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The Soloist
Pianist Max Silento has been murdered, but who did it? It wasn't Scarlet - she would have made it look like a death of natural causes, and then DI Ronnie Twist and her sergeant, Luke Carter, wouldn't be poking around.
Scarlet would do almost anything for retired judge Ada, but going to jail was never part of the bargain. Unable to confide in her manipulative employer and benefactor, Scarlet knows one of her new-found family must be to blame... but what could the motive possibly be?
Who is the killer in the seemingly perfect Rosewood family? As the police net closes in around her, Scarlet puts her home-grown detective skills to use in a race against time to uncover the killer before she is arrested herself.
Set in the English market town of Beverley, this is the second 'Twist in the Tale' novel.
Scarlet would do almost anything for retired judge Ada, but going to jail was never part of the bargain. Unable to confide in her manipulative employer and benefactor, Scarlet knows one of her new-found family must be to blame... but what could the motive possibly be?
Who is the killer in the seemingly perfect Rosewood family? As the police net closes in around her, Scarlet puts her home-grown detective skills to use in a race against time to uncover the killer before she is arrested herself.
Set in the English market town of Beverley, this is the second 'Twist in the Tale' novel.
259 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2022
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23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 1, 2022
This is the second ‘Twist in the Tale’ book by Anne Wedgwood and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first one. Both books feature DI Ronnie Twist as the investigating officer, but rather than focusing on the investigation from the police’s point of view, these books follow the people who are being investigated, which is much more interesting.
Scarlet is a cater for a retired judge, Ada, and lives with her and her family in a large house in Beverley, Yorkshire.
Ada has given instructions for Scarlet to go and kill a famous pianist called Max Silento, but when she gets there, the man is already dead.
When the police arrive at the house to question everyone, it seems that Polly, the young daughter, and Emma, Ada’s daughter-in-law also seem to have something to hide.
Scarlet doesn’t know why Ada wanted the pianist dead and she is intrigued to find out and she also tries to find out what Polly and Emma are hiding.
Of course, she could be arrested herself at any minute, so this adds tension to the book and keeps you reading.
I don’t believe in giving spoilers in book reviews, so you will need to read it yourself to find out more.
It’s a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.
June 29, 2022
This was such an entertaining whodunit with all the perfect ingredients for a classic murder mystery. Tons of delicious Agatha Christie feels. I thoroughly enjoyed this great novel and it kept me guessing right up until the final reveal.
November 1, 2023
Piano soloist Max Silento has been murdered. Scarlet, the live-in carer for a family matriarch, didn't do it, but can she find out who did? The whole family comes under suspicion from DI Twist. The story is fascinating and the characters beautifully drawn, though we see Twist only through others' eyes. I find Anne Wedgewood's books so readable. This is my second and I'm looking forward to reading the third.
November 17, 2022
Scarlet isn’t the most capable of murderers. She doesn’t know much about her victim or why he has to die. All she knows is that Ada Rosewood, her employer, wants him dead. And Ada, the disabled matriarch of a wealthy, seemingly perfect family, holds Scarlet’s uncertain future in her arthritic hands. Scarlet has problems of her own due to an erratic upbringing by an alcoholic single mother, and she is so socially awkward she can't make friends or keep a job. Ada’s offer of steady employment, a place in the family, and a permanent home, even after Ada herself dies, is too much for Scarlet to resist, and she reluctantly agrees to murder the famous pianist, Max Silento, when he comes to the town’s music festival as the star performer.
Scarlet has never murdered anyone before, but Ada drills the routine into her head until there’s no room for error. “Stick to the plan,” Ada tells her, and everything will be all right. When Scarlet arrives at Max’s hotel room, he’s already dead, and the room is in disarray. She panics but sticks to the plan and “kills” the dead man all over again, straightening the room and, as instructed, making the murder look like a natural death.
She reports Max’s death to Ada but omits the fact he was already dead. That’s Secret #2 in the novel, Ada’s reasons for wanting Max dead being Secret #1.
