BOOK REVIEW: The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner @LUauthors @AmazonPub @KCC_PR #AJBanner #ThePoisonGarden #BookReview

I really loved A. J. Banner’s last book, so I was excited to hear about her newest novel The Poison Garden. She has a way of writing about that niggle of doubt in a relationship that can tear it wide open. In The Poison Garden, a woman walks in on a shocking moment that sends her on a spiral of doubt, confusion, and bewilderment over who she can trust…including herself.

About the Book

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…

Reflection

This is truly one of those books that I don’t want to say too much about, because it twists and turns around so much I’d fear spoiling it. Let me stick with things that happen in the first few chapters.

We meet Elise, who runs an herbal boutique she inherited from her late mother. Elise’s mom died a few years earlier, and in the wake of her grief her mother’s physician is there for her. And soon the handsome doctor becomes more than just a confidant, he becomes her husband.

On the eve of her wedding anniversary, Elise is adding her husband to her will and her finances. She inherited quite a bit from her mother passing and it’s time to move on. But when she arrives home early and finds her husband in a compromising position, everything Elise thought she knew is turned on it’s head.

And thus begins a terrible time in Elise’s life. Not only is she dealing with the destruction of her marriage, but it appears that her life may be in danger. Though is it from someone with nefarious intent, or is she losing it?

A.J. Banner played with memory a lot in this book, as well as sleep. Elise has a sleep-walking habit which I found to be an interesting element. She was never entirely at grips with herself and what she has done, which led to that unsettling feeling that permeates the story.

I wish I could say more about the ending but this one has some great twists so I don’t want to risk spoiling. I’ll say, I found that for a short book this one is packed with drama and twists. I hope you enjoy it!!

Thank you to Kathleen Carter and Lake Union Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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About the Author

As a child, A. J. Banner loved reading everything from Nancy Drew to Tolkien to her parents’ spy novels, “borrowed” from their bookshelves and hidden beneath her pillow. She wrote her first thriller, Mystery at Crane Corner, at the age of 11. She drew her own cover art and bound the pages with staples.

Born in India and raised in North America, A. J. graduated from high school in southern California and received degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She tried various professions after college, including a stint in law school and a memorable job at a veterinary clinic, since she loves animals, but eventually she returned to writing. Her fourth novel of psychological suspense, THE POISON GARDEN, is coming soon from Lake Union Publishing. AFTER NIGHTFALL, which Publishers Weekly calls a “gripping psychological thriller,” is now available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook and e-book formats.

THE TWILIGHT WIFE (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) became a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller. THE GOOD NEIGHBOR, her debut, was the #1 Kindle bestseller for 34 days, remained in the top five on the Kindle bestseller list throughout the book’s release month, and was in the top 50 in the Kindle store for 145 days in a row. THE GOOD NEIGHBOR was named by Harper’s Bazaar as a book that could be the next GONE GIRL.

A longtime fan of Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, A. J. feels at home writing stories with unexpected twists and turns. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and six rescued cats.

https://www.ajbanner.com/