Pre-Pub Book Buzz: The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly

Like any other reader out there, I love it when an author wows me so much that I just have to have more. Erin Kelly's fabulous and dark debut, The Poison Tree, was one of those books. In fact, in finding the original post to link up here, I realized I even called it a WOW read. Haha. Didn't remember that.

Anywho, when I saw that Kelly's second book was releasing soon, I immediately put it on the wishlist/must buy list. I was lucky enough to get a copy for review and am taking a brief break from it to put up a pre-pub post. The Dark Rose is due out on Thursday, Feb 2, so if you like deliciously dark psychological thrillers/mysteries, mark your calendar! (And The Poison Tree is due out in paperback Tuesday, Jan 31.)

Here's the description from Kelly's website (note the UK title is The Sick Rose):

Paul has been led into a life of crime by his schoolyard protector, Daniel – but one night, what started as petty theft escalates fatally. Now, at nineteen, Paul must bear witness against his friend to avoid prison.

Louisa has her own dark secrets. Having fled from them many years ago, she now spends her days steeped in history, renovating the grounds of a crumbling Elizabethan garden. Her fragile peace is shattered when she meets Paul; he's the spitting image of the one person she never thought she'd see again.

A relationship develops between these two scarred people, and Louisa starts to believe she can again find the happiness she had given up on... but neither of them can outrun their violent pasts.

A story of secrets and guilt, The Sick Rose explores the extremes of obsessive love and loyalty, devotion and desperation.

And here's an interesting piece wherein Kelly talks about the upcoming book and some of her inspiration:

A WOW Debut!

It's hard for me to get motivated to do much when it's cold and nasty out. Fortunately one of the few things that I can always get up the energy to do is read. Yep. So having a stack of fabulous fiction on hand at all times is pretty much a requirement in my house (it's rubbing off on my husband as well).

Last week I dove into Erin Kelly's debut, The Poison Tree. Now, I'm a huge fan of UK psychological suspense. Something in their school of writing is just so different from other books in terms of tone and style and Kelly's book is no different.

Fans of Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters, and Nicci French will truly enjoy Erin Kelly. (And at risk of throwing too many names at you, I'll add two more: Claire Seeber and Sophie Hannah. I've linked to a few of the ones I've posted on in past years in case you're interested in taking a look.)

The Poison Tree is the story of three friends, one magical summer, and the tragic event that changes their lives forever. Karen Clarke meets Biba Capel by accident one afternoon, but that afternoon changes everything for Karen. Biba and her brother Rex live in a world that is unlike anything Karen has ever imagined. They are free and open and basically everything Karen is not. But she wants to be part of their lives at almost any cost. As they spend more and more time together, however, Karen learns that there are secrets hidden in the siblings' pasts. It all comes to an end with one horrible afternoon. Ten years later, it is Karen who is picking up Rex from prison. As she and her daughter welcome Rex back into their lives, she reflects back on the path that led to this present. But can she continue to keep the secrets that she's harbored for over a decade?

My synopsis does this book no justice. Agh! It's one of those cases where I really don't want to give too much away, but the plot is quite complex to be summed up in just a paragraph. Suffice it to say it's fantastic! And just when you think you have it all figured out, Kelly adds another wrinkle to the mix.

Erin Kelly is definitely being added to my Must Read list after a debut like this one.