Despite his incessant need to remind readers that he’s a huge fan of the soap opera ALL MY CHILDREN, Jeffery Deaver is one of the greats when it comes to the modern short-form mystery. As demonstrated time and again in 2003’s TWISTED, his first collection of short stories, he harbors an uncanny ability to pose a riddle, lead you like a leashed dog to see things one way, only to yank you the other way in the final few paragraphs, sometimes leaving you flat-out amazed at the artistry in the deception.

For me, his novels don’t carry the same impact, which is why I’d much rather read a bunch of his brief work rather than one lengthy one. Thankfully, he writes a lot of short fiction, enough to now merit a follow-up anthology, MORE TWISTED: COLLECTED STORIES: VOL. II.

The rather generic title belies the mostly ingenious goings-on of the sweet 16 stories contained within, such as the opening “Chapter and Verse,” a puzzle story made all the more entertaining once you realize Deaver is taking friendly digs at THE DA VINCI CODE.

By the time you finish the second story, “The Commuter,” you may begin to recognize a formula of early red herrings and peripheral characters that can pop up to wreak havoc late in the game. Still, exactly what unfolds isn’t entirely predictable, as Deaver too clever for that.

Some of the gems in a field full of them include “A Dish Served Cold,” in which a man is told of a death threat against him, yet can’t come to a logical conclusion as to why his would-be executioner would have a beef against him; “Double Jeopardy,” in which a sleazy lawyer pulls the ultimate fast one in court; “Tunnel Girl,” a rare brush with adventure where true intentions aren’t readily bared.

Along the way are stories dealing with Sherlock Holmes, a detective’s interrogation of a murder (or vice versa?), Gothic trappings and apartment-complex voyeurs. Really, the only one that doesn’t succeed is “Locard’s Principle.” Ironically, it’s also the reason most people will pick up the anthology, as it’s an all-new story starring Deaver’s franchise characters of paraplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs (brought to life by Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in the 1999 film THE BONE COLLECTOR). Its novella length and sheer familiarity work against any element of surprise.

Three of MORE TWISTED’s best close the collection, involving a high-stakes poker game and a serial killer on the loose on a sweltering summer night. But deserving of special mention is “A Nice Place to Visit,” the final trip of this 400-page journey. Set on one crazy day in New York City, its multiple plotlines brilliantly converge into one. In the real world, its logic may be skewed, but you’ll have such a fun time being jerked along, you won’t mind a bit.

As Deaver has said himself, you can get away with a lot more in a short story than you can in a novel. MORE TWISTED serves as its own axiom. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.
Discuss it in our forums.