This book is an amazing thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end! The cast of characters are complex and all could have wanted the victim dead! The setting itself lends its creepiness to the story! A lot of secrets are exposed as the story progresses. No one is who they seem. There are so many twists and turns and it truly keeps you guessing until the end! I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. All opinions are my own.

I was instantly intrigued by this book from the description and the cover, it was the complete package to draw me in. As the characters are introduced at Marissa's engagement party, I felt as though the lineup of suspects was being created. Everyone had a hint of a shady past or current events. The narration for me was a little hard to follow, I really wanted to get into Marissa's suspicion and drive to solve her friends death but I think for me, all of her baggage got in the way of making me feel as though she had a true connection to want to solve things. Overall though, it's a fast page turner with twists and turns to satisfy most readers.

After her best friend betrays her years ago, they both go their separate ways only to reconnect years later. Giving their relationship a second chance is hard. But, then it's cut short by a horrible accident that changes things forever. Nice book, fast paced. A lot of good characters.

Quick rainy day read. Enjoyable storyline, well written characters. I really was not sure who the culprit was, everyone was a possibility. Good quick read!

Marissa is hoping for the perfect dinner party but slightly nervous as tonight is the night she announces her engagement to Nathan. Tensions abound during the evening but the nightmare begins when her old school friend is found dead on the beach early next morning. Marissa sets out to find out what happened to her friend but the more she digs, the more she finds out about the people she thought she knew.

As the story unfolds you start to work through the suspects but then the story twists and sends you in a different direction. Some of the answers are predictable but others will keep you guessing right up to the end.

I received an uncorrected proof of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review - thank you for the opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed reading it

“After Nightfall” will keep you guessing late into the night! It’s an absolute page turner at its best. I couldn’t help putting myself in the main characters shoes, and really rooting for Marissa as she tries to uncover what happened to her friend Lauren. Trying to predict was addictive, yet the twists and turns always proved me wrong, that’s when you know you have a wining book on your hands! I stayed up late into the night, telling myself just one more chapter but every time I put it down I had to pick it back up to find out what happens! This is a must read that will take you on an adventure of a lifetime!

I received a galley from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover
I was curious about the cover. I knew right away it was a mystery, and I was pleased to find out that it was a marvelous whodunnit novel.

The Back Story
Thanks for NetGalley for providing me an advanced free copy of this book. It has been a while since I read a good psychological thriller. This genre seemed very trendy after “Gone Girl”, which I devoured, but then I had to take a break from all the “girl” mysteries. Now I’m glad that the ‘mystery’ break is officially over!

Personal Thoughts (Spoilers?)
Unreliable narrator – I feel like this is becoming a ‘must’ for all the trendy psychological thrillers. Usually, you suspect everyone and everything that is going on in the book. Here, it wasn’t the main focus of the plot, which I was glad about. I was getting tired of ‘psycho’ unreliable wives’ narratives, so its refreshing to read something different.
Keeps you guessing – I really wanted to figure out who the killer was, but my opinion kept changing and I never guessed correctly, which is what makes a murder mystery so great.
Rushed ending – The only dissatisfying point in the book is the rushed ending. Although I read who the killer was, the book ended very abruptly, not closing all loose ends, making the ending inconclusive and underwhelming. I hope that one more chapter, at least, will be added, since I read the uncorrected proof, there is still time to polish it up.
Overall, a very fast and enjoyable read, which keeps you guessing till the end!
Debut date: August 7 2018

This review first appeared at: https://svetareads.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/after-nightfall-book-review/

Fast-paced and intriguing. Some of the characters felt a little flat at times, but overall this is a satisfying, escapist read.

Love this book and this author! I think she does great at making sure the reader is questioning everything and everyone! I love how she develops her characters and draws the readers in and makes sure you keep questioning what's really happening up until the end!

My first AJ Banner book and absolutely not my last! The premise intrigued me tremendously when I read the summary and I'm glad I decided to read it, despite not being released for 4 more months! A backstabbing best friend, Lauren, is trying to worm her way back into Marissa's life, years after a terrible betrayal. When Marissa begins to let Lauren in a bit, Lauren turns up dead and Marissa finds her body! This book explores friendship and relationships and the impact of secrets on everyone involved. I loved theorizing what I thought was coming and being wrong every single time! To me, a good twist that I do not predict but still fits the story is a hallmark of a great story and a better writer. I'm looking forward to jumping back into prior novels of Banner's following this!

Thank you to Amazon publishing for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was ok full of twists and turns , but slightly predictable.

This was a good book, full of suspense and some plot twist that kept me guessing till the end.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review.

The book opens on a dinner party where Marissa and her fiance, Nathan are announcing their engagement. An old friend, Lauren, is there with her husband and despite that is flirting with Nathan. I think we've all had that friend, right? That no matter how happy you or she is in your respective relationships, she throws herself at your man simply because she needs affirmation and attention? Annoying!

