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Plot twist ideas: 7 examples and tips for twists

A good plot twist adds intrigue, suspense or surprise to a novel. Plot twists are particularly popular in suspense-heavy novels such as murder mysteries, because they prolong suspense-creating questions about cause and identity. Read 7 examples of effective plot twists and what they teach us:
First, a brief plot twist definition
A plot twist is 'an unexpected development in a book, film, television programme' (Oxford English Dictionary).
Plot twists are particularly popular in short stories. In many stories they are the main event of the story arc. For example, in Roald Dahl's classic short story 'Lamb to the Slaughter', Mary Maloney kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. The dark-humoured twist is that Mary serves detectives investigating her husband's disappearance the evidence.
Authors like O. Henry and Edgar Allan Poe perfected the art of the 'twist-in-the-tale' story. In these stories, the plot twist (like in Dahl's story) is the climax. Yet plot twists are also popular in longer narratives.
Here are seven plot twist tips and ideas:
1. Plumb your themes for relevant plot twist ideas
Often great plot twists illustrate or extend the themes of a story. In the Roald Dahl example above, the author shows a darker side (violence, deceit) to mundane suburbia. The dramatic irony and contrast of this is developed even further. The detectives sit down to a cosy home-cooked meal, unaware they're about to eat the evidence.
A good example of a theme-developing plot twist comes from David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas (2004). [NB: Spoiler alert.]
The first character we meet in the novel, Adam Ewing, describes a chronic ailment to a doctor aboard his ship. The doctor diagnoses a dangerous parasite and recommends a course of treatment. We only find out much later in the book that the doctor is actually poisoning Ewing deliberately, far from curing him. His motivation is theft of Ewing's fortunes.
This plot twist reveals the true nature of a character's actions and intentions. It's thematically relevant because much of Mitchell's novel explores how individuals and groups prey on each other. For example, one setting and segment of the novel explores a futuristic Korea and the plight of enslaved clones. Mitchell's plot twist thus continues themes of power and predatory behaviour. It demonstrates that power in history (and contemporary life) has many layers and levels, truths and lies.
2. Don't give your twist away too early
Note the word 'unexpected' in the definition of a twist. Too much obvious foreshadowing and a twist feels predictable. The following example of a less obvious plot twist has been left vague, to avoid spoilers for newcomers to the popular series:
In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, a central character's pet turns out to have a surprising, disturbing double life. Rowling's twist is effective because:
A pet is the last thing the reader expects to be the source of a major plot twist
The sense of false trust that results reinforces the challenges in Rowling's conflict-stricken world. We become doubly aware that this is a world where loyalty doesn't always lie where you'd expect. We're also reminded that magic means there are many additional surprises and possibilities
By centering a major plot twist on a very unlikely character, Rowling keeps us surprised. She avoids giving away plot twists early. [To make sure you've paced developments in your novel well, create a blueprint/outline. Having an overview of your story you can print out will help you stay focused on key plot points.]