Twisted River: A gripping and unmissable psychological thriller

‘She would never have fit as neatly into the trunk of his own car.’

An unmissable psychological thriller for fans of B A Paris’s Behind Closed Doors about two families in crisis and a house swap gone terribly wrong

Limerick, Ireland: Oscar Harvey finds the body of a woman in a car boot, beaten and bloody. But let’s start at the beginning…

Kate and Mannix O’Brien live in a lovely Limerick house they can barely afford. Their autistic son is bullied at school and their daughter Izzy wishes she could protect him. When she spots a gorgeous New York flat on a home-exchange website, Kate decides that her family needs a holiday.

Hazel and Oscar Harvey, and their two children, live on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Though they seem successful, Hazel has mysterious bruises and Oscar is hiding things about his dental practice.

Hazel is keen to revisit her native Limerick, and the house swap offers a perfect chance to soothe two troubled marriages.

But this will be anything but a perfect break. And the body is just the beginning.

Dark and utterly compelling, Twisted River is a riveting page-turner with a brilliant twist, full of suspense and atmosphere for fans of Paula Hawkins, Kathryn Croft and Lisa Hall.

What people are saying about Twisted River


‘Twisted River is a superb thriller – gripping, surprising, and terrifically rewarding.’ Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats

‘This thrilling tale about secrets that lie beneath a seemingly tranquil marriage will be a strong choice for readers who enjoyed Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train and authors such as Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies).’ Library Journal

‘MacDonald's dark and twisted tale of American tourists caught up in recession-hit Ireland will change the way you look at house swaps forever’ Alex Marwood, Award winning author of The Wicked Girls

‘MacDonald toys with the reader, leading right then feinting left with plot twists that genuinely surprise. Infidelity, deception, revenge, and murder all come into play, but the big thrill here is the constant undermining of assumptions.’ Kirkus Reviews

‘A skillfully wrought thriller that exposes the dangers of secrecy.’ Booklist

‘Evocative and richly detailed, Twisted River is a page-turning mystery about the tragic consequences that result when the tightly held secrets of two families collide.’ Kimberly McCreight, author of the New York Times bestseller Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

‘An excellent debut novel, with an intense and intimate narrative. Very hard to put down!’ The Crime Review

‘Such a unique and clever way of storytelling … packed full of twists and surprises, Twisted River is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense.’ Bookaholic Confessions

‘Once you start it, it’s nearly impossible to put down. I was hooked from the opening pages right to the very end. This is a gripping, nerve-jangling thriller of a novel and I loved it.’ Rather Too Fond of Books