Can you imagine two strangers walking up to you one day, and telling you that your entire life has been a lie? That's what happens to Samantha Carroll in Patricia Potter's Twisted Shadows.

Samantha had an idyllic childhood, with loving parents. Well she thought she did, anyway. But one day she's approached by two men who tell her that the man she's called "Father" all her life is not her biological father. That, in fact, her real father is Boston's mob boss Paul Merritta. Now very ill, Paul wants to meet the daughter he hasn't seen since she was an infant. Furthermore, Samantha has a twin brother named Nick, who has lived his entire life believing that his twin sister and his mother were killed when he was just an infant.

Obviously this is a lot for Samantha to absorb all at once. At first skeptical, a quick conversation with her mother confirms the information. It seems that thirty-four years ago, her mother "escaped" from her crime-boss husband by running off with Samantha. And, yes, she left Nick behind to be raised by Paul.

Pretty much, that's all Samantha (and we, the readers) get to know of the story before everything spirals completely out of control and we lose any ability to put more pieces together. Because just as Samantha decides to meet the brother she never knew she had, and to find out why her father has sent for her after all these years, her whole world flips upside down. Suddenly people are shooting at Samantha and her mother disappears. FBI Agent Nate appears out of nowhere and warns Samantha to keep away from the all of the Merrittas - including her newly discovered brother. And when she does go to meet her brother, all Nick does is warn her to keep away from Nate! What's Samantha to do? She has no idea whom to trust, and the only people with all of the answers to her past are missing, keeping resolutely silent, or dead!

Good and Bad

The story kept my interest and I was curious to know what really happened all those years ago. How does a mother make a choice to separate her children that way? Or, was there really no choice at the time? I was also interested to find out exactly why Paul has sent for Samantha, now, after all these years. And, of course, I was interested to figure out who wants Samantha dead, and why. After all, she doesn't know anything!

So yes, the story itself, held my interest.

However, the story isn't everything; there were some problems with the book, too.

My main problem is the "obligatory" romance that develops between Samantha and Nate. I say "obligatory" since it seems that every book I read that has a male and female lead pairs the two together. In this case it starts, literally, the first time they lay eyes on each other. I would think that Samantha, running for her life, and seeking answers to a billion questions, would have better things to do than get gooey-eyed over an FBI Agent. Especially since she really has no idea who he is, how he suddenly ends up in her life, and even whether or not she can trust him. For his part, Nate's been after the Merritta family for years. Now when he has a new lead that might help him bring down this huge crime family, does he really need to get "involved" with Samantha? You'd think he'd at least wait until he's no longer absorbed in this case, I doubt that agents do their job particularly well when they're sleeping with their assignments. But, alas, Ms. Potter apparently felt it was necessary to include a romance angle so we're stuck with it. From my point of view, it added nothing to the story, and certainly did nothing to help me "connect" with the characters.

Another character I have a real problem with is Samantha's mother. It seems to me that she started this whole mess a long time ago, and that she's had plenty of years to "come clean" about it. She certainly felt that she had her reasons for keeping quiet all this time. But, now, when the secret's out, and her daughter's life is in danger, she's STILL keeping secrets!

When the whole story finally comes out - in the very end - it's fairly satisfying, yet still leaves a few unanswered questions. Overall, this is an "average" book. Nothing better, but nothing worse. Read it, if you happen to find it on your shelf, but don't spend money on it.



Recommended: No