of Terror, while at first only seeming to be a silly clique, turned out to contain a more menacing aspect beneath the surface. They help Madeline discover a side to Claire that not many people even knew existed and add another layer to the mystery surrounding her death.

As the police pursue different leads and attempt to narrow down the list of suspects, detective Matt Corelli must face the demons of his past, all while trying to keep his mind on the case at hand. His personal connection to the academy serves as another reminder of just how this world of privilege and competition works. Will his past interfere with the case? His colleagues are unsure, but his experiences do serve to provide knowledge about the inner workings of the school that prove invaluable. He and his partner make for an interesting team as they immerse themselves into the shady reality beneath the school's polished veneer.

Overall, I enjoyed The Twisted Thread. In its favor: a riveting mystery, complex characters, and a vividly described setting. However, there were some aspects of the book that I had a harder time coming to terms with: the pacing was a bit difficult to adjust to; the multitude of points of view could be difficult to keep track of at times; and the ending was just shy of being anticlimactic. However, The Twisted Thread did allow me to step outside my typical reading habits and was, I think, a good pick for this purpose. I give The Twisted Thread 3 hoots.