Just that fact alone really sets the stage for the type of "friendship" that Marissa and Lauren have. More like keep your friends close and your enemies closer! But the evening goes on which seems like a nice party, but there is definitely tension there.

When Marissa finds Lauren's body at the bottom of a rocky cliff outside their home the next morning, the scene is set for a classic who-dunn-it. From the onset, I thought it was Nathan with the candlestick in the library. Not really. But its a fun situation (hmm, I find this fun), where we aren't sure who has motive (maybe everybody) and opportunity. Everybody is a suspect.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. You can put it down and pick right back up where you left it. The characters are clearly written and developed. I did think Marissa was a little bit of a sucker to let Lauren back into her life after what she and her husband had done to her in the past, but it's probably actually something I would do so....

Overall I definitely recommend this book for a good light, albeit slightly suspenseful beach read. Definitely more of a mystery than anything else. It releases in August, so it should time perfectly with whatever beach get-aways you have planned this summer

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a free e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

The story begins with a dinner party to celebrate Marissa and Nathan’s engagement. One of the guest is Lauren, Marissa’s former best friend. Lauren betrayed her trust in the past and swears she’s changed her ways, but after a night of alcohol induced flirting with her finance, Marissa isn’t so sure. The tension among the other guest is palatable and makes for an uncomfortable gathering.
Waking up in the middle of the night and discovering Nathan missing only exasperate the doubts that Marissa has started to have.
When Lauren’s body is discovered the next morning at the bottom of a rock covered cliff, her doubts only intensify. Was it an accident, was it murder, where was Nathan during those crucial hours?
This is the third book that I’ve read by this author and it doesn’t disappoint. A fast-paced, suspenseful, ‘who-done-it’, that will keep you reading long into the night. If you love a well-written, intelligent, psychological thriller, this is the book for you! I highly recommend it.

After Nightfall is a fast paced thriller with driving dialogue that spurred me to push myself past my bedtime, reading chapter after chapter, until my husband found me fast asleep with my iPad on my chest. AJ Banner kept me hooked, page after page. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the rocky coasts and gloomy skies set a fascinating backdrop for the inner struggles and secrets of the entire cast of characters, most notably Marissa and her fiance Nathan. Each reveal and twist shows us more about the darkness that has led each primary and secondary character into a web of deception and, as a result, suspicion is cast on each character in turn. Using the reader's own mistrust, AJ Banner presents her readers with problems that needs solutions in a world where simple resolutions are hard to find. At times chilling and morally blurred, After Nightfall is a perfect read for dark nights or beachy days.

I loved The Twilight Wife and I liked this one a lot too! Fast paced and gripping!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book for an honest review. This is my first review here!

I was first attracted by the cover of this book and the fact that it was a psychological thriller.

This was my first time reading A. J. Banner and I don't regret it!
I enjoyed the story. Easy to read and keeps you guessing who might have killed Lauren, or did she fall or jump? A good story, good plot. It doesn't take 100 pages before something happens! You want to keep on reading to find out what really happened, why...

I give it 4 stars because I thought there were too many characters thrown in from the start and it took some time to remember who is who, who's married to who, or divorced who...

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this book. I'll preface my review by saying that the e-copy I read was an uncorrected proof, which may have an impact on my thoughts.

The cover of the book, grabbed my attention and interest. I'd not read anything by this author before so I was going in with no preconceived notions. From the first, the contents grabbed my attention. The book style reminded me very much of Daphne du Maurier, a bit broody and a gothic thriller style, which was great. I really enjoyed reading the novel - it unfolded at a good pace, and there were quite a few twists and turns that kept the story interesting. I have to say, I didn't really like the characters in the book, with the exception of the protagonist and her best friend. Everyone else fell a bit short for me, and I found myself getting really angry at some of the reactions and circumstances. I found some things a bit too pat, and some a bit unrealistic. Maybe that's the sign of a good read though - bringing emotions to the surface. The novel wasn't too predictable at all, and it didn't shy away from addressing deep issues (domestic violence, broken friendships and families, psychology through art, for example). I read through the book quite quickly because I just couldn't put it down. The ending was satisfying if a bit abrupt... I'm not sure if I like how it ended exactly, I feel like there was no conclusion, just an... end. It's not a bad thing, and it left me thinking afterwards, so again, another sign of a good book if I keep thinking about it afterwards.

As I said, this was the first book of the author's that I've read... but it certainly won't be the last.

After Nightfall has everything and more that you could want from a psychological thriller. This book will keep you guessing till the very end with many twists and turns just when you think you have it figured out. The suspense was great and sometimes chilling. I highly recommend this book.

If you love suspenseful, nail biting novels, you will love this book as much as I did! It kept me on pins and needles. I was kept guessing on who did what to whom until the very end! You will definitely not want to put this book down once you start reading it.