3.25 Stars* (rounded down)

Marissa couldn’t be happier - she has finally found the man of her dreams: Nathan, a single dad to Anna, and an EMT. Kind, caring and loving - he is everything she has been looking for. If only Marissa’s former best friend Lauren didn’t ruin their engagement party by all out flirting with her fiancé, it’s so embarrassing! Especially with Lauren’s husband Jasper watching. Lauren has some nerve! When Marissa and Nathan announce their engagement, Lauren panics, dashing out - yet before she leaves she informs Marissa that she must tell her something important .. about Nathan. Later that night however - and before Lauren has the chance to talk to her former bestie, the unthinkable happens, Lauren’s body surfaces on the cliffs outside her beachfront home. Coincidence? Time will tell.

Marissa is devastated by Lauren’s death as they had neglected to heal the rift that tore their friendship apart years prior. Now Marissa feels that it is her mission to find Lauren’s murderer, with or without the Police Department’s help. Little does Marissa know that honesty is not everyone’s best or favorite policy. Once she finds this out, tension mounts.

“After Nightfall” is a fast-paced, enjoyable read that felt a bit more like a YA novel than an adult mystery / suspense to me. It was however, an entertaining book that kept me engrossed up till the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and A.J. Banner for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 8.21.18.

Marissa and Nathan get engaged in front of their dinner guests. He has been married before and has a daughter. Early the next morning, while on a walk, Marissa finds her childhood friend at the bottom of a cliff in front of Nathan’s home. Marissa calls the police. This will not be the only time that she calls the detective. Did Lauren fall or was she pushed? A.J. Banner does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing. There are so many twists and turns.... I felt the story was fast paced and enjoyable.

This is a short, quick, and engaging story. It reads easily and would make a terrific beach read. The cover is <i>gorgeous.</i>

The premise is good, and it gives us many avenues of guessing to what could've happened to Lauren that night. Was it the husband? The daughter? Nathan? Was it suicide?...so many questions! Marissa is determined to get the answers to find out who killed her friend NO.MATTER.WHAT. She's determined, that one, for sure. I just didn't like her one bit and found myself rolling my eyes at her actions constantly. I won't say why. I will let you make your own decisions about her. Please, don't let my judgment of the character prevent you from reading the story, though. Most likely I am biased and being judgmental.

The book was entertaining and definitely a page-turner.


I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for your approval!

I recieved a free digital copy of this book to supply a fair and honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to care about the characters and the twists. But I found it difficult to get into this book.

None of the characters seem genuine, and I struggled to like any of them. Everyone was made a little too perfect so when anything was revealed about them, it wasn't surprising-of course they would have this major issue or darkness because otherwise they would be completely perfect.

In addition, the plot's pacing was off to me, particularly at the beginning. The beginning of the book didn't feel natural or believable-it felt like everything just happened to be able to label everyone as a suspect. It all felt so very forced.

My last issue with this novel was the fact that the author spent a lot of time expecting you to make links between information he supplied without him giving enough for you not to catch on until a little too late. Everything could have been supplied much more fluidly. (For example, very early in the novel, the author suddenly begins referring to two characters by their last name without ever giving their last name, only giving one hint that it took me a moment to connect and felt so odd to me.)

Overall, I can definitely see where some people would enjoy this novel. It's definitely not a BAD novel. I just couldn't get into it because it felt like it was trying so hard.

EXCERPT: I'm close enough now to see. The pile of kelp is not kelp at all, and it's not a clump of clothing. It's a woman in a long black coat. She’s lying on her stomach, her head turned to the side, her legs at a peculiar angle, one bent backward. She’s barefoot. Her dark hair blows across her face.

