Review: Bad Twin by Gary Troup (LOST Books Challenge)

I finished my first book for the LOST Books Challenge! Most of the books I chose are rather chunky, so when it came down to two days before hosting the first Mr. Linky I chose the slimmest one I had...Bad Twin.

About the Book: Paul Artisan, P.I. is a new version of an old breed -- a righter of wrongs, someone driven to get to the bottom of things. Too bad his usual cases are of the boring malpractice and fraud variety. Until now. His new gig turns on the disappearance of one of a pair of twins, adult scions of a rich but tragedy-prone family. The missing twin -- a charismatic poster-boy for irresponsibility -- has spent his life daring people to hate him, punishing himself endlessly for his screw-ups and misdeeds. The other twin -- Artisan's client -- is dutiful and resentful in equal measure, bewildered that his "other half" could have turned out so badly, and wracked by guilt at his inability to reform him. He has a more practical reason, as well, for wanting his brother found: their crazy father, in failing health and with guilty secrets of his own, will not divide the family fortune until both siblings are accounted for. But it isn't just a fortune that's at stake here. Truth itself is up for grabs, as the detective's discoveries seem to challenge everything we think we know about identity, and human nature, and family. As Artisan journeys across the globe to track down the bad twin, he seems to have moved into a mirror-world where friends and enemies have a way of looking very much alike. The P.I. may have his long-awaited chance to put his courage and ideals to the test, but if he doesn't get to the bottom of this case soon, it could very well cost him his life. Troup's long-awaited Bad Twin is a suspenseful novel that touches on many powerful themes, including the consequence of vengeance, the power of redemption, and where to turn when all seems lost.

My Review: This is the book that Hurley found from the plane that was in manuscript form. Sawyer later read it until Jack burned it before he got to the end. The author is a fictional character meant to have been on Oceanic 815. I wouldn't call it a brilliant piece of fiction, but it is really fun for the LOST fan.

There are quite a few little tie-ins and I would argue, overall philosophical explorations that relate to LOST. I won't point them all out here, because I know some of you chose this for your own challenge, but some old favorites like the Widmores and the Hanso Foundation are brought up.

The mystery itself is underwhelming, but the book is actually pretty engaging. That might be because I was looking for LOST references, though. ;) I actually liked a lot of the characters, particularly the dog. Overall, it was a fun read and I'm glad to have read it.

I feel like I cheated a little bit, because I have all the hefty books left to read, but hopefully next month I'll have something more substantial to report!

You can read about all tie-ins to the show here.

You can buy Bad Twin here.