The Poison Tree

Product Description

By the end of that summer, two people would be dead… Fans of In A Dark Dark Wood and Disclaimer will love this twisty thriller. I have given up so much and done so many terrible things already for the sake of my family that I can only keep going. I do not know what is going to happen to us. I am frightened, but I feel strong. I have the strength of a woman who has everything to lose.In the sweltering summer of 1997, strait-laced, straight-A student Karen met Biba – a bohemian and impossibly glamorous aspiring actress.She was quickly drawn into Biba’s world, and for a while life was one long summer of love.But every summer must end. By the end of theirs, two people were dead – and now Karen’s past has come back to haunt her . . .

From Publishers Weekly

British author Kelly deftly weaves past and present in her highly satisfying debut novel of psychological suspense, which reveals how a convicted murderer came to be released after serving 10 years in prison. In 1993, the naïve yet brilliant Karen receives a scholarship to London’s Queen Charlotte’s College, where she’s beguiled by Biba Capel, an iconoclastic and edgy drama student, who soon introduces Karen to her strange older brother, Rex. Karen joins sister and brother at the grand but deteriorating Capel family house in Highgate, with its several unconventional tenants. The three throw disorderly parties that enrage the neighbors, but they succeed in creating their own Edenic existence until the unwanted intrusion of Biba’s hostile lover. Though melodrama looms, including a double homicide, the tension never wanes, and the ensuing horror comes as a major shock. The surprises don’t end until the last page of this twisted tale with its wonderfully evocative London atmosphere. 5-city author tour. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

A dark, twisted tale of domestic tragedy, Kelly’s debut doesn’t miss a step: character, plot, dialogue, atmosphere, and pacing are right on the money. Karen Clarke has always done what’s expected and been a good girl: exceptional, conscientious student; obedient daughter; undemanding in her personal relationships. Then she meets fascinating Biba and falls in love with the young actress’ impetuosity and freewheeling lifestyle, both so different from anything Karen knows. That Biba wants to be her friend amazes Karen, who gratefully moves in with the actress and her protective older brother, soon to become Karen’s lover. At first, Karen finds her housemates’ casual lifestyle immensely appealing, but it isn’t long before she unearths the tangled emotions and tragic history that lies beneath the carefree scene. By that time, however, she’s so deeply enmeshed in her friends’ complicated, messed-up lives, she is unable to back away. Intriguing characters, a carefully constructed story that smoothly integrates past and present, and a shocker of an ending make this one special. –Stephanie Zvirin

Review

THE POISON TREE has a nicely claustrophobic cape wrapped round it . . . the novel’s a clever tease, the pay-off more than worth it *
Time Out * In her compelling debut, Erin Kelly evokes the brooding atmosphere of Rebecca, in a contemporary and completely convincing novel of tangled family desires. * Sara Paretsky * The dark world of psychological thrillers has a bright new voice . . . [a] twisted, brooding, creepy debut. *
Daily Mirror * A tense, twisting thriller . . . Atmospheric and gripping, it will keep you guessing to the end *
Cosmopolitan * A brilliant new voice in crime fiction . . . Kelly creates an atmosphere as claustrophobic as a summer commute, which permeates the narrative and keeps the reader hooked. *
Stylist * Brilliant! THE POISON TREE grabs you with the first sentence and doesn’t let go–even after the last page; this is the sort of thriller that stays with you for a long, long time. Compelling and lyrically stylish, THE POISON TREE is a true winner! * Jeffery Deaver * Th