The Poison Garden

by Mary Oldham

If Amber/Jane/Kelan chooses your neighborhood, it is because there is work to do. She will rent a house and be the perfect neighbor for a year, where she will tell you all about an aunt who raised her and passed along a lot of fabulous recipes that she will use to make friends with the other neighbors.

Of course, the aunt does not exist. In the community garden, your new neighbor will hide the Poison Hemlock among Queen Anne Lace. If she gives you orange marmalade for your abusive husband, ensure only he eats it. And later, if the police ask you if you want an autopsy, say no.

And when it comes to love, she dates her own Murderers.

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Dark Romance

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Since January 2008, Mary has written seventeen manuscripts and is a three-time Golden Heart Finalist with the Romance Writers of America, including a 2010 Golden Heart nomination for Contemporary Series Romance for LAURA TAKES A LOVER and a 2012 Golden Heart nomination for Romantic Suspense for CHEMICAL ATTRACTION and a 2015 Golden Heart nomination for Contemporary Series Romance for A NIGHT AT THE ROSEMONT.

Mary has been a multimedia account executive for USA Today and Advance for over twenty years.

With a Business degree in Marketing from Oregon State University and a minor in Apparel, Interiors, and Merchandising, Mary writes about smart, business-savvy heroines who find themselves caught between traditional roles and their own independent spirit.

She lives in Portland, Oregon, and regularly travels to a family beach house in the charming town of Yachats, Oregon.

Reviews

[Sara Eames · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This book had so much potential but it was thrown away. Initially, the characters were well-written and the plot hooked you in. However, once Amber met Jack, the plot line vanished and the book became a smut fest and I completely lost interest. The strong points of the plot were abandoned to what felt like hours of graphic sex and the story ground to an abrupt halt. It's a pity that the writer threw away so much potential.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, The Poison Garden. I’m a fan of Mary Oldham’s books and had fun reading this one. The book is exciting and interesting with the right amount of humor and a bit of romance. Amber/Jane/Kelan is a strong and surprisingly likable character. She is a committed advocate of women, particularly abused women. And yes, she has a decidedly unique way of protecting them. The author also does a very good job of creating characters you care about and gives readers enough of Amber/Jane/Kelan’s past history to understand her unconventional actions. I highly recommend this book!

[Danielle Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omgoodness!!

Omgoodness I didn't want this book to end!! I even slowed down reading it because I knew once I hit the half way mark there would be no slowing down....Please tell me there is going to be a series and more to come?? I am invested in their story I need to know where this leads!!

[Dana McKee NOLA504NERDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber… Jane… Kelan… whatever her name is, stay clear of her. This was a different feel than Mary Oldham’s normal romances, and I am here for it! This was such a fun and thrilling story! I read this in one day. I just couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to give too much away in my review. Especially if you’re already a fan of Mary, as this will be a unique read for you from her. It was a dark romance, but light enough to not scare away people who aren’t typically fans of dark reads. The story was unpredictable and haunting, with exciting twists. Mary’s descriptive and passionate writing style will captivate you. Thank you to the author for gifting me this page turner in exchange for an honest review.

5 Don’t-Eat-The-Marmalade Stars!
NOLA504Nerds blog

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poison Garden by Mary Oldham. This was a dark fun read I thought. This is my first time read this author's writing. So I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.

[Casey Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Garden needs pruning. Badly.

I was really looking forward to this book. A story of a woman who murders cheating husbands with homegrown poison to help abused wives? Sign me up!

The actual book was a letdown. Kelly/Kelan/Jane/Amber/Expialidocious is a poisonous plants expert who sets up residence in suburban neighborhoods, helps rid an unhappy wife of a hateful spouse, then disappears only to reappear somewhere else under a different persona. But she's haunted by the memory of a romantic St. Bart's fling with one Jack Daniels (yes, that's really the name the author chose). After her latest adventure, she moves to the bucolic enclave of Pioneer Pike, Oregon, setting up house as natural cosmetics maven Amber Jennings. She befriends the local real estate agent, fills her plot in the community garden with poisonous plants, and quickly finds her next target, abusive husband Dick. Meanwhile local realtor Gingie has a bad case of carbonated hormones over hot cop Kent. There's a Mean Housewife. One night Gingie and Kent invite Amber to a dinner party as Kent's cousin is in town. Surprise! The cousin is Jack Daniels from St. Bart's! Jack shows up at Amber's house soon after! Lots and lots of cringey sex ensues! It's insta-love! Divorce lawyer Jack has secrets of his own! Meanwhile serial creeper Dan is murdered! And then there's a Happily Ever After! The end! Wait, there's an epilogue where Hot Cop Kent finds something ominous. Dun-dun-DUNNNNNNN!

