Psychological

EVERYONE is suspect in this murder mystery thriller! Marisa invites an estranged best friend to her engagement dinner party to hopefully repair their friendship. The evening is drama filled. The next morning, her friend is found dead on the beach from falling off the cliff. No one can be trusted as Marisa is determined to find out what happened to her friend. ( )

There isn’t a single female in this book who isn’t neurotic, and makes really bad decisions.
I only finished the book so I could see which mental defective did it.
The men all portrayed as weak, stereotyped, and completely uninteresting.
It doesn’t even bother with an actual ending.
How did this book ever get published? ( )

Marissa Parlette's best friend betrayed her in college and now, after years of not talking, she pops back into her life and seeks forgiveness. As a gesture of reconciliation Marissa invites Lauren to her engagement party. But Lauren has too much to drink. She's flirting. The night doesn't go quite as planned and the morning is even worse - Lauren's body is found at the bottom of a rocky cliff. Marissa is desperate to find the answers surrounding her death. She was scared of heights, so did she fall? Was she pushed? Did she mean to end her life? As she digs around for answers she begins to understand that everyone has secrets.

I love that cover! I was only going to read a chapter because I knew if I had plans to read it all the library books I have on hold would all come at once. After that first chapter I wasn't so sure I'd like the book that much. But then I was flying through the pages. I couldn't get enough. What happened to Lauren?! All the little tidbits are weaved together to create a clever story. Everyone is seen as suspicious, they all have secrets. I loved how the book ended. I was surprised at the big reveal, again I appreciate the cleverness, but I wasn't totally crazy about it. But this was still a tense, enjoyable page-turner for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC. ( )

The suspense builds from the very beginning...Marissa and Nathan are having a dinner party, and college roommate and ex BFF is flirting with Nathan. This was suppose to be a special night, but turned into something completely different.

This book is full of suspense. Each character has a story to tell and it will keep you guessing. Enjoyed the Author’s writing style, a very complex story that unravels slowly to keep you guessing and wondering. I had to reread the last few pages twice. Not sure I was content with it, but it kept me thinking about it. And isn’t that what a good book does!

I received an ARC of this book. Opinion is mine alone. ( )

After Nightfall from A.J. Banner is a bit of a slow-burn psychological suspense novel. If you're looking for a thriller rather than a suspense novel you might want to save this one for when you feel like the methodical pace of a psychological suspense story rather than the quick forward momentum of most thrillers.

Like any story that includes a mystery the number of possible suspects is both high and very well established. Well into the book you will be able to make a plausible case for almost every person. Which means, of course, that at at least one point you were right. Just don't confuse that with "knowing" who did it early in the book, no one will believe you.

The novel moves in jumps to a certain extent. It seems like we are simply learning more information that keeps the list of suspects long then something happens that makes one of them stand out. Then we learn more and the other suspects begin to look possible again then something new happens to throw suspicion in yet another direction. For some, the periods of learning information, the part where the psychological part of the psychological suspense is established and amped up, feels slow. It isn't slow but if you don't care to learn about the characters then you probably should steer clear of psychological novels, whether suspense or thriller, since the psychological part requires background and attention to minutiae. That is how the state of mind of a character is established and played with.

I don't have the same problem with the end as some people. The mystery was solved. I tend to like not having every single other issue fully and completely resolved as long as the main mystery is taken care of. Throwing doubt into other aspects of the story, and especially what will happen after the book ends, allows the reader to exercise some creative control. If you don't want to use your creativity and just want everything wrapped up with a bow, well, the ending might bother you. But the rest of the book is, I think, good enough to still make it worth reading for you.

I think I covered who might enjoy, or not enjoy, the book in the previous paragraphs. I was actually torn between 4 and 5 stars but opted to round up because so many of the negative ratings seemed to be upset for the book not being what it never set out to be. When people resort to such hyperbole, especially when it is in many of their "reviews" or they only read a few pages but feel knowledgeable enough to rate and review the entire book, they can easily be discounted. Like any book this won't please everyone, but ignore the overblown hyperbole, both positive and negative, and pay attention to the ones that actually seemed to engage with the book.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

Marissa finds her best friend dead on the beach. Was she killed? What happened? The premise drew me in, but the book itself left something to be desired. There was a lot going on and the connections didn’t quite fit. The end of the book...just kind of stopped with no wrap up of events. It was interesting enough for me to wonder what would happen, but the way everything unfolded did not keep me in suspense or make me want to read more ( )

This is a fantastically well written suspense novel that had me guessing until the last chapter. There were clues and false clues all through the books and I knew who the bad guy was several times and then found out a few pages later that I was totally wrong.

