01/25/2016
In the arresting opening of Irish author MacDonald’s uneven first novel, New York City dentist Oscar Harvey closes the trunk of his rental car in Limerick, Ireland, on a woman’s corpse. A moment later, he’s joined by his nine-year-old son and his 12-year-old daughter, who asks, “Where’s Mom?” A couple of months earlier, the Harvey family entered into a home exchange program with Limerick college professor Kate O’Brien and her husband, Mannix. Kate and Mannix think a change of scene will be good for their bullied autistic son and their long-suffering daughter. Oscar’s teacher wife, Hazel, selected Limerick for the family trip because she grew up and there. Unfortunately, once the Harveys move into the O’Briens’ house, they attract the attention of Mannix’s money-obsessed brother, Spike, and his criminal associates. MacDonald struggles with the multiple points of view, occasionally omitting information unfairly to maintain suspense, but her solid prose suggests she can do better. Agent: Isobel Dixon, Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. (Mar.)
Twisted River
Narrated by Alana Kerr Collins, Sile Bermingham, Gerard Doyle, Tom Taylorson
Siobhán MacDonaldUnabridged — 9 hours, 27 minutes
Twisted River
Narrated by Alana Kerr Collins, Sile Bermingham, Gerard Doyle, Tom Taylorson
Siobhán MacDonaldUnabridged — 9 hours, 27 minutes
Overview
A gripping debut psychological thriller for fans of The Silent Wife and The Wicked Girls about two families in crisis and a holiday house swap gone terribly wrong
She would never have fit as neatly into the trunk of his own car.
Limerick, Ireland; the O'Brien family's driveway. American Oscar Harvey opens the trunk of his hosts' car and finds the body of a woman, beaten and bloody. But let's start at the beginning.
Kate and Mannix O'Brien live by Curragower Falls in Limerick, in a lovely house they can barely afford. Their autistic son Fergus is bullied at school, and their daughter Izzy blames herself, wishing she could protect him. Kate decides that her family needs a vacation, and she's convinced her luck is about to change when she spots a gorgeous Manhattan apartment on a home-exchange website.
Hazel and Oscar Harvey and their two children live on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Though they seem successful and happy, Hazel has mysterious bruises, and Oscar is hiding things about his dental practice. They too need a change of pace. Hazel has always wanted her children to see her native Limerick, and the house swap offers a perfect chance to soothe two troubled marriages.
But this will be anything but a perfect vacation, and the body in the trunk is just the beginning.
Editorial Reviews
Twisted River is a superb thriller – gripping, surprising, and terrifically rewarding.” – Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats
“Evocative and richly detailed, Twisted River is a page-turning mystery about the tragic consequences that result when the tightly held secrets of two families collide.” Kimberly McCreight, author of the New York Times bestseller Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her
“MacDonald's dark and twisted tale of American tourists caught up in recession-hit Ireland will change the way you look at house swaps forever” – Alex Marwood, Edgar Award winning author of The Wicked Girls
“MacDonald toys with the reader, leading right then feinting left with plot twists that genuinely surprise. Infidelity, deception, revenge, and murder all come into play, but the big thrill here is the constant undermining of assumptions.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A skillfully wrought thriller that exposes the dangers of secrecy.” – Booklist
“MacDonald develops her twin stories with masterly control of mood and scene, setting you up for jolts that, even if you somehow see them coming, lose nothing in sinister shock value.” – The Chicago Tribune
★ 02/01/2016
In MacDonald's debut thriller, two families in need of a vacation undertake a house swap. The O'Briens, who live in Limerick, Ireland, agree to exchange residences with the Harvey family, who inhabit a beautiful apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. But what appears on the surface to be a simple holiday becomes something much darker and more damaging as each family's secrets are slowly revealed. Mannix O'Brien is hiding things from his wife, Kate, and their son is being bullied at school. Meanwhile, in the Harvey household, Hazel has mysterious injuries and her husband, Oscar, is having issues at his dental practice. The vacations—to Hazel's hometown in Ireland for the Harveys, and to New York for the O'Brien clan—are intended to give the families distance from their domestic problems. But when someone ends up dead, and long-buried truths are uncovered, both families face troubles beyond what they ever expected. MacDonald writes with the confidence of an experienced author and throws in enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing right up until the finale. VERDICT This thrilling tale about secrets that lie beneath a seemingly tranquil marriage will be a strong choice for readers who enjoyed Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train and authors such as Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies).—Amy Hoseth, Colorado State Univ. Lib., Fort Collins
2015-12-10
Two families trade homes for the vacation of a lifetime, but there's grim baggage to unpack in this tricky debut thriller. Kate and Mannix O'Brien jump at the chance to visit New York. Money woes have worn them thin, and their bullied autistic son is obsessed with King Kong, so the Empire State offers the antidote to daily life in Limerick. Even daughter Izzy should enjoy a bit of freedom from babysitting and being her brother's chief defender. Hazel, Oscar, and their kids swap their New York apartment for the fog and peat of Hazel's birthplace, but something's off between the couple; his temper is fearsome, and makeup isn't hiding her bruises. MacDonald toys with the reader, leading right then feinting left with plot twists that genuinely surprise. Infidelity, deception, revenge, and murder all come into play, but the big thrill here is the constant undermining of assumptions. Irish and American economic woes are the silent characters adding stress to already tense lives. Mannix's constant texting on the trip and Oscar's flaring anger only hint at the explosive turn things ultimately take. If the story is less character study and more driven by sleight of hand, it still packs quite a wallop. A vacation studded with dark revelations that readers will relish.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169778816 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 03/22/2016 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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