The Poison Garden

Written by Alex Marwood

Narrated by Rachael Beresford

A new novel of insidious secrets and chilling revelations surrounding a mysterious cult-the latest gripping psychological thriller from Alex Marwood.

When nearly one hundred members of The Ark, a sinister apocalypse cult are found dead by poison at their isolated community in North Wales, those left alive are scattered to the winds with few coping skills and fewer answers. For twenty-three-year-old Romy, who has never known life outside the compound, learning how to live in a world she has been taught to fear is terrifying.

Now Romy must start a new life for herself-and the child growing inside her. She is determined to find the rest of her family and keep her baby safe, no matter the cost. But as the horrors of her past start to resurface, she realizes that leaving her old life behind won't be easy. Outside the walls of The Ark, the real evil has only just begun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781977371881

Alex Marwood

Alex Marwood is the pseudonym of a former journalist who has worked extensively in the British press. She is the author of the word-of-mouth sensation The Wicked Girls, which won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original; The Killer Next Door, which won a Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel; The Darkest Secret; and The Poison Garden. Her novels have been short-listed for numerous crime writing awards and been optioned for the screen. She lives in south London.

Reviews for The Poison Garden

[ahef1963 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've had this book on my shelves for over a year, but have never been able to get past the first couple of chapters. This time I pushed my way through, but wasn't impressed by this latest novel of Alex Marwood, whose books I generally very much enjoy.A Doomsday cult in Snowdonia drinks the koolaid - literally. By time the police have been called to their compound by concerned neighbours, all but a few cult member are long dead, lying on the streets of the commune, swarming with flies. Only Romy, aged 18 and pregnant, and her two young half-siblings, Ilo and Eden, have survived the horror. Ilo and Eden are sent to live with their aunt near Bristol; Romy is sent to hospital and then to a mental institution. None of the three are normal after years of brainwashing - their belief that the world is going to end and their predilection for violence are still intact, making their integration into the "real world" or school and shops and interpersonal relationships an absolute disaster.My reservations about the book are that I don't understand what happened in the last few chapters. Without spoiling anything, events occurred whose significance I failed to comprehend, and the ending made no sense to me whatsoever. I went back, read carefully, tried to piece the endgame together, and failed to do so. I was disappointed, and felt very much as if I'd wasted my time with this book.

[Susan Terendy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've always been fascinated by cults and how people are convinced to join, brainwashed into whatever brand of crazy being peddled, and persuaded to stay even when things get abusive. In this case the flavour of crazy is a survivalist doomsday cult who prepare and train for the coming apocalypse. As seems to always be the case there is an older male leader who is charismatic and charming. He is "Father" to all the children until the young girls come of age when he can impregnate them with his progeny any of which may potentially be "The One" who will save the world. The descriptions of this were appalling and stomach churning. Anyone sensitive to depictions of sexual abuse and manipulation should be warned. This whole book was rather dark and disturbing and if you are looking for an inspirational tale of children being saved from a cult and living a happy life then look away. These kids may have escaped mass murder but can they escape from what they were taught? The answer is...not so much. There is a fair bit of violence and murder both inside and outside of the cult. While I was left shaking my head at the madness I was also enthralled by these strange characters and I couldn't come close to predicting what they would do next. There isn't really anyone to cheer for in this story but it was a great look at how being raised in a cult affects children.

The narration was very good. I did find some of the pronunciations strange but this takes place in England (and I'm Canadian) so maybe it's just a matter of a different accent throwing me off. I think I'm usually pretty good with British terms and slang so I'm not sure if it was the narrator or just me. In any case it wasn't anything to be bothered by and I enjoyed the audio in general.

[janarose1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After the mass murder of cult members the Ark, Romy, and her younger siblings Ilo and Eden have survived. Sarah, their aunt, is shocked to learn that her sister joined a cult and that she is now responsible for minor's Ilo and Eden. Romy, pregnant and separated from her siblings, begins searching for them, and other survivors of the Ark. her siblings. The cult believed in preparing for an apocalypse. Their entire life revolved around being prepared and grooming the "One" a cult member who would rise up and save them. I thought this book had some interesting characters and an interesting story line. However, there were a lot of things left unexplained about the cult and it's various factions. I found this to be a bit frustrating. It seems as if the author set up the story for a sequel - I'm not sure whether or not to pick it up. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars.

