<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36505283-after-nightfall" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="After Nightfall" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517595734l/36505283._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36505283-after-nightfall">After Nightfall</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13522695.A_J_Banner">A.J. Banner</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2651374411">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Compelling story!! I love A.J. Banner.
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Book Rating: 3.5/5 Rounded Up
Audiobook Rating: 5/5

Whew, a lot is going on in After Nightfall by A.J. Banner, and never a dull moment to say the least. The pacing was steady, and the story was interesting enough that it kept me completely invested until the very end. This is only my second time reading Banner and it was actually a bit better for me than the first book I read which was The Twilight Wife. I am fairly certain I didn't like a single character in this book, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the ride and I couldn't wait to see where it was going.

I loved the audiobook which is narrated by Teri Schnaubelt, and as per usual she did an amazing job. I always enjoy her narration and thought she excelled at bringing Marissa and all the messiness in this book to life. Secrets abound and I was never prepared for what would come next. I did knock a star and a half off due to some repetition and Marissa's complete idiocy at times (she could just not keep her mouth shut over certain things and it drove me bonkers), but overall, this was a solid read for me and I was shook by the reveal as well as the very end of the book.

I would recommend After Nightfall (especially on audio) to anyone looking for a quick, pacy, and surprising suspense novel!

New author for me, and I enjoyed the book. I liked this a lot and will read more from this author. The story got my attention and kept me reading, and enjoying from start to finish. Thank you for allowing me to read.

A super fast paced and entertaining whodunnit!

I seriously read this one in less than 24 hours. The page count is relatively short, the pace is fast, and you will want to know what happened ASAP.

It starts with a dinner party at Nate’s house where you get a bit of a background on the characters, and afterwards one of the guests is found dead. What happened? Was it an accident or a murder? Who knows something? These are all questions you will as yourself over and over as you read this book.

The main character, Marissa, suspects every single character of foul play at some point in the story and you will too. No one is to be trusted!

Definitely an entertaining whodunnit - I didn’t guess the culprit once again! 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for my advance copy. This book is available tomorrow!

This was fast paced thriller. Creepy and twisty just the way I like them. It was somewhat weird, but I like weird, and it weird done right

I was completely gripped by this story and was impressed with the writing quality. I was entertained throughout the story and would not hesitate to recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of escapism and my time out from a hectic world. The story grabs you from the outset and pulls you in and the storytelling really made it worth reading. Characterisation was on point and I know I will be looking out for new publications from this author or similar reads in the future. A recommended read.

Excellent thriller fraught with mystery and secrets. A very good read; I could never have figured this one out. It definitely kept me on the edge of my chair.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

I found this books writing to be well paced, engaging and I read it through quickly because I couldn't put it down. It is a good thriller! AJ Banner's writing is very descriptive and you are drawn in to her mind eye and you are there in the story.
Good job and I look forward to all her next books!

***I received an ARC of this book in return for a fair review.***

Previously, A. J. Banner authored the note-perfect The Twilight Wife, a tough act to follow. Now she is back with After Nightfall, a novel of betrayal, distrust, and murder.

The book opens with Marissa's and Nathan's engagement party. Alcohol fuels flirting and other tensions, and later that evening, one of the guests either jumps or is pushed from a cliff.

Marissa, obsessed with finding out what happened, turns into an amateur sleuth. As she discovers clues, she must confront her own complex relationship with the deceased. Twists and turns abound, including subplots that throw the reader off the scent in this edgy whodunit.

No one brings you into a scene better than A. J. Banner. The sights, sounds, smells...all are illuminated in great detail. In a thriller, those great (and small) details matter. Kudos to Banner for a well thought out plot and for covering those details well.

A few aspects of the story troubled me. The party attendees seemed like an odd gathering for such a happy event, consisting solely of people with whom the happy couple has some emotional baggage. It's a way to get all the suspects in the same room, but it doesn't quite work for me. However, the story heats up quickly after that.

Without going into spoiler details, Marissa's and Nathan's relationship puzzles me. There's a lack of communication and a surprising amount of distrust. They also seemed a bit unaware and dismissive of the needs of Nathan's daughter, Anna. I'm a stepmom, so I may notice this more than other readers. This also improves as the book unfolds, at least where Marissa is concerned.

The ending seems a tad rushed, in part because a crucial detail about the killer was left underdeveloped. However, the ending worked overall and the killer surprised me, so I consider this a small problem that doesn't diminish the story. Though I preferred The Twilight Wife, I still recommend this book.

This one is a quick, fast-paced read about the mysteries in the group of friends. You think you know them, but then - do you?

After the engagement party at Nathan's house, the new fiancée Marissa finds her friend/enemy Lauren dead, seemingly after the accidental fall at night. Yet, Lauren asked Marissa to talk before leaving the party, mentioning that there was something Marissa should know.

While the author could definitely get my attention in this guessing game of red herrings and possible motives, yet I was not able to care for the characters, which is a big deciding factor for me. The motives are quite smartly put out and there are definitive the surprise twists (some of them due to main character Marissa, who after some bad life experiences is overly suspicious). But I stayed cold towards the people in this story. So the verdict is: not bad, but not great.

A decent mystery with plenty and of suspects and motives for murder. Marissa and her fiancé Nathan invite friends and family over for dinner, only for one of the guests to mysteriously die hours later. Decent plot and mystery, it just felt like the story dragged on at times and that Marissa was a weak main character.

I really like this author's books. I recommend this book as well as all the author's other books. I look forward to more books by A. J. Banner.

Another great mystery by AJ Banner. After Nightfall will keep you on your toes and guessing until the last page. I was quickly engrossed and couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend for a great murder mystery.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a well done whodunit. Quick read that let me guessing and suspicious of everyone all the way to the big reveal. Although my goodness, who wouldn’t be suspicious of the woman who finds so many dead bodies. Sheesh. I was actually surprised the finger wasn’t pointed more at her!
Looking forward to reading more by Banner.

Wonderful , Murder and mayhem at it's best. Fast moving page turner with plot twist you won't expect . Kudos to the author on a job well done.

Like A.J. Banner's other domestic thrillers, After Nightfall is a white-knuckle, lip-biting, page-turning read!

I wasn’t sure when it started out, but then it got really good. I couldn’t stop until I found out what happened. Just when I thought all the ends were tied up, more details came out at the end, only to end abruptly, leaving me hanging. This was a 5 star read until the end, which is why I took one star off.
I would read Banner again. I enjoyed the story with all the twists and turns, despite the ending.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of After Nightfall by A.J. Banner.

Marissa has just reconnected with an old best friend after a long time of silence from a falling out But Marissa isn't sure if the renewed friendship is worth rekindling when Lauren spends the evening at a dinner party shamelessly flirting with Marissa's new fiance. But everything really spins out of control when Lauren turns up dead the next day. And while Marissa wasn't thrilled with Lauren's behavior, she certainly didn't want her dead, so who did?

I think my biggest hang up with this story on an ethical level was how completely obtuse and unsympathetic the main character was to a fellow woman who was CLEARLY experiencing domestic violence. Get over yourself lady!

This was an okay story, it was enough to keep me interested, but I've also read a lot better. The plot wasn't very strong, the protagonist wasn't very likable (probably for a reason, but still), and the ending, eh.

Thank you netgalley, Lake Union publishing and A.J. Banner.
This is my first read from this author and enjoyed it.
Suspenseful thriller with lots of twists and turns. Dark and twisted plot.
4 stars