Hello everyone,
Every year I do all of these countdown posts, and this one is quite possibly my favourite. I love a good twist – one that I do not see coming, improves the story, or even changes the entire complexion of the plot. When something like this arrives, it is a unique feeling of shock mingled with a kind of awe. And sometimes, you are left wondering why you did not see it coming in the first place.
When a twist is done well, it can truly elevate a book from a good one to a great one. Interestingly, looking back at 2022, the books with the most unexpected twists all arrived during the second half of the year. I have certainly been surprised much more often in the last few months.
So with that in mind, here are my top five dramatic twists, without any spoilers of course!
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
The uniquely inverted way that this fantastic thriller is structured helps to create a lot of mysteries, and there are some things that happen at first which leave you unsure how they are connected to the story. But then, further down the line, everything falls perfectly into place, with the help of a couple of great twists.
One of these in particular flips the story on its head as everything you suspected or thought you knew turns out to be exactly the opposite to the truth, and that created some spine-tingling moments.
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
A twist can barely get more dramatic or monumental than the one that takes place about halfway through this final part of what is a thrilling trilogy. It is a turn of events that makes your jaw hit the floor as the author goes to the most extreme heights imaginable to take the narrative down an unthinkable path.
I could not believe what I was reading, but it set up the rest of the book in startling fashion and was incredibly bold. Whether you appreciated the twist or not, you have to admire it.
Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski
I have read this series out of order, so this year I finally got around to reading the first one. On first glance, it looked like just another series of the fictional podcast, immensely intriguing as always as it completely drew me in. However, then came the final episode and something unexpected occurred.
I shall not say what, but it definitely made me reconsider everything I had read before – every little detail and turn of phrase. That was as dramatic as it was impossible to see coming.
Threadneedle by Cari Thomas
There were so many surprising twists in quick succession during the closing chapters of this book that is actually quite hard to keep up and take everything in. The most unexpected twist of all came relatively early in this sequence, and left me wrong-footed as there were no obvious clues which had really led to this revelation. It packed a punch, though!
Circle Of Doubt by Tracy Buchanan
This is not the first time Tracy Buchanan has landed herself on this particular list, and this time she came up with a twist that was hidden almost in plain sight, yet absolutely ingenious. There was another twist that came before it which answered the central mystery of the novel, but this one was carried much more strength and I truly never saw it coming in the slightest. In the end though, it made total sense and provided the main character Emma with added depth.
Let’s Chat
Have you read any of these books? Which books did you read in 2021 that contained the best twists? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
Stephen Reads Books 