POISON.....a perfect title!

But perfect family....not by a long shot. At first, all seems well with the Connor's and their three children...new city, great jobs, even a new house, but it doesn't take long for the lies and mind games to begin.....it is then that life turns scary and more dangerous with each passing day.

CAREFUL who you trust. BEWARE of every action. Some are truly frightening....and lethal. (Gave me the creeps!)

Overall, I was totally engaged in the story, but had a few issues with it too....a mother putting her children in harms way for one, and the ending....a bit too abrupt for my liking. I was also left with unanswered questions about motives and characters....a prologue perhaps could have tied it all up nicely.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for reaching out via NetGalley with an early reading opportunity!

Thanks to Netgalley, I was given the chance to read this ebook prior to its release. Cass Connor, works as a journalism professor, has three children, and is married to Ryan, an architect. The youngest child is his, the other two are from a previous marriage and the father of those children has died. As Cass experiences more and more symptoms of illness, she slowly realizes her husband is trying to poison her. But her efforts to get him arrested meet with giant obstacles. At this point, the credibility of Cass comes into play. Would you stay with someone who was trying to kill you, just to get him the proper punishment?

Although the plotting is good, some minor details niggled at me. The book takes place in Seattle, which is all well and good. The author uses fake place names for the most part. But when they go to their cabin for a getaway, they take a ferry across Lake Washington into Puget Sound and on to an island two hours away. There is no ferry on Lake Washington and we don’t have a ferry crossing that takes two hours. Why mix fact with fiction when it comes to setting?

It’s a good, solid read with lots of tension. I just couldn’t believe the heroine would put her life in jeopardy like she did.

I did not want to put this book down. Even though the plot was pretty direct, it did have a lot of excitement that pulled me through the story. It is very believable and I enjoyed the explanations of the poisons so that I would have a better understanding how she was being manipulated. It also pointed out a key problem with the justice system and how the woman, even if they are the victim, has the burden of proof and is seen as dissevering of their abuse.

Several times I found myself confused about the timeline. I would have really like to have had dates attached to each chapter. Sometimes I thought several days had passed when it was actually the same day. The book also ended abruptly. I would have liked a little more of an explanation.

I would still highly recommend this book. It was a quick and easy read that is very well written.

Cass met Ryan after the death or her first husband. Her Mother never liked Ryan but Cass was in love and wanted a second chance at happiness. After they were married, Cass and Ryan moved with her two young children to Portland to start a new life for their family. Soon they have a child of their own to complete their family. Cass and Ryan seem like the perfect couple and Cass appears to be happy until she starts to notice little things that are off. First lies, then angry denials, omission of the truth, acts of cruelty and eventually threats.

Just what the heck is going on in this book!?! This is a psychological thriller which captured my attention from the very first page. I sat and read this book in basically one reading. I had to know just what was happening, how it was happening, is what is happening real, is there an unreliable character or is one of the characters a dangerous and evil person?

I enjoyed how Cass started out as strong and intelligent but as the story progressed she appeared to weaken and make bad choices, as in really bad choices. I never really cared for her husband Ryan as he appeared manipulative and too syrupy sweet from the start and soon changed into a defensive, controlling and horrible person. I also did not find the whole neighbor angle to be believable and how Cass could trust someone she does not know so completely. That part seemed a little too convenient.

This book has a fast pace and there is always something happening which keeps the reader engaged in the story even if not everything is plausible or for me believable. The ending came really fast and out of left field for me.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this book. I did sit and read it in one sitting. I just found some things to be off. Overall it is an enjoyable psychological thriller.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Poison was an unexpected read for one- one that I truly enjoyed even when I wasn't so sure about it. The fact that a book can surprise like this one has me is brilliant!

This is a psychological thriller/ drama novel that shows the slow disintegration of marriage through a series of social issues that are near and dear to many readers. The characters are extremely well thought out and realistic even if they sit on the edge of creepiness. And the plot? unexpected and stunning!

I really LOVED the writing style of the book. The descriptions of the home life were so clear, and it was just something about those passages that really spoke to me. So, I enjoyed the book in large part due to the writing. The plot itself was good and kept me engaged, but I was left confused at parts. I felt like maybe there was something missing at times, like it seemed like we jumped from a relatively happy marriage to the husband trying to murder Cass with no real explanation of why, unless I missed it. Some of the choice Cass made left me scratching my head, so I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I would have liked. Overall, I did enjoy it!

I enjoyed the read. I was sure she was being poisoned but kept wondering was it all in her head. Liked how all the characters fit together to the story. Was a bit too wordy and descriptive to me in some areas. All together a suspenseful read.

