“[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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A. J. Banner has done it again! This is a taut and thrilling read that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Filled with richly woven characters this book captured me from the very first page. Who is trying to kill whom? This book is so filled with twists and turns that I could not have even guessed at the shocking truth. Is Elise going crazy? You will have to read it to find out. An absolutely thrilling roller coaster ride of a book. Written by a storyteller who is gifted at the art of suspense. I highly recommend this very quick read! Well done!!
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Who can Elise trust? Her ex husband, her neighbor, her current husband, or her deceased mother? I honestly loved this book! What a wild ride! Just when you think you know who to trust there is a twist. Just amazing!
A.J. Banner is a master of the unexpected. Like her other mystery novels set in the Pacific Northwest, THE POISON GARDEN story will keep you guessing until the very end. Elise Watters appears to have it all: an adoring husband, a beautiful island home, and a thriving herbal business. But soon, she discovers dark secrets that cause all her beliefs about her life to collapse. Met with betrayal after betrayal, Elise isn’t sure who she can trust. She knows her husband has cheated, but could he also be a murderer? Her finds don’t take her concerns seriously, and ultimately, she can’t even trust her own memory.
You’ll root for Elise as she conquers her doubts and fears. The ending is a perfect surprise.
I got this book from the author for an honest review, and OMG! It was AMAZING!!! Elise thought she had the perfect husband. He was a doctor, caring, gave her everything she could have asked for. Until one day she walks in on him having an affair. She hears something she wishes she hadn’t. Who can she trust? Her neighbor, her ex-husband who has been watching her, her husband, or her dead mother? Who used the Juliet and who had the most to gain???
Dazzling and at times frighteningly real, this eloquently written domestic suspense is a deceptive hall of mirrors experience. Compelling and thoroughly enjoyable!
Wow, what a great book! There are so many twists and turns that I didn’t know who the murderer was until the very end. Elise, the main character, is a very unreliable narrator, which always add to the intrigue of a story. All of the characters are well written, and the story is unique and fast moving. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.
The Poison Garden is fast paced full of intriguing suspense! A.J. Banner just keeps getting better with her writing magic and thrills! Just when I thought I had it figured out there is always a sharp turn and just wow on the final twist! I love the setting and the garden and learning of the mystery of plants which I devoured and wanted more in the story! Absolutely well written five star read!
I’ve been looking forward to reading The Poison Garden since I heard that it was coming out. A.J. Banner really does psychological thrillers and suspense well. Her plots are tight and fast moving with characters that are relatable and likable ~ unless they are supposed to be scoundrels. Then they really are hard to like.
The Poison Garden is another thrill ride read that joins the list of her other page turners. When Chapter One opens with this – “On the ferry ride home, I was not yet planning to kill anyone.” – you know you’re in for a great read.
I enjoyed the characters of Elise and her friend Chantal while I wanted to smack a few others and felt deceived by one. That’s a pretty darn good mix for a book that doesn’t have a whole lot of major characters. The setting, an island off the coast of Washington, was so beautifully described that I could picture it in my mind. I’ve always wanted to visit one of those islands and now I feel as if I have.
If you enjoy suspense/mystery or psychological thrillers I would definitely recommend The Poison Garden. The setting is lush, the story gripping and the intensity of the story is suck-you-in good!
I am already anxiously awaiting the next book by this author and this one hasn’t even released yet. I hope she writes quickly!
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts in this review, as always, are my own and freely given.
A narrative full of lies, betrayal, and a few twists. A.J. Banner does well with moderate foreshadowing but does fall prey to a predictable plot trope of this genre. However, the writing was superb and her characters were unique which allows the reader to dispense some of those whispers of familiarity. In addition, the story is fast-paced and engaging, making it an easy, quick read. 3 stars
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC
Elise Watters is full of excitement as she returns home to celebrate her first wedding anniversary to her second husband, a successful doctor. Her life appears perfect – living on a small island off the coast of Washington, running her late mother’s business, and happily married.
However, her idyllic life soon comes crashing down when she comes home early to surprise her husband. Elise begins to question her whole life. Is her husband the man she thought she knew? Was her mother trying to warn her of something? Elise begins to wonder what she is capable of and who to trust. Is she giving in to paranoia, or are her fears legitimate?
A.J. Banner, bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and After Nightfall, delivers a page-turning thriller in The Poison Garden. Full of suspense and intrigue, this book will keep you on your toes as you discover each character’s motivations. A story of love, loss, and revenge, each twist will startle and shock you.
A fast paced book that grabbed my attention from the start!! It was a hard to put down book! It kept me guessing to the very end! Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union publishers for the early copy
How well do you know your closest companions?
Thankyou to A.J. Banner for the opportunity to read and review objectively this psychological thriller!
Torn by the first few pages, I became so engrossed in this intriguing writing that I could not stop! A fluidly and intricately designed plot, characters incredibly real and fallible, and a writing style that improves with each novel A.J. Banner presents another stellar achievement!
Elsie is independently wealthy. She is meeting her husband in order to celebrate their first anniversary. Always stylish and not concerned about cost, she buys his gifts with style and prepares for the special event. Her gift is not quite what she had planned! Follow this story and look around you! Do you know your most intimate relationships? Kudos to A.J.Banner! Highly recommended and a MUST READ!
This author continues to excel with each writing achievement!
