A. J. Banner is one of those authors who has snuck up on me. I reviewing After Nightfall about a year ago, but now that I go back and look at that, I realize I’ve read The Twilight Wife by Banner as well. And when I go to her website, I can see she also wrote another–The Good Neighbor, which I’ve probably also read. Don’t you hate it when you really can’t keep track?
Still she is becoming one of those authors who will dependably release a book a year, which I appreciate. I love a good debut, but it’s also nice to fall back on the tried and true authors.
I think those that I consistently read include Jodi Picoult, Emily Giffin, Jane Green, Jennifer Weiner (I have one of hers waiting for me at the library!), Mary Higgins Clark, Jane Harper, Lisa Jewell, Claire Macintosh, B.A. Paris, Chris Bohjalian, Mary Kubica and I’m sure I’m missing another 50. Who are your favorite thriller authors?
From the Publisher:
Elise Watters seems to have it all—a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique.
But on the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise makes a shocking discovery that turns her life upside down and casts doubt on everything she thought she knew—about her marriage, her friends, and even herself. As she treads into dangerous territory, Elise is forced to wonder: Is her whole future at stake? Or is paranoia getting the best of her?
If she is to believe what she sees, Elise has every reason to fear for her life…
My Review:
When we first meet Elise, she doesn’t have it all. Because she has just realized that her darling husband has cheated on her. From there we learn what she thought she had and the details just keep coming. Until I was left thinking, wow, it seemed so simple at first but Elise’s life is a bit of a mess!
She has a best friend who is struggling with her own demons, an ex husband who appears to be a beefcake, but is that all? And why did they get divorced? A recently deceased mother, who btw, grew herbs and created concoctions from her garden to help people sleep, which is different for sure. It just keeps coming. So what seemed like a devastating end to a storybook romance turns a bit more complicated.
A.J. Banner keeps the twists and turns coming from cover to cover. And while I appreciated them and the pace of the novel, some details and scenarios shifted too fast for me and I found myself slightly confused, swiping back through pages to figure out what I may have missed.
Still a satisfying fast read and a solid entry into the thriller genre. Special thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one releases October 22!
Women in Trouble Book Blog 
Leave a Reply