The Stats
Title: After Nightfall
Author: A.J. Banner
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (August 7, 2018)
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Trigger Warnings: Murder, Domestic Abuse
Thank you to AJ Banner, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an electrical Review Copy of After Nightfall by AJ Banner, set to publish August 7, 2018. All opinions mentioned in this review are my own.
The Review
Marissa Parlette never had it easy when it came to relationships. In college, her childhood best friend and roommate, Lindsey, betrayed her more then she could possibly know. Now, Lindsey lives next door to the man of Marissa’s dreams. So when Lindsey asks for an olive branch, Marissa decides to extend Lindsey an invite to her engagement party. The next day, Marissa finds Lindsey’s lifeless body on the beach. Shocked, Marissa cannot stop thinking about what happened to Lindsey. Determined to get to the bottom, Marissa embarks on an investigation of her own, but she may not be happy with what she finds.
This was one of the first novels I had discovered on NetGalley, so I was overjoyed to see I was approved to review. The first thing that enticed me was the cover art. A piece of fabric, possibly a dress, left behind on an abandoned beach. Before even reading the description I knew this had to be a psychological thriller. I also was delighted to see that After Nightfall was written by AJ Banner. I have not read Banner’s previous two novels – The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife – but I have heard rave reviews regarding both and decided now would be a great time to give it a try.
Psychological thrillers have always been my preferred reading and movie genre. I digest them like candy. As someone who was able called the twist in Fight Club and Gone Girl, I tend to be picker when it comes to reviewing. That being said, I was truly surprised by who murdered Lindsey. I did not see that twist coming from a mile away. The last three chapters I could not eyes off until I finished. I was elated because until that point had After Nightfall been an emoji, it would be the upside down smiley face. There were too many red herrings and subplots that I felt lost.
I believe the main source of confusion had to do with the fact that the majority of the characters were not people you felt emotionally attached too. Marissa’s fiance, Nathan, was pretty much always absent and was passive-aggressive about his whereabouts. He also appeared to have zero sympathy for what Marisa was going through and it constantly came off as gaslighting her. Jensen seemed fine until I found out why he ended up leaving Marissa for Lindsey. Keith and Hedra were underutilized for having such a large role in the plot. The only character I honestly enjoyed and cheered for was Lindsey’s daughter Brynn. Had the character’s been developed more, this easily could have been a 5-star novel.
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