The Poison Tree: the addictive , twisty debut psychological thriller from the million-copy bestselling author

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Louisa.. Louisa.. Alan recollects the name. Memories starts coming to him. His already existing headache worsens tenfold when he starts remembering everything and.. He screams. With both Louisa and Paul hiding from the past they form a relationship but how much of their former lives are they willing to reveal to each other and who is out there looking for them?

i hope not. i hope secret history is every bit as good as i remember it, and the haters are the same people who hate anything that falls into that "ambitious without being highbrow" category. if it wasn't good, why would there be so many people trying to imitate it? From an incredible new voice in psychological suspense, a novel about the secrets that remain after a final bohemian summer of excess turns deadly. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't think we know what The Poison Tree refers to yet. Well, it refers to novelist Erin Kelly's psychological thriller, which this has been adapted from, of course. But what is a poison tree? A yew, perhaps, the berries of which aren't good for you, I believe? Or – more likely – does it have something to do with William Blake's poem A Poison Tree, part of the Songs of Experience collection, which take issue with the imposition of morality on human sensibility …I do think Kelly is a talented writer, which is why I've read three of her books. I just wish her characters were a little more likeable, or at least a little more fleshed out, not so formulaic in their vulnerability, or distress. The endings, of her books are also kind of predictable. I am not saying I wouldn't read one of them again, but maybe three, one after the other, was just not the best idea to get the most out of them, without starting to sense a pattern. So, what else now? Everything is sunshine and rainbows from here. Nobody to threaten them anymore. And even the organization planning to film the garden cancels their plan to shoot and simply decide to visit the garden instead. Louisa is ecstatic. As she didn't want to be filmed and get exposed to the outer world anyway. All is well and good. there are many wonderfully tiny details that please the reader, and it is a fairly satisfying, if a little too convenient, mystery/suspense novel.it is always nice to have two characters whose every wrong turn is so darn obvious, and you can only shake your head and say, "oh no - don't do that!!!" if only it were so obvious in real life... Paul reminds Louisa of a man she knew long ago. Although they are twenty years apart in age, each recognizes that they’ve lived very similar lives. Both are solitary individuals, each losing a parent and becoming dependent on other people to make their lives happier. Paul’s friend Daniel protected him from bullies when they were younger, and when Paul discovers a weakness in his friend, he feels the need to protect him in return. Louisa was obsessed with a man she simply can’t get out of her mind, and when this incredible author blends these two storylines together, the reader can not only see the fireworks, but can feel them, as well.

When she dresses up, it's like her armour. It's so much more than wanting to just look nice in a dress, it's vital to her character and how she's defined herself." Yeah, absolutely. Like I say, it really is the role. If I read something and respond to the role, that's what happens, and if those happen to be a few comedies in a row, or not, so be it. But I was kind of hankering after a really dark drama to get my teeth into. I suppose I had an appetite for it." This book had SUCH potential, and I found myself really getting into it, but unfortunately it just ended with me scratching my head and saying, "...Really?" I can't tell whether Erin Kelly just didn't know what she really had here or if she thought she could throw in one huge twist and that not following through with what should have been the rational choices was what...another twist? No, I don't buy it. It might sound strange but I found writing a dark novel reassuring rather than disturbing. I felt very vulnerable when I was pregnant, very aware that nothing was under my control, from the size of my belly to the big bad world my baby would be born into. Writing The Poison Tree allowed me to exercise total control, even if only over a fictional world.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. The Poison Tree is a bit of a change in direction for you - why did you decide to go from big Hollywood films to a relatively small British TV drama? Are there any tired tropes that you’d like to see less of and what would you really love to read and see more of?

this is a book about two damaged people finding comfort in each other, as their pasts crouch in the shadows and say "not so fast, guys..." I actually got really excited for this story when we found out that Adam Glasslake (Alan Murray) was still alive. Then I got even more excited when he went missing. I thought for sure that we were going to find out that he was Paul's father all along; Paul is mistaken for Adam on numerous occasions, and also renaming himself yet again seemed extremely plausible as he's already done it once before. GlassLAKE to SEAforth? Definitely would've been an acceptable pattern. The timeline might have needed some tweaking then (perhaps if he disappeared sooner rather than 5 years later) but it would have brought in a whole new layer of maturation for Adam's character. The drama that would ensue between Paul and Louisa would've been palpable not only because of her shagging her love's son from another woman but also because he would be carrying the extra baggage of being the sole witness to his gruesome (and this time true) death. This was my third book by Erin Kelly, and in my opinion, the weakest. BURNING AIR, I felt, was the most engaging, despite POISON TREE getting all the accolades. I liked Paul, I loved his story and I'd have actually preferred the book if it was just a more detailed story of him. He was engaging and honest and I really felt for him in his plight. It could have been expanded on so more and I felt let down by that.What is the meaning of this? What is the entire plot even about? Louisa and Paul die? Just like that?

Reminiscent of the beautifully written suspense novels by Daphne du Maurier, Erin Kelly has delivered a stunning look at human desperation, loyalty, and absolute terror. Like Daphne, she has found a way to wrap a chilling tale inside a tranquil setting. Throughout the novel, I had to keep reminding myself that the past story actually took place in 1997. It is because of the author’s detailed descriptions of Biba and Rex, how they lived, behaved and socialized that made me think the story took place in the mid-1960s – the hippie era. Why is she hiding? Or more like WHAT is she hiding? We don't know. She has this weird ritual now and then, where she gets herself drunk and watches Adam's videos and listens to his songs and cries. Clearly he's dead, but why is she doing all of this? We don't know. Following The Secret History, there has been an avalanche of books claiming to be like it or inspired by it. My attention was first drawn to The Poison Tree, after I read a review comparing it to The Secret History. My interest was immediately piqued because The Secret History, as some of you may know, is one of my all-time favorites.

but - yeah- this book - a great diversion, definitely captivating, good characters. i don't know that i would encourage anyone to own it, but it would be an excellent library loaner. it is a fairly uncomplicated story about cause and effect, with some odd human behavior thrown in. just a lot of me second-guessing the characters with "why didn't she..." and "but why not simply..."