4 out of 4 stars
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Twisted Threads, a Crime/Mystery/Thriller/Horror genre novel, is book 4 of the Thread series by Kaylin McFarren. It comes after Severed Threads, Buried Threads, and Banished Threads. In Twisted Threads, McFarren promises her readers a really twisted plot compared to traditional modern literature, and for sure this vengeance story does not disappoint in this regard! Though the main character belongs to Zakura-Kal, a ruthless gang based in Kyoto Japan, the story unfolds aboard the cruise ship, Merry Mermaid. The plot starts to twist and untwist when Akira and her partner from Zakura-Kal board the ship in its final ten days of the Caribbean cruise.
The protagonist, Akira, is one of the most lethal assassins in the Zakura-Kal organization and is tasked with identifying and killing the culprit who murdered her boss Mitsul's sister, from a very short suspect list - a married couple. Having only ten days to achieve this, a speedy conclusion is paramount. Her strategy is simple, seduce the nephew (Devon), who is traveling with the target couple, in order to trick the truth out of him. A piece of cake, right? What follows then is a roller coaster plot aboard the cruise ship, complete with a sizzling romance, budding friendships, enticing games, and interesting excursions in exotic stopovers like the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Hell! Throw in some sudden disappearances of people, pressure for Akira to complete her task, and an unforeseen threat targeting a clueless Akira – and you have a reading experience with no dull moment!!
Twisted threads' drama, adventure, fantasy and the promised twists had me completely hooked. The central theme was integrity and eliminating debased villains (who lacked integrity at some point in the past). I know it seems twisted to apply integrity as a virtue to an assassin, but seeing the measures Akira takes to ensure only the truly guilty is murdered, and the reasons advanced by various parties to justify their targeted elimination of some people in the course of the story, one can't help conclude this! This is a tale of a young girl who circumstances threw into a questionable lifestyle, forcing her to do what she had to do. Like she once commented, in her life, you either kill or have to be killed. All the same, she now wants out of this lifestyle so she can be normal and happy. Is this possible, or is she permanently branded by her former life? She constantly struggles with this dilemma.
The plot has many subplots or threads intertwined within it, the majority of which help to nicely tie up the main storyline. The story unfolds through alternating points of view between Akira and Devon, making the reader privy to each person's perspective, thus at par with their reasoning. The narration is easy to read and follow. The characters are so well developed, one can almost visualize them. Though the book is the fourth in a series, it appears to be standalone. I have not read any of the other books, but I was never at any point left hanging as I read this one. I quite enjoyed the drama and suspense, particularly towards the end of the book. The book was so well edited I didn't notice a single typo or grammatical error. For these reasons, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
Nevertheless, I did not like the numerous explicitly erotic sexual scenes, which I learned to skim over. In addition, some of the subplots left me a bit confused. For example, why was Mutsul stepping down when he wasn’t indisposed, and why did he not more firmly dictate his successor, as befitting the head of a ruthless gang? From the final revelations, are Akira and Devon relatives? Finally, the timeline towards the end of the book got muddled up for me.
In conclusion, I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who likes drama, suspense and unraveling mysteries. It is almost impossible to guess the killer! Be prepared for plenty of murders, although many are not graphic. The book is also great for book clubs because it presents many angles that can be discussed in such a forum.
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Twisted Threads
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It's certainly interesting. Your enjoyment of the book is reflected in the enthusiasm of your review. Thanks for the information.
