ARC Review: A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman

A Twist of the Knife
Author: Becky Masterman
Series: Brigid Quinn Series (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 21, 2017)

Description: Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn, now happily settled in Tucson, doesn’t visit her family in Florida much. But her former partner on the force, Laura Coleman―a woman whose life she has saved and who has saved her life in turn―is living there now. So when Laura calls about a case that is not going well, Brigid doesn’t hesitate to get on a plane.

On leave from the Bureau, Laura has been volunteering for a legal group trying to prove the innocence of a man who is on death row for killing his family. Laura is firmly convinced that he didn’t do it, while Brigid isn’t so sure―but the date for his execution is coming up so quickly that they’ll have to act fast to find any evidence that may absolve him before it’s too late…

A Twist of the Knife, Edgar Award and CWA Gold Dagger finalist Becky Masterman’s third Brigid Quinn novel, is the masterful follow-up to Fear the Darkness and Rage Against the Dying.

My Thoughts: Brigid Quinn in back in Florida for two reasons in this episode. First, her father is in the hospital with pneumonia and Brigid is back to see him. Second, a former partner and someone who saved her life has asked for her help.

Brigid has an interesting family dynamic going on. She was very glad to leave home since her parents had and have a dysfunctional marriage. Her father was in law enforcement and encouraged his children to follow his path. However, he was also a very angry man whose violent temper caused him to throw things frequently. Her mother came off as something of a doormat. She left the kids to her husband and just kept a low profile in the family. It takes this hospital stay for Brigid to finally get to know her mother.

The second reason provides most of the mystery in this story. Her colleague Laura is on leave from the FBI and working with a lawyer who is trying to save people on death row that he feels were wrongly convicted. Their current case deals with Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children in 1999. The wife was found electrocuted in her bath and the children were missing. Brigid isn't convinced that Creighton is innocent but agrees to help her friend who seems to be in love with Creighton.

The investigation gives Brigid a chance to connect with people she knew and worked with in her early days in the FBI in Florida. We see that Brigid has a long history of taking the law into her own hands as she recalls events in her early career.

I thought this mystery was nicely twisty and had a number of surprises. Following the twists and turns of the investigation kept me reading this one late into the night. Fans of detectives who live firmly in the gray areas of law enforcement will enjoy this third Brigid Quinn story.

Favorite Quote:

But whether or not it was a just conviction, you can't take on the world. Guilty or not, Creighton wasn't one of the battles I was called to fight. Like the saying goes, Not my circus, not my monkeys. It's a Momism--she was full of platitudes like that that sometimes flapped through my head. 

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. You can buy your copy here.