The twisted thread in this story is described like so: "Claire had invoked one of the most sacred of the Reign's rituals, which was the making of a braided thread - always red, and braided with a few hairs from the members' heads - that meant those who wore it vowed secrecy for life about a certain topic." The topic in this case is the pregnancy of one of the girls at the prestigious Armitage Academy, Claire, who was subsequently murdered, and her baby taken from the scene and missing. Madeline Christopher is an intern in the English department, who feels awful that she had no idea that Claire was even pregnant, and takes it upon herself to ask questions in an effort to find out what happened to Claire, and where the baby is now.

I really liked the premise of this story, and the mystery was a good one. I got confused a lot because there were just so many characters, and all of their backstories ran together after a while. The story could have done with some tightening up and without all the extraneous side stories. The ending was a surprise, which is always a good thing, and tied things up nicely.

All in all, I thought this was a good mystery novel and I would recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars.

*** I would like to thank Hyperion and Charlotte Bacon for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )

This was quite a story, but I found it hard to follow as there were just so many characters and there were just too many changes with each chapter. It was hard to remember some of the characters as there were just too many chapters between characters. And the ending was so disappointing as there were major things just left unfinished. I would not recommend this book. ( )

I knew my chances of finding a yummy summer read like Tartt's Secret History were slim, so I thought maybe this would be like Carol Goodman's Lake of Dead Languages, but it fell short. Sigh.

Did anyone else feel like Bacon was hiding an integral character from the reader, despite the fact that the book is written from multiple viewpoints? When the killer was revealed, I was sort of thinking "Wait, who?" I didn't find this exciting or a neat twist, but rather an act of masking. shrug. Maybe I wasn't paying attention well enough when I was reading. ( )

I found this a flawed but engaging novel, with enough character development to hold my interest, as well as a compelling sense of place. Then it all blew up in my face with a ridiculously contrived ending. I hate when that happens. ( )

A good mystery keeps you engrossed. It has you wanting to get to the next chapter. It doesn’t have to be nonstop action. It just needs you wanting to know who did it. I think you can find that in Charlotte Bacon’s The Twisted Thread.

This is a story of a young woman found dead in a high class boarding school. That alone is traumatic and worthy of a mystery, but throw in the fact that she unknowingly had a baby and that baby is missing gives you a much bigger story. Who killed the young girl? Where is the baby? Who is the father? Who knew about it? As you go along, you’ll discover that practically everyone has a dark secret and plays a part in the mystery of the girl’s death.

I really liked the fact that this was not a straight forward mystery. Yes, I did figure out who did it earlier in the book but the history and the background of it all I only had a small inkling. There were so many twists and turns that I found myself second guessing my original solution. I stuck to it and was right but it might prove a challenge to you.

Ms. Bacon did an excellent job of creating an intricate plot. It was an enjoyable read.

The copy I received was an advanced copy with many formatting issues that did cause problems reading the book. That should be resolved in the final version.

This is a great summer read. Add it to your list.

Note: This book was provided by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. ( )