I rush toward her, kneel next to her. I'm lightheaded, afraid I might faint. I try to shake her, but she doesn't respond. A part of me pulls back, suspended outside my body, watching from a distance. Behind her, a rockslide has left a large pile of debris at the bottom of the cliff. She must have fallen. All the way down. Time slows. The world backtracks. I see her the way she was only yesterday, her magnetic smile, the black sheath dress clinging to her curves. I'm leaning over her now, shouting at her to wake up, say something, but she doesn't move. Her cheek feels cold to the touch. Her lips are blue; her eyes have turned to clouded marble.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Beware of friends with secrets…

Imagine your closest friend utterly betraying you. Years later, when she seeks forgiveness, you invite her to your engagement party as a gesture of reconciliation. But seething hostilities rise to the surface, ruining everyone’s evening. After an awful night, your friend’s battered, lifeless body is found at the bottom of a rocky cliff.

Newly engaged Marissa Parlette is living this nightmare. She should be celebrating her upcoming wedding, but she can’t shake the image of her friend lying dead on the beach. Did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she take a purposeful step into darkness? Desperate for answers, Marissa digs deep into the events of the party. But what she remembers happening after nightfall now carries sinister implications: the ugly sniping, the clandestine meetings, the drunken flirtations. The more she investigates, the more she questions everything she thought she knew about her friends, the man she once trusted, and even herself.

MY THOUGHTS: 'Holy Canoly Batman!' What a ride that was!

I had previously read The Good Neighbor by A. J. Banner and really enjoyed it, but she has taken her writing to a whole new level with After Nightfall. These people have history, a very mixed bag of it. There is infidelity, lies and flirtations, jealousies and resentments, a mixed up teenager and an even younger child, the product of a broken home, and death. No wonder Marissa's loyalties are all over the place. No wonder she sometimes doesn't know which way is up. No wonder she doesn't know who to trust.

I didn't always like Marissa, but when I stopped to think about it, had I been in her shoes, I don't know that I would have acted any differently.

At first this seems like a fairly stock standard family drama. But it slowly morphs into something deeper. Nothing is as it seems. The clues all point in different directions. The outcome is surprising. I raced through the second half of this book, unable to put it down until I had turned the final page in the early hours of this morning. I will be a definite starter for her next novel.

😍😍 😍 😍.5

THE AUTHOR: A. J. Banner grew up reading Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier, and other masters of love and mystery. She enjoyed sneaking thrillers from her parents' library, which gave her excellent fodder for her first two novels of psychological suspense, The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife. The Good Neighbor was a #1 Kindle bestseller for 34 days in a row, and The Twilight Wife became a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller. Born in India and raised in North America, she always dreamed of writing gripping stories in which nothing is what it seems. She's hard at work on her next novel in her home office overlooking a Pacific Northwest forest.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of After Nightfall by A. J. Banner for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

After Nightfall by A.J. Banner

Brief Summary: The morning after her engagement party Marissa finds her longtime friend Lauren dead on the rocks of the beach. Recently reunited after being estranged, Marissa sets out to find out how Lauren died; did she jump off the cliff or was she pushed? This was my first read by this author.

Highlights: By far the best aspect of this book is that Banner successfully casts doubt on all the characters; even the children. After you read so many thrillers, you develop your own skills for figuring out the plot twists. While this novel didn’t stun me, it did keep me guessing until the satisfying ending. It is a quick, easy, and enjoyable read; perfect for a quick summer trip.

What makes this book unique?: That everyone was a suspect. I literally had 2 candidates and wouldn’t have been surprised by 1-2 more. I did not suspect the actual ending.

Explanation of Rating 4/5: This book kept me reading, but the plot twists didn’t blow me away. Also, SPOILER ALERT domestic violence plays a role in the plot. At one point the main character discusses this with the survivor in front of her abuser. The author didn’t take the opportunity to show that this can actually increase the severity and frequency of abuse.

Psychology Factors: domestic violence is part of the plot. I wish that the author would have given the main character the awareness not to discuss this in front of a perpetrator and survivor. I also wish she would have given more details on how to leave an abusive relationship; e.g. strategies, resources, and supports used. Of note, I did like the safe shelter and have always wondered how they handle when abusers figure out where a survivor is hiding.

