Hello everyone,
The best twists are the ones you never see coming, but work absolutely perfectly for the plot and are not far-fetched. Some are dramatic in the way they are revealed, either completely flooring you with shock or putting a whole different complexion on the story.
Looking back at my 2024 reads, there are actually quite a number of twists that could have made it on to this list. I get surprised less often these days, but there were still several that floored me this year!
With that in mind, here is a list of the books with the five most dramatic twists I have read in 2024, with no spoilers.
Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
The structure and plot of this book hinge entirely on the twist, which happens almost exactly halfway through. It is the kind of twist that is deliberately designed to confound expectations and give the mystery a new direction that others in the genre rarely go down.
I found it a really clever twist, and it would have worked well had what came after it not been a disappointment. Instead, it felt like the author was just trying to be a bit too clever and the plot faltered because of that, but full marks for effort.
The Shadow Friend by Alex North
This is a story where it takes you some time to realise that the narrator is unreliable. Paul is a bit lonely and lost as he returns to the village where he grew up and witnessed personal traumas, but it turns out that some of the present day events are not playing out exactly as we see them.
When the twist happened, I was in total shock. It was also really sad and moving, so not an easy one to forget.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
The twist here comes very late on and turns the tables on both the reader and the main character Shiori. It completely changed my perceptions towards certain characters and led to quite an emotional conclusion, such was the power of the sacrifice we see and the extent of the journey we have been on during the plot.
This twist and what came after it sealed a five-star rating.
The Reappearance Of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
With such a tantalising concept and an author with a reputation for the unexpected, this one always had the potential for a twist and it does not disappoint. There are actually a lot of twists here, but the one that stands out really, really caught me by surprise and came at an extremely tense moment in the book.
When it came to putting together my list of dramatic twists for this year, this was the first one that came to mind.
The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean
This is the one that I look back on and wonder if I should have seen it coming. The tension levels were already through the roof when the story reached this point and then came the twist that had me virtually screaming out loud, adding a whole new level of high stakes to the plot.
The story is harrowing and from the moment the twist happened my heart was beating so fast that I was hanging on to every word, terrified at what was going to play out next. It was emotional as anything and I will never forget that Sunday afternoon of reading.
Let’s Chat
What books had the most dramatic twists you read in 2024? Have you read any on my list? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
