The First Two Pages: “Authorized Treatment” by Twist Phelan

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

I’ve been eager to host Twist Phelan at the First Two Pages for many years now—for obvious reasons for anyone who’s followed her career. Not only is she a terrific novelist, but she’s also developed an outstanding career as a short story writer. And the accolades have followed, including praise in reviews (Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Booklist) and award wins and nominations as well: two Thriller Awards and the Arthur Ellis Award, in addition to being a finalist for others including the Shamus, Anthony, Derringer, Silver Falchion, and Lefty Awards, as well as the Crime Writers of Canada’s Award of Excellence and the Irish Book Awards. And just this fall, she’s made her first appearance in the Best American Mystery and Suspense anthology. Such a thrill—and such a distinguished c.v. overall! But while Twist and I have run into one another frequently at conferences and have each brought the idea up of a First Two Pages essay in our email exchanges, plans never seemed to turn into reality . . .

. . . until recently, when Twist popped up in my inbox with a completed essay on her new story for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: “Authorized Treatment” in the November/December 2025 issue, now on newsstands—and in your mailbox too if you subscribe, and hopefully you do!

An added bonus: You can read even more than the first two pages of “Authorized Treatment” at the EQMM website right now, where Twist’s story is currently a featured excerpt from the new issue. Here’s that link—good while the issue is on sale. And do check out Twist’s website for more information about her and her work.

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.