Twist Phelan

Hi! My name is Twist (yes, it really is) and I want to entertain you.

I’ve always been a storyteller. Growing up in a half-Irish family meant you didn’t come to the dinner table without a story to share. While at Stanford earning my undergrad and law degrees, I wrote for the student paper. As a plaintiff’s trial lawyer (I specialized in suing middle-aged white guys who stole other people’s money) I was known for my compelling cross-examinations and closing arguments that persuaded juries. (Confession: I learned a lot of my trial technique from TV lawyer shows.) So becoming a writer wasn’t that much of a stretch.

I write mystery novels and short stories with endings I hope you don’t see coming. I’ve been fortunate to have my work win awards (including two Thrillers) and have authors like Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, and Margaret Maron and publications such as Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Booklist say nice things about it. The strong sense of justice that motivated me as a lawyer guides my fiction as well. My protagonists strive to do right, within—or outside of—the system. If you like reading about characters who are professional to the core but have a heart, too, and if you enjoy mysteries that make you think, my stories may be for you.