A. J. Banner is a MUST read author for me! Her books never disappoint and leave me wanting more! The Poison Garden was no exception and is probably my new favorite book of hers! Elise has the perfect life or so she thinks. Married to her second husband Kieran , living in her mom’s house, and running the herb boutique her Mom had built. But nothing is ever what it seems. As twists and turns are revealed, Elise starts second guessing herself. This book kept me on my toes as I was shocked with all the layers. This is an absolute must read if you love psychological suspense! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
The Poison Garden pulled me in on the first chapter and never let go. I have to admit I was intrigued by the title. The ideal that a garden can be a place for a suspense novel to unfold had me wondering how? A.J. Banner took us into the world of pharmaceutical and herbal remedies and gave it a dark twist. It truly is a Hitchcockian story full of plot twist and much more!
The title alone of this book had me intrigued. What would a poison garden have growing in it and what would someone do with the yield from this garden? The possibilities are endless in my mind.
Ms. Banner wove a very suspenseful and thrilling story around just such a scenario with characters that have hidden agendas that take unexpected twists and turns. Who is doing what to whom?
I had my heart pounding from the very beginning of this book. The prologue is intense! I am holding my breath and feeling frantic with Elise. That was it…..I was in this story completely.
Ms. Banner writes her scenes so well and descriptively. I can see in my mind as if I were there what the surroundings are. The sounds, the sights, the smells, the “feelings”, the drama of what is going on. It pulls me into the story and makes me react along with Elise, the main character. I love the cliff hanger chapter endings. I just HAD to keep reading on….I couldn’t put the book down. This story had me guessing and changing my mind. Reguessing and rechanging my mind again and again. The characters were unpredictable. I would think I had it figured out and then a new twist would occur and I’d be back to square one. I love stories that do this. Ms. Banner is extremely talented in doing just that.
This psychological thriller had me gulping and gasping! Shocked and stunned! My heart was thumping with adrenaline rush! It’s another great read by this author who knows how to take the reader on a suspense filled ride.
I want to thank Ms. Banner and Netgalley for the privilege of reading this five star book!
A fast paced psychological thriller that was a quick read. Is the husband the bad guy or the ex-husband. What’s a lie and what’s true. Is Elise really doing things in her sleep? Several twists will keep you turning the page to get to the truth. Another great read by AJ Banner. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.
BOOK REVIEW:
The Poison Garden by A.J. Banner
Lake Union Publishing
Deception, obsession, mystery and suspense are front and center in this Domestic Thriller, The Poison Garden.
A journey of the dramatic that will twist and turn you up, down, and inside out with its “nothing is what it seems” storyline.
Elise has a life of excitement, love and happiness along with her husband, Kieran. Her life is perfect, that is until she finds herself in a battle she never thought possible, one that tests her own psyche over and over again. Is she losing her grip on reality, or is this an orchestration by the very people she loves and trusts.
With a garden that holds more than just secrets, and a life that doesn’t feel like her own, Elise fights against the impossible, and you’ll fight right along side her through it all!.
An engrossing, riveting and compelling read that will grab you as it takes you on a ride unlike any other. Who will you trust?
I thank A.J. Banner and NetGalley for my copy of The Poison Garden. A story I enjoyed and highly recommend.
5 Stars
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I didn’t love the book but it was something to read to fill time. It could have been so much better, the characters were not developed enough. It was just OK!
Returning from a trip to the city to spend her anniversary weekend with her husband of a year Elise’s life is plunged into disarray.
everything Elise thought she knew about her perfect existence is brought into close scrutiny and question and as she further investigates to get to the hidden truths, her eyes are then further opened as her world crumbles around her.
Not knowing who she can trust or even believe Elise has only herself to rely on.
So this was mainly told from Elise’s POV with some slight input from her neighbour Chantel who also seems to have her own personal hidden agenda concerning Elise.
This was such an easy page-turner captivating and intriguing with a deep vein of mystery running through its narrative.
Despite appearances, this was so far from the obvious I was expecting and this changed directions on me constantly blind-siding me along the way.
I was suitably impressed with the masterful story-weaving skills of this author.
If psychological thrillers are your genre of choice I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one not only was it such an enjoyable read its a bloody good one definitely keeping me on my toes throughout.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Poison Garden.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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It has been a long time since I’ve finished a book in one day. Unfortunately it wasn’t because this book was so amazing that I couldn’t put it down. It’s because it’s only 208 pages and the main character, Elise, kept repeating the same paranoid thoughts over and over so I didn’t have to keep my mind totally engaged.
I have to say that Elise has really bad taste in men. Really bad. And she doesn’t realize it until she’s really deep into the relationship. I know people have messed up lives and this is a work of fiction, so anything can happen, but it was just too much for me to believe it.
Elise believed everything that anyone told her, never questioning or looking deeper into their statements. At first Elise seemed to be intelligent, but each chapter made her less intelligent. A.J. Banner had a perfect plot device of sleepwalking that could have taken this story in a different direction, or given Elise more depth, but it was not well used.
Besides so many unbelievable events, the police office had a crush on Elise so he overlooked murder on her behalf. Um. No. Elise even confessed some of the details to the officer, but since he didn’t write it up in a report, nothing could be confirmed and Elise was free to continue her life.
There are two reasons I’m giving this book two stars instead of one. The first is because of the ending. I wasn’t shocked since there were so few characters, I knew this one was knee deep in the drama. But I didn’t see all of the pieces surrounding this character until the author exposed them, so for that, the book got a bit better.
And as an herbalist in training, I did enjoy reading about the different poisonous plants, although there wasn’t too much about them in the book. And Juliet plant, of course, is a work of fiction. But this fiction, I could get behind.