After Nightfall by A.J. Banner is quite the page-turner! Right from the first line, you know this is going to be interesting.

Marissa and Ben are throwing a dinner party to announce their engagement. They have invited Nathan's new next door neighbors, Lauren and her husband, Jensen, as well as Nathan's brother Keith and his wife Hedra to help them celebrate. Also present is Nathan's nine year old daughter, Anna, who has been prepared for the announcement by her dad. What should have been a wonderful evening is marred by the non-stop open and over-the-top flirting that Lauren does with Nathan. To add to the discomfort, tensions are running high between Keith and Hedra, and Anna texts on her phone all through dinner.

Marissa and Lauren had been best friends from age five until college when Lauren betrayed Marissa in a major way. Lauren has wanted to make amends for years, and Marissa has only recently agreed to try to mend fences with her old friend. And now this!?!? Lauren flirting with Nathan right in front of her and her own husband, Jensen? Marissa is incensed. When Lauren's daughter calls from a party asking to be picked up, Lauren asks Marissa to walk out with her and tries to apologize for her behavior, saying she just had too much to drink, and didn't mean anything by it and she needs to talk with Marissa about something. But Laren's actions hit too close to the prior betrayal and Marissa is so angry that she doesn't want to talk with her then. Lauren then says that it's important and about Nathan., but she'll talk with Marissa in the morning.

Marissa and Nathan clean up and head to bed, with Marissa taking a sleeping pill to help her relax. At 2:05 AM, she sees Nathan get up and look at a message on his phone before getting dressed and leaving. Marissa falls back asleep, and waking to find Nathan beside her, thinks she must have dreamt the whole thing.

On her early morning walk, Marissa finds Laurens body in the rock bed at the bottom of the cliff at the end of Lauren's backyard. Was she pushed? Did she fall? Did she jump? She feels terrible that she wouldn't listen to Lauren the night before, and wonders anew where Nathan went the night before. Her guilt over their unresolved friendship leads to Marissa looking into things herself. But is she ready for what she's about to find out? There are more than a few secrets waiting to be uncovered!

Banner does a wonderful job building full and rich characters, setting atmosphere, and building suspense. This was one fun read!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Compulsively readable, but doesn’t truly have any shocking surprises. After Nightfall by A.J. Banner is a tough book for me to review. I couldn’t put the book down, as I had to know what happened, but nothing really stood out as different about this read.
After Nightfall tells the story of Marissa Parlette, who has recently reconnected with her best friend from childhood, Lauren. Lauren happens to live next door to Marissa’s fiancé, and one night Lauren leaves a party early and is found dead the next morning. Marissa feels compelled to investigate, as she found Lauren, and because of their dramatic history (which is neither shocking nor uncommon).
There are plenty of suspects here, from Lauren’s husband, to Lauren’s daughter, to Marissa’s fiancé, Nathan, who keeps sneaking out at night, to Nathan’s jealous ex-wife, to Nathan’s daughter, and the neighbor who always seems to appear anytime anyone goes outside. Bring in Nathan’s jerky brother Keith and his strained wife, and you’ve got a case of anyone could’ve done it! You suspect everyone (even Marissa, the narrator) at multiple points, and while A.J. Banner did a great job of keeping the suspicion up (someone would come off my list as a suspect just to go right back on it), the characters were overall a bit flat.
The male characters really let me down here. They were all a bit drippy and full of clichés. Marissa also was somewhat frustrating. I could never tell if she was a reliable narrator or not (that’s part of the fun of first-person psychological suspense), and she makes some really poor decisions here that were really irritating. The villain does get their “tell-all” towards the end, and while some may find this type of thing annoying, I enjoy it as I get some closure as to motive. And while we get closure for the villain (or do we?), After Nightfall had an unsatisfactory ending for me. I could have done without the last couple of pages. No spoilers here, but if you’ve read the book, feel free to comment about that ending.
Books like this are tough for me to recommend. Did I enjoy the book? Yes, I read it quickly and wanted to know the ending and couldn’t quite figure it out. But at the same time, nothing truly felt new or different, so I don’t think I’ll be remembering this for much longer. I read and reviewed another one of A.J. Banner’s books awhile back, The Twilight Wife, and I enjoyed that title much more. I’d definitely read more from her, as she does write books that are entertaining reads!