At Marissa's engagement party, her best friend flirts shamelessly with her new fiance. Was it the wine or did Lauren need to be loved and admired by everyone around her? Lauren leaves the party after telling Marissa that she need to talk to her about her fiance. The next morning when Marissa is on an early walk, she finds Lauren's body at the bottom of a cliff. Was it an accident or was she pushed by Marissa's fiance? Lauren's husband? Lauren's daughter? or someone unknown. Marissa is determined to solve the crime even if it puts her in danger.

I was surprised at the end but after I went through the clues that had been given, it made perfect sense. Sometimes in suspense books, the 'bad guy' doesn't make any sense but in this case, it all came together perfectly.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Loved the book!! Throughout the story I didn't know who to believe and I kept changing my mind on who killed Lauren. I didn't want to stop reading because I needed to know who was behind it all and why. I never guessed the ending and was taken by surprise. A good surprise because I was shocked at who was the killer.

Marissa and Nathan are throwing an engagement party for a few close friends and family. No one seemed to really enjoy themselves at the dinner. Nathan's daughter was upset. Hedra, Nathan's sister-in-law, was also upset and became flustered when questioned about a bruise on her wrist. Then there was Lauren. She continuously flirted with Nathan and left early with the excuse of picking up her daughter. Lauren was once Marissa's best friend and they have recently become reacquainted. Before Lauren leaves she tells Marissa she needs to tell her something important. Marissa never gets to find out what Lauren was going to tell her. Early the next morning, Marissa finds Lauren dead on the beach, below a steep cliff. She immediately suspects murder and starts investigating on her own. Marissa keeps finding clues and always seems to be there to call 911 when someone is injured. The detective starts to suspect Marissa is involved in Lauren's death.

Loved the story, writing style and characters. Marissa was my favorite by far, most of the others I would never want as friends. I'm not sure how Marissa could be friends with Lauren and Jensen again, especially with what happened in college. Lauren seemed like an awful friend. I wanted to feel bad for Hedra, but I just couldn't. The book was definitely full of twists and turns. It was a great mystery.

I definitely recommend the book and can't wait to read more from the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author, A.J. Banner, for a free electronic ARC of this novel. ( )

This book grabbed me right from the beginning and never let go. I formed my alliances, reformed my alliances numerous times, guessed and surmised and knew I was right and felt I was wrong.....and etc. Wow! Loved it. A great murder mystery for sure. Everyone is suspect. At some points I started to think maybe I did it.

In all seriousness, this is a mystery not to be missed. It has it all and kept me reading until the very end for sure. Loved or hated the characters, formed attachments, just an enjoyable read.

This book is great for anyone who ever had a friend or was betrayed by a friend. It's also great for anyone who ever fell in love. Alright, this book is great for everyone! Read it! You'll love it!

This book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. ( )

Bestselling author, A.J. Banner returns following The Twilight Wife with her best yet—AFTER NIGHTFALL. 5 Stars ++ Top Books of 2018. Banner carefully conceals hidden motives and secrets to the startling conclusion. A well-written taut page-turning “whodunit”—hooks you from the first page and never lets up.

An utterly mesmerizing twisty tale. Where everyone is a suspect— in this chilling and atmospheric psychological thriller. Banner masterfully showcases her creative talent for a brilliantly plotted, character-driven, intense, and utterly addictive must summer read.

Set in the idyllic and peaceful Pacific Northwest, the book begins with Marissa (the nervous hostesses) a speech-language pathologist —at the home of her fiancé, Nathan Black. A stunning clifftop house in Tranquil Cove, an upscale community on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. A sleepy town of ten thousand residents, west of Seattle on the shores of Enchanted Bay.

The dinner party was to celebrate Nathan’s fortieth birthday and to announce their engagement and upcoming wedding in May.

Attendees:

Lauren and Jensen. They live next door to Nathan. Lauren and Marissa are old friends from childhood. However, something happened years ago, and Marissa is slowly allowing the voluptuous and manipulative old friend, Lauren back into her life. Can she trust her? Why did they buy the house next door to Nathan?

Lauren is drinking plenty of red wine and openly flirting with Nathan in front of her. FYI (Marissa and Jensen have a past). Lauren has no problem seducing men. Marissa wishes she had not invited her.

