homicide
Twisted
What to choose for my break from serious study? Ahah! Jonathan Kellerman! Twisted. 
That’ll do nicely. Kellerman’s a child psychologist by background and an acknowledged master of psychological thrillers, so it’ll grip my attention and require close concentration to stay with the plot. The thinking behind criminal acts rather than the actual killing intrigues me.
And did it ever?! A huge cast of characters; red herrings; multiple cases; twists and turns and subplots aplenty; suspense added with a concrete deadline setting the parameters and count down for the chase.
Detective Petra Connor is a busy hands-on homicide officer in California juggling assorted cases when Isaac Gomez, a young research prodigy from an underprivileged background, is assigned to her. Soon after his introduction to police procedures and files, he tells her he’s found an interesting phenomen linking six unsolved murders that occurred over six years: all were committed at around midnight on June 28th. Initially rather sceptical, Petra comes to recognise Isaac’s uncanny ability to think analytically, and together they begin to unravel new material, pursuing witnesses and acquaintances of the victims, all of whom were killed by a massive blow to the back of the head with a blunt instrument, so violent that brain matter is splattered over the scene of the crime. A picture begins to build of a cold and evil mind at work, calculating and orchestrating a pattern of annual murders.
But why June 28th? Isaac enlists the help of librarians who know him well to search the archives for possible enlightenment, while Petra interviews and follows and sifts the people and facts connected with the six cases, both only too aware of the days ticking down to June 28th, and in the process ruffling feathers as they expose negligence and carelessness and perhaps even cover-up on the part of the officers initially assigned to these murders. But not even being suspended from the force will stop Petra doing all she can to save the life of another innocent person on June 28th.
The suspense holds until the very last chapter when an unexpected twist reveals the identity of the real killer. A masterfully plotted tale. And just what the doctor ordered!