This is a great summer book perfect for someone busy who wants a quick and satisfying read. I wont miss this author’s future work and have added her previous novels to my TBR pile.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

A must Read for Crime lovers. The plot is sound with enough twists to turn pages automatically. I eagerly waited for this book a very long time. Thanks to Lake Union for an early copy!

Wow make sure you're tightly strapped in for this rollercoaster of a book. It's an exhilarating ride with twists and turns and a few drops that will have your heart lodged in your throat. If you're looking for a twisty well written thriller then pick up this winner because you will feverishly be turning pages from the very beginning until the very end. And just when you think you have things figured out she whips you around another sharp corner at warp speed. Happy reading !

The celebratory dinner should have been just that, a time to celebrate her upcoming wedding but Marissa’s enthusiasm is diminished by some of the actions of her guests and her own growing sense of unease at having brought her best friend back into her life.

The dinner is fraught with tension from all of the guests, snide remarks, unreadable looks and Marissa lays all fault with her friend after all Lauren has always been selfish and self-centered. The next morning on her walk to the beach she finds Lauren’s body, bruised and lifeless along the shore.

Marissa recalls details from the previous evening that make her question those around her and their intentions. Who could have wanted to hurt Lauren and who would have the most to gain by her death? In addition Marissa is now unsure of her own feelings towards her fiancé but when she questions him she doesn’t know if she is wanting to hear the truth.

I thought this novel started out with a lot of great tension, and I could clearly envision a dinner gone awry. As the novel progresses everyone is a suspect and the author provides the reader just enough background to go from believing it is one suspect to doubting yourself and moving on to the next. I found this to be a good thriller and will look for more by this author.

If I had to describe the writing of A.J Banner in a word, I would choose "hooked" because that is exactly what happens to me when I read the first page of a novel she has written.

I read The Twilight Wife a few years back in a single sitting so I was thrilled when #cjsreads decided to buddy read her newest release, After Nightfall, for one of our August picks. This novel was no different from The Twilight Wife in regards to the amount of time it took me to read it as I read this one in a single sitting.

Essentially, this novel encompasses the basic plot for a noteworthy thriller. Lying husband? Check! Suspicious wife? Check! A dead body? Check!

I find Banner's prose to be very realistic and easy to absorb; this is probably why I am able to sit down and binge read her books. However, I do find (and I had similar feelings with The Twilight Wife) that the conclusions are a little predictable. I am able to predict the ending pretty early on to the plot. Did this make After Nightfall less enjoyable? Not for me. However, I could see that being an issue for some readers.

I think this would be an awesome lighter, thriller to bring to the beach. Fan of Liane Morarity or SJ Watson? I think After Nightfall would suit your fancy just fine!

From the synopsis, I was ready for a page turner that would be hard to put it down, so I specifically picked it to take on a beach weekend. There was a bit of drama, but for me this one wasn't the page turner I was hoping for and there was just too much drama that was separate from the main story.

So the main focus is a woman who is found dead at the bottom of a cliff and trying to find out how she ended up down there after a dinner party. This is definitely a big chunk of the book - the search to find out if anyone is responsible for her death and I was satisfied with the final culprit. BUT there was so much extra drama that just didn't feel like it fit with the rest of the story.

All of this being said, I liked her writing and her characters. I was definitely interested in finding out which character had the biggest reason to be involved in the possible murder. I would read another book by AJ Banner, but I would want to be completely in love with the synopsis before I did so.

I have read The Good Neighbor, but haven't read The Twilight Wife, should I pick that one up?

Marissa appears to have a wonderful life until the night of her engagement. An old friend ends up mysteriously dying and no one seems to know how. With many characters that have interesting stories it keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
This was my first A.J. Banner book but I will definitely be reading more . Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Love it! It's a page turner. I would definitely recommend this to my friends. This is a wonderfully sweet and story. The author perfectly captured the best of life that I will most remember.. So overall, I give this book 4 stars.

What a great suspense novel that has you on the edge of your seat right up to the last page. Night of Marissa engagement party her world turns upside down. Leaving her questioning her relationship with her friend Lauren. Would Lauren commit suicide or was it something else? All relationships in Marissa life now seem to be on shaky ground.

