The Twisted Road: A Barrister Perris Novel

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By SM Harrison

Some historical mysteries recreate the past. The Twisted Road makes you feel the dust in your lungs and the tension in the streets. Set in 1907 San Francisco as the city struggles to rebuild after catastrophe, the novel stands out because the danger is not just in the crime but in the fragile world surrounding it. A. B. Michaels places readers at the edge of a city trying to steady itself while corruption and violence simmer underneath.

It feels like you need to read this book right away. There is always a feeling of instability, as if the ground could shift again at any moment. The murder that is the main focus of the story pulls you in, but the feelings that go along with it stay with you. You can tell that Jonathan Perris is lonely, driven, and weak because he has a strong will, as an immigrant lawyer. The tension isn't loud just to make things more interesting. People get mad, have moral conflicts, and the truth comes out slowly, which makes it stronger. The experience is both interesting and makes you think.

Fairness in a flawed system, loyalty in difficult times, and the price of being different from everyone else are the book's central themes. It discusses issues that are still relevant today, such as prejudice, worker unrest, and class differences. Its inquiries into justice, authority, and individual accountability remain pertinent and insightful today.

Michaels writes accurately and with depth. Without slowing down the plot, her writing provides a wealth of information about the city. In a way that feels organic rather than forced, she incorporates social history into the mystery. She mixes courtroom drama with street-level grit. The structure lets secrets come out slowly, giving patient readers more and more information.

This is more than a period whodunit. It is a story about rebuilding, both a city and a sense of self. Readers who crave atmosphere, moral complexity, and a mystery rooted in real history will find this road well worth taking.

About the Author 

A. B. Michaels

A native of California, A.B. Michaels holds masters’ degrees in history (UCLA) and broadcasting (San Francisco State University). After working for many years as a promotional writer and editor, she turned to writing fiction, which is the hardest thing she's ever done besides raising two boys. She lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in Boise, Idaho, where she is often distracted by playing darts and bocce, learning pinochle, and trying to hit a golf ball more than fifty yards. Reading and travel figure into the mix, leading her to hope that sometime soon, someone invents a 25+ hour day. Her historical fiction series, “The Golden City,” explores America’s Gilded Age and its effect on characters, both actual and fictional, while her contemporary series, “Sinner’s Grove,” follows descendants of The Golden City as they navigate today’s equally treacherous waters. She is currently expanding both series.