The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood is a darkly mesmerizing and suspenseful mystery about the survivors of The Ark, an apocalypse cult.

Following the suicide deaths of the other cult members, twenty-three year old Romy and her half-siblings Eden and Ilo are taken from North Wales back to England. Romy is now living on her own following stints in hospital and a halfway house while Eden and Ilo are placed with their deceased mother's sister, Sarah Byrne. Eden and Ilo are not having an easy time assimilating to life outside their isolated compound, so Aunt Sarah turns to Romy to try to better understand them.  Romy appears content with their new life, but does she know more about what happened to the members of The Ark than she is revealing?

Sarah and her much older sister, Alison aka Somer, grew up in an extremely religious household.  After falling pregnant with Romy, Alison is forced to leave the family home. After giving birth to Romy, she joins The Ark where the charismatic leader, Lucien Blake,  eventually selects her to impregnate with his child. Somer fall from favor a few years after giving birth to Eden when she becomes pregnant with Ilo. Hoping Lucien will forgive, Somer remains with The Ark and suffers degradation as she is assigned to the worst of tasks around the commune.

Despite Somer's disfavor, Romy remains an integral part of the cult. Although disappointed by her assignment, she applies herself with fervor to her tasks. She is quite watchful of others and makes several highly intelligent observations that provide her with an edge as Lucien's eldest son, Uri, insinuates himself within the commune.  Taking Ilo under her wing, Romy prepares herself and her half-brother for the devastation Lucien predicts is coming.

Interspersed with events in the present are chapters that detail life within the walls of the commune for several years leading up the recent deaths of the cult members. While idyllic at the start, an insidious and pervasive attempt to wrest control from Lucien slowly creeps within the walls of the commune. Members disappear without explanation and outside recruitment gradually ceases. Lucien remains a revered leader but Romy eventually begins to realize all is not as it appears. The events leading up to the members' deaths are revealed in horrifying detail and in the present, the truth about Romy soon becomes shockingly clear.

The Poison Garden is an engrossing mystery that is quite riveting. The revelations of life behind the walls of the commune are difficult to read yet quite informative. Following the suicides, Romy, Eden and Ilo are thrust into a world they cannot understand. Sarah is ill-equipped to help her nieces and nephews leave the teachings of Lucien behind.  Painting a vividly terrifying portrait of cult life, Alex Marwood brings this chilling novel to a stunning, twist-filled conclusion that will leave readers hoping for a sequel.  A brilliant mystery that I highly recommend.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I stumbled across Alex Marwood's writing back in 2013 with her debut and Edgar Award winning novel, The Wicked Girls. (my review) I've been hooked ever since. Each of her novels has been completely different, unexpected and addicting. Her latest is The Poison Garden - and it too was a story I couldn't predict.Romy was a toddler when her mother moved them to The Ark, a cult who is waiting and prepping for the end of the world. (Marwood does a great job of world-building with the cult.) They know they will be saved. As we find out from the first chapter, the end of the world comes - for The Ark. Romy is thrust back into the 'world of the dead' as The Ark referred to the outside world. She has to learn how to adapt to this world - and the family her mother left behind.Marwood tells Romy's story in a past and present timeline. We learn about the cult/commune before the downfall - the pracitces and beliefs, the members and what led up to the the demise of The Ark. But how did Romy survive? We're with Romy from her first day back in the 'real world'. Those time lines progress until they ultimately meet. I love this method of storytelling. The back and forth had me up late, needing to know what is happening on each side of that final resolution and reading 'just one more' chapter.Marwood kept me on my toes - there was no way to predict where this story was going to go. I so appreciate being surprised by a plot. Marwood's prose flow easily. And as before, I didn't see the ending coming. It finished the book, but left some nice little what-ifs to keep the reader wondering.Alex Marwood is a pseudonym for a London journalist and her books have a gritty, authentic feel to them. The Poison Garden was another dark and delicious read.