Memphis Reads Archive

Beth reviews BAD TWIN by Gary Troup (Hyperion Books, 2006).

The Hit TV Show "Lost" inspires a new thriller by fictional author Gary Troup

Paul Artisan is a private investigator--the kind you see in the old "Perry Mason" TV shows. In general, his clients are doctors, lawyers and insurance companies investigating malpractice and fraud until a wealthy family hires him to search for their missing son.

The missing man, Alexander, or Zander as he is often called, has spent his entire life being irresponsible--drugs, illegal trips to Cuba, etc. His twin brother, Clifford, is CEO of the family company. Clifford is troubled by his brother’s irresponsiblity and that he has been unable to make Zander “normal.”

Artisan travels the world looking for Zander. If he doesn't find him, he may end up dead himself. His search for the missing twin uncovers dark secrets about the man's family and reveals the ugly side of human nature.

This book is a must read not only for fans of "Lost" but for anyone who likes thrillers and mysteries. There's even some romance!

Let me be honest and tell you that I have maybe watched "Lost" once. Maybe. Needless to say, it didn’t become part of “must see TV” for me. So I was leery of reading Bad Twin, but after seeing the cover several times and thinking “I should read that,” I did finally give it a try. It was great! So good in fact that I did research for this post--I went through 20 pages of Google hits. Here’s what I learned about fictional author Gary Troup.

According to Gary Troup’s Website:

Bad Twin was delivered to Hyperion just days before Troup boarded Oceanic Flight 815, which was lost in flight from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles in September 2004. He remains missing and is presumed dead. In addition to his many novels of mystery and crime, Gary Troup authored several non-fiction books including "The Valenzetti Equation." His disappearance is mourned by all who knew him and enjoyed his work.

USA Today has an article about the book and its author.

And you can watch an interview of Gary Troup discussing Bad Twin.


Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Suspense