Bottom Line: Many twists and turns that are predictable to a point, but still utterly readable.

Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres. I'm not 100% sure I would classify this as a psychological thriller. Some of the characters were bat-you-know-what crazy - yes! There was a murder mystery to solve - yes! More than one mystery - yes! You have several options of "who did it" - yes! But to say for me this was a thriller, I'm just not there. I was excited to read this book after reading the description, I thought this book is right up my alley. Also, I was seeing a lot of strong early reviews on this book, something that caught my attention. I couldn't wait to dive into this book.

This is my first book by A.J. Banner. The beginning starts off really strong. The author hooks you good on the line. The problem for me is I don't feel she set the hook strong enough, and this fish got off. I had to set the book down several times out of either frustration with the characters or slight boredom of where the storyline was going and how long it took to get there. Even though I did set the book down several times, ultimately I did finish it - the author peeked my interest enough throughout the book to want to know what happens and how it ends. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say she starts strong and ends strong. I always enjoy it when I am completely stumped by who the bad guy is, and for this story I truly didn't see that one coming. It's the in-between that feel flat for me and didn't keep me on the edge of my seat the way I had hoped for, making it not a thriller for but just a decent mystery.

My thanks to Netgalley, A.J. Banner and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After Nightfall
A.J. Banner did not disappoint. I have read a few of her books and loved them...this one is no exception.
Marissa falls in love and becomes engaged to a divorced man with a sweet girl named Anna. On the night of her dinner party where she announces her engagement, things take a turn and she starts questioning her decision to marry him.
There is a lot of suspense and confusion, wondering who did what, so it will keep you in wonder. I enjoy books where there are a lot of twists and turns.
It's not a difficult read, it kept my interest I read it in 2 days...it was honestly hard to put down.

Nicely done and tightly plotted suspense novel. What happened to Lauren? Marissa, her former BFF, thinks all is well in her life- she's engaged to Nathan, she's reconnected with Lauren, and generally things are good. Then comes the engagement party where it gets a little weird and no one but Nathan and Marissa are happy about their upcoming nuptials. Even worse, Lauren is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. No spoilers but you'll probably find yourself questioning Marissa's assumptions early on. She's a good character, as are the others, but she's the one to root for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a fast (it's fairly short) read without extraneous stuff to weigh it down- which is all to the good.

Bestselling author, A.J. Banner returns following The Twilight Wife with her best yet—AFTER NIGHTFALL. 5 Stars ++ Top Books of 2018. Banner carefully conceals hidden motives and secrets to the startling conclusion. A well-written taut page-turning “whodunit”—hooks you from the first page and never lets up.

An utterly mesmerizing twisty tale. Where everyone is a suspect— in this chilling and atmospheric psychological thriller. Banner masterfully showcases her creative talent for a brilliantly plotted, character-driven, intense, and utterly addictive must summer read.

Set in the idyllic and peaceful Pacific Northwest, the book begins with Marissa (the nervous hostesses) a speech-language pathologist —at the home of her fiancé, Nathan Black. A stunning clifftop house in Tranquil Cove, an upscale community on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. A sleepy town of ten thousand residents, west of Seattle on the shores of Enchanted Bay.

The dinner party was to celebrate Nathan’s fortieth birthday and to announce their engagement and upcoming wedding in May.

Attendees:

Lauren and Jensen. They live next door to Nathan. Lauren and Marissa are old friends from childhood. However, something happened years ago, and Marissa is slowly allowing the voluptuous and manipulative old friend, Lauren back into her life. Can she trust her? Why did they buy the house next door to Nathan?

Lauren is drinking plenty of red wine and openly flirting with Nathan in front of her. FYI (Marissa and Jensen have a past). Lauren has no problem seducing men. Marissa wishes she had not invited her.

They were formerly best buddies, before college sharing hopes and dreams. Exactly when did their friendship crack apart? During college, they went their separate ways until the previous year when she got a job at the hospital.

Anna: Nathan’s daughter with his ex-wife Rianne. Anna has some stuttering problems, and Marissa is her therapist. This is how Marissa and Nathan met. Is she happy Nathan is getting married again or does she secretly want her parents to reunite? She continues to text her mom.

Uncle Keith and Aunt Hedra: Nathan’s brother (doctor) and his wife. Nathan and Keith do not get along. Strange vibes are going on between Nathan, Keith, and Hedra. Keith has a dark side (creepy). Mysterious.

