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.
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A Simple Twist of Fate
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