The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

This book starts off in the sweltering Summer of 1997, where straight-A student Karen whom is sheltered & shy 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 situation with fatal consequences. A decade later, Rex is released from prison and he and Karen must try to rebuild their life with nine-year-old Alice. For Rex, the life sentence is over, but Karen has secrets of her own. For her, the nightmare is just beginning.

This book was chosen to read in our bookclub.  It took me a little while to get into the story and the characters but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. It was well written and was a page turner. There was everything from drama, suspense and crime, all of the things I love in a good book. It also shows how crucial it is to choose your friends wisely.  If you like dark books that do not have predictable endings then this books for you. It is not inspirational or heartwarming at all!  This would definitely make for a good book club read because it certainly has a lot of characters that would make for good discussion and I'm looking forward to meeting up to discuss this book with the group.  This is the first book that I've read by Erin Kelly & I will definitely read more of her work.

Erin Kelly the author of the critically acclaimed psychological thrillers The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose and The Burning Air. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama starring MyAnna Buring, Matthew Goode and Ophelia Lovibond. It was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. The novel has been translated into eleven languages. Her fourth novel, The Ties that Bind, is out now, followed in August by Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the first season of 2013's mega-hit ITV series.  Erin have been working as a journalist since 1998, writing for newspapers including The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Express and The Mirror, and magazines including Red, Psychologies, Marie Claire and Elle.

This book is available on Kindle & from all good bookstores.