Then at the dinner party, abruptly Lauren receives a text and is anxious to leave. She says from her daughter. Marissa confronts her about the falling all over Nathan. She says, “I need to talk to you.” However, Lauren needs to get back to the party, and Lauren says, “Tomorrow. It’s important. You want to hear this. It’s about Nathan.”

Then she is off. However, there is NO tomorrow.

Keith and Hedra stay overnight along with Anna. Nathan disappears in the middle of the night. Marissa took a sleeping pill.

The next morning, Marissa discovers Lauren’s body at the bottom of a cliff. Did she fall or was she pushed? Murder? Did she walk to the edge of the cliff and take a deliberate step into darkness? Or did she have too much to drink and slip?

What did Lauren’s message the previous night mean?

Despite Lauren’s behavior at dinner and the dark turn their friendship, Marissa wants to find out her murdered her. She is driving herself crazy. Detective Dan Harding is assigned to the case.

There was an umbrella. A scarf. All this seemed strange to Marissa since her old friend was terrified of heights and never wore scarves. The cops question everyone. Nathan and Lauren must protect Anna from the news, internet, violence, and death. She is fragile, and she may stop talking again. It is important for Marissa to learn what happened. The murderer is still out there, and it could be someone close.

With a cast of intriguing characters, including Arthur Nguyen, a sixty-something, divorced, family-law attorney. His wife left him, and he consoles himself by walking his terrier, Bert and pretends to fish in the pond in his backyard. He was unable to come to the dinner party. What did he see?

Also, Nathan seems very protective of Rianne (owner of a boutique consignment shop with some mental health issues) —Anna’s mother. Anna starts acting weird and disappears, and then Marissa suspects something between Nathan and Hedra. What is Anna afraid of and what is she hiding?

In the midst of all of this, Marissa is playing sleuth to get to the bottom of the mystery. Who murdered her former friend, Lauren and what was it she was going to tell her? She does not know whom to trust. Then the dress.

With a foreboding feeling of unease and darkness lurking, everyone is acting strangely. Who has a motive? Is there something more sinister at play? How do the dots connect all these players? Is Nathan the man she thought he was? What about Anna? Can people be both good and bad?

You must read this compelling mystery to discover the answers!

Banner does a masterful job of layering the mysteries in this fast-paced and unnerving suspense. An electrifying and addictive tale. The talented author has outdone herself. OMG, I stayed up two nights in the row to 3 am, hating to put it down and could not wait to get back to it. I was hooked. Loved it!

At 90% was dying. Banner knows how to build suspense and hold you there. There was never a lull in the pace. Often domestic suspense drags. Not the case here. There is non-stop action with multiple twists and turns and red herrings. A true talent of thriller writing. Movie-worthy. Will be fun choosing the cast.

The atmospheric setting, cliffside, the rain. You could almost hear, see, and smell. The attention to detail draws you in as you frantically turn the pages to see what is coming around the corner.

AFTER NIGHTFALL weaves an engrossing mystery —with richly developed characters in complex relationships, for an entertaining and compelling read.

All I could I could think about was another Big Little Lies and a TV series. Big screen or small screen, the setting, the characters, and the plot are prime time. From the beautiful front cover to each— and every page – a WINNER! (You must purchase the hardcopy. The embossing is luxurious). It is a coffee table book to showcase, not one to hide on a bookshelf.

Highly Recommend! Looking forward to seeing what is next.

A special thank you to the author, #NetGalley, and LakeUnion for an advanced reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

This is the first book that I’ve read by AJ Banner, and I absolutely loved most of it. The suspense/mystery is so well played - throughout the book, I found myself thinking that each one of the characters was guilty of the crime. The characters themselves are so realistic - each person has both good and bad qualities with dynamic personalities.

The only thing that holds me back from giving it five stars is the ending. I feel like there wasn’t a real ending. The reader finds out who the guilty party is, but there are so many things left open. Personally, I just prefer a definitive ending, preferably with an epilogue.

Otherwise, I loved everything about After Nightfall!