I was so disappointed with this book. The Poison Garden started off well, but devolved about halfway through into an attempt at a romance that read like bad fanfiction. We get it, these people are boinking A LOT, can we move on to some more poisoning, please? To make matters worse, typos abound; this book needs an editor badly. "It is your neighbor Amber." "You are so good at detection you should have been a cop." "What is in a name?" Nobody talks like this. We're treated to long rambling descriptions of Amber's daily doings and Gingie's lustful daydreams, but there's very little tension. Then...it's over. What did I just read?

I can't recommend The Poison Garden unless you like a healthy dose of cringe in your TBR pile. The idea was great, but the execution fell badly short. 2 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but…

I liked the story, but there were a ton of errors - grammatical, missing words, words that I’m sure were meant to be taken out. The conversations could have been improved greatly by loosening them up, for example, “That is fair.” Normally someone would say, “That’s fair.” Or, “I think I am glad he is dead.” Most would say, “I think I’m glad he’s dead.” This type of writing bothered me throughout the book.

[Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really great start. I was totally hooked. Then, instead of what could have been a fantastic plot twist (picture Jack as a secret private eye instead of what he was) the book turned into a Harlequin romance. I kept reading...waiting for the twist that never came. What a let down.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only got 14% into it but don't like the writing style . Shame because it sounds really good

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poison Garden

By: Mary Oldham
Narrated by: Robin McAlpine

So Delightfully Different! A Five Star Winner!

Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 05-10-24

She goes by many names, she stays a year … or so, and is a companionable, helpful neighbor! It’s only coincidence that the nefarious in the neighborhood start to … push up daisies … really just a coincidence … then just as quickly as she arrived … she’s gone. Grab your earphones, some snacks, a nice BIG drink or three, and … hold … on … to … your … lug nuts … “The Poison Garden” is different, delightfully DIFFERENT, and I am SO GLAD I LISTENED! I loved this story, I loved the characters, EVEN the plentiful, beautifully defined and developed “daisy pushers”! Yes, of course, I didn’t like them, like them, as in I wanted to have them to tea, in that respect I despised them, exactly as the author intended, but they were so genuinely AWFUL, that they WORKED perfectly, and THAT I loved! The plot is beautifully drawn, multifaceted, and delightfully original. In addition to those getting their just deserts, there are some beautiful love stories in the making, a bit of heat, a lot of humor, and just the right amount of suspenseful tension! I’m not going into specific plot details for fear of spoiling the many surprises contained in this fabulous story! They are there, they are many, and they are so worthy of a listen! While on the subject of listening … the narration is spot on fantastic, truly bringing each character to brilliant life, each scene exactly as the author intended! I was kept in the moment, throughly immersed from beginning to end! Truly delightful, “The Poison Garden” is a five star listen across all categories!

['Nessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's preface by saying, I have a soft spot for bad guys. There is hardly a bad guy that I don't connect with at some level.

I enjoyed "The Poison Garden" because we follow a female serial killer who uses her knowledge of plants to poison her victims. She is lonely but she feel compelled to rid the world of evil people in whatever neighborhood she moves into.

The book starts off slow getting to know the MC. It starts to pick up with her first kill of the season, but then it slows down again. By the time the romance hits it's going so fast it's hard to keep up. I really liked the ending. It was simple, sweet, and direct. There weren't 5 chapters of boring nothing, just a short half chapter and that's it.

[Naughty Nightie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Star Read: When a woman who has various alias's Amber/Jane/Kelan, moves into your neighborhood beware. If she deems you to need some of her recipes to do good in the world beware. I can't tell you too much more, or I will spoil the story for you. Plus a twist that you don't see coming. Mary is a new to me author and she didn't disappoint she kept me turning the pages to see what happens next in the story.
I received an arc for my voluntary honest review for NN Book Blog. This is a dark read with some romance so if this is your kind of trope you will love this book.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poison Garden by Mary Oldham
⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first book by this author, it was a good read, I felt it was a bit slow but once it got going it was easy to read along.

Mary Oldham has created characters that you can't help but want to know more about them.... there is many twists and turns and when you think you've guessed it... you definitely haven't!

Great details of plants, flowers and there uses legally and illegally very interesting.

Just remember if a single lady moves to your neighbourhood don't accept the marmalade she's made 🙂

[Carlimact · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Poison Garden" follows Amber, a hippie writer that has just arrived in Eugene, Oregon.

Except, Amber isn't who she says she is and she's not in town to write a book either.

