Play Audiobook Sample
Hard Twisted Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.09) - 113 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
In May 1934, outside of Hugo, Oklahoma, a homeless man and his thirteen-year-old daughter are befriended by a charismatic drifter, newly released from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. The drifter, Clint Palmer, lures father and daughter to Texas, where the father, Dillard Garrett, mysteriously disappears, and where his daughter, Lucile, begins a one-year ordeal as Palmer's captive on a crime spree—culminating in the notorious Greenville, Texas, "skeleton murder" trial of 1935.
C. Joseph Greaves weaves a chilling tale of survival and redemption, encompassing iconic landscapes, historic figures, America's last Indian uprising, and one of the most celebrated criminal trials of the public enemy era, all rooted in the intensely personal story of a young girl's coming of age in a world as cruel as it is beautiful.
Download and start listening now!
"This is one of those super-interesting, thinly promoted gems of literature which cross my desk only once in a blue moon and is so good, in my opinion that it should be required reading for high school English classes. Simply outstanding and will be enjoyed by all those who choose to read it."
— John (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Mitchell’s vocal versatility is apparent in her masterful ability to match inflections, tones, and slight southern accents to characters’ genders, ages, emotions, and circumstances. Her depiction of the innocent, credulous, and victimized Lottie is particularly convincing. For both mystery and historical-fiction fans.”
— Booklist (audio review)
Awards
-
A Booklist Top 10 Crime Novel in 2013
Hard Twisted Listener Reviews
-
" An interesting and quick read...there were a few times when I felt ugly words were used for no reason, but that is just a pet peeve of mine. The author in general was able to create entire personalities of his minor characters in a sentence or two, I really like that, impressive. "
— Rene, 1/2/2014 -
" Based on a true story. I will be doing some research on the case after having read this. "
— Monique, 12/27/2013 -
" I was exhausted when I finished this book. Next I had to look up all the people and the events to learn more. "
— Susan, 12/27/2013 -
" This narrative is an interesting balance between bleak and beautiful. The style is terse, but there are a lot of quite lovely and layered descriptions. The main character was compelling and the story was a heartbreaker. I didn't love it, but I don't regret reading it. "
— Wendy, 12/1/2013 -
" A fictional account of a true crime between the recorded accounts. "
— Nadine, 7/9/2013 -
" Requires a but if effort to read, sometimes difficult to understand who is talking as dialogue isn't labeled well "
— Beth, 7/3/2013 -
" I absolutely loved this book. The story is gripping and doesn't let you go. I would have given it five stars, but the obsolete quotation marks made for difficult reading at times. That being said, GREAT BOOK! "
— Roberta, 6/2/2013 -
" I was thinking "4" until I read the author's note; then I changed my mind to "5". "
— Karla, 3/9/2013 -
" Dark, specific and beautifully written "
— Susan, 11/29/2012 -
" I'm probably going to remember this for a long time because Greaves created a real sympathetic character out of the ignorant, homeless, 13-yr-old Lottie who is manipulated (and kidnapped, basically) by con man and killer Clint Palmer. Based on true events from the 1930's. "
— Sonia, 11/20/2012
About C. Joseph Greaves
C. Joseph Greaves is a former LA trial lawyer now based in Colorado. His discovery of two human skulls in a remote Utah canyon would lead, eighteen years later, to the completion of Hard Twisted, named Best Historical Novel of 2010 in the Southwest Writers’ international writing contest, in which he was also honored with the grand-prize Storyteller Award.
About Meredith Mitchell
Meredith Mitchell is an actress who has performed in such films as Mona Lisa Smile and The Reunion, on stage with Shakespeare & Company and the New Repertory Theatre, and on television on Good Morning America. She received her BA in psychology from Emory University and her MFA in acting from Brandeis University.