Following The Secret History, there has been an avalanche of books claiming to be like it or inspired by it. My attention was first drawn to The Poison Tree, after I read a review comparing it to The Secret History. My interest was immediately piqued because The Secret History, as some of you may know, is one of my all-time favorites.

Daniel is quiet. Without any friends. And Paul soon realises Daniel has knowledge but he is an illiterate. He can't read or write. So they make a deal. Paul will be helping him manage his life being an illiterate, and Daniel will be his bodyguard, watching out for him whenever he is in trouble. And the entire time I was thinking and processing, what could this book even be about? Simply just about what happened in their past, is that it? I came to know.. That WAS it. Where was he all these years? Started a family, has two kids too and his mother there is waiting for him to return? I have always been drawn to characters on the cusp of adulthood, students in particular, because it's such an intense, irresponsible time of life. Our minds and bodies are adult, we are no longer under the care of our parents, not yet burdened by careers, mortgages, or children. Relationships and living arrangements tend to be quite fluid, with friendships forged and abandoned almost weekly, and the same goes for lovers; these fluctuations and transitions mean that life is brimming with potential for fun, sex, experience and the dark side of these things too, heartbreak, betrayal, death. Since turning thirty a few years ago I've come to realize just how small a window of irresponsibility those student years are, which makes it seem, in retrospect, even more intense.

The Poison Tree

I felt her characters fell flat, which seemed to be a strength for this author, and I didn't connect with them. I thought, for the book being a psychological thriller, they main characters were kind of "meh" At first Biba, Kate and Rex get on swimmingly, but things start to go wrong when Kate finds out about her friends' father, a rich man who has given up on them and wants to evict them from the house. In the present day story, Rex struggles to adjust to life outside, and someone is watching him, Kate and their daughter. Rex is keeping his identity secret, but this seemed wildly optimistic from the start, and it soon becomes clear that the neighbours are suspicious Meanwhile, in the past, events move to a homicidal climax. I do think Kelly is a talented writer, which is why I've read three of her books. I just wish her characters were a little more likeable, or at least a little more fleshed out, not so formulaic in their vulnerability, or distress. The endings, of her books are also kind of predictable. I am not saying I wouldn't read one of them again, but maybe three, one after the other, was just not the best idea to get the most out of them, without starting to sense a pattern. Paul is in trouble with the police and he is going down for it, unless he reveals what happened and gives up his accomplice. After becoming the one thing you never do in a rough estate Paul is under protection and relocated where he meets Louisa. Louisa has a big secret in her past and keeps herself reserved, low key and interaction minimal, until Paul arrives. Paul reminds her of a past she would rather forget, they both have big secrets to hide however it could be the one thing that brings them together or puts them both at risk.

And all this time Paul was simply gaping at him, didn't try stopping him fearing he'd get caught in the camera. From what you've said Biba seems like an extremely unlikeable character. Are you okay with playing someone like that? What first drew you to psychological thrillers? Thrillers are popular with readers and often rely on an unexpected reveal or twist. How do you keep your ideas fresh? We caught up with Erin to talk about writing and reading psychological thrillers as well as what it was like filming a creative writing course during a pandemic...British journalist Erin Kelly’s debut suspense novel is a richly shaded work crammed with atmosphere, quirky characters and intricate plotting. But, he didn't know he was doing that. He didn't know in another second, with just a stroke, he would lose his life by a weatherpane which the guy in front of him was holding. The old man, Ken Hillyard, dies. Just like that. At one point in the novel, Karen turns the tables on Alison Larch, a television journalist she suspects of investigating Rex, and interrogates her on her current roster of work. In what other ways did you draw upon your own experiences as a journalist? These two, scarred and solitary, begin a secret affair. Louisa starts to believe she can again find the happiness she had given up on. But neither of them can outrun his violent past. Apparently a family of four visit the garden to have a family time. It is from the father's perspective. It doesn't take a brain to guess who it might be.