I've read a lot of Oldham's romances and I find them mid at best but The Poison Garden is quite good. It's not a perfect story and does have some grammatical errors but i enjoyed the story nonetheless.

Oldham can't help herself though so there is some 'romance' in the third act. I find it takes away from the plot but it's ignorable.

Overall, I enjoyed it much more than her previous novels. :)

[Kelly Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can an established author be so hard up for proofreaders? I was about to drop this book somewhere in chapter 2, but I became entertained by the rush of word use errors and continuity errors. It was a maxi dress, then a mini dress. Weary is used in place of wary. It’s inexcusable. I ended up finishing the book since it is an easy read.

The plot line disappeared when Jack met Amber. After that it was a race to a happy ending. Lots of potential was wasted. I also think the repeated graphic sexcapades were put-of-place.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a woman with carious alias’s such as Amber / Jane / Kelan, moves into your neighborhood, be aware, all is not as it seems, especially if recipes and orange marmalade are offered.
This is a well written story which is a dark romance, which leads to an entertaining, unpredictable, twisted, and haunting, addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[Kathy Brun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved loved this. Could not put it down. Finished in 2 days. Mary Oldham is one of my favorite authors and I eagerly await each new book. Not only is the theme unique and original but it keeps you guessing throughout. It also provides quite the education on everyday plants I would never think of as poisonous! This would make an interesting movie. Give this a read… you won’t be disappointed!

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a woman who has a terrible childhood that grows up trying to make a life for herself. When she mistakenly kills a co-worker, she finds herself trying to right wrongs by changing identities and killing men that abuse their wives or blackmailing them. She calls these her "seasons". During a vacation she falls in love with a man that she knows she must leave behind in order to continue with her "mission". This leads to complications in her life.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reeeeeally loved the concept of this book. The main character was intriguing, clever, and absolutely someone to root for. The community was charming, and the way Amber endeared herself to her new neighbours was really fun to follow. My only gripe was the smut - the book got quite sex-heavy in the latter parts, which is not my cup of tea. I would have enjoyed it more without - but for people who like their cosy thrillers with a bit of spice, this book is for you!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: audiobook
Narrator: Robin McAlphine

This is a fun read, I love serial killer books and this is a new twist on the usual.

I’ll definitely be looking twice at any new neighbours now ;-)

Some great narration, does anyone know this narrator?because she was sure believable as the friendly neighbourhood killer lol.

[Lori Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and a fun read

I enjoyed the characters in this book, and the plot is unique and intriguing. I actually hope that the author writes a sequel. The plant information is very well researched and presented, plus the way that the story sometimes switches to a different character's viewpoint is used sparingly, but to good effect.

[Michelle Krakowiak · Rating 2 out of 5]

The low rating is mostly a personal preference of what I consider enjoyable content. The writing itself is pretty good, though there are some typos. I was really enjoying this book until about 80% of the way through. At that point it abruptly became a completely different book and was more explicit than I care to read.

[A.A. Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber is an icy, self-controlled serial killer and blackmailer. If a man cheats and beats on his wife, karma gets a helping hand. But Amber is nonplussed to find not all wives are doormats. And when one of the sisters tries to do it for themselves using Amber's poison garden, it seems her cover is about to be blown. Can she evade the long arm of the law?

[Lesley Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book

This was certainly different. A murderer that used poisonous plants. I did like her character though and the way she integrated into the different neighbourhoods. I really enjoyed reading this book. Well worth five stars.

[Nancy M Ruhland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tale of mystery and intrigue

A well written story of murder and mayhem with many twists and turns. Truly fascinating to read and with a very surprising twist at the end . Loved every bit about it.

[Theresa Pawlowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most fascinating book I read in a very long time. I enjoyed this book from the beginning. Never a dull moment. The surprisingly changes throughout the book and the ending was both happy and amazing at the same time. This is a unique book.

[Gwen Boynick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poison Garden

Almost from the beginning sex seemed to be the main topic and it continued to the end of the story. It could have been much better to tell the story without all the sex.

[Tina Mcallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

What a well written story. My goodness. Talk about a ride. This was one of the best stories I have read. So different from my normal crime books. Please write more of this kind of story!!!!

[Stephanie Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting something like Butcher and Blackbird instead, I got a really watered down cutesy version. I don’t know that I would say it was bad. But it is definitely not a thriller or suspenseful. Really disappointing. Definitely not for me.

[Kayla P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was really interesting but I felt like there was a lot of filler. I also don’t understand why there were so many chapters in the pov of ginnie. And everything got wrapped up very quickly at the end for how long the lead up was.