Overview
Sometimes evil has a familiar face . . .Paul Artisan, P.I. is a new version of an old breed -- a righter of wrongs, someone driven to get to the bottom of things. Too bad his usual cases are of the boring malpractice and fraud variety. Until now.
His new gig turns on the disappearance of one of a pair of twins, adult scions of a rich but tragedy-prone family. The missing twin -- a charismatic poster-boy for irresponsibility -- has spent his life daring people to hate him, punishing himself endlessly for his screw-ups and misdeeds. The other twin -- Artisan's client -- is dutiful and resentful in equal measure, bewildered that his "other half" could have turned out so badly, and wracked by guilt at his inability to reform him. He has a more practical reason, as well, for wanting his brother found: their crazy father, in failing health and with guilty secrets of his own, will not divide the family fortune until both siblings are accounted for.
But it isn't just a fortune that's at stake here. Truth itself is up for grabs, as the detective's discoveries seem to challenge everything we think we know about identity, and human nature, and family. As Artisan journeys across the globe to track down the bad twin, he seems to have moved into a mirror-world where friends and enemies have a way of looking very much alike. The P.I. may have his long-awaited chance to put his courage and ideals to the test, but if he doesn't get to the bottom of this case soon, it could very well cost him his life.
Troup's long-awaited Bad Twin is a suspenseful novel that touches on many powerful themes, including the consequence of vengeance, the power of redemption, and where to turn when all seems lost.
Bad Twin is a work of fiction and all names, characters and incidents are used fictitiously; the author himself is a fictional character.
Synopsis
Sometimes evil has a familiar face . . .
Paul Artisan, P.I. is a new version of an old breed -- a righter of wrongs, someone driven to get to the bottom of things. Too bad his usual cases are of the boring malpractice and fraud variety. Until now.
His new gig turns on the disappearance of one of a pair of twins, adult scions of a rich but tragedy-prone family. The missing twin -- a charismatic poster-boy for irresponsibility -- has spent his life daring people to hate him, punishing himself endlessly for his screw-ups and misdeeds. The other twin -- Artisan's client -- is dutiful and resentful in equal measure, bewildered that his "other half" could have turned out so badly, and wracked by guilt at his inability to reform him. He has a more practical reason, as well, for wanting his brother found: their crazy father, in failing health and with guilty secrets of his own, will not divide the family fortune until both siblings are accounted for.
But it isn't just a fortune that's at stake here. Truth itself is up for grabs, as the detective's discoveries seem to challenge everything we think we know about identity, and human nature, and family. As Artisan journeys across the globe to track down the bad twin, he seems to have moved into a mirror-world where friends and enemies have a way of looking very much alike. The P.I. may have his long-awaited chance to put his courage and ideals to the test, but if he doesn't get to the bottom of this case soon, it could very well cost him his life.
Troup's long-awaited Bad Twin is a suspenseful novel that touches on many powerful themes, including the consequence of vengeance, the power of redemption, and where to turn when all seems lost.
Bad Twin is a work of fiction and all names, characters and incidents are used fictitiously; the author himself is a fictional character.
Library Journal
PI Paul Artisan searches for a missing twin and for the truth in the last novel by the fictional "Troup," who disappeared in 2004 on Oceanic Flight 815 (heads up, Lost fans!) and remains missing and presumed dead. Penned by a well-known mystery writer, the novel will figure in upcoming episodes of the hit TV series. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewBad Twin -- a slickly marketed tie-in novel to ABC's hit television show Lost that is being touted as the last novel written by a popular mystery writer who disappeared on Oceanic Flight 815 -- is a terrific pulp noir mystery. While the novel's plotline (a struggling New York City private eye accepts a lucrative assignment to track down a real estate magnate's wayward identical twin, only to be sucked into an unfathomably deep conspiracy) has no obvious links to the television show, there are countless tantalizing references throughout that will have hard-core fans of Lost speculating for months. (For example, the wealthy man looking for his brother is named Clifford Widmore, and a prominent organization renting space in his flagship building is the Hanso Foundation.) There are numerous references to John Locke, numerology, and purgatory, which many fans have speculated is actually where the show is set: The characters are all dead and working their way toward redemption. An anagram for the fictional author Gary Troup is, by the way, Purgatory.
Bad Twin is intimately connected to Lost, but it is also a highly entertaining whodunit reminiscent of timeless noir gems by masters like Ed McBain, Donald E. Westlake, and Lawrence Block. Fans of the television show will devour this novel, as will any mystery fan who can get past the obvious marketing tie-in. Paul Goat Allen