Cass and Ryan have a storybook romance: he is handsome, successful, loving and the perfect stepfather to her children Pete and Alice, and also the proud loving father of their own two year old, Sam. Yet Ryan suffers from anxiety and dark moods when he's off his meds and the bottle in the medicine cabinet is full. Cass knows because she started keeping track after the last incident, and now she has started questioning her own sanity. How far would a spouse go to get what he wants? Cass is about to find out and the truth could destroy her.

"If I'm crazy, you drove me to it."

Poison is one of those tricky reads. I think you'll either love it or hate it, no in between. The writing style is different than how most books I read are written, so it took some getting used to, to really get into the words and see what was being said without thinking about how it sounded too much.

I loathed the husband of this story, which is kind of the point. Job well done. I couldn't believe half the things that came flying out of his mouth.

I felt sorry for the heroine, for her children and everything they were put through. Then some of the things she did herself, had me questioning her sanity.

"They are in a game of cat and mouse. But who is the cat and who is the mouse?"

The first half of Poison is a lot of background, leading us up to the grand finale that is the last half of the book. Once I hit the halfway mark, I couldn't put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen and was biting my nails in suspense that *hopefully* justice was found.

There are plenty of twists and turns. Things you think you know, then there's a lovely little plot twist thrown into the mix.

Overall, I enjoyed this slow burn -mystery/thriller.

The story and plot are pretty straightforward but the storytelling is top notch and kept me riveted from start to finish.

Rounding up from a 3.5 star rating. Mainly because it took me a third of the way through to get interested in this book. However, once I did, I never lost interest. The first third felt like the author was trying to hit a word count any way possible. It was slightly frustrating. Once the plot picks up, it never lets go. Cass is married to Ryan, she has two children from a previous marriage and a baby, new life, new house, with Ryan. Once we transition from happy home to POISON - it takes off. I felt that this switch happened a little too suddenly. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if there was going to be a twist, and if so, what. I wont say either way - but I do enjoy a book that makes me think that way. I was satisfied with the ride, with the main character (shes so real and honest and relatable too. She was also smart, definitely not one of those characters you just want to reach out and smack! I enjoyed her thinking - and found myself wishing the book was in first-person rather than third. Another downside was there was SUCH A UNIQUE concept in this book that didn't get fully taken advantage of. I would have loved more of the "cell phone" stuff. Not using it more made it less realistic. Overall I definitely enjoyed the book. It makes you think. Its also a little scary. I just don't like to provide TOO many details in a review - this is one I recommend going in BLIND ;)

See link to goodreads review

I went into this not expecting to be so hooked! This book is incredibly well written, if a little wordy, and the characters are well fleshed out. I read this in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down, I had to find out if Ryan was actually trying to kill Cass or if it was all in her head. Highly recommend to fans of psychological thrillers.

This book sounded interesting, I am always a sucker for a book about a marriage gone wrong. And at first i was interested but it soon became a little drawn out for me. I found some parts hard to believe, it would be very hard for a women to knowingly put her and her children in danger of being poisoned after she knew her husband was doing so. I understood that she had to go above and beyond since no one believed her but I was questioning her decision making for most this book. But I read it and did enjoy it in bits and pieces throughout. I did like the ending as well, it wasn't amazing but it made sense with the story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Wow. This book had me hooked. When Cass' husband Ryan tells her he is going to kill her, he means it. And the journey is completely terrifying. Very well written, if a bit too wordy in spots. I couldn't put it down til I got to the ending. I really enjoyed it.

Good. Lord. I'm finding it difficult to put my feelings about this book into words. Niederhoffer's writing is exquisite, at times lilting and lyrical, but always strong and meaningful. Cass is a raw, honest woman, a character drawn from and brought to life. A single mother, widowed, she marries Ryan, and they have another baby together. Their life seems perfect, as perfect as anyone's life can be - loving parents, well-behaved children, jobs, a new house, a steady relationship.

But that, of course, doesn't make for an interesting story. Things start to disintegrate, the relationship between Cass and Ryan breaking down, until his true colours rear up. Cass begins to feel unwell, and soon believes that Ryan is to blame. He is poisoning her, not just with his words or his actions, but with arsenic. He's trying to kill her, and nobody - certainly not the police or the courts - believe her. So begins her battle against the system, a system that doesn't listen to women, or take our word for anything. A system that blames victims, rewards perpetrators, supports misogyny and upholds patriarchy.

The feminist perspective was very much welcome, and poignant, in today's world. Where women's rights are at the forefront of many minds, anything that delves into what women have to deal with - male violence, sexual assault, workplace sexism - is, sadly, necessary.

This story is, of course, made all the more harrowing by the discovery that this is almost autobiographical. After finishing Poison, I did what I usually do, and looked for the author on social media. No luck, but a Google search did bring up a bunch of articles about her battle with her ex-husband over the custody of her son, and her allegation that her ex-husband had attempted to poison her with arsenic. To read these articles moments after I'd finished the novel gave the experience an almost other-worldly feel. Can what I'm reading be true? I thought. It all felt rather unreal. But we women know all about male violence, don't we.