When estranged childhood friends, Marissa and Lauren, reunite at a party, the night ends with Lauren’s death. Why did Marissa invite Lauren back into her life? What happened in the past, destroying their friendship? And, what the heck is going on with Marissa's fiance, Nathan, his 9 year old daughter, Anna, Nathan's brother, Keith, and his wife, Hedra? Are they all keeping secrets? If so, why? And, could it all be related somehow? Join Marissa in this enthralling page turner as she does some digging of her own in hopes of answering all of these questions. This quick read kept me guessing until the end.

This was my first time reading anything by A.J. Banner, and I'll definitely be back for more!

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Location: Tranquil Cove, Washington (west of Seattle)

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Lake Union Publishers

This book was the first I have read by this author and it did not in any way disappoint. It will pull you in and take you for a ride you won’t soon forget. A thriller that will keep you guessing until the end when you find out who did what to who and who was just in the wrong place many times. I was shocked at who was the bad person and also the very end who possibly could have saved someone.

It’s a very well written book with characters you will love and others you will not like at all. Some you will think are bad but turn out to ones that really needed help.

I loved this book from start to the very end. I stayed up late to finish this one. I just had to know what happened and boy it did not disappoint at all.

A 5 star book. I look forward to reading more books by this author. A. J. Banner sure has a way of writing that kept me turning pages.

For me, this was an okay read. It had good characters, good plot twists and action. However, it just seemed to go on just a little too long.

Usually, I'm the one who is suspecting everyone in the book of "doing it" (the killing). However, in this book, Marissa, one of the main characters is making my head spin with all the characters that she is suspecting. And seriously? Everyone on that street has an emergency visit from the cops? That's a little extreme. And yes, I am rolling my eyes.

An okay read that seriously should have been shortened and with just a few less accidents and events going on.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The main character isn't honest about her emotions and tends toward hysteria. I downloaded this because I anticipate there will be a fair amount of local interest. While I recognize that I usually have trouble getting into suspense novels, in this case it's because this isn't a good suspense novel.

I love A.J. Banner and was thrilled to receive this advanced copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

Marissa is newly engaged to her perfect man. After announcing her engagement, her friend, Lauren, is found dead on the beach the next day. With multiple suspects in mind, Marissa is determined to find the truth. What happened to Lauren? And why is Marissa constantly the first responder to a variety of other crimes? Told mostly in diaglogue, the story takes a personal over procedural crime approach.

While I quickly flew through this book, I was not thrilled with the ending and found many unanswered questions. However, Banner’s books are always engaging and hard to put down.

A sinister read about a woman who is found at the bottom of a cliff amid questions arise. Was it suicide or was she pushed. Marissa keeps stumbling across people in crisis and calling the authorities; is she the culprit or are all these incidents somehow ties together? This was an ok read. None of the characters are very likeable except Julie, the art teacher. The individual threads of the story begin to weave a discernible pattern that shows the reader who is actually behind all the problems.

Calling all of the suspense/thriller readers— After Nightfall is a book you will not want to miss! A.J. Banner truly knows how to capture a reader’s attention and hold on to it until the very last page! The storyline was original and the pacing was spot on! So many twists and turns that I never saw coming—love that! I enjoy when a book can shock me and boy did After Nightfall blow my mind! This 5 star novel is one that will keep you glued to your kindle a d staying up into wee hours of the night— a must read!

Expected publication August 7th!

I have seen A.J. Banner's After Nightfall cover all over social media lately, and was pleasantly surprised when my NetGalley request was approved to read it in advance of publication.

After Nightfall is a story about Marissa, a speech pathologist, who falls in love with the father of one of her students, Nathan. One night, she and Nathan have a dinner party at Nathan's house by the beach, set atop a tall cliff overlooking the water, to announce their engagement. They invite Nathan's brother Keith and wife Hedra and Marissa's long time friend (and Nathan's new neighbor) Lauren and husband Jensen. The atmosphere is strained, especially since Marissa and Lauren have just recently rekindled their relationship after a falling out several years ago in college. The morning after the party Marissa goes for an early morning walk only to find Lauren's lifeless body on the beach below the jagged cliff. Did she fall? Did she take her own life? Or was she pushed?

I'm going to be honest. The first half of this book I did not feel particularly connected to any of the characters and was having a hard time getting into the story line. But whatever was lacking in the first half was totally made up for in the second half. The second half of the book was extremely fast paced, and such a page turner. The ending was satisfying as well, which is the mark of any good thriller. Nobody likes to get to the end only to be disappointed with the outcome, but this ending was well thought out and suspenseful.

