Writers and filmmakers have been capitalising on twins and their infinite possibilites for decades but it's in the crime/thriller genres where I think twins can particularly shine. Google 'twins in books' and there is a plethora of titles and most of them are thrillers. In fact, I know of seven twin books coming out in the first quarter of this year alone! We are intrigued by the premise that twins can feel one anothers pain, that they can communicate telepathically, that they are almost supernatural, and this intrigue leads writers down some fantastic creative routes.
I could write for pages on crime/thriller books featuring twins but I'm going to pick five to - excuse the crime pun – dissect.
The key – for me – in writing twins well is not defining the characters by their twin-ness, but having the characters deal by being defined by it. An excellent example of this is True Crime Story by Joseph Knox (Paperback, March 2022) The truth about a missing university student, Zoe, is brought to light in this unique novel written in the style of a true-crime documentary. This book is completely ripped up the rule book for me – it's so smart, dark, and mischievous. And the best thing about it was the twin element.
There are definitely twin tropes and sometimes that's exactly why we enjoy reading them, but taking a fresh twist on an existing stereotype will surprise people. Take The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne which explores the twin-swapping trope to perfection. A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, the Moorcraft family move to a Scottish island hoping to put the past behind them. But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity - that she is Lydia – everything is turned upside down. What I love about this novel is that the swap is not the cliche reveal at the end, but that it creates friction and complexity throughout.
Thinking about how to use twins differently in a thriller is done in one of the most famous to date – Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl which has key character Nick Dunne and his twin Margo. Though their twinship plays a small part in the narrative, Margo is crucial to the story. In a story of bent truths where a reader is constantly second guessing the main two characters, Margo gives real reactions and clues to point the reader in the right direction throughout the plot. She's the moral compass of the piece. She also brings light relief to the book with her wit which I, personally, love in a thriller.
Body Double by Tess Gerritsen is one of my favourite twin thrillers because of the premise it sets out right from the beginning - Dr. Maura Isles is a pathologist and has seen more than her share of corpses but never before has her blood run cold when the face of the lifeless body on the medical examiner’s table been the mirror image of her own. It immediately raises the question of her own identity, of dark family secrets, of trying to solve the murder of the twin sister she never knew. Cue a pacy plot, and excellent writing that Tess is so well known for.
One of my favourite duos in a thriller (I'm flexing the genre slightly for this one) are Samneric (Sam and Eric) from the most excellent The Lord of the Flies. Identical twins Sam and Eric have always been a group and they know no other way of life than submitting to the collective identity which is the clear analogy for the whole book – keeping to a tight group is what will save them all. Except then it goes badly wrong. Samneric are again the perfect characters to see the fall out through – they are initially devoted to rescue but are easily overwhelmed by the vehemence of tribe: they take part in the horror of Simon's death, they betray Ralph. They are only ever marked out from one another towards the end of the novel when they receive injuries that change their faces and then begin their own individual journeys.
The Twins by LV Matthews (Welbeck, £8.99) Published 17 February 2022
Two sisters. An intense bond. A bitter rivalry. Margo is a solitary live-in nanny for an upper-class Kensingon family. Cora is a promiscuous dancer on the cusp of a big break, living hand-to-mouth in a run-down London flat. Different though they are, an unspeakable incident from childhood haunts them both. When the terrible secret comes to light, their fragile existences shatter, pitting them against each other in a race for survival. But can there be a winner when a secret is so dark?
Yo can follow her on Twitter @LV_Matthews
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