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The Darkest Flower
(Allison Barton #1)
by
You’ll never believe the terrible things being said about the perfect president of the PTA.
Attempted murder? Inexplicable accident? Either way, a PTA mom struggled for her life in an elementary school cafeteria, poisoned by wolfsbane. Now all eyes are on the accused, the victim, and a woman hired to look deeper.
Ambitious defense attorney and single mother Allison Barton i ...more
Attempted murder? Inexplicable accident? Either way, a PTA mom struggled for her life in an elementary school cafeteria, poisoned by wolfsbane. Now all eyes are on the accused, the victim, and a woman hired to look deeper.
Ambitious defense attorney and single mother Allison Barton i ...more
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“Because I’d always been scrupulously honest with myself, I checked my privilege. Yes, it was still there...I had all the privilege and had no plans to give any of it up.”
Those are words of the charming Kira Grant. Kira is a witch with a capital ‘B’, and she knows it. That doesn’t make her a potential murderer...does it?
Some people seem to think so.
Kira is a rich and spoiled PTA mom who’s used to getting her way. At a school event, one of the other PTA moms is poisoned with wolfsbane, a deadly p ...more
Those are words of the charming Kira Grant. Kira is a witch with a capital ‘B’, and she knows it. That doesn’t make her a potential murderer...does it?
Some people seem to think so.
Kira is a rich and spoiled PTA mom who’s used to getting her way. At a school event, one of the other PTA moms is poisoned with wolfsbane, a deadly p ...more
The Darkest Flower by Kristin Wright is a 2021 Thomas & Mercer publication.
When Kira Grant, a PTA president, is accused of trying to poison one of the other mothers, she hires Allison Barton to defend her.
Kira has always lived a life of privilege and has no earthly idea what it is like to struggle. Be that as it may, she’s convinced her husband is having an affair, is in denial about her daughter’s dyslexia, and truly believes she is right about everything.
Then Kira is accused of murder- and ...more
When Kira Grant, a PTA president, is accused of trying to poison one of the other mothers, she hires Allison Barton to defend her.
Kira has always lived a life of privilege and has no earthly idea what it is like to struggle. Be that as it may, she’s convinced her husband is having an affair, is in denial about her daughter’s dyslexia, and truly believes she is right about everything.
Then Kira is accused of murder- and ...more
Society has rules. People expect certain performances from good girls, and I’d always made sure to get a standing ovation for mine.
The Darkest Flower (Allison Barton, #1)
by Kristin Wright
Review to follow.
My review:
This book is told from the viewpoint of two women. Kira is one. Allison is the other.
Allison is an attorney. She is representing Kira who is accused of attempted murder.
Kira, according to the police tried to kill a fellow PTA mom during a school event. Just your average every day socce ...more
The Darkest Flower (Allison Barton, #1)
by Kristin Wright
Review to follow.
My review:
This book is told from the viewpoint of two women. Kira is one. Allison is the other.
Allison is an attorney. She is representing Kira who is accused of attempted murder.
Kira, according to the police tried to kill a fellow PTA mom during a school event. Just your average every day socce ...more
I picked this book as an Amazon First Reads for May, and I am glad I did. This is a quick and fun ride, featuring mean girl Kira, who is accused of poisoning a fellow PTA mom, and Allison, her small-town lawyer. It's a good mix of a mystery, legal drama, and beach read all at once. The chapters alternate between the POVs of Kira and Allison.
None of these characters was super likeable, though Allison has the makings to be if she would just stand up for herself against her horrible boss. There wer ...more
None of these characters was super likeable, though Allison has the makings to be if she would just stand up for herself against her horrible boss. There wer ...more
This novel is told from two perspectives: Kira Grant, who is an arrogant, wealthy suburban wife and mother with daddy issues and Allison Barton, who is a lawyer working for a misogynist and has very little back bone. Kira has been arrested for attempted murder by way of poisoning and Allison represents her.
I enjoyed this book until about the 30 or 40% mark and then all I could do was roll my eyes.
The characterization is superficial and ignorant. The description gets way too detailed which bogs ...more
I enjoyed this book until about the 30 or 40% mark and then all I could do was roll my eyes.
The characterization is superficial and ignorant. The description gets way too detailed which bogs ...more
Impressive and mysterious.
I can’t believe how long I’d had this book in my Kindle library. If only I’d known what I was missing out on every time I passed on it! I really enjoyed the clever and snarky characters, and realistic storyline. The ending leaves lots of opportunity for a terrific Book 2, so I'm looking forwarding to reading it soon.
Full review at LucyKnowsThings.com. ...more
I can’t believe how long I’d had this book in my Kindle library. If only I’d known what I was missing out on every time I passed on it! I really enjoyed the clever and snarky characters, and realistic storyline. The ending leaves lots of opportunity for a terrific Book 2, so I'm looking forwarding to reading it soon.
