A mystery’s clever rhythm, a thriller’s propulsive momentum, and a stylish literary voice.
The Petrarca name is basically synonymous with the northern Italian city of Parma, so when a Petrarca calls, you answer. Family patriarch Ettore, with his billionaire bank account and relentless pursuit of immortality, is known more for his financial prowess and family tragedies than his love or compassion. His status alone grants him an audience with nearly anyone, which is how American expatriate professor Patrick Bird ends up in the back of a limo with the formidable old man. Another catastrophe has struck the Petrarcas, and at first glance, Patrick has no connection to Ettore’s murdered protégé, a scientist and entrepreneur celebrated for his groundbreaking innovations. But the seven degrees of separation theory quickly breaks down when a suspect in the killing turns out to be intimately involved with Patrick’s daughter, Greta. Greta’s new boyfriend left town in haste, leaving Patrick at the center of an increasingly surreal homicide investigation. Adorable bats start falling from the sky, the Petrarca family tree splinters, a remote mountain village claims more victims, and technology once dismissed as impossible butts heads with reality. In the growing tangle of secrets and science, Patrick realizes he’s been pulled into a mystery far larger, far stranger, and far more dangerous than he ever imagined.
Curiosity may not kill us outright, but in Alex Jones’s twisty speculative fiction novel, it always knows exactly where to aim. At first, Patrick’s curious interactions with friends or the Petrarca family offer a welcome counterpoint to his usual routine. Here, the humorous prose moves between lush elegance and breezy informality. Vivid descriptions of Parma and its cuisine are delivered with poetic insight, while down‑to‑earth Patrick might measure length in spaghetti and time in shared Moka pots. These scenes not only build the world but also undercut the looming tension with wry humor and wonderfully ordinary observations. For a brief, blissfully ignorant stretch, the author lets readers indulge in the ancient city’s charm before unleashing darker, unhinged sci‑fi energy. Patrick’s earnest curiosity opens the door to a darker landscape of neuroprosthetics, pro‑life billionaires, human clones, and the manipulation of consciousness itself. Cast as the perfect everyman, Patrick is a product of his generation in the most endearing way possible. As he fumbles through fatherhood and life, he meets the escalating chaos with his razor-sharp wit and stubborn hope. Perhaps the novel’s greatest strength is the organic way the author hides important information inside ordinary moments, jokes, character quirks, and seemingly mundane details. Eager audiences absorb it all as part of Patrick’s life, never recognizing it as the subtle foreshadowing and sturdy structural groundwork it is. With a mystery’s clever rhythm, a thriller’s propulsive momentum, and a stylish literary voice, The Twisting Ladder lands squarely at the intersection of ingenuity and irresistible readability.
