The Poison Garden

Written by A.J. Banner

Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen

“[A] sharply written and taut psychological thriller…” —Seattle Times

A 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 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…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Oct 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781799748793

A.J. Banner

Born in India and raised in North America, A. J. Banner received degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Her first novel of psychological suspense, The Good Neighbor, was named by Harper’s Bazaar as a book that could be the next Gone Girl. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five rescued cats.

Reviews for The Poison Garden

[Kailynn O’Brien · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting enough with some twists. I wasn’t sure where it was going and was really thrown off a couple of times. Entertaining but not great. The main character was super frustrating most of the time and not the brightest... narrator was good.

[Anca Somesan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrator did an amazing job portraying the character and the folding of the events. Captivating plot

[bookanonjeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[lorikboyd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[ml923 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book, but I found it to be only mediocre. The story begins with much promise: Elise, the main character, comes home one day to find her philandering doctor husband Kieran (her second husband) in bed with another woman. Not only that, but she hears them talking about getting rid of her. Will they actually attempt to do so? And when?What follows is a somewhat confusing plot line involving not only Elise and Kieran but Elise’s ex-husband Brandon, her neighbor and good friend Chantal (whom Brandon does work for and who seems to have an eye for Kieran), Chantal’s daughter (who committed suicide), and Elise’s mother (whom Elise believes died under strange circumstances).I found the characters to be very underdeveloped and pretty much unbelievable. It was hard to relate to any of them or to feel any sort of connection to them. Also, there were so many twists and turns in this novel that they seemed too far-fetched and convenient and made the plot line very disjointed. However, I did find the final twist to be a very interesting one that I did not see coming and one which pretty much salvaged the book for me. This is the first of A.J. Banner’s novels that I have read. Although I am not ready to give up on her completely, I am also not that eager to pick up one of her other works right now.Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

[marykuhl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[girlwellread · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A special thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.Elise Watters seems to have it all—a happy marriage, a beautiful Victorian home, and runs her own business inherited from her late mother. She was also left a sizeable inheritance.She decides to surprise her husband, Kieran, a day early for their first anniversary. But they are both left stunned when she catches him in their bed with another woman.Her world is completely turned upside down, especially since the return of her ex-husband who has is conveniently working right next door. Everything she thought she knew is coming into question—her marriage, her friends, and Elise can't trust either her husband or her ex. With her paranoia increasing, she has no where to turn and no one to trust.I enjoyed After Nightfall and was excited to have been selected as an early reviewer of The Poison Garden. Unfortunately, the main character's paranoia overwhelmed the plot and the story is never fully fleshed out.The pacing was too rushed—Banner needed to make the story more robust, and to be perfectly honest, credible. A lot of what was going on was either not believable, or too coincidental. The reader isn't going to buy in, especially in a genre that has such stellar offerings.

[teachlz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Poison Garden" by A.J. Banner, Lake Union, Oct. 2019WOW! 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! 

[amysan_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story is fast paced, but I felt that there were too many holes in the plot to be believable at all. Thanks for Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review.