Along the way, he meets colorful characters, such as Zander's pot-smoking friend "Moth", a yoga instructor Zander was once involved with named Sky, a crusty boat captain named "Crunch", Clifford's pill-popping wife Shannon (who also apparently loved Zander), and Elio, the founder of a cult-like nudist colony called the Helios Foundation. Paul chases leads about Zander all over the world, from Cape Cod, to Key West, to Cuba, to Luna Valley (Cal.), to the coast of Australia. Manny is a philosophical intellectual, who frequently quotes literature and advises through metaphorical stories, while taking walks with Paul and Argos (the dog that the two of them "share"). With such a high-profile potential client on the line, Paul begins to doubt himself and goes to his older best friend and mentor, Manny Weissman, for advice.
He is also the CEO of Widmore Corp., which his father, Arthur-an eccentric and opinionated (but benevolent) elderly man-heads. Though they are identical twins, they are as different as night and day, with Clifford known as the more straight-laced, responsible, and cold one. Zander is known for his passionate, maverick style, which at times brings him in contact with shady dealings, and everyone who knew him seems to believe this is what got him in trouble. His twin brother (Alexander, nicknamed "Zander") has gone missing, and Cliff wishes to hire Paul to find him. He gets a surprise visit one day from a well-dressed and aloof man he learns is Clifford Widmore, one of the heirs of the wealthy and influential Widmore dynasty.
#THE LOST TWINS TOLKIEN PROFESSIONAL#
Paul Artisan is a small-time NYC private investigator who is not confident if he has the talent and dedication to expand his professional aspirations beyond their current scope. "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." Detailed synopsis 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. 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. 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. 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.īut it isn't just a fortune that's at stake here. 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. 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. His new gig turns on the disappearance of one of a pair of twins, adult scions of a rich but tragedy-prone family. Too bad his usual cases are of the boring malpractice and fraud variety. is a new version of an old breed - a righter of wrongs, someone driven to get to the bottom of things.
Sawyer reading the manuscript of Bad Twin.