When a book starts with this line: " On the ferry ride home, I was not yet planning to kill anyone." You know it is going to have me hooked! I really enjoyed this book and raced to the finish to see what was going to happen. There were multiple twists I didn't see coming, and the only reason I did not give this book five stars is because I felt the end was a teeny bit confusing and a teeeeeny bit too twisty for me. Though overall I did like how it ended, which I know doesn't necessarily make sense, but without giving away spoilers, will just have to make sense. 

Thank you to Netgalley, AJ Banner and Lake Union Publishing for this opportunity.

I read this book in an afternoon, after reading the blurb on it and I thought it sounded interesting, after finishing it, I have mixed feelings. The setting is a made up Island called Chinook Island and sounds idyllic. Elise Watters is excited to be returning home to the island a day earlier than she is expected, to see her second husband Kieran who is a Dr, for their first wedding anniversary. She hadn’t expected him to be home, believing he would be at work, but when she reached her home she had a shock.

They had planned to go out on the yacht to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but those plans are now cancelled.. She has gone from having the perfect life to a life full of doubt, suspicion and fear. She finds a journal she believes her mum wrote before she died, which just adds to her turmoil. Elise doesn’t know who she can turn to with her suspicions, she has her neighbour and friend Chantal, but is she the friend she claims to be?

Brandon her first husband keeps coming back and forth to the island, as he has work there, some of it is for her neighbour Chantal, but is that the only reason? Is there more going on? Elise sleepwalks in the night but never remembers it the next day, her mum ran a herbal boutique, mixing lotions and potions from herbs and things she grew in her garden, she had passed away from a brain tumour, or did she? It’s hard to know who to trust! Elise realises she is pregnant after fainting a couple of times. There are twists and turns galore in this story. Which are all well planned as it  keeps you guessing.

My main problem with this story is the characters, I really didn’t like any of them, Elise is kind of paranoid, although maybe she has reason to be, Branden is a control freak, and Kieran is just Kieran. I can’t really put my finger on what was missing as I normally relate with characters when things are happening, but something was just missing from these ones.Other than that the setting sounds beautiful, the plot is good.

I would like to thank netgalley an Lake Union publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Wow !!! This book had me hooked from page one. I could not put it down, it was so exciting. The storyline is very entertaining. There is drama, suspense, mystery, infidelity.......I mean, this book has it all. Best book that I have read lately. Highly recommended. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

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.

***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.

Check out my fascinating QA Elevator Interview with the amazing A.J. Banner You are in for a rare treat as she shares the "story behind the story" and learn about her traveling writing studio and vintage typewriters!

Master storyteller and talented author, A. J. Banner returns following, After Nightfall My Top Books of 2018, with her latest captivating thriller —THE POISON GARDEN and once again, Top Books of 2019.

Richly Atmospheric. Spellbinding. Absorbing. Twisty. Compellingly hypnotic!

A strong character-driven magical taut, psychological suspense thriller. THE POISON GARDEN is infused with rich, detailed and vivid descriptions.

From lyrical prose, a lush and evocative island (Gothic-like) setting, and a strong sense of place drawing you into this world of mystery and intrigue—making this another page-turner winner by A.J.!

Set in Pacific Northwest on the fictional exotic and quaint Chinook Island— part of the stunning islands in the Washington State area. (we all love the San Juan Island area-breathtaking)!

What could be a more alluring setting with all the charming shops, views, and sites?

From an island only accessible by a ferry, to the elegant childhood Victorian home, the lush, magical gardens, and the hundreds of acres of forest and trails, leading to a windswept beach, plus the herbal boutique cottage.

I want to go now!

THE POISON GARDEN is somewhat of a rectangular or square relationship filled with ongoing suspense and intrigue, rather than a triangle.

We have four main characters involved in this saga. Kieran (husband), Brandon (ex-husband), Chantal (neighbor/friend), and Elsie (former pharmacist and current shop owner). They are all connected in some way. We also have secondary characters, Diane and Elsie’s mother —Selene, from the past.

Elise seems to have it all. A blissful marriage, a sizable inheritance from her mom, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job of running her late mother’s herbal boutique.

However, for a woman who has it all, we soon learn men have complicated her life.

Not only her current husband, doctor, Kieran, which she can no longer trust, but there is also her ex-husband, Brandon - destined to keep showing up. There are many pieces to this fairy-tale puzzle!

After Elsie’s mom died, she took over her mother’s business. The herbal shop, Clary Sage, sat in the woods behind her house within the lush gardens. She kept it open to honor her mother.

Elsie was a former pharmacist, and the pressures wore her down, and after her mom’s death, she returned to a slower life on the island. She loved gardening and shopkeeping but was still working and learning about creating effective botanical remedies in the little shop in the garden.

At the beginning of the book, she discovers her husband cheating with another woman in her own house.

Chantal Gittner, Elsie’s neighbor, finds her in the garden, where she fainted. Often Elsie does not recall things as sort of a sleepwalking time out.

