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TWISTED PERCEPTION
Porter Oklahoma holds a dark secret, and troublesome dreams plague Tulsa Police Detective, Kenny Elliot, who grew up in the small town. When a bizarre murder catapults Elliot into his past, he's brought face to face with the fabric of his nightmares. A shiny necklace dangles from the rearview mirror of the vehicle where Lagayle Zimmerman, the victim, is discovered.
Nine years earlier, in Porter, a similar necklace swung from the mirror of a Mustang that harbored the mutilated bodies of Elliot's friends, Jonathan Alexander (Johnnie Boy), and Marcia Barnes. Most of the town believed Elliot killed his classmates. But the Chief of Police, Charlie Johnson, didn't share the town's convictions. No arrest was made. Elliot didn't stick around to find out what was going on. He left town, never to look back - until now.
Risking his job and his sanity, Elliot digs into his past and faces his demons to expose the truth.
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Trade Paperback, 240 pages
ISBN 0-9376-6031-0
August, 2005
PRAISE
"This was a wonderful book full of twists and turns and lots of surprises. I would highly recommend this book as it was quite the page turner."
—Gina Metz, Crimespree Magazine
"Bob Avey has written a terrific mystery filled with engaging characters and a taut storyline that will have you wondering who done it until the very end... This is Bob Avey's debut mystery novel. Hopefully we will be reading more from him soon."
—Andrea Maloney, Spinetingler Magazine (full review)
"Avey has, through switches in viewpoint and a trail of clues, created a suspenseful tale that keeps the reader wondering.... It's a tight read, and will keep readers guessing till the end."
—Marlene Satter, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine
"Avey's debut has much to recommend it. The pace and fine plotting will grab your attention. The twists and turns will catch you by surprise."
—Michelle Patterson, The Tulsa World
"With a storyline worthy of a Mary Higgins Clark or a Dell Shannon and intense characterizations that make you want to cheer for the good guy while your skin crawls at the thought of the bad guy, Twisted Perception is a brilliantly written first novel. This is for the mystery lover in the family. A true connoisseur of this genre will stay awake for hours reading until the last "gasp"."
—Sime-Gen reviews
"If I could give a higher rating than five coffee cups for this masterpiece I would! Twisted Perception kept me hanging on the edge with a suspenseful plot, true-to-life characters, and twists and turns that you don't see coming. I recommend that if you like suspense, murder, and a thriller plot, definitely pick up Twisted Perception. You'll thank me. This book deserves to be recognized for its outstanding plot twists and turns, and making you read every last page at one sitting!
—Book Review Café (full review)
"Twisted Perception's plot begins as crime in the big city, but turns into a small town saga. The town's story of secrets and unrequited love would be typical if it were not the edgy quality Avey brings to the story. The plot is tangled and intricate. The pages are filled with detailed car chases and cloak and dagger meetings. To top off the excitement in the story, Avey added enough red herrings that I was guessing at the identity of the killer until the very end.... Twisted Perception is full of details. The kind of details that make mysteries fun and challenging to read."
—Christine's BookList
"This mystery based loosely on urban legends about murders at lovers' parking areas, finds the lead police detective in a small Oklahoma town coming under suspicion from his captain and fellow officers as being the perpetrator of a long list of serial murders of blond-haired, blue-eyed women. This story is as much a psychological thriller as it is a mystery. The author furthers the story's complexity with a history of child abuse that twists the antagonist into something totally unexpected. We rated this book three hearts."
—Heartland Reviews
"Aptly named, Twisted Perception is a classic hard-boiled mystery with intriguing psychological portrayals and a never failing undercurrent of dread. Mr. Avey draws his characters with a rapid brush and maintains the initial suspense throughout the book. A good "curl up" read with a broad span of unusual personalities and a perfectly delivered conclusion."
—M. P. Butterfield, DorothyL