The Poison Artist

We were pleased to win a reading group set of this title through the reading agency.

The book, as a dark, psychological thriller received mixed reviews, although on the whole it was pretty popular. The writing really evoked a sense of tension and intrigue and only about a third of people had an inkling as to the twist.

"The Poison Artist is a thriller and is disturbing. The subject matter is one I would normally avoid. I was very surprised to find myself engrossed in it and I read it straight through. I could not wait to find out what was going to happen. I thought the character of the ‘lady in the bar’ was particularly effective. Nothing is what it seems in this novel and I found it very sinister and creepy. I doubt if I could watch a film version of it. The end is particularly shocking and surprising. The violence is not overdone, the tension is in the unexpected."

"This is a gripping thriller which moves along at a pace and has atmosphere in abundance. I was completely immersed in the plot from the start helped partly by the well-developed characters who were convincing from the outset. The story becomes darker and more sinister and psychologically involved as it evolves and I found myself changing opinions of what was happening throughout with the eventual outcome being totally unexpected. I felt it had enough to stand out from the average thriller and will appeal to all. It is the sort of story that you could imagine making a good film. Readers who enjoyed titles similar to S J Watson’s “Before I go to Sleep” would find this a good read."

"A very compelling, atmospheric, creepy read that builds to a pretty terrifying climax. My problem with the book is that I found the beginning quite slow with a scattering of disjointed, repetitive hyper-realistic stylised scenes that hint at being part of a greater narrative but give so little away that I began to lose interest. I mainly kept reading because the Stephen King quote on the front promised me ‘horror’ and I’d seen no evidence of it 140 pages in. However, once the momentum kicked in, I found it impossible to put down. It’s a shocking character study and a headfirst dive into a deeply twisted mind. The ending brings with it a slow dawning horror that doesn’t feel jarring or hammy, a twist that leaves you saying 'Oh my god, of course!' rather than 'Where did that come from?'"

A wonderfully evocative tale, filled with a sense of deep unease throughout. Set in the dark, foggy streets of San Francisco, you feel like you are drifting along, knowing something bad is coming. A proper stomach punch of an ending too.