Poison Garden
Published 2026-08-21 13:53:59
Book info
- Author
- Year 2024
- Genre Mystery
- Format Audiobook
- Pages 311
For Detective Chief Inspector Ryan, the stakes have never been higher. Most of the world thinks he’s dead, killed by an assasin's rifle in his own home. But another man took the bullet intended for him, and now Ryan’s living on borrowed time. As long as he stays ‘dead’, in the sanctuary of his parents’ home in Devon, there’s a chance to find the people behind the deadly killing network. It’s only a matter of time before his secret’s uncovered, and nowhere will be safe.
Back in Northumberland, Ryan’s team are called in to investigate the mysterious death of a man in Alnwick, who collapsed yards from the walls of its Mediaeval castle. When a second person is rushed to hospital with the same symptoms, her life hangs in the balance unless they can discover the toxic substance that’s killing her. For DCs Lowerson and Reed, there’s only one place to look for inspiration—the Poison Garden...
Thoughts
I'm making my way through the DCI Ryan series, with audiobooks from the library. It's been a couple of months since the previous book but it never takes long for the characters to come back fully formed in my mind.
The format is different to previous books. Ryan is considered dead by everyone, including his team, as a means to unravel a multi-book plot. Because of this, he's effectively working remotely, gradually revealing himself as resurrected to each colleague and friend, with varying reactions, and having to deal with sitting on his hands a little bit, while the team do a lot of the running around. Seeing the characters working under a unique set of circumstances gave this book an injection of freshness.
There are two investigations working side by side, and although Ryan is taken up with the bigger arc, I thought the Poison Garden plot was the winner. The garden, a real place in Alnwick, is full of deadly plants and kept under lock and key. I'd be terrified to visit, and even more so after Jack fainted moments after stepping through the gate. His embarrassment was tangible!
Jack has a bit of a rough ride in this book, as a new romance is starting to take shape. He works closely with newcomer Charlie, only for the sparks to be doused by the return of Mel. Having read the previous books in the series, it was always obvious Mel was going to come back. It just happened at the worst moment for Jack, and now we're left wondering what he's going to do. The next book is a must-read.
The last few books have scored 4 out of 5, but I think this took another step forward. For the shake up of the formula, and the Poison Garden plot line, this gets a 5 out of 5.
Rating: 5 / 5