When Detective Inspector Ronnie Twist (the “twist” in the tale) and her partner show up to question the family, Scarlet realizes they’re hiding more secrets, and figuring Ada will give her up before incriminating her beloved relatives, she decides to solve the murder.
Even though I didn't much care for many of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. That takes some good writing! The story is narrated by Scarlet, which lends immediacy to the plot, and I loved that the plot proceeds by way of one of the suspects rather than DI Twist.
This is the second book in the Twist in the Tale series. The first is The Botanist. I haven't read the first book, but, based on The Soloist, I'm going to. I can hardly wait to see what mystery Anne Wedgwood propagated in that one.
Scarlet has never murdered anyone before, but Ada drills the routine into her head until there’s no room for error. “Stick to the plan,” Ada tells her, and everything will be all right. When Scarlet arrives at Max’s hotel room, he’s already dead, and the room is in disarray. She panics but sticks to the plan and “kills” the dead man all over again, straightening the room and, as instructed, making the murder look like a natural death.
She reports Max’s death to Ada but omits the fact he was already dead. That’s Secret #2 in the novel, Ada’s reasons for wanting Max dead being Secret #1.
When Detective Inspector Ronnie Twist (the “twist” in the tale) and her partner show up to question the family, Scarlet realizes they’re hiding more secrets, and figuring Ada will give her up before incriminating her beloved relatives, she decides to solve the murder.
Even though I didn't much care for many of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. That takes some good writing! The story is narrated by Scarlet, which lends immediacy to the plot, and I loved that the plot proceeds by way of one of the suspects rather than DI Twist.
This is the second book in the Twist in the Tale series. The first is The Botanist. I haven't read the first book, but, based on The Soloist, I'm going to. I can hardly wait to see what mystery Anne Wedgwood propagated in that one.
August 29, 2022
Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. While I enjoy a cozy whodunnit, for me, the success of a cozy is dependent on my connection to the characters, and in this case, I had a really hard time connecting to Scarlet or any of the Rosewood family members. It was difficult for me to believe that Scarlet could be smart enough to play detective, but so completely naïve when it came to her relationships. There was a lot left to be desired for the resolution of this book, which left me feeling unfulfilled, including a less than clever protagonist and a disconnect from the crime (because of the POV) and victim, which often gives valuable insight into the crime.
That being said, there were a lot of beats that reminded me of The Maid by Nita Prose, which I also didn't enjoy, but many people adored it, The Soloist may be the book for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.
That being said, there were a lot of beats that reminded me of The Maid by Nita Prose, which I also didn't enjoy, but many people adored it, The Soloist may be the book for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.
September 7, 2022
To say I enjoyed this book doesn't do it justice. You may think the surface plot is something you've seen before but it's not.
The Soloist is by Anne Wedgwood, the author of the Twist on the Tale novels, taken from the cases of DI Sharon “Ronnie” Twist. Like the first novel, The Botanist, the tale is told by one of the crime’s participants rather than Twist herself. In this one, an elderly matriarch’s caregiver is the narrator. Her tentative place in the household’s hierarchy gives her an extraordinary opportunity to know all the participants and have insights that are usually, but not always, correct.
Twists abound, right up to the end. This book holds a fascinating look at family relationships and manipulation. I look forward to the next tale. This is an author to follow!
The Soloist is by Anne Wedgwood, the author of the Twist on the Tale novels, taken from the cases of DI Sharon “Ronnie” Twist. Like the first novel, The Botanist, the tale is told by one of the crime’s participants rather than Twist herself. In this one, an elderly matriarch’s caregiver is the narrator. Her tentative place in the household’s hierarchy gives her an extraordinary opportunity to know all the participants and have insights that are usually, but not always, correct.
Twists abound, right up to the end. This book holds a fascinating look at family relationships and manipulation. I look forward to the next tale. This is an author to follow!
