Review: The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan

The Twisted Window is written by the teen thriller-master, Lois Duncan. The book was original published back in 1987, but has been released onto Kindle with a few minor changes, the mention of cell phones, DVDs, etc. I've been a Lois Duncan fan every since I read I Know What You Did Last Summer (the book, not the movie) when I was a teenager, so when I saw this book up on Netgalley, I had to review it.

Tracy Lloyd had recently lost her mother, her father practically abandoned her, and she now resides in a small town with her aunt and uncle. The plot begins with a strange boy named Brad started staring at her during lunch hour at school. Brad is from Albuquerque, but he doesn't exactly go to her school. He follows her around and eventually asks her out. She thinks it is a date, but it isn't what he had in mine.

Brad needs Tracy's help as his baby sister, Mindy, was kidnapped four months ago by his soon-to-be ex-stepfather, Gavin Brummer. His mother is hysterical and she can't handle the situation. The police are clueless about the whereabouts of Gavin, so Brad is investigating the kidnapping himself. Of course Gavin already knows Brad, so he needs someone that Gavin doesn't recognize and that is where Tracy comes into the plot.

Being a nice person, Tracy agrees to help Brad find his little sister, but as she gets more involved in the case, she starts to realize that Brad may not be telling the truth.

What I have always loved about Lois Duncan's writings is that she uses realistic plots for her teenage characters. The Twisted Window may not be her best known book, but it contains an intriguing mystery with several twists and turns around every corner. I don't care for publishers updating technology and stuff in older books as it doesn't flow well with the plot. As for the mystery, just when I thought I knew what was going on, the author throws in a few twists to keeping your mind boggling. The Twisted Window is an intense, character driven thriller that I recommend to others.