Review of Twisted But True

[Stephen Christopher 1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Twisted But True" by Darren Burch.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Twisted But True by Darren Burch is a true crime autobiography by a retired sergeant who served for over 30 years in various branches of law enforcement in and around Phoenix, Arizona. With that many years under his belt, you’d think he'd have a stack of stories to tell, and they're all right here in this book.

Told in first person across 35 chapters, Darren gives us an in-depth look into various crimes and police procedures. He’s a skilled storyteller. You’ll be chuckling in one paragraph, then gasping in shock in the next. He has an engaging sense of humor that shines through in every story.

There’s so much to love about Twisted But True. The book never gets stale. Heartbreaking stories about his family and personal losses are mixed in with some serious crimes and many of his own comical mishaps. His use of amusing nicknames to protect the criminals from being identified is highly entertaining and very appropriate.

Every chapter is a new story and ranges from 3 pages to 20 pages, with the average being around 6. Broken down like this, it’s a book you can read if you have a few spare minutes. But be warned, I found it an absolute page-turner and finished it across three sessions.

My only issue with this book is that the focus is supposed to be on the ‘twists.’ Yes, there is one at the end of every chapter, but sadly, for me, they were more like a ‘what happened next’ or a piece of backstory. An unexpected twist usually comes out of the left field, and there weren’t really any of these, although chapter 14 came close.

I wanted to give this book 5 out of 5 stars, but the twists left me wanting more, leading to my final score of 4 out of 5. The book is professionally edited, and I only picked up one tiny grammatical error.

Fans of true crime books and TV series will love this book. His pacy way of getting to the good stuff leaves no room for boredom or tuning out.

It’s not for the squeamish, though. At the start of the book, he has a disclaimer warning readers of the adult content. Some descriptions, like the dismembered sheep or the liquified, decomposed corpse, are confronting. At the beginning of chapter 22, he even suggests putting down any food you have until you’ve finished reading.

For several years, he worked in the sex crime division and doesn’t hold back with his descriptions of some startling things that people get up to.

For anyone with a strong stomach and an interest in true crime, this book will be hard to put down once you start. Darren hints at a second book coming out, and I’ll be one of the first in line to read it.

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Twisted But True
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

[Nisha DSouza]

Although I love to read crime thrillers, especially true stories. However, this one seems to have a lot of gory details, which is something I can't really digest. I'll skip this one. Thanks for the detailed and well-written review.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Although I love to read crime thrillers, especially true stories. However, this one seems to have a lot of gory details, which is something I can't really digest. I'll skip this one. Thanks for the detailed and well-written review.

Yeah this isn't one for people who get squeamish. I felt ill reading a couple of descriptions.

[Nisha DSouza]

Oh my! That is bad. I'll stay a mile away from this book.

[Cristiano Bellucci]

Thanks, Stephen, for this review. It is great that the author is an expert in this field. I understand that the twist should be more twisted

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Thanks, Stephen, for this review. It is great that the author is an expert in this field. I understand that the twist should be more twisted

Thanks Cristiano for stopping by, yes you'd think that as a policeman he would have seen it all, yet the twists were almost all letdowns. Maybe he'll write a second book with better twists. I'd absolutely read it if he did.

[MAHAD BAIG MIRZA]

The captivating aspect of this review is its portrayal of Darren Burch's "Twisted But True" as a riveting true crime autobiography, brimming with engaging storytelling, a blend of humor and shock, and an array of captivating narratives from his extensive law enforcement career.

[Harshitha G B]

It's kind of series with each chapter one criminal record, explaining by the officer who handled the case. Good premise for people who love chrome thrillers or read case studies.

[Kshitija Sonawane]

Hmm, this book does sound interesting, and with my love for everything thriller, horror and gross things, I'm in. I will look out for this book when it comes out so that I can review it.

[Following is a volunteer review of "Twisted But True" by Darren Burch.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Twisted But True by Darren Burch is a true crime autobiography by a retired sergeant who served for over 30 years in various branches of law enforcement in and around Phoenix, Arizona. With that many years under his belt, you’d think he'd have a stack of stories to tell, and they're all right here in this book.

Told in first person across 35 chapters, Darren gives us an in-depth look into various crimes and police procedures. He’s a skilled storyteller. You’ll be chuckling in one paragraph, then gasping in shock in the next. He has an engaging sense of humor that shines through in every story.

There’s so much to love about Twisted But True. The book never gets stale. Heartbreaking stories about his family and personal losses are mixed in with some serious crimes and many of his own comical mishaps. His use of amusing nicknames to protect the criminals from being identified is highly entertaining and very appropriate.

Every chapter is a new story and ranges from 3 pages to 20 pages, with the average being around 6. Broken down like this, it’s a book you can read if you have a few spare minutes. But be warned, I found it an absolute page-turner and finished it across three sessions.

My only issue with this book is that the focus is supposed to be on the ‘twists.’ Yes, there is one at the end of every chapter, but sadly, for me, they were more like a ‘what happened next’ or a piece of backstory. An unexpected twist usually comes out of the left field, and there weren’t really any of these, although chapter 14 came close.

I wanted to give this book 5 out of 5 stars, but the twists left me wanting more, leading to my final score of 4 out of 5. The book is professionally edited, and I only picked up one tiny grammatical error.

Fans of true crime books and TV series will love this book. His pacy way of getting to the good stuff leaves no room for boredom or tuning out.

It’s not for the squeamish, though. At the start of the book, he has a disclaimer warning readers of the adult content. Some descriptions, like the dismembered sheep or the liquified, decomposed corpse, are confronting. At the beginning of chapter 22, he even suggests putting down any food you have until you’ve finished reading.

For several years, he worked in the sex crime division and doesn’t hold back with his descriptions of some startling things that people get up to.

For anyone with a strong stomach and an interest in true crime, this book will be hard to put down once you start. Darren hints at a second book coming out, and I’ll be one of the first in line to read it.

******
Twisted But True
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

[Stephen Christopher 1]

It's kind of series with each chapter one criminal record, explaining by the officer who handled the case. Good premise for people who love chrome thrillers or read case studies.

Yes that's a good way of looking at it. The stories are all kind of linked, and the recurring characters keep that pretty tight.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Hmm, this book does sound interesting, and with my love for everything thriller, horror and gross things, I'm in. I will look out for this book when it comes out so that I can review it.

Oh if you love gross things then story 1 will have you captivated and that'll set the whole tone for the rest of the stories. Let me know if you get to read it.

[Gerry Steen]

It has been a while since I have read about the dirty underbelly crimes of society. This sounds like a book that will provide such stories. I like that they are short stories and that they are real. This cop's memoir is one to read. Thank you.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

It has been a while since I have read about the dirty underbelly crimes of society. This sounds like a book that will provide such stories. I like that they are short stories and that they are real. This cop's memoir is one to read. Thank you.

It was fascinating to read these stories, I've seen some of them played out on TV show,s but to hear that they really happened is a bit scary.

[Benita Ogarekpe]

Okay, well this seems like an intruiging read. It will push me to the edge, and I think that’s exactly what I need right now. So while I do get squeamish, I think I wanna know all the gory little details that this book has to offer.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Okay, well this seems like an intruiging read. It will push me to the edge, and I think that’s exactly what I need right now. So while I do get squeamish, I think I wanna know all the gory little details that this book has to offer.

Hi Benita, I think you'll be ok with this book, it's not too squeamish. I hope you enjoy the short stories.