Twister

Jane Woodham (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating details · 17 ratings · 6 reviews

Dunedin, in the grip of an unseasonal flu, is a city under siege. Cats are being tortured and gay men viciously targeted. Then, after five damaging days of rain, a twister rips through, exposing in Ross Creek Reserve the body of a missing schoolgirl.
Detective Senior Sergeant Leo Judd is forced to lead the investigation despite unresolved sorrow over the disappearance of h ...more

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ebook, 330 pages

Published December 3rd 2015 by Rosa Mira Books

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May 24, 2016 Chris Wolak rated it it was amazing

Twister entered my radar months ago while searching around for hot new mystery novels by Australian women writers. I'm (rather pathetically) participating in the Australian Woman Writers Challenge this year. Jane Woodham is not Australian, she's originally from England and has lived in New Zealand for nine years, but that's the beauty of poking around on the internet--or in the library--sometimes books find you. My initial efforts to procure a print copy didn't pan-out, but I recently dusted off Twister entered my radar months ago while searching around for hot new mystery novels by Australian women writers. I'm (rather pathetically) participating in the Australian Woman Writers Challenge this year. Jane Woodham is not Australian, she's originally from England and has lived in New Zealand for nine years, but that's the beauty of poking around on the internet--or in the library--sometimes books find you. My initial efforts to procure a print copy didn't pan-out, but I recently dusted off my eReader for a trip and looked at Kobo's website again and was happy to see they now carry the book.

Twister is an excellent read, one that kept me up way too late, even when I was sick.

The novel has just the right amount of police procedural details for my taste, meaning that the story didn't get bogged down by them. Most of the work portrayed is good old interviewing of witnesses and suspects as well as a reenactment. Judd makes some deductions and has flashes of insight that help him piece things together.

This is the first mystery I've read set in New Zealand, so it was fun looking up colloquialisms and place names. What wasn't fun is the bullying and violence against girls/women and gays, which seems never-ending in this world, but at least now-a-days womanizers and homophobes are presented as the bad guys that they've always been.

While there is a rather violent scene in the novel, it is not gratuitous, but shows how quickly things can get ugly among teenagers when one boy is simply being himself. There are several instances of people not seeing things throughout the novel and this scene, in particular, shows how confusing and paralyzing it can be when people do see for the first time. The choice Budgie eventually makes made me gasp, but it rings sadly true.

Woodham writes on her website that Twister is "as much a story about a detective, as a detective story," which is right on the money. In fact, Judd's personal story may have been of a bit more interest to me than the crimes under investigation, but its hard to tell as they're so deeply intertwined (twisted together, you might say). The main personal relationship, which is between Judd and his wife, Kate, as well as her lover Rea, is tense and had me rooting for everyone involved. Rea was their former neighbor and a good friend to both Judd and Kate, but moved away years ago. It's complicated, but oh-so-believable.

I enjoyed how memories from Judd's youth come into relevancy without seeming staged, but as a more organic process. Watching the characters grow through their trials and life changes left me with a feeling of hope for them and maybe even for humanity in general. I'd gladly read more from Woodham and hope she finds an audience here in the U.S. ...more

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Dec 31, 2015 Karen rated it liked it

Shelves: ebook, crime, new-zealand, review-books

Set in Dunedin, New Zealand, local writer Jane Woodham obviously loves the place that she lives in. Incorporating a lot of local landmarks, geographical elements and a strong sense of place, TWISTER is her debut novel featuring DSS Leo Judd and a series of investigations into everything from animal torture to gay bashings, and the death of a young schoolgirl.

Starting out in an apocalyptic style, Dunedin is gripped initially by a flu epidemic, and then, after five days of biblical rain, an unusua Set in Dunedin, New Zealand, local writer Jane Woodham obviously loves the place that she lives in. Incorporating a lot of local landmarks, geographical elements and a strong sense of place, TWISTER is her debut novel featuring DSS Leo Judd and a series of investigations into everything from animal torture to gay bashings, and the death of a young schoolgirl.

Starting out in an apocalyptic style, Dunedin is gripped initially by a flu epidemic, and then, after five days of biblical rain, an unusual twister rips through the place, causing havoc, and exposing the body of a missing schoolgirl in a local creek. DSS Judd is the lead investigator on the case, a difficult position for him to be in after the unsolved disappearance of his own daughter nine years earlier. He also isn't overly aware that his marriage is teetering on the edge, with his wife Kate contemplating leaving him to move in with her lover Rea.

TWISTER is extremely heavy on the personal elements, particularly the will she / won't she moving out of Kate. Rea is an old family friend, neighbour and somebody with who Kate shares a very big personal secret. She's much more forthright than Kate and applying hefty pressure for a decision to be made, and them both to be able to move on. This thread inserts itself into the investigative aspects of the book in such a hefty manner that it does frequently take over, although for those that are more interested in inter-personal relationships, and the pressures of coming out after many years of heterosexual relationships that might well be an interesting aspect. It could also result in an enormous amount of flicking, searching constantly for the crime threads, in what felt at times more like a romance novel.

Whilst the character of Kate is definitely a little on the wishy-washy side, that of DSS Leo Judd is stronger. They are both obviously still deeply affected by the disappearance of their daughter, but for Judd there's that professional disappointment as well as the personal loss. The fact that he's never been able to resolve what happened to his daughter gives this current investigation a little more of an edge, although again, that can sometimes be a little washed out by the real-estate conversations and the gardening, and the swimming and everything else.

Because of the byways, side-alleys and distractions liberally inserted into the action in TWISTER, this is definitely not a novel for those for whom plot and resolution are everything in their crime fiction reading. For anyone who is looking for something with all of those complications, with the emphasis on personal elements, and with such a strong sense of place, it would be well worth a look.

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Jan 09, 2016 Philippa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Twister was my first choice for a holiday read this summer. This is Jane Woodham’s debut novel, and not only is it my favourite genre (crime fiction) but it’s also set in my home town, Dunedin, Aotearoa/New Zealand.
This is the kind of crime novel I like, emphasising the characters and their interrelationships, investigating their motives, and providing a mystery to solve. Twister is deceptively simple and easy to read, but there’s a lot going on in it. Woodham has skillfully woven the plot and ...more

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Feb 20, 2016 Kerrie rated it it was amazing

In late February Dunedin has a flu epidemic, but also unusually muggy heat, followed by 5 days of torrential rain. And finally comes the twister, a black funnel churning in from the sea and smashing into the town. The weather brings to the surface of the local creek the body of a teenage girl who has been missing for just a few days. The chief investigator in the Wenlock case has succumbed to the flu and so the case is handed over to DSS Leo Judd. And the case brings with it the memory of his ow ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Helen Varley added it

it's always nice to read a novel set in one's hometown, with its descriptions of familiar landscapes and places, and lots of local things thrown in. woodham captures dunedin's small town alternative feeling very well and populates it with a colourful cast of characteres. the plot moves along at a good pace while at the same time allowing development and reflection for the main characters. she manages to tie up the many different strands quite nicely at the end, although i have to say (without gi ...more

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