January 30, 2024
The Soloist is the second book in the Twist in the Tale Series by Author Anne Wedgwood, however like its predecessor, The Botanist, it is a standalone crime fiction novel. In this story the characters of DI Twist and Sergeant Carter are again called to investigate a murder, but although they are consistent characters in the series, having appeared in both the first and second books, they are not considered to be the main protagonists in either story. The Antagonist (killer) is the main focus of the story, the narration centred around their individual perspectives, which thus enables the readers to understand the motive behind their actions and behaviours, and elicit a certain level of empathy for them.
The plot to the Soloist moves at a satisfactory pace and is an interesting concept. The story taking a different path and view point from the first novel, as the main character, Scarlet who is to commit the murder has been beaten to it, and she finds her victim is already dead. Scarlet then covers up both hers and the killer’s tracks, but makes a fatal error of judgement. Now she, and other members of the Rosewood family are all in the frame for the murder of victim, Max Silento. The roles reverse and our would be killer suddenly turns detective to solve the murder and clear her name, despite the fact that she fully intended on killing Max herself!
The Author does a great job in the constructing and telling of the story and overall this is believable, however there was a scene that did jar with me, which I am not able to go into detail on without giving away a spoiler. But this had me thinking why it wasn’t mentioned by the character and why it did not dawn on the character what the implications of this were, and how twisted that would be if what the character believed was true… trust me anyone in the same situation would be horrified.
The characters themselves are all entertaining and largely credible, and I really liked the relationship between Scarlet and Ada and the way the Author then kept the reader guessing as to whether Ada genuinely had Scarlet’s best interests at heart, or if she was secretly setting her up to be the scape goat. I cannot say I am particularly taken with DI Twist yet, and I would like to see more development of her character to make her more convincing, particular as the lead. She gets there in the end but she doesn’t really seem a formidable opponent where the criminals are concerned.
The dialogue on the whole is relevant (apart from the scene which I mentioned above) and there are no significant editorial concerns to distract the reader from the enjoyment of the story. As I mentioned earlier the pace is satisfactory and deliberately slow as much of this is necessary to set the scene and backgrounds, and make it more credible for the twist in the tale.
I enjoyed reading and I award 4.5 stars.
The plot to the Soloist moves at a satisfactory pace and is an interesting concept. The story taking a different path and view point from the first novel, as the main character, Scarlet who is to commit the murder has been beaten to it, and she finds her victim is already dead. Scarlet then covers up both hers and the killer’s tracks, but makes a fatal error of judgement. Now she, and other members of the Rosewood family are all in the frame for the murder of victim, Max Silento. The roles reverse and our would be killer suddenly turns detective to solve the murder and clear her name, despite the fact that she fully intended on killing Max herself!
The Author does a great job in the constructing and telling of the story and overall this is believable, however there was a scene that did jar with me, which I am not able to go into detail on without giving away a spoiler. But this had me thinking why it wasn’t mentioned by the character and why it did not dawn on the character what the implications of this were, and how twisted that would be if what the character believed was true… trust me anyone in the same situation would be horrified.
The characters themselves are all entertaining and largely credible, and I really liked the relationship between Scarlet and Ada and the way the Author then kept the reader guessing as to whether Ada genuinely had Scarlet’s best interests at heart, or if she was secretly setting her up to be the scape goat. I cannot say I am particularly taken with DI Twist yet, and I would like to see more development of her character to make her more convincing, particular as the lead. She gets there in the end but she doesn’t really seem a formidable opponent where the criminals are concerned.
The dialogue on the whole is relevant (apart from the scene which I mentioned above) and there are no significant editorial concerns to distract the reader from the enjoyment of the story. As I mentioned earlier the pace is satisfactory and deliberately slow as much of this is necessary to set the scene and backgrounds, and make it more credible for the twist in the tale.
I enjoyed reading and I award 4.5 stars.