A.J. Banner wrote a fantastic thriller that will likely fly off the shelves once published. Would recommend to anybody looking for a very quick read.

-I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, A.J. Banner, and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

Oh my gosh, this book, though! I loved it! Haunting and unique, this story is a great whodunnit mystery full of secrets, repressed memories, jealousy, and more! A great read for fans of stories by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.

After Nightfall is a decent mystery with a solid twist.

When Marissa and Nathan throw an engagement dinner party, things don’t go as planned. Lauren, Marissa’s former childhood best friend, continuously flirts with Nathan, even though her husband Jensen is present. Making things worse, upon accepting Nathan’s proposal, Nathan’s 9-year-old daughter is visibly upset, as is his sister-in-law, Hedra.

When Lauren abruptly leaves the party, she tells Marissa she needs to speak with her about Nathan. Marissa, not too happy with Lauren, tells her they can talk the next day which turns out to be too late because Lauren winds up dead. Numerous characters come under suspicion for Lauren's murder, and Marissa needs to solve what happened to her former friend before she meets a similar fate.

The best thing about After Nightfall is the author’s ability to cast doubt on all of the characters. I was questioning everyone in this book, including the narrator. I also thought A.J. Banner did an amazing job of bringing the setting to life. I didn’t guess the murderer until close to the end, which was enjoyable (even though now that I think about there were some pretty obvious clues). There are some twists, but they are not too over-the-top.

On the other hand, I thought the dialogue to be choppy and rushed, which was distracting. I found Marissa’s character to be irksome. She was quite wishy-washy, which was fine, but I couldn’t wrap my head around her reactions to some of the events that occur.

Overall, this is a fast-paced, quick and easy read. I was able to read it over the course of a rainy day, and it served as the perfect distraction to the weather! I wasn’t wowed, but I was entertained!

I read this in just over a day and found it to be engrossing. It had just enough drama to keep me guessing without getting repetitive or weighed down in details. I really enjoyed how the author threw in so many clues along the way that kept me guessing and wondering what would happen next.

Lauren and Marissa were the best of friends until the sexy Lauren betrayed her in the worst of ways. Marissa does move on though and years later invites Lauren and her husband, Jensen to her engagement party. She can't believe it when Lauren proceeds to flirt with her fiance right under her nose. What is wrong with her? Maybe it is the wine or perhaps "her perfume is poisoning her brain."
I just loved the setting of this neighborhood on the beach with a steep staircase leading to the water. It reminded me of a TV show I binged on called Revenge (which was so good btw). This one has a plot with many layers and perhaps a bit of revenge woven in.

Marissa puts on her detective hat and she starts noticing some things that don't seem right. Nerves flare when she begins to question her fiance about his questionable behavior. A story of obsession and jealously with a surprising conclusion that left me saying but....wait....

If you like to be guessing until the end, this one is sure to entertain. Excellent summer read!
Thank you NG for my copy!

Starting After Nightfall I expected a fairly fast paced storyline full of drama and mystery. And in that regard, my expectations were, more or less, spot on. I didn’t, however, expect to dislike the book, which it turns out I kind of did. I don’t know what bothered me more, the way the things developed or the way they just suddenly stopped- no more, goodbye, the end. I could have seen giving this new release a solid 4 stars because, after all, there were some good whodunnit scenarios and set ups. I liked how Banner kept me guessing; it’s just there’s a fine line between withholding information as the story unfolds and leaving a reader with too many “whats?” in their head after the final page.

I wouldn’t actively recommend someone NOT read After Nightfall. No, not at all. It’s definitely got some good things going for it. What I would do, though, is suggest going into this new novel with the understanding that maybe you’ll fell a little lackluster when all is said and done.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an early review copy of this title.

After Nightfall was such an engrossing book. I found myself looking at everyone as a suspect and wondering who was being honest and who wasn't. It was definitely a page turner that I didn't want to put down.

The characters were very well rounded and complete feeling, like they could be someone you'd know, which is something I always appreciate. The setting was interesting and well described, which made me feel a part of the story.

I really enjoy psychological suspense and feel that A.J. Banner does this very well. I've not read her other books, but I will be doing so now.

I highly recommend this.