*I received a free ARC of Skewed from Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*
Skewed by Anne McAneny
Published by Thomas & Mercer on 24 March 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 367
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Reading Challenges: 2015 New Release Challenge
No birth announcement could top the headlines from the day Janie and Jack Perkins entered the world. As twins born to a mother in a coma—courtesy of a bullet from their father—the sensational story of their birth never quite died down. While Jack still craves the flash of a camera, Janie seeks sanctuary behind the lens—as a crime scene photographer.
Thanks to Janie’s line of work, she’s comfortable around gruesome murders. But when old photos of her mother’s body arrive in the mail, they open deep-seated wounds and raise chilling new questions about who really was responsible for that deadly night.
Did Janie’s father spend decades in jail as an innocent man? Did an infamous serial killer actually take her mother’s life? With photos in hand, Janie brings the truth into focus. But when her investigation ends up evoking the wrath of the long-dormant killer, she must race to piece together the final evidence—before she becomes the target.
Skewed played so many tricks on me, I had no idea what clue to follow after a while. Very well written, with the psychological thriller aspect down pat, and the mystery stayed a mystery to me – I was enthralled.
My Skewed review:
Skewed is a truly masterful thriller, where the twists and turns, the suspicions as of the real culprit, and the investigation all were well executed, and left me wondering until the end. Each of Janie’s suspects were viable, and her methods weren’t always completely orthodox, but they were efficient! On top of a well done mystery, I also got amazing characters, who were complex and very realistic in every way. On top of that, there was some well placed humor, a little romance and a lot of suspense.
The cast of characters in Skewed was well-rounded, with several characters who were analyzed by Janie, and brought to life by McAneny’s skillful pen. Being one of the ‘Haiku Killer Twins’ from birth, Janie had a big bone to pick both with the media and her political brother, and she still dreamed of how different her life could have been if her mother hadn’t been brain-dead from a shot to the head even before Janie and Jack’s birth.
The intricate storylines and the overall plot in Skewed were sewn together seamlessly, and made my experience even better because none of the characters were without flaws, and especially Janie was able to see her own mistakes, try to learn from them and then continue moving forwards.
Written in past tense, first person point of view, from Janie’s perspective, allowing the reader to know what Janie knew, and try to figure out the mystery along with her made Skewed very intense. However, the dialogues also made it easier to understand the other characters who evolved in the story alongside the main character.
Some of my favorite Skewed quotes:
Didn’t matter how many push-ups I did to bulk up my narrow shoulders, or how much I fluffed my hair, I always looked small. At 5’3″ and 104 pounds, I was tiny, but I felt all of my twenty-nine years and deserved to look thirty-nine.
The photo had to be someone’s twisted rendition of a still life. Still life, but barely.
With zero embarrassment, Wexler took a bite of his muffin and cleaned his hands with a moist-wipe. Seriously, how did this guy expect to make it in Hardscrabble Kingsley, where he and his coworkers avoided nightly bullets like unwitting players in a game of Whack-a-Cop?
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