Full review at LucyKnowsThings.com. ...more
This is Big Little Lies if Cersei Lannister was heading the cast of malicious, impeccably groomed housewives. An addictive page turner with a twist you won't see coming!
This book is told from two perspectives: the defendant, Kira, who is a rich, terrifically amoral housewife (though innocent of the crime, as the reader knows from the start) and her much nicer lawyer, who's also a single mom with a crush on the handsome and disarming opposing council. I'm not usually into antiheroes or antiheroin ...more
This book is told from two perspectives: the defendant, Kira, who is a rich, terrifically amoral housewife (though innocent of the crime, as the reader knows from the start) and her much nicer lawyer, who's also a single mom with a crush on the handsome and disarming opposing council. I'm not usually into antiheroes or antiheroin ...more
Alison Barton, single mom and defense lawyer, is looking for the case that will make her career. Nearby, a mother is poisoned and nearly dies at a PTA event with children. Kira Grant, the accused, could be the case she is looking for but is it worth it?
I would consider this book more of a mystery, than a thriller. If you want on the edge of your seat action, this is not the book for you. If you want a good mystery that will keep you wondering with interesting, and one slightly despicable, chara ...more
I would consider this book more of a mystery, than a thriller. If you want on the edge of your seat action, this is not the book for you. If you want a good mystery that will keep you wondering with interesting, and one slightly despicable, chara ...more
Impressive and intoxicating. The women inhabiting this story are bold, clever, complex, and deliciously thorny—quick to show you what they're capable of if you dare underestimate them. This book is a dark delight and Kristin B. Wright is an author I'll be closely watching.
...more
The Darkest Flower is such a twisty delicious thriller featuring Kira, a horrifying but fascinating anti-hero who will make you laugh at the same time she makes you shudder, like only the most layered villains can. Woven through the toxic mix of monstrously hilarious commentary are subtle questions about society, victimhood, and what lines a mother might understandably cross for her children. The everywoman voice of Kira's lawyer, Allison, serves as a moral center to the novel. Juggling her own
...more
The Darkest Flower was my selection for Prime First Reads for May. Obviously I made the wrong choice. Normally I like the books but I wanted to try out a new author. I won't be reading any more. The writing was choppy, almost amateurish. The plot was ... interesting but... to put it simply, I never believed the plot, the legal proceedings were ridiculous even though the author was/is an attorney, and none of the characters appealed to me at all, not even a little bit. If they all had been poison
...more
Kira is the President of the PTA and is totally committed to her children and their success so of course she would never try to poison her best friend at a school event with the particular poison coming from a plant growing in her very on backyard! Ridiculous right?!? This is a fun, addictive story and I really enjoyed the characters and writing style. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
As a former PTA mom, I can say I did a lot, a lot for my kids as they were growing up. But this book shows us how there are lines that can get crossed by parents with the best (?) intentions. Great read. Yep, hard to put down!
An outstanding book! The author is a master at creating fully realized characters who leap off the page as real people. Kira is the most interesting of those characters, an extraordinarily manipulative, status-obsessed PTA mom whose love for her child leads to questionable decisions. Think Cersei from Games of Thrones if she were married to a dentist and sought elite college admission for her children rather than control of the Iron Throne.
The plot twists and turns to unexpected places. Without ...more
The plot twists and turns to unexpected places. Without ...more
May 13, 2021
Soren
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
2021-reading-list
Normally, when I despise a POV character with all the fiery passion of ten thousand blazing suns, that doesn't bode well for the book. But this book is so well-written, so deliciously good at characterization and getting into their heads and bringing you all the little twists and turns while still keeping things in reserve to end with a bang, it actually adds to the experience - this book wouldn't be anywhere near as good if Kira wasn't so delightfully awful she loops back around to being a fun
...more
Kristin Wright absolutely blossoms with her second book! The Darkest Flower has it all -- the darkest humor, the most delicious villain (or is she the villain!?), a heroine to root for as she roots out evil in the suburbs, and just the right hint of romance. I loved it and can't wait for Wright's next book, which is sure to thrill!
*I read an early copy of this book. ...more
*I read an early copy of this book. ...more
Mommy Law & Justice
Review of the Thomas & Mercer Kindle ARC eBook edition (to be released June 1, 2021)
Photograph of Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, so ...more
Review of the Thomas & Mercer Kindle ARC eBook edition (to be released June 1, 2021)
The courtroom tainted everything and everyone who entered. We’d all go straight to hell together. There’d be a line for entry longer than the ones at Disney for Space Mountain. Despair at the awfulness of everyone overwhelmed me.