I couldn't seem to find anything on the resolution of the case - perhaps it's still ongoing - but my hope is that the author was as triumphant as her character Cass was, in the end.

When we first meet Cass, she appears be living a life of domestic bliss oth her sec lo nd husband Ryan and her young children.

Cass has been burnt though, having already already suffered he loss of a first husband and having experienced emotional abuse and neglect from her own parents.Perhaps that s why she is so keen to assert he reality to her law school students that the testimony of an abused woman in court is often discounted.

She has reason to learn be truth of this first hand.L

The Blurb accompanying tell us that this novel is a study of how small sins of omission can in time push the best of marriages into unstoppable tipping point of destruction, where loved end up as murderous adversities in the blink of an eye, but that was not my experience here.

It is rather just apparent that the narrator never really knew her husband. What seemed like an enduring risqué essential and edginess in behaviour takes on a far more sinister countenance once he apparently loses interest in her and develops a roving eye. No doubt the narrator is familiar with sociopathic behaviour and what it means, as Ryan's is textbook.

Especially in using gaslighting. You are just imagining it. He no doubt realises what it must sound like to the outside world if a woman then declares to the world that her husband is poisoning her through his cooking and through everything she touches and that neighbours and babysitters are accessory to the fact....

Can Cass bud a case against her ex?

The reader will have to find that out for themselves.

It is possible to get the sense that the author has been through much of the betrayal and lack of validation of her heroine, though Poison is objectively written and without any sense that this is just venting. This is a good read for those who enjoy thrillers of the 'is this real or is the threat all in the mind' stripe.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Cass presented as a strong and intelligent woman who had faced some tragedy in her life but been able to move on. She had little to no emotional support from either of her parents yet still grew into a compassionate and capable woman and mother.

The problems in her marriage, although supposedly subtle at first seemed glaringly obvious to me. There was a lack of respect from her husband that to me seemed apparent from the start. He gave off a general feeling of ill will and derisiveness. An insult said with a smile is still insulting, Overriding of a woman's parental authority done with an air of fun, is still disrespectful.

Towards the halfway point of the story and beyond I just found that it strained believability. I can't say much without giving away the plot but I just found it hard to believe a woman of her intelligence would make such choices, or give out personal information so easily to people she had no reason to trust. There were also some medical and safety issues with the children that if faced with in reality a person would seek immediate help. Since Cass was a journalist I would have expected her to have better sense.

The idea of a mom trying to have it all with a perfect home life plus career isn’t a new theme in literary works or even hard to grasp as it seems most moms these days are trying to walk the tightrope between ‘mom’, ‘wife’, and ‘employed’ rarely feeling like they aren’t about to fall off the edge. Niederhoffer took those insecurities we are hesitant to admit publicly or even to ourselves and created Cass to become a symbol for all women who face this struggle. The only part of her personality that doesn’t quite fit this mold is when the author asks us to suspend our belief in it by agreeing despite her education, strength, career focus and love of her children she would suddenly act in a contrary manner by allowing her and them to be in dangerous situations.

Niederhoffer does offer a probably explanation for the perceived lack of congruity but it still took a bit out of the story even though her behavior was necessary for the plot device – a paradox I guess.

As someone with a medical background I had a bit of trouble believing in the accuracy of how poison and its effects were used, I felt that needed a bit of work especially as there’s plenty of more plausible examples on CSI, Criminal Minds, etc that could’ve been lifted if you didn’t want to risk the government checking in on why you’re researching how to kill someone with poison.

Aside from my probably over nit pickiness of those minor details she did a good job of setting up the happy family ideal so it made it feel all that much worse when it imploded. You really feel for Cass becoming essentially mentally unhinged thanks to her husband. You have to stop yourself from checking the list of qualifications for a Psychopath to see if Ryan fit’s cause his behavior gets a ‘little’ scary. All of the drama, suspense, and danger unfolds at the perfect pace to keep you hanging in there but not anxious for it to get to the point.

Considering how often we’ve heard in the media lately about the legal system’s habit of discrediting women and disbelieving claims of domestic violence she did a remarkable job of bringing the good and the bad of those issues out within the confines of her story. There are many themes contained within that are probably going to make you think “Cosby Trial” thanks to how the idea of a female victim is portrayed.

Why are men so lazy as to go to the ‘woman is mentally unstable’ ploy? Can you not be more original? The answer is probably because it’s a guaranteed win – how are we supposed to fight against something the legal system doesn’t require proof of?

As a woman it was a hard book to read but that’s a credit to the author that I’m walking away feeling something rather than nothing.

Ugh, this book. What a train wreck. I didn't find any of the characters likable at all, not even Cass, and I got utterly confused by all the poison discussion. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.