There was also a strangely shaped plant that had reemerged in the herb bed, with reddish flowers resembling tiny hearts — the Juliet. Hey, you cannot have a poison without a poisonous plant, right?

Her mother had warned her not to touch the plant. You had to use just the right amount of powdered extract in tinctures and formulas. If someone administered too much, it could be deadly.

Juliet becomes part of the ongoing mystery in the novel, as relates to Romeo and Juliet. Between the parallels, and symbolisms of plants (healing, natural, and deadly), as relates to the toxic people and relationships in our lives.

Chantal is enigmatic. You never know what is going on with her. She is Elsie’s friend and neighbor. She is also a computer hacker. Smoke and mirrors here and one of the most intriguing characters.

Had Elsie fallen into an altered state?

Strange things began occurring. Items in the shop appeared to have been moved or misplaced. Elsie's mother's journal appeared she had never seen. Stuff on the prep table was tipped over. Elsie began losing time; there are strange credit card bills, her mother's past, another woman, a husband, an ex-husband, and a neighbor and friend.

Was her husband trying to kill her for the insurance money? Why hadn’t she been more alert to his charming smile? He talks of going out on a yacht with her. Will he try to drown her or kill her with poison? She fears for her life. Or is there something bigger and more sinister going on?

Brandon, Chantal, and Kieran all start acting strange, or is she paranoid? Is someone trying to make it look like she is losing her mind? Who can she trust? Mix all of this within the lush, mysterious grounds, roaring seas, and forest—Intriguing!

If you love the TV series THE AFFAIR (I am a huge fan), you will enjoy THE POISON GARDEN!

There are many themes, topics, and emotions explored in THE POISON GARDEN. Marriage, romance, betrayal, murder, cancer, obsession, revenge, addiction, infidelity, friendship, and grief. Smoke and mirrors are predominant. A confusing or disorienting situation in which it is difficult to distinguish between truth and illusion or between competing versions of reality.

WOW! For a small book, there is much to love in THE POISON GARDEN! A story of love, loss, betrayal, and deceit. As always, AJ keeps you in suspense and always surprises. A chilling domestic suspense adventure, hooking you from the first page until the end!

AJ knows how to create the perfect backdrop for each of her novels and never disappoints. She has an uncanny way of grabbing your attention and captivating you. Each time you pick up her book is like a mesmerizing adventure awaits.

For fans of authors, Sarah Addison Allen crossed with Mary Kubica, Kimberly Belle, Gilly Macmillan, Michele Campbell, and Liane Moriarty, combined with A.J.'s signature style!

I highly recommend all of AJ's books—one of my favorite authors!

A special thank you to Lake Union, the author, and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

#JDCMustReadBooks

On the eve of her first wedding anniversary, happily married Elise arrives at her home on Chinook Island early to find her doctor husband in bed with another woman. She overhears their conversation leading her to believe they’re plotting to get rid of her. She’s thinking to possibly collect her five million dollars, who knows.. as Elise has doubts about what she’s overhead. Taking it a step further she begins snooping through his things, and now feels that he may have murdered her mother. The Poison Garden is suspenseful with lots of twisty turns, all surrounding Juliet, an herbal sleeping plant Elise thinks her late mother (who owned a herbal boutique) named for Shakespeare’s Romeo and “Juliet.” Nothing is at all as it seems. Elise soon finds her ex-husband is working on the island at her next door neighbors house, and that he still feels a connection to her. Elise feels threatened to find he’s even stalking her. With hidden agenda’s, secrets and revenge on it’s characters minds, this proved to be an interesting story, and at only 208 pages is a fun, quick read!
#ThePoisonGarden #NetGalley
Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and A.J. Banner for the opportunity to read her latest thriller.  I loved her previous books but this one wasn't as good to me as her others.  However, it was a quick read - under 300 pages - and kept me reading to see how it would turn out.  3.5 stars.

Elise Watters is happily married and approaching her first wedding anniversary.  Still grieving over the recent death of her mother, Elise gets a shock when she returns home that threatens her marriage and possibly her life.  Known for sleepwalking, Elise isn't sure if what is happening is paranoia, reality or something even worse.

The plot was just a bit too far fetched from reality for me to really lose myself in this book.

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.

In comparison to some of the other thrillers that I've read and loved in the past, The Poison Garden just didn't move me like I had expected. The book started off strong with Elise, the protagonist of the story along with her cheating husband. While the drama showed up pretty fast in the book and was a nice kickstart to the story, it nose dived just as fast. When you mix a seductress neighbour friend, a sweet but crazy old boyfriend, and a mysterious death of a parent, you would think you have the perfect recipe for a fantastic thriller but It wasn’t to save this novel. It was unrealistic and just all over the place. I only finished because it was a short book. Overall it was a mildly entertaining novel at best.

