Jake Jackson #4
A Twist in the River is the fourth in Stig Abell’s Jake Jackson series, and unlikely to be the last. Set in a rural town, where Jake moved to escape his previous life as a cop in London, all of the action centers around the titular river. A missing jogger kicks off the classic “missing white woman” search, mobilizing the entire town, as well as the Tiktok crowd, into a frantic search for her. The longer she is missing, the more reporters flock to the location. But just when it looks like things will calm down – she’s found drowned with no signs of foul play – another body appears. And then another.
As the local police force is so small and unused to dealing with this many deaths in a row, Jake is asked to consult on the problem. He brings along a colorful crew: clever former intelligence worker Martha; current badass police officer Aletheia; and jaded sharp eyed journalist Jo. Billed as a “super cop” thanks to his three previous cases in town, he quickly attracts the attention of “detective” Dani, a flamboyant young woman who reports on true crime on Tiktok.
Unfortunately, all this attention gets Jake in hot water with the lead detective, who thinks he’s showboating, and with his jealous and pregnant girlfriend Livia. Feeling like he’s spinning his wheels, Jake almost withdraws from the case entirely, but he can’t quite let go of the idea that all these murders are connected, and that no woman is truly safe alongside the river until the killer is stopped.
The sour note, for me, was Livia. Though she may have been dynamic in previous books, in this one her singular personality trait seemed to be “jealous of Dani”. Dani is implied to be late teens or early twenties, and Livia’s immediate dislike, suspicion, and light slut shaming of her is uncomfortable. Livia’s exact age isn’t completely clear, but is probably thirties or forties. Old enough to know so much better. Of course, this likely was just part of the larger message.
There was a recurring thread, and examination, of the online manosphere. From an extremist feminist to an older man who misses when he could make women uncomfortable freely like in the old days, the book allows a range of points of view on the issue. It was engaging to see the nuance, even if I was irritated with Livia every time she showed up – after all, if she really thought Jake would cheat on her with a near child, you have to wonder why she stays with him.
Overall, though, this is an interesting, well told mystery. Little bits are parceled out about the case as the book goes, told through flowery purple language that I mostly very much enjoyed. Though this was the fourth book, it was easy to slide into Jake’s world. He is a recognizable type, the still capable former cop that is a bit of a male fantasy, and easy to follow. His friends, by and large, were interesting, diverse, and fun. It was a fun perk, for me, that so many of them were women. –Margaret Agnew