Twisted Threads


Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
379 Pages
Reviewed on 10/28/2022
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Author Biography

Kaylin McFarren has received more than 60 national literary awards, in addition to a prestigious Golden Heart Award nomination for FLAHERTY'S CROSSING - a book she and her oldest daughter, New York Times/USA Today best-selling author Kristina McMorris, co-wrote in 2008. Prior to embarking on her writing journey and developing the popular THREADS psychological thriller series, she poured her passion for creativity into her work as the director of a fine art gallery in the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon; she also served as a governor–appointed member of the Oregon Arts Commission.

When she's not traveling or spoiling her two pups and three grandsons, she enjoys giving back to her community through participation and support of various charitable, medical and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Her latest time-travel adventure, HIGH FLYING, asks challenging questions that will linger long after the final twists are revealed. Recently jumping to the supernatural thriller genre, Kaylin's clever GEHENNA series leads readers into the pit of Hell, through the mechanisms of secret societies, and across the earth's crust, ever raising the stakes for her leading duo—a wicked demon and a saintly angel with secret earth-shattering agendas. With each story she writes, this author delivers unexpected twists and turns and keeps her readers on the edge of their seats, leaving them guessing and thoroughly entertained.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Alma Boucher for Readers' Favorite

Twisted Threads is a psychological thriller written by Kaylin McFarren. Akira used to be a geisha, but is forced to be an assassin working for the Yakuza boss. She hates herself for what she is doing. She is ordered to board a cruise ship to determine who killed her boss’s sister. A couple named Paul and Sara Lyons is under suspicion. One of them is the murderer and Akira must investigate to determine which one. If she succeeds, she can start a new life, but if she fails her mother will be killed. The Lyons couple is accompanied by their nephew, Devon Lyons. Akira befriends Devon to get information about his aunt and uncle. She realized she was starting to trust Devon. They work together to solve the murder and find themselves fighting for their lives.

I was captivated and intrigued by Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren. There is a lot of action in the story, and it is fast-paced. There are unexpected twists and turns in the plot I did not see coming. It is suspenseful and nail-biting from the beginning. I just kept reading until the finish because I had to know how it ended. The violence was descriptive and left nothing to the imagination. The characters were complicated and complex. They were authentic and I loved them. My favorite character is Akira. She is strong and well-trained and sometimes needs protection. Twisted Threads is well-written and developed. This mystery brings the themes of murder, revenge, and loyalty together. I guarantee that the ending will be a big surprise.

Heather Osborne

Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren is the fourth book in the psychological thriller series, Threads. Akira, once a geisha, now is an assassin for a branch of the dreaded Yakuza. Ordered by her boss to avenge the death of his niece, she finds herself on the cruise ship, Starfish, with orders to kill Paul and Sara Lyons. However, Akira desires more, and to secure her freedom from the life of blood and murder, she decides to use their nephew, Devon, to execute her escape. What she doesn’t count on is falling for the handsome treasure seeker. Yet, there is more going on than meets the eye on the Starfish as people keep ending up dead. Will Akira and Devon make it out alive, or are they destined to go the same way as the hapless victims of a faceless murderer?

I thoroughly enjoyed Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren. I wish I had known it was the fourth in the series before reading, but it worked well as a standalone, and I am tempted to go back and read the previous three books for greater context on the storyline. I found the novel more akin to romantic suspense than a psychological thriller, with several steamy scenes between Devon and Akira. Again, though, it doesn’t detract from the plot. I loved the twists—appropriate with the title—and I found myself rooting for Akira. There are many different things going on, but McFarren does an exceptional job of making sure all the plot points are tied up. I would heartily recommend this novel to fans of romantic suspense and action, and I would definitely read other books by McFarren in the future.

Melanie Kennedy

Twisted Threads is another exciting romantic thriller in the Threads series by Kaylin McFarren. Akira Sato has to assume the identity of Akira Hamada as her employer, Kaito Mitsui, tasks her to find his sister’s killer on the cruise ship Starfish, and terminate him or her inconspicuously. Akira is a geisha turned assassin and if all goes well this will be the last task she needs to complete before gaining her freedom. Almost as soon as the Starfish sails, Akira meets Devon Lyons and cunningly decides to get closer to the carefree young man to spy on her real targets: his uncle and aunt. What Akira doesn’t bargain on is falling in love with her decoy. Soon her time on the cruise is running out and she needs to find the real killer, threatening any possible future with Devon as well as their lives.

Twisted Threads is a thrilling action adventure with a budding romance built in. Kaylin McFarren whisks us away on a cruise ship to enjoy danger on the high seas. The relatively short and passionate love affair between Akira and Devon is beautifully executed. The lovers even take a trip to Hell, which usually wouldn’t scream romantic date night, but the author knows it’s all about spending quality time with each other. Kaylin knows how to write a captivating story, as she had me on edge from the prologue, introducing the mysterious watcher. This is an irresistible story for anyone looking for a good helping of thrill and romance. I can’t wait to read other books in the Twisted series.