“[A] sharply written and taut psychological thriller…” —Seattle TimesA woman’s idyllic life becomes a deceptive hall of mirrors in a thriller of exquisitely constructed psychological suspense by A. J. Banner, bestselling author of The Good Neighbor.Elise Watters seems to have it all—a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late … gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique.
But on the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise makes a shocking discovery that turns her life upside down and casts doubt on everything she thought she knew—about her marriage, her friends, and even herself. As she treads into dangerous territory, Elise is forced to wonder: Is her whole future at stake? Or is paranoia getting the best of her?
If she is to believe what she sees, Elise has every reason to fear for her life…
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Wow! Couldn’t stop!
This is a, “I thought I knew, but I Didn’t!” kinda book! Creepy good characters who might be what you think or they might not…
The night before Elise’s 1 year anniversary, Elise discovers something that will change her prospective on everything. She doesn’t know if she should trust her husband, or her ex-husband. There was one chapter that seemed to skip ahead and I found myself going back a chapter to see what I missed, however, after re-reading it, it all made perfect sense.
With The Poison Garden, A. J. Banner adds another fantastic book to her evocative, captivating collection of books… creating a world where nature is both the salvation and the threat. Once again, she places her characters in unsettling settings and even more ominous relationships to tell a riveting suspense story with an unforgettable ending.
The Poison Garden plays on a universal fear… Beneath the racing heart of this tautly written and compelling thriller lie deeper questions that speak to the bonds of love and loyalty, and the final shocking twist comes as a unique and ultimately satisfying surprise.
The Poison Garden is a dizzying tale of obsession, deception, and revenge, electric with tension from the first page through to the brilliant conclusion. I could not put it down!
Elise is excited, can’t wait to surprise her husband for their anniversary. He also has a surprise for her. From there, this book takes off on a roller coaster of a ride! This book was a fast read for me, finished it before I knew it. So many twists and turns. Some you expected, others…not so much. Perfect read for a fall day, but make sure you have nothing planned, you just might not want to put this book down!
This author is so descriptive, almost like reading a movie. I’ve enjoyed all her previous books and, for me, this did not disappoint. Characters are flawed. Some made me uncomfortable, some down right scary, while others were completely narcissistic.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
Everyone Has An Agenda. This is one of those books where if you spend more than a couple of pages or so with a character… they have some ulterior motive to everything they’re doing. Dark and twisted, with pretty solid pacing throughout. Couple of places that seemed to be a bit *too* trippy, but that could have been just this reader – and these places usually resolve themselves well enough if you just keep going. Overall an excellent work, and I’m looking forward to more from this author. Very much recommended.
From the time Elise gets home to the end of this book you will be on edge. Not know exactly what to believe or think. I had lots of theories about what was going to happen and what happened but the twists and turns in this book through me for a huge loop. I was way wrong about who did what to whom. Elise comes home to surprise her husband the day before their first wedding anniversary and she gets more surprises than she ever bargained for.
Some of the characters in this book I loved. I loved Elise and even Chantal finally. At first I thought Chantal was just a tramp who had no feelings at all for what her friend was going through. But she proved to be a very good friend and was there when it counted. She had her own sorrows and was able to finally come to “terms” with things that happened in her life.
This book will definitely keep you turning the pages until the very ending. The ending was done powerfully and oh so good. I loved all the things that happened to those that got what they deserved. I thought it was perfect justice. This book will pull you right in from the very beginning and will not let you go until the sweet ending. The ending is very sweet too. Right before the ending you find out why different things happened and who did what. I usually figure these things out but this book was a surprise to me. I loved that.
A. J. Banner is a wonderful author of thrillers. I’ve read a couple and always look forward to more. This one in my opinion is the best one yet. It’s definitely one that you won’t want to put down until the very last page.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #LakeUnionPublisher’s for this book. This review is mine and mine alone.
A huge 5 stars and highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a great thriller.
The Poison Garden is a superior psychological thriller that grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let go all the way to the ending. The twists in this story will keep you on the edge of your seat until you close the cover. When I finished the book, I know I sat there and was shocked. Now, I want to reread this to see if I could have seen it coming!! I also liked the references to the plants in the garden. It was something different for me and I enjoyed it because of my love for herbs and plants in their medicinal uses.
***I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.***
What a roller-coaster ride, with a triple loopty loo twist at the end.
Poor Elise, life has not been sunshine and roses for her, and things, (as they do) will get far worse before they get better. She catches her a-hole, of a husband cheating, on her the day before their first Anniversary. Her ex-husband seems to have forgotten the whole EX part.
