Harper Perennial
Published June 23, 2026
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
Former London detective Jake Jackson left the police and moved to the country hoping to find a quieter way of life. So far, that hasn’t entirely worked out for him. A Twist in the River is the fourth in Stig Abell’s series, and when women begin disappearing only to be discovered drowned in the river that Jake walks along daily, Jake and his friends begin to wonder if the coincidence isn’t a bit unlikely, even though there’s no real sign that the women have been murdered. However, as Jake begins to look into the deaths, stakes get raised, and Jake realizes that he and those he loves may be in real danger.
From the outset of the novel, there is a sense of unease, but Abell does a nice job of manipulating reactions, lulling Jake, the police, and the reader into underestimating the situation and creating a slow burn. Abell’s phrasing cadences and pacing of the novel both seem to reflect the movement of the meandering river that lies at the center of the novel, and that adds a nice atmospheric touch as well as keeping everyone a bit off balance as far as expectations go. Jake’s involvement on the periphery of the police investigation also lets Abell work in significant character development by focusing on Jake’s personal life while still giving Jake access to police information without tying him down to proper procedures and paperwork. That works nicely to keep the plot moving but also creates a strong investment in the characters which pays off when those characters are threatened. It also ensures that these characters remain interesting enough to sustain a series.
While A Twist in the River is very character driven, the mystery and plotting are also intriguing and well-developed. Abell creates a clever method of murder and provides a number of red herrings, keeping the solution well hidden but believable enough when it’s revealed. And while the pacing may be river-like in its meandering to some extent, there is plenty of action, making the book a fairly fast read. As an added bonus, Abell also works in a bit of commentary about social media, domestic abuse, and threats to women, all of which is delivered in the form of character development, but all of which also does double duty by adding a deeper, darker tinge to the novel. This is not a cozy: there’s both darkness and real, visible violence here in spite of the closed community, idyllic setting, and significant bits of romance.
Although it is fourth in the series, A Twist in the River works well as a standalone novel, but there is definitely a sense of coming in on the middle of the recurring characters’ lives. Fans of the series will be treated to added development in the ongoing relationships, while newcomers to the series have plenty of information to enjoy the novel, and both new and established fans will be pleased to know that Abell has more Jake Jackson books in the works.