They were formerly best buddies, before college sharing hopes and dreams. Exactly when did their friendship crack apart? During college, they went their separate ways until the previous year when she got a job at the hospital.

Anna: Nathan’s daughter with his ex-wife Rianne. Anna has some stuttering problems, and Marissa is her therapist. This is how Marissa and Nathan met. Is she happy Nathan is getting married again or does she secretly want her parents to reunite? She continues to text her mom.

Uncle Keith and Aunt Hedra: Nathan’s brother (doctor) and his wife. Nathan and Keith do not get along. Strange vibes are going on between Nathan, Keith, and Hedra. Keith has a dark side (creepy). Mysterious.

Then at the dinner party, abruptly Lauren receives a text and is anxious to leave. She says from her daughter. Marissa confronts her about the falling all over Nathan. She says, “I need to talk to you.” However, Lauren needs to get back to the party, and Lauren says, “Tomorrow. It’s important. You want to hear this. It’s about Nathan.”

Then she is off. However, there is NO tomorrow.

Keith and Hedra stay overnight along with Anna. Nathan disappears in the middle of the night. Marissa took a sleeping pill.

The next morning, Marissa discovers Lauren’s body at the bottom of a cliff. Did she fall or was she pushed? Murder? Did she walk to the edge of the cliff and take a deliberate step into darkness? Or did she have too much to drink and slip?

What did Lauren’s message the previous night mean?

Despite Lauren’s behavior at dinner and the dark turn their friendship, Marissa wants to find out her murdered her. She is driving herself crazy. Detective Dan Harding is assigned to the case.

There was an umbrella. A scarf. All this seemed strange to Marissa since her old friend was terrified of heights and never wore scarves. The cops question everyone. Nathan and Lauren must protect Anna from the news, internet, violence, and death. She is fragile, and she may stop talking again. It is important for Marissa to learn what happened. The murderer is still out there, and it could be someone close.

With a cast of intriguing characters, including Arthur Nguyen, a sixty-something, divorced, family-law attorney. His wife left him, and he consoles himself by walking his terrier, Bert and pretends to fish in the pond in his backyard. He was unable to come to the dinner party. What did he see?

Also, Nathan seems very protective of Rianne (owner of a boutique consignment shop with some mental health issues) —Anna’s mother. Anna starts acting weird and disappears, and then Marissa suspects something between Nathan and Hedra. What is Anna afraid of and what is she hiding?

In the midst of all of this, Marissa is playing sleuth to get to the bottom of the mystery. Who murdered her former friend, Lauren and what was it she was going to tell her? She does not know whom to trust. Then the dress.

With a foreboding feeling of unease and darkness lurking, everyone is acting strangely. Who has a motive? Is there something more sinister at play? How do the dots connect all these players? Is Nathan the man she thought he was? What about Anna? Can people be both good and bad?

You must read this compelling mystery to discover the answers!

Banner does a masterful job of layering the mysteries in this fast-paced and unnerving suspense. An electrifying and addictive tale. The talented author has outdone herself. OMG, I stayed up two nights in the row to 3 am, hating to put it down and could not wait to get back to it. I was hooked. Loved it!

At 90% was dying. Banner knows how to build suspense and hold you there. There was never a lull in the pace. Often domestic suspense drags. Not the case here. There is non-stop action with multiple twists and turns and red herrings. A true talent of thriller writing. Movie-worthy. Will be fun choosing the cast.

The atmospheric setting, cliffside, the rain. You could almost hear, see, and smell. The attention to detail draws you in as you frantically turn the pages to see what is coming around the corner.

AFTER NIGHTFALL weaves an engrossing mystery —with richly developed characters in complex relationships, for an entertaining and compelling read.

All I could I could think about was another Big Little Lies and a TV series. Big screen or small screen, the setting, the characters, and the plot are prime time. From the beautiful front cover to each— and every page – a WINNER! (You must purchase the hardcopy. The embossing is luxurious). It is a coffee table book to showcase, not one to hide on a bookshelf.

Highly Recommend! Looking forward to seeing what is next.

A special thank you to the author, #NetGalley, and LakeUnion for an advanced reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks ( )

For me, this was an okay read. It had good characters, good plot twists and action. However, it just seemed to go on just a little too long.