Elise appears to be losing her mind, she’s sleepwalking and her sleeping self seems to hell bent on killing her husband, or is it the ex that’s trying to do the killing?
Meanwhile her neighbor Chantal seems to be harboring secrets, (things Elise’s mother seems to have been aware of) and she does her best to help Elise.
AJ Banner has a way of weaving together characters, settings and situations that are at times confusing, so real and easy to lose yourself in for a while.
Having read other books by Author AJ Banner, I already knew I was in for a treat but little did I know that I would be on a thrilling rollercoaster ride with this awesome Psychological Suspense Thriller! Elise Watters believes she is living a perfect life but on the eve of her one year wedding anniversary, Elise discovers a secret that not only throws her perfect life into a tailspin, but puts her life in danger, as well. Will Elise be able to survive or will the one person she used to trust with her life, now end it? Author AJ Banner has a magically drew me completely into this exciting and thrilling storyline. A very talented author that has a way of writing that will have the reader experiencing all of Elise’s emotions. I highly recommend this amazing, heart pounding thriller! I cannot wait to see what AJ Banner has in store for us next! Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher, and Author AJ Banner for giving me this ARC of The Poison Garden. All opinions are totally my own.
Written in A.J. Banner’s hallmark fast paced style, this book pulls the reader in from sentence one: “On the ferry ride home, I was not yet planning to kill anyone.”
This is the third domestic thriller of hers that I have read and enjoyed. Banner writes clearly, concisely, and gets right to the point with no wasted breath.
The Poison Garden is twisty-turny enough that even though you may guess some of the outcome, you will most probably not guess everything that is going to happen.
I appreciate the way this author neatly ties everything up, unlike many other authors who build up and build up and then wrap everything up in the final nanosecond, leaving the reader feeling slightly disappointed at the sudden ending that doesn’t explain everything to the reader’s satisfaction.
The Poison Garden has a noir quality. Set on the fictional Chinook Island, Washington, the story begins with Elise arriving home from a trip to Seattle to make a shocking discovery that rattles her to her very core. Married to the handsome and charming Kieran, a local doctor, for only a year, Elise is still grieving the loss of her mother. She has continued operating her mother’s beloved herb shop, the Clary Sage, in order to honor her. Her mother left behind journals detailing how she created medicinal teas, salves and tinctures, but Elise is a licensed pharmacist, grounded in science. So she has diversified, adding gift items to the inventory in recognition that her mother’s “intuitive approach to healing” does not come naturally to her. Her mother warned her about the power of some of the herbs she used, including a mysterious and particularly dangerous plant she named the Juliet.
Elise has attempted to distance herself from her ex-husband, Brandon, a contractor. Yet when she quarrels with Kieran and he insists that Brandon has managed to have business interests on Chinook Island in order to remain in close proximity to Elise, she finds herself wondering if there is any truth to Kieran’s jealous accusation. In fact, she soon learns that Brandon is working right next door at her neighbor and friend Chantal’s home. Chantal lives “inside” her memories of happier days. Four years ago, her teenage daughter, Jenny, died. Her death tore Chantal’s family apart. Her son relocated overseas and shows no interest in returning to the United States, and the loss took a toll on Chantal’s marriage to Bill. Now single, Chantal is lonely and visits Jenny’s grave often, leaving notes that she writes to her daughter.
Elise is plunged into a mystery that throws into question everything she thought she understood. The circumstances surrounding and timing of her mother’s death now seem suspicious. Kieran’s feelings for her and motivations for having pursued and proposed to her so soon after her mother’s death seem calculated. As she recalls details about her marriage to Brandon, she realizes she may have overlooked warning signs about his behavior and was a passive participant in his machinations.
Banner employs a first-person narrative from Elise, as well as a third-person narrative related from Chantal’s point of view, inserted at judiciously-timed intervals in order to heighten the suspense. As a result, the pace of The Poison Garden is unrelenting. The story unfolds over the course of just a few days into which Banner packs significant action and surprising revelations. Elise is an unreliable narrator, given her history of sleepwalking and several instances when she is unable to recall what transpired. Every character is revealed to be duplicitous to some degree and Banner suggests various ways in which they might or might not be connected and united for nefarious purposes. Banner keeps readers guessing as to whether and to what extent Elise has been psychologically and emotionally manipulated.
