Official Review: A Simple Twist of Fate by Deanna Johnson

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kdstrack
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Official Review: A Simple Twist of Fate by Deanna Johnson

Post by kdstrack »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Simple Twist of Fate" by Deanna Johnson.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Milo and Lilly agreed they had pulled off the perfect crime. Planned to perfection, executed without any obstacles; they escaped without detection. They were ready to fly off into the sunset with millions of dollars secreted away in untraceable offshore accounts. Lilly plans to diversify a percentage of the millions into diamonds.

Natalie Parker is sixteen and enjoys spending time with her friends. She fights with her parents and argues with her boyfriend. She and her friends frequently go on weekend excursions. On one of these group trips to Monterey Bay, Natalie stumbled into the lair of some art forgers.

Detectives Tara Hughes and Lance Foster work feverishly to discover how fate yoked these individuals in mystery and murder. Are the bank robbers linked to the fake art ring? What circumstances caused Lilly and Natalie to cross paths? How did Lance’s family get involved in this mess?

Deanna Johnson employs a unique format to present A Simple Twist of Fate. The author tells the story from the third person omniscient point of view. The story does not present events in chronological order. An unforeseen circumstance brings these characters together. The events leading up to this encounter fall into place following two distinct timelines. Each chapter supplies a vital detail of either Lilly's or Natalie's past or present. Other chapters chart the progress of the detectives’ investigation of the bank robbery and the murder. This story is put together like a jigsaw puzzle. This style of storytelling builds up the plot and the tension in the story. It is a challenge to discover how each piece of information relates to and complements the total picture.

There is good character development of Lilly and Natalie through their relationships and ambitions. The one thing I did not like about this book was the overload of secondary characters. A steady line of new characters emerges throughout the story. Most of them were static; they served a brief purpose and then disappeared.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Numerous grammar errors forced me to lower the score from a four to a three. Missing commas and apostrophes appeared throughout the text. If you like mysteries that keep you guessing until the end, this is the book for you. Pieces of information are meticulously doled out. Readers continually adjust their understanding of the plot as each puzzle piece surfaces. I enjoyed the mystery and found the author’s writing style to be intellectually stimulating. Readers who prefer mysteries that flow chronologically might struggle with this novel.

******
A Simple Twist of Fate
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Erika Thomas
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Post by Erika Thomas »

This book sounds amazing, even despite the grammar errors! I love books that jump around like that, especially if they are done well. I love mysteries as well, and it seems like the juxtaposition of the innocent teenaged girl and the hardened criminal woman add vast amounts of depth to the book. Thank you so much for taking the time to review this book for us!
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Post by gen_g »

It's such a pity about the various editing errors, but the book seems really intriguing, just from the way it is written in a non-chronological order. Thanks for the review!
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Erika Thomas wrote: 13 Dec 2018, 21:01 This book sounds amazing, even despite the grammar errors! I love books that jump around like that, especially if they are done well. I love mysteries as well, and it seems like the juxtaposition of the innocent teenaged girl and the hardened criminal woman add vast amounts of depth to the book. Thank you so much for taking the time to review this book for us!
That was the feature that most fascinated me too! I loved how the author made you think and put the pieces together. I hope you will enjoy it. Thanks for commenting.
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

gen_g wrote: 13 Dec 2018, 22:37 It's such a pity about the various editing errors, but the book seems really intriguing, just from the way it is written in a non-chronological order. Thanks for the review!
I was disappointed, too, by the errors. It is an excellent story and keeps the reader totally involved. I think this book shows how detectives really solve a case. Clues come from all sides until they piece it together. The author did an excellent job!
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Post by kandscreeley »

I also dislike when the author includes too many characters. Still, I'm interested to see how these are intertwined and what happens! Thanks for a great review.
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kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

kandscreeley wrote: 14 Dec 2018, 08:49 I also dislike when the author includes too many characters. Still, I'm interested to see how these are intertwined and what happens! Thanks for a great review.
I enjoyed this book not only for the entertainment value, but also because the way the clues came out intrigued me. It made me feel like a detective, too! I wish I could have given it a 4 - alas!
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Post by Kennymatix »

A rather interesting book, but would have been made better if punctuated correctly. I love books that don't go strait to the point, they keep you in suspense till you hit about almost the finish line.
A wonderful storyline, and arrangement. Thumbs up
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Kennymatix wrote: 28 Dec 2018, 06:11 A rather interesting book, but would have been made better if punctuated correctly. I love books that don't go strait to the point, they keep you in suspense till you hit about almost the finish line.
A wonderful storyline, and arrangement. Thumbs up
This book was well written and well researched. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for commenting!
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Post by Sakilunamermaid »

I like stories that aren't in chronological order and characters that would be unconnected if it wasn't for a twist of fate. Too bad for the grammatical errors in this book. I will still be looking into it.
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Sakilunamermaid wrote: 30 Dec 2018, 16:05 I like stories that aren't in chronological order and characters that would be unconnected if it wasn't for a twist of fate. Too bad for the grammatical errors in this book. I will still be looking into it.
I loved that about this book too! The author did a superb job of putting the whole story together - piece by piece! Thanks for stopping by!
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