Usually, I'm the one who is suspecting everyone in the book of "doing it" (the killing). However, in this book, Marissa, one of the main characters is making my head spin with all the characters that she is suspecting. And seriously? Everyone on that street has an emergency visit from the cops? That's a little extreme. And yes, I am rolling my eyes.

An okay read that seriously should have been shortened and with just a few less accidents and events going on.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. ( )

A special thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marissa Parlette and her former best friend, Lauren, have recently reconciled after not speaking for years. Marissa had extended an olive branch and invited Lauren and her husband to her engagement party. Only things aren't going so well, Lauren is blatantly hitting on her fiancé and doing so in front of her own husband. After a tense and awful night, Marissa's body is found at the bottom of a cliff. Did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she willingly step off?

Desperate to make sense of the tragedy, Marissa digs in. The party seems to have brought out the worst in her guests, even her fiancé is suspect. The more Marissa questions, the more she is left confused. Marissa ends up questioning everything she knows about her friends, the man she loves, and even questions herself.

I had the pleasure of reviewing The Twilight Wife and was impressed, but unfortunately this story fell a little flat for me, but Banner redeemed it at the end.

The plot is interesting with enough twists to keep the reader vested in the story. When looking at the synopsis, this appears to be a clever book with an interesting cast of characters that are connected enough to add another layer of mystery. However, the characters were not developed enough and neither was the backstory. For me this was the difference between 3 and 4 stars. ( )

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I read “The Good Neighbor” by A.J. Banner semi-recently, and enjoyed it. I was very much looking forward to reading this one! I enjoyed it, very fun read. When Lauren is found dead the morning after a dinner party with her friends, everyone is a suspect. I found that element very fun and engaging. I stayed up late the first night reading it because I couldn’t put it down, read 50% in one sitting.

My only criticism is that some of the storylines don’t end very neatly, and the ending felt a little rushed. I did like who the antagonist ended up being, but when I was finished there were some loose ends that I felt dissatisfied with. For example, what was Lauren going to tell Marissa about Nathan? What did Keith mean about Nathan’s character and history when he spoke to Marissa at the hospital? Was there an affair going on? More than one? All in all, a well-written murder mystery that I sped right through, which is always a compliment to the author because I just can’t stop reading! ( )

ll” by A.J.Banner Lake Union Publishing. August 21,2018

WOW!!! My head is actually spinning after reading “After Nightfall” by A.J. Banner. This is a captivating, intense, intriguing, enthralling, suspenseful and riveting novel!! A.J. Banner knows how to write that tense and on-edge story with her descriptions of the landscape and her characters. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller.

The authors describes her dysfunctional characters as complex, and complicated. Each character could be a suspect. There are betrayals, lies, secrets, and twists and turns. Marissa Parlette , is celebrating her engagement. She has invited her fiancé’s brother and wife, and a friend from the past, who is back in her life. This friend married Marissa’s former boyfriend years ago, and now has bought a house next door to Marissa’s fiance.

Not to worry, she won’t be around long. After flirting with the men at the table and Marissa’s fiance, the friend is found dead as the bottom of a rocky cliff. Was it a fall, or was she pushed? There are more clues discovered that seem to indicate that she was murdered.

There are threats, temperamental outbursts, and danger. Someone has also been in Marissa’s house. She is left a friendly welcome home plant, but discovers her bedroom trashed.

This is an amazing book that you really get involved with. It is very hard to put down. I highly recommend this sharp book for readers that enjoy an intense mystery. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. ( )

Marissa Parlette's best friend betrayed her in college and now, after years of not talking, she pops back into her life and seeks forgiveness. As a gesture of reconciliation Marissa invites Lauren to her engagement party. But Lauren has too much to drink. She's flirting. The night doesn't go quite as planned and the morning is even worse - Lauren's body is found at the bottom of a rocky cliff. Marissa is desperate to find the answers surrounding her death. She was scared of heights, so did she fall? Was she pushed? Did she mean to end her life? As she digs around for answers she begins to understand that everyone has secrets.

I love that cover! I was only going to read a chapter because I knew if I had plans to read it all the library books I have on hold would all come at once. After that first chapter I wasn't so sure I'd like the book that much. But then I was flying through the pages. I couldn't get enough. What happened to Lauren?! All the little tidbits are weaved together to create a clever story. Everyone is seen as suspicious, they all have secrets. I loved how the book ended. I was surprised at the big reveal, again I appreciate the cleverness, but I wasn't totally crazy about it. But this was still a tense, enjoyable page-turner for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC. ( )