Thriller plot. Very stilted dialogue and narrator monologue. Author has an "air word" problem, which means you can skip ahead to the ending without missing much.

It leaves a great impression! I wanted to read without stopping, despite the fact that sometimes you can guess what could be next. But all the characters are described with such talented accuracy, that they are perceived as a "living" people with whom you want to meet and see them in the "body and blood." Excellent material for a possible movie.

Very Good book, keeps you guessing until the end. One summer A very bright university girl (Karen )meets this other girl (Bila) they become friends, Bila's brother (Rex) becomes involved with Karen. 10 yrs later Rex gets out of prison for killing some one to restart his life with Karen and her daughter.

Erin Kelly's novel The Poison Tree starts with a car speeding away from somewhere, someone or something. Then, it's 10 years later, and a woman and her daughter are on their way to prison to pick up the woman's husband and the girl's father. You know there's a murder, and you even know who committed it. Most of all you know there's lots you don't know about how we got to this point. Clues that only hint at the truth keep you riveted and remind you that you'd better pay attention. As the details unfold, the characters get more complex, as Kelly keeps the surprises coming until the very last page. "This dazzling debut novel begins as Karen and her daughter Alice go to pick up Rex from prison. Rex has just served 10 years for murder. Who these people are and what happened to them is the spine of Kelly’s excellent psychological thriller." Margaret Cannon Feb 17 2011 "In the summer of 1997, shy, sheltered Karen is befriended by glamorous, passionate Biba. She and her shy, enigmatic brother Rex live in seclusion in Highgate, and welcome Karen into their home and their lives. The arrival of a stranger shatters this fragile idyll with fatal consequences. A decade later, Rex is released from prison and he and Karen must try to rebuild their life with ten-year-old Alice. For Rex, the life sentence is over, but Karen has secrets of her own. For her, the nightmare is just beginning." Richard and Judy Book Club

A good crime thriller/mystery, with a twist at the end