Official Review: Twisted But True by Darren Burch

katiesquilts · Post by **katiesquilts** » 19 Feb 2018, 21:43

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Twisted But True" by Darren Burch.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Police officers are often praised as heroes, and many young, brave children say that they want to become part of a law enforcement squad when they grow up in order to protect their city and loved ones. However, law enforcement isn't always saving the day, catching the robber, or solving a crime. Sometimes it's babysitting cows, getting covered in a wide variety of bodily fluids, and trying to keep a straight face while criminals embarrass themselves under the influence. Darren Burch has over thirty years of experience in a couple different law enforcement departments. In his book, Twisted But True, he reminisces on some of the craziest, most memorable experiences in his long career.

Twisted But True starts off with a description of the event that caused Burch to become a police officer. It's not funny or twisted in any way. In fact, it could be described as positively gory. However, without that story, the reader would not have background information to enjoy the rest of the stories. Burch's entire career started in that moment, and so it needed to be included. I'll be honest, when I picked up the book I thought it would be more one-off stories that were only picked for their laugh-out-loud moments or sheer ridiculousness, but Burch took a chronological approach. Instead of creating an anthology of short but amusing stories, he took the time to describe his career, what was going on in his personal life at the time, and how it related to the story he was about to tell. Everything tied together so nicely, and although I came to the book for the gore and tear-inducing comedy, I found that I didn't actually mind the touching and very personal notes scattered throughout the book.

Other than the chronological order and the book's layout, I also enjoyed the way the author chose his stories. Not all of them were hilarious in regards to the crime itself. Some of them were more serious, making me anxious to know if they would end in tragedy. However, every single chapter had a "twist" at the end. This was where the author could reflect on "after-the-fact" humor and end the chapter on a light note. Also, there was always a perfect balance between serious and comedic stories, making me wonder which would come next and keeping me on my toes.

I honestly have no complaints about the book's contents, except that I wish there had been more stories so I could have enjoyed the book for even longer! Unfortunately, I found quite a few grammatical issues, especially with regards to punctuation and sentences missing words or being incomplete. By the time I was halfway through the novel I was able to ignore them, more eager to read what happened next than I was bothered by the mistakes, but I do have to admit that having the book proofread would make it look more professional.

Overall, I would give Twisted But True 3 out of 4 stars. I truly wish I could give it four stars, but there were just too many mistakes. I was barely able to put this book down, thinking about the cases even while I was at work! I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys cop shows on TV or who knows a police officer in real life. However, there are quite a few gory and graphic descriptions of the crime scenes and topics like sexual assault that may trigger some readers, so I would not recommend it to readers who cannot handle graphic descriptions or who get queasy easily. It is definitely more suited for mature readers.

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Twisted But True
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Melchi Asuma · Post by **Melchi Asuma** » 21 Feb 2018, 00:19

Great review. And this-Twisted but true- actually seems like a good book. The fact that it also encompasses humor in a serious topic as crime and policework makes it more interesting. I might even just pick it up.

Cristina Chifane · Post by **Cristina Chifane** » 21 Feb 2018, 04:00

I have always been a big fan of mystery or detective books, but in time I understood that many of them lack authenticity, mainly focusing on solving the case. Twisted but true seems to cross this line and add the veridical elements which I have been searching for. Thank you for your review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 21 Feb 2018, 08:30

This really does sound like a collection that I could get into! I can only imagine the stories it contains and I love the twist at the end! I'm definitely going to look at reading this one! I wonder if it's available on kindle unlimited. Off to look! Thanks!

Cell5-+_ [] · Post by **Cell5-+_ []** » 21 Feb 2018, 11:27

Melchi Asuma wrote: ↑21 Feb 2018, 00:19 Great review. And this-Twisted but true- actually seems like a good book. The fact that it also encompasses humor in a serious topic as crime and policework makes it more interesting. I might even just pick it up.

I think this was a good review and just by reading it I wish I can read the book as well. I would rather read it and comment on the grammar according to my understanding of it, since the writer could have used the grammar mistakes as a way of identifying himself with the actual main character of the novel.

toni bas · Post by **toni bas** » 21 Feb 2018, 12:17

either books,movies,or in video games..i like it the detective way,investigating crimes and curbing crimes..am in love with this book

adeadeadeniyix · Post by **adeadeadeniyix** » 24 Feb 2018, 05:56

The book seems to be true to life in that it does not settle for stereotype and mere comical stories. I may pick up the book

katiesquilts · Post by **katiesquilts** » 24 Feb 2018, 20:27

kandscreeley wrote: ↑21 Feb 2018, 08:30 This really does sound like a collection that I could get into! I can only imagine the stories it contains and I love the twist at the end! I'm definitely going to look at reading this one! I wonder if it's available on kindle unlimited. Off to look! Thanks!

Wonderful! I hope you can find it on Kindle Unlimited! Once you've read it, please let me know what you think as well!

katiesquilts · Post by **katiesquilts** » 24 Feb 2018, 20:29

Cell5-+_ [] wrote: ↑21 Feb 2018, 11:27 I think this was a good review and just by reading it I wish I can read the book as well. I would rather read it and comment on the grammar according to my understanding of it, since the writer could have used the grammar mistakes as a way of identifying himself with the actual main character of the novel.

Thank you for the kind words!

I'm so glad my review was helpful!
Just so it's clear, the "main character" of the book is actually the author himself, as this is a collection of true stories he's telling about his time working as a police officer.

Brenda kimathi · Post by **Brenda kimathi** » 28 Feb 2018, 15:05

This one is definitely my type ..and it's will be part of my stalk..I loved the review.

prettysmart · Post by **prettysmart** » 01 Mar 2018, 14:50

I love mystery genres especially one that has a comical twist to it! Exceptional review!

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 14 Apr 2019, 12:04

I completely agree, my only complaint was the same as yours, I wish there had been even more stories. Maybe the author will write a second book. 28 years of service, I am sure he has more stories to tell!

Great review!

stephtellas · Post by **stephtellas** » 06 Sep 2019, 10:31

I absolutely agree that the book should be read by more mature audience. I am currently reading this and the first few stories were kind of ah for me. Definitely was not expecting that but I am enjoying reading this book so far. I also live in phoenix and like watching cops shows so the book caught my interest to read. Thanks for your review.