Elise Watters is a pharmacist, married to Doctor Kiernan Lund. They live on Chinook Island and she runs an herb and gift shop that she took over following the death of her mother.
After a trip to see her financial advisor, she rides the ferry home, excited to see her husband, a day early to surprise him. Their first wedding anniversary is the next day. It is a second marriage for both of them, Kiernan's first wife passed away. Elise and her ex-husband, contractor Brandon still see each other from time to time.
When Elise arrives home, loud music is blaring. Kiernan is supposed to be at the office, what is going on? She climbs the stairs to the master bedroom, peering in through the open door. First she hears a conversation between female and male voices. About how they want Elise "gone". Then she sees Kiernan in their bed with a young house stager, Diane.
She kicks her husband out, she won't stand for a cheater.
Elise struggles to get her life back together. Kiernan is aggressively trying to win her back and Brandon begins to stalk her.
She starts sleepwalking from the stress.
She can't trust anyone, including her own memories.
This psychological thriller is a fun, fast and easy read. A suspenseful story, slightly improbable, but very entertaining and full of all kinds of unexpected twists.
If you want something different, give this one a try.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

I really liked After Nightfall, so I was happy to read A.J. Banner’s new book The Poison Garden . It starts out with Elise coming home to celebrate her first anniversary with her husband Kieran who is a doctor. When she walked into the house, she discovered him in bed with another woman. Thus starts the thriller. This is a great book for a lazy weekend as it is a quick read; however, there are just too many twists that don’t make sense,  I am glad it was not a lengthy book as I am not sure I would have finished it.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a fan of all things AJ Banner! Loved the premise of the story and it was executed really well. In the end it all worked out, but she kept me guessing the whole time!

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.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Super quick, fast paced read. The first half was enjoyable but unremarkable. The story feels a little convoluted as it relies on what Elise discovers after she wakes in the morning and believes she's been sleepwalking, a problem that has plagued her in the past, and she's trying to piece together what's happening. The second half ties most of the threads together and I found the ending to be very satisfying. 
TW for suicide(happens prior to the story but is frequently mentioned by one of the characters).

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this advanced copy for an exchange of my honest review.  
I have reas A.J. Banner before and enjoyed the writing so I wasn't too surprised to love this book as well. 
Elise is finding herself in a vulnerable position and is desperately trying to get out of the situation.  However as she tries to unweave the the puzzle , more questions arise and she finds herself only getting deeper into the problem instead of out. 
This is a fantastic thriller/mystery and a fast easy read. I highly recommend this book.
#ThePoisonGarden #NetGalley

The Poison Garden by A.J. Banner is a non-suspenseful mystery/thriller, full of twists that are easily predicted, and generic characters who don’t add anything to the plot.

The story follows Elise Watters who is happily married, loves her job, and owns a beautiful house on an island surrounded by gardens. One day before her wedding anniversary, she decides to return home earlier than she’d scheduled to surprise her husband only to find him cheating on her with another woman. From this point forward Elise’s life turns upside down as everything she thought she knew is being tested. Is she becoming paranoid or is she closer to the truth?

From the first few chapters, I knew who the villain was and suspected what was going on. I never thought Elise was crazy or overreacting, so if the author’s intention was to make me consider the protagonist an unreliable narrator, she failed on that count.

The characters were flat and stereotypical, especially Elise’s husband, and made some silly decisions that conveniently progressed the story. I rolled my eyes at many points when the most unrealistic things were happening and the characters were reacting in a non-believable way.

The writing was straightforward and easy to follow. Despite the plot’s predictability, the book was a quick read, and I felt like I was flying through its pages. The last three chapters, in which everything was revealed, were the most interesting ones, and I really enjoyed them. Of course, we had the big monologues where the bad guy explained his/her motives, but this far into the story, I did expect something like that.

Overall, I think The Poison Garden lacked creativity and character development, but due to the author’s fluent writing style, I’d consider picking another work of hers in the future.


I received this e-arc from NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Things are really going well for Elise after some tough times when she comes home and finds her new husband in bed with another woman- and they seem to be talking about murdering her.  Is she a reliable narrator?  What's the deal with Kiernan, the current husband, and Brendan, her ex, who seems to be around a lot?  Should she trust her neighbor Chantal?  This has a lovely Pacific Northwest setting and the idea of an herb (and poison) garden is terrific.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  The story itself moves quickly and while you, like me, might guess what's happening, it's still a good read.

This was my first A.J Banner book and now I'm going to need to get my hands on her other books!!

The Poison Garden was SO WELL DONE! I pretty much read the entire book in one sitting. The storyline flows so well and I needed to know what was going to happen around the next corner!! I enjoyed the unpredictability ... so many twists and turns and just when I thought I had it all figured out (several times) I was so wrong! This book definitely kept me guessing. 

A huge thank you to NetGalley and publisher for my review copy!

This book was fast paced from the first page all the way to the last page. I enjoyed the characters and thought it was easy to relate to them. I enjoyed all the little twist that led to a huge bang at the end that I did not see coming. I read this book in two night because I literally couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be reading more by A.J. Banner.