Poison Wood - by Jennifer Moorhead (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the author of Broken Bayou, a haunting psychological thriller about how far we'll go to seize our dreams and shield our secrets--and the devastating consequences when we can't do both.

Ambitious crime reporter Rita Meade is riding high after her docuseries on the Broken Bayou serial killer. But when an anonymous tip promises the story behind a skull found deep in the Louisiana forest, she hesitates. Because this one strikes too close to home.

As a teenager, Rita attended Poison Wood Therapeutic Academy for Girls in that forest, but the school shuttered its doors after a series of disturbing incidents. Now the man who confessed to the murder of her classmate has recanted, and Rita's father, the judge who put him away, has fallen ill.

Summoned back to those haunted woods, Rita sorts through the mysteries of a rotting schoolhouse basement. She digs up emotions she buried along with her mother--and secrets she's tried hard to forget. But when her investigation spreads to her family tree, the TV cameras swing her way. How far will she go for a story that could threaten everything and everyone she loves?

Review Quotes

"Helmed by an iron-willed protagonist, this book is a wild, absorbing ride through the vicious world of teenage girls, buried secrets, and original wounds, guaranteed to keep you racing through the pages." --Ashley Winstead, USA Today bestselling author of This Book Will Bury Me

"This evocative, creepy page-turner proves Moorhead is no one-hit wonder. Poison Wood will have you looking over your shoulder and counting down the minutes until you can get back to reading." --Liz Talley, USA Today bestselling author of Deconstructed

"Jennifer Moorhead has done it again! As much as I loved Broken Bayou, I enjoyed Poison Wood even more. A character from Broken Bayou, reporter Rita Meade, takes the lead in Moorhead's new novel. This time, it's personal. We go on a journey with Rita as she recounts her horrendous time at the boarding school, Poison Wood Therapeutic Academy for Girls. Her past meets her present as two murders appear to be connected. Moorhead takes us down a path of remembering, discovery, and keeps us guessing as to who did it. The unexpected answer doesn't come until the end and made me stay up late reading page after page until I had answers." --Lee Adams, author of Love on Tour

"Suspenseful, atmospheric, with twists that kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn't put it down!" --Emma C. Wells, USA Today bestselling author of This Girl's a Killer