Photograph of Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, so ...more
Back in law school, they told us we’d be helping people. They didn’t mention that we would, more often than not, dislike the people we were helping.
Everything is going well at an end of school PTA event for the "graduating" students when suddenly a mother drops to the floor after drinking a smoothie laced with monkshood, also known as wolfsbane. Her friend who had just handed the smoothie to her, Kira Grant, soon becomes a suspect. But Kira has no motive to poison her friend, even if the poison ...more
Everything is going well at an end of school PTA event for the "graduating" students when suddenly a mother drops to the floor after drinking a smoothie laced with monkshood, also known as wolfsbane. Her friend who had just handed the smoothie to her, Kira Grant, soon becomes a suspect. But Kira has no motive to poison her friend, even if the poison ...more
Impressive and intoxicating. The women in this story are bold, clever, complex, and deliciously thorny—quick to show you what they're capable of, if you dare underestimate them. This book is a dark delight and Kristin B. Wright is an author I'll be closely watching.
The character development is off the charts for Kira. She's an all time favorite, for sure. ...more
The character development is off the charts for Kira. She's an all time favorite, for sure. ...more
Oh, wow. An absolutely fantastic read. Wright gives us deliciously layered main characters, plenty of twists and turns, and an inability to sleep until you get to the end. :-) I'm so glad I got an ARC of this book, and can't wait to see what Wright comes up with next.
...more
My review disappeared and I’m recovering from hand surgery. I could barely write one review, I can’t do a second one.
3.5 ⭐️ Fun, quirky read that’s even funnier if you know someone with kids, or who’s on the PTA 🤣
Review to come!
Terrific story!
May 02, 2021
Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
So many of my prime reads have been duds lately, yet this one was fantastic. I’m so glad I read it and it’s likely I am going to continue the series. I knew who the wannabe-killer was, But I didn’t know the how or why. Turns out I also didn’t know the who - as in who the victim was supposed to be. Great read.
See my review on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b... ...more
See my review on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b... ...more
4.5*** (rounded up, because I enjoyed it!)
After reading some of the reviews on this book, I expected to go in to a predictable, somewhat fluffy story. I was pleasantly surprised on how well this book was written in regards to both the legal aspects and the depth of the characters. I definitely finished this book feeling like I knew who these people were - even if I didn't think particularly highly of them.
Another thing I really appreciated - I've read many books where the author clearly picks a ...more
After reading some of the reviews on this book, I expected to go in to a predictable, somewhat fluffy story. I was pleasantly surprised on how well this book was written in regards to both the legal aspects and the depth of the characters. I definitely finished this book feeling like I knew who these people were - even if I didn't think particularly highly of them.
Another thing I really appreciated - I've read many books where the author clearly picks a ...more
May 15, 2021
Rachelle
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gifted,
suspense-mystery-thriller
The Darkest Flower is the type of suspense I most enjoy reading, full of dark humor and page-turning drama.
The story is told from two perspectives. Kira is a super-involved PTA president accused of poisoning another parent. She's the definition of an unlikeable character. She's ruthless and manipulative, but also smart, which makes her exactly the type of character I like reading about (think Amber in The Last Mrs. Parrish). Allison is a single mom and defense attorney who takes on Kira's case. ...more
The story is told from two perspectives. Kira is a super-involved PTA president accused of poisoning another parent. She's the definition of an unlikeable character. She's ruthless and manipulative, but also smart, which makes her exactly the type of character I like reading about (think Amber in The Last Mrs. Parrish). Allison is a single mom and defense attorney who takes on Kira's case. ...more
I chose this book for my May first reads as I really liked the synopsis they gave. It was between this and one other and ultimately I chose this one. I wholeheartedly love books that are written from multiple points of views and characters. I find myself enjoying these books more than the normal way books are written.
From the beginning I was really hooked on this one. Kira seemed so fascinating to me and how hard she tried to keep up this image. I won’t say much more than that because I don’t wa ...more
From the beginning I was really hooked on this one. Kira seemed so fascinating to me and how hard she tried to keep up this image. I won’t say much more than that because I don’t wa ...more
Drawn to the purples of the cover and the fact it was a mystery thriller, I opened on my Kindle Kristin Wright's new book "The Darkest Flower". What a ride it turned out to be as we meet lawyer Allison Barton who sadly is working for a pompous jerk but people love to throw money at him, so she is getting the odd good case. Her new client is a mother of two and the president of not only the PTA but the Garden Club and she has her fingers in other pies too. She has been accused of poisoning anothe
...more
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Kristin lives in Virginia with her husband, two sons, and two beagles (one silly, one Machiavellian). She's a native of the Detroit area, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and has practiced law in many fields, including big firm litigation, criminal defense, personal injury, local government, and divorce and custody. She writes before work and behind the wheel of her car in the p
...more
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