My Two Cents (Book Review): A TWIST OF THE LENS by Elizabeth Devecchi

I haven't been reading much over the past month primarily because I've been focusing on revising some of my own writing. In particular, I've been spit-shining a manuscript I finished several years ago then set aside, unhappy with the finished product. 4+ weeks later, having cut over 13,000 words, and tightened up character and plot development, I'm actually excited about the story, and hope to share it with readers later this year.

But more on that in a future blog post! I jumped back into reading just recently, with an advance copy of author Elizabeth Devecchi's upcoming thriller "A Twist of the Lens," which releases September 16, 2025.

"A Twist of the Lens" is told in first-person POV through the main character, Charlie, who sets off on a cross-country motorcycle trip to visit family in scenic Colorado. Charlie's older brother and his wife are heading out on a European vacation, and Charlie has agreed to watch both their mountainside home and their teenage daughter, Alex, who has the whole adolescent brat routine pretty much down to a science. Where Alex's parents find her attitude abrasive, Charlie finds in her a chip off the old block, considering through flashbacks we learn Charlie's own past is a bit complex, to say the least.

The story takes its time to develop, but once Charlie and Alex are left to their own devices, the plot thickens pretty quickly. Suspicious goings-on at a neighbor's home soon lead to intrigue, danger, and a nice little twist that caught me by surprise.

This isn't a horror story, unlike Devecchi's debut, "A Whisper in the Dark," but she's a good author and capably handles the genre without falling into predictable tropes. You can tell she did her homework when it comes to the nomadic motorcycle life, too, and that attention to detail really brings the story to life.

Preorder "A Twist of the Lens" here.