When Marissa reconnects with childhood best friend Lauren she never expected her life to be flipped upside down by Laurens murder.
Now Marissa must navigage the lies and truths told by her fiancee,his daughter and their family.
In this twisty novel of murder and lies, who is telling the truth?

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I thought the mystery was pretty well planned out. I didn't call the solution, so that was a nice surprise. However, I had a hard time liking any of the characters. Especially Marissa. I did admire her drive to figure out what happened to her friend. But when she finds out what Nathan was doing late at night, I couldn't get behind her reaction. I don't want to spoil it, but I was seriously disappointed in how she didn't believe him. It seemed false and kind of made me lose respect for her. There is a small twist at the end that didn't really fit and I felt like it was thrown in for shock value. Especially since the book just ends.

The book is well written, I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to. It's one of those books that you will have to read and decide for yourself.

Marissa and Nathan are engaged to marry. Nathan is divorced and the father of Anna who shares her time with him and her mother. Marissa has invited Nathan’s brother, Keith and his wife, Hedra, to dinner to announce their engagement. In addition, she has invited neighbors, Lauren and Jensen. When they were young girls, Marissa and Lauren were best friends. When Lauren betrayed Marissa, their friendship broke apart. Now that they are neighbors, Marissa wants to forgive her and bring her back into her life.

At the party, Lauren drinks too much and ends up flirting with Nathan. This, in turn, angers Lauren’s husband, Jensen. Lauren gets a call from her teenage daughter, Brynn, and says she has to leave to go get her. Before she goes out the door, Lauren whispers to Marissa that she needs to tell her something about Nathan. But that doesn’t happen, because the next day Lauren is found dead on the beach having fallen off a cliff.

Marissa is determined to find out on her own what happened to Lauren. Did she jump or was she pushed? When strange things occur, Marissa finds herself questioning everyone.

This is a good story that makes the reader ponder who the possible murderer could be. I questioned all of the characters, including Marissa. They all seemed to have a motive for wanting Lauren gone. I think the story dragged in the middle and centered a bit more on Anna than was truly necessary. Marissa takes a lot of risks which is what I suppose the so-called heroine of a mystery book does. I’m sure readers will enjoy this story.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing & NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book - all opinions are my own,

This was a book that surprised me entirely - the synopsis of the story had caught my attention, but I certainly didn't anticipate the amount of twists and turns that were going to be thrown at me.

Synopsis: Marissa and Lauren were the best of friends in childhood, until Lauren betrays Marissa horrifically, ending their relationship. Years later, their paths have crossed again and they are on the path of forgiveness, until the night of Marissa's engagement Lauren ends up dead.

This book was a quick, easy read for me - the perfect fit for a hot summer day, reading in the sun. I love books where you have a selection of characters who are all seemingly flawed, and you can clearly trust not one single one of them. There were so many terrific red herrings in this book, that I couldn't help but be completely surprised with each new twist. And that doesn't come close to my surprise at the end - the final twists are beyond crazy.

Without question, this book is the perfect fit for readers who love a mix of mystery and character/domestic drama - you might find yourself like me, completely shocked when things start going right off the rails!

FirstLine ~ Lauren is flirting with my fiance over the dinner I spent hours preparing.

I have to say that EVERY book that Banner has written has caused me to become anti-social because I wanted to do nothing else but read her brilliant stories. She writes books that keep calling you back and stay in your mind when are forced to do stuff like work and run errands. I loved After Nightfall because Banner created a story that I wanted to escape into because she wrote a compelling story with characters that kept my interest. Banner crafted a mystery with unexpected twists and turns and kept me guessing. Then ended with a conclusion that was shocking and satisfying. She is one of the best out there. I loved how well plotted this book was. She takes you down paths and sprinkles information along the way...as a reader you are eagerly eating up the information and buzzing through the pages. After Nightfall is genius and one of my favorite books of the year!!!! A MUST READ!!!

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.