Review – The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on January 26, 2016
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Crime
Length: 10 hours 5 minutes
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Library, Publisher
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“An electrifying read . . . I haven’t read anything so terrifying since Red Dragon.” — Stephen King

“Magnificent, thoroughly unnerving . . . I dare you to look away.” — Justin Cronin
 
Caleb Maddox is a San Francisco toxicologist studying the chemical effects of pain. He’s out drinking after a bad breakup when a hauntingly seductive woman sits down at his side. He talks to Emmeline over absinthe, but their encounter is fleeting. She brushes her lips on his ear and disappears. He must find her. As Caleb scours the city, he begins helping the city’s medical examiner with a serial-murder investigation. Soon the search for the killer entwines with Caleb’s hunt for Emmeline, and the closer he gets to each, the more dangerous his world becomes. “A wicked mix of Poe, The Silence of the Lambs, and Vertigo,”* The Poison Artist spins a thrilling tale of obsession, damage, a man unmoored by an unspeakable past, and a woman who offers the ultimate escape.
 
“A totally new take on the mystery-thriller genre . . . Fresh and unpredictable. The writing is top-notch . . . Grade: A.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
“Genuinely scary, in the very best way, and nastily twisty, also in the very best way . . . Hypnotic.” — Guardian
 
* William Landay

I really wanted to love this one but that just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t hate it and in fact, liked it well enough but it wasn’t the kind of book that I couldn’t wait to get back to. I had a few guesses about what was really going on in this book early on which took some of the fun out of the book once I discovered I was right. I did like the concept behind the story and feel like I would have enjoyed the book more if I hadn’t guessed the twist so early in the book.

Caleb is a toxicologist who is studying the effects of pain. After a painful breakup with his girlfriend, he decides to go out for a drink where he meets Emmeline. He is instantly taken and is willing to do anything to be with her. Someone who was at the bar at the same time as Caleb is missing and the police are looking at Caleb. To make matters worse, he has already helped his friend, who happens to be the medical examiner, with some of the evidence. This book did have a lot of excitement and enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. There were times where I wondered why Caleb was making some of the choices that he was. There was a lot going on in the story and I was satisfied by how everything eventually came together. I can’t say that I really loved any of the characters as I didn’t feel like Caleb was exactly likable.

I decided to listen to the audiobook after learning that it was narrated by Luke Daniels. He did a great job with the narration and I loved the different character voices that he used to bring this story to life. I had no trouble listening to this book for hours at a time and believe that his narration added to my overall enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to others. I am sure that I would have enjoyed this one more if I hadn’t guessed the big twist (and it is kind of strange that I did). I feel like a lot of readers would really enjoy this one and I wouldn’t hesitate to read more from this author in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

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