The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection.

Publisher: Penguin Books

Published: January 31, 2012 (first published 2010)

Summary:

It is the sweltering summer of 1997, and Karen is a straight-laced, straight-A university student. When she meets the impossibly glamorous Biba, a bohemian orphan who lives in a crumbling old mansion in Highgate with her enigmatic brother Rex, she is soon drawn into their world — but something terrible is about to happen, and someone’s going to end up dead. Already drawing comparisons to Barbara Vine, Tana French and Sophie Hannah, Erin Kelly is an extraordinarily talented new author.

My thoughts:

I’ve long been a fan of Erin Kelly ever since reading He Said/She Said. I picked this one up, her debut thriller, because I heard she had a sequel coming out soon, The House of Mirrors and I have already ordered that. I needed to have this one read so that when the sequel arrives, I can be ready to read it!

This is a dark, slow-burn that picks up in intensity as it progresses. It oozes with atmosphere and complex characters that are not at all likeable, though you will find yourself hard-pressed to walk away once you start reading. I became fully engrossed in the lives of Karen, Biba and Rex even though I didn’t necessarily like them all. It’s just the way Kelly drew them that they felt so alive on the page. You feel as if you really know them and what makes them tick.

The story starts at the end and then flashes back and forth between ten years, slowly filling in the blanks. There are hints of what is to come, an undertone of danger lurking and I could not read it fast enough. I was waiting for those secrets to be revealed and gasping each time one was, never guessing where this would eventually wind up.

This book exceeded my expectations and now I’m excited to see where things go next with these characters in the sequel, The House of Mirrors. Erin Kelly is an auto-buy author for a reason and I’m glad I finally got around to reading her debut thriller!

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