The Poison Garden includes plot twists and turns that keep the story interesting and compel it forward, as well as an ending that is shocking, but satisfying.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
WOW. This book was AMAZING and filled with so many thrilling twists and turns I could not put it down. The caption and cover had me. But when I started turning the pages I couldn’t put it down! This suspense filled psychological thriller will keep your eyes open wide right until it’s amazing end you won’t see coming! Elsie thought she had it all and once her life takes an unexpected twist the domino effect keeps coming. A first by me by this author won’t be my last! Thank you Netgalley and the author and publisher for the ARC for my honest review. I look forward to reading ALL this author writes! A must read!
Thank you for an advanced readers copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This little (just over 200 pages) book packs a lot of twists, turns and punches from start to finish. After completing the first chapter, I didn’t want to put it down until I navigated my way through them all! This is the perfect book to curl up next to a fire or on the couch under the blanket while the dreary fall weather ushers itself in.
The Poison Garden is a beautifully crafted story that will leave your reeling until the last pages. Remember the whole point of reading is to get lost and transport yourself into a another place or time…let go of your perfect world for a few hours and fall into the journey The Poison Garden will take you on; one of love, friendship, loss and questioning who you can trust!
Synopsis: Elise Watters seems to have it all – a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique. On the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise makes a shocking discovery that turns her life upside down and casts doubts on everything she knows…her marriage, her friends and even herself. Through her journey Elise must ponder: Is her future at stake? Or is paranoia getting the best of her? All Elise knows is that she has every reason to fear for her life!
Author : A. J. Banner
The Poison Garden
207 pages
Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date Oct 22 2019
5
Elise Watters seems to have it all—a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique.
But on the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise makes a shocking discovery that turns her life upside down and casts doubt on everything she thought she knew—about her marriage, her friends, and even herself. As she treads into dangerous territory, Elise is forced to wonder: Is her whole future at stake? Or is paranoia getting the best of her?If she is to believe what she sees, Elise has every reason to fear for her life…
MY REVIEW
Have you ever read a book and when you finished wished you could give it more than 5 stars ? This is me with this book. Once again AJ Banner has brought us another amazing story about of obsession, deception, revenge, and murder .The Poison Garden is fast-paced and took me on one heck of a twisted ride. Having read all of her books I can honestly say she gets better and better with each book. Once I started the book I was so drawn in that I could not put it down. I devoured this intense, suspenseful book in just a few hours. The suspense, twists and turns, this book brings will have any fan of psychological thrillers on the edge of their seat. I can not wait to see what she comes up with next. If you are looking for a page turner that keeps you glued to the pages until the end, then this book is for you. Thank You AJ Banner for my arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received the ARC of The Poison Garden from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my own personal opinion.
Wow what a thrilling book, full of twists and turns. I found this to be a quick and easy read and one that was hard to put down. With all the things going on in the book I didn’t down if Elise was going crazy, or if someone was moonlighting her to make her feel that way. Thrillers are one of my favorite genres and this one certainly fit the bill. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys pyschological thrillers.
This is an exceptional book! It has so many twists and turns just when you think you know who and why something else is revealed and changes things all over again!! It is a book about Elise Watters and the trials and tribulations of her marriages from a cheating husband to a stalking ex husband to suspicious deaths. This book puts you through all the emotions a really engrossing read. Expect to have to sit until you finish it.!!
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Poison Garden” by A.J. Banner, Lake Union, Oct. 2019
WOW! A.J. Banner, Author of “The Poison Garden” has written an intense, intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, and page-turning novel. The Genres for this novel are Psychological Thriller, Psychological Suspense, Mystery, and Fiction. There are twists and turns, betrayals, danger, and murder. This is a thought-provoking novel and has some gaslighting moments. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the events or characters. The author describes her dramatic characters as complicated, complex, manipulative, and psychologically unbalanced.
Elise Watters is a pharmacist that has taken over the responsibilities of her deceased mother’s herbal gardens. Elise is extremely comfortable and wealthy. She is now married to a doctor, who is her second husband. For her first wedding anniversary, Elise gets quite an unexpected traumatic surprise. Elise now questions everything and everyone. Somehow, Elise manages to sleepwalk and is not aware of her actions and activity. The people closest to her try to convince her that they are there to help her. Do you really believe that?
I would highly recommend this thrilling and chilling novel for those readers who enjoy a psychological challenge!
This is another example of Banner’s fine suspense writing. Banner introduces her main character and tears her world apart, not once but several times. Good tension, unpredictable plot line, and a page turner.