Synopses & Reviews
“An electrifying read… I haven’t read anything so terrifying since Red Dragon.” —Stephen King A tale of desire, obsession, and deadly mystery, with echoes of Vertigo
Dr. Caleb Maddox is a San Francisco toxicologist studying the chemical effects of pain. After a bruising breakup with his girlfriend, he is drinking whiskey at the speakeasy House of Shields when a hauntingly seductive woman appears by his side. Emmeline whispers to Caleb over absinthe, gets his blood on her fingers, and then brushes his ear with her lips as she says goodbye. He must find her. As his search begins, Caleb becomes entangled in a serial murder investigation. The police are fishing men from the bay, and the postmortems are inconclusive. One man vanished from House of Shields the night Caleb met Emmeline. When questioned, Caleb can't offer any information. But he is secretly helping the city’s medical examiner, an old friend, understand the chemical evidence on the victims’ remains. Caleb’s search for the killer soon entwines with his hunt for Emmeline, and the closer he gets to each, the more dangerous his world becomes. The Poison Artist is a gripping literary thriller about obsession and damage, about a man unmoored by an unspeakable past and an irresistible woman who offers the ultimate escape.
Review
"An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page." Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Moonlight Mile
Review
"The best debut novel I've ever read." Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of the Rizzoli
Synopsis
Thebest debut novel I ve ever read. Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of the Rizzoli & Isles series
Anexceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished thelast page. Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Moonlight Mile
S. J. Watson makes his powerful debutwith thiscompelling, fast-paced psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in whichanamnesiacwho, following a mysterious accident, cannot remember her past or form newmemories, desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is and whoshe can trust.
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Synopsis
S. J. Watson makes his powerful debut with this;compelling, fast-paced psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in which an amnesiac who, following a mysterious accident, cannot remember her past or form new memories desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is, and who she can trust.
Synopsis
"As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...."
Memories define us.
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?
Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love all forgotten overnight.
And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.
Welcome to Christine's life.
Synopsis
“Thebest debut novel Ive ever read.”—Tess Gerritsen,bestselling author of the Rizzoli & Isles series
“Anexceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished thelast page.” —Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Moonlight Mile
S. J. Watson makes his powerful debutwith this compelling, fast-paced psychological thriller,reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in which an amnesiac who,following a mysterious accident, cannot remember her past or form newmemories, desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is—and whoshe can trust.
Synopsis
A tale of desire, obsession, and deadly mystery, with echoes of
Vertigo
Video
About the Author
Educated in the U.K., S.J. WATSON was born in the Midlands and lives in London, England. In 2009, Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy Writing a Novel course, a rigorous and selective program that covers all aspects of the novelwriting process. Before I Go to Sleep is the result. Now sold around the world in over thirty-five languages, Before I Go to Sleep has also been acquired for film by Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free, with Roland Joffe to direct. Visit the author online at <>.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by S. J. Watson