August 31, 2024
This is the second novel by Anne Wedgwood and it is very different but nonetheless intriguing as the first. There are recurring characters in the investigating officer DI Ronnie Twist and Sergeant Carter, but they do not take a lead role. The story is told by Scarlet, a young woman working as a carer for Ada, an elderly retired Judge. Scarlet lives with Ada in her home along with Ada's son and daughter in law and their two teenage children. Though Scarlet's previous life is never fully revealed, we know that she is indebted to Ada for employing her and when Ada asks her to carry out a task for her Scarlet agrees. Except this is no ordinary task - she is asked to commit a murder. However, when she arrives to fulfil Ads's request, she finds the victim already dead.
The story centers around the family and Scarlet's attempts to find out who actually committed the crime before she is blamed.
It is a very well written, well executed plot with interesting characters and very well paced. Unlike Ms Wedgwood's first book, The Botanist, in this story you know who was supposed to be the killer but not who actually is. It is very clever and very enjoyable. I really would have liked to know more of Scarlet's history, though.
The story centers around the family and Scarlet's attempts to find out who actually committed the crime before she is blamed.
It is a very well written, well executed plot with interesting characters and very well paced. Unlike Ms Wedgwood's first book, The Botanist, in this story you know who was supposed to be the killer but not who actually is. It is very clever and very enjoyable. I really would have liked to know more of Scarlet's history, though.
June 10, 2025
This was strange. Scarlet is a carer who has been taken under the wing of Ada, the elderly woman she looks after, and made one of the family. There are references to Scarlet's unhappy childhood and why a found family means so much to her, although this never really went anywhere or was fully spelt out. Ada asks Scarlet to murder a man called Max who has come to town to play in a music festival because he poses a threat to the family. Scarlet agrees to do so, but when she gets to his hotel room she finds he is already dead. She wants to be able to tell Ada she carried out their plan, so she injects Max with the morphine she brought to put in his drink and then injects air into his foot.
The rest of the book (this is just the set up) concerns Scarlet, the police, and Max's fiancee Hayley trying to get to the bottom of what went on, while Scarlet tries to keep her actions a secret. This was fun overall, although Scarlet was not terribly likeable. The solution was led up to gradually, rather than there being a big twist, and the very ending was sad.
The rest of the book (this is just the set up) concerns Scarlet, the police, and Max's fiancee Hayley trying to get to the bottom of what went on, while Scarlet tries to keep her actions a secret. This was fun overall, although Scarlet was not terribly likeable. The solution was led up to gradually, rather than there being a big twist, and the very ending was sad.
October 7, 2024
My first issue with this book is that it is sold as a 'Twist in the Tale' novel. The 'Twist' in question is the detective, and whilst I believe she played a large part in the first book of the series (I've not read that yet), there is hardly any mention of her in this story. A little bit misleading
Anne Wedgwood brings the town of Beverley to life in her story, and I do enjoy reading a novel with familiar places, so that was a win for me. However, I struggled to like any of the characters at all. It's difficult to urge someone on when you cannot connect with them at all.
It's a strange plot to be honest. Easy to read but I would hesitate to pick up more from this author
Anne Wedgwood brings the town of Beverley to life in her story, and I do enjoy reading a novel with familiar places, so that was a win for me. However, I struggled to like any of the characters at all. It's difficult to urge someone on when you cannot connect with them at all.
It's a strange plot to be honest. Easy to read but I would hesitate to pick up more from this author
June 27, 2025
This is the second book I've read from Anne Wedgwood. She's a new author and has a clear talent for a murder mystery. I love her story telling and descriptions of her relatable characters. It's a gripping page turner. Would definitely read the sequel if there was one! I didn't want it to end! Great writing! Can't wait to read her 3rd book, The Narcissist!
January 25, 2025
The Second of the Twist in the Tale Novels. Again, I enjoyed the different perspective, it's not another detective novel but rather the suspect investigating. Loved all the twists and turns throughout the book!
October 25, 2022
The Soloist by Anne Wedgewood has received a Chill with a Book Readers' PREMIER Award
www.chillwithabook.com
www.chillwithabook.com
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews