An immersive domestic thriller with interesting and well developed characters. Set within a complicated family relationship in Ireland, the tension builds gradually with unexpected twists and turns.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

A slow burn but well worth the smoldering.

TOXIC PEOPLE by S.D. Monaghan is one of those books that will completely block out the world as you quickly turn the pages to find out what happens next. Jenny and her husband, Shane live in her dream home from childhood, which was supposed to be left to her by her father. Her mother, Vera, an affluent society lady holds all the pursestrings regarding the house and the puppet strings for Jenny‘s sister, Joan. Joan acts as her mother’s minion and constantly causes disruption to Jenny and Shane lives at Vera‘s behest.

After Shane is almost killed chasing a robbery suspect, threatening warnings begin to appear to both Jenny and Shane but neither shares the information with the other. We follow along as the day progresses and each tries in their own way to solve the riddle before time runs out at sunset. Passed truths and secrets come to light as Jenny and Shane each look back over incidents in their lives that have shaped who they have become

Just when you think you have it all figured out, a shattering confrontation leads to all of their past secrets being revealed. Or not? Will Jenny and Shane survive the explosive reveal?

Great book! Loved it from beginning to end! Well worth the read. Characters were very interesting and engaging. Definitely recommend to readers.

This for me was an exciting read. It started off slow but quickly built pace and momentum. It had a great domestic thrilling plot to keep you on the edge of your chair. It’s very well written

I did enjoy this story and a few twists and turns. It sort of sucked me in and I desperately wanted to find out what Jenny had done and why she hadn’t told Shane, unfortunately it frustrated me a bit so only 3.5 stars but then the ending upped the score!
Thank you Netgalley for a preview of this book.

A wild ride! I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns in this book. I will definitely recommend!

I enjoyed this book a lot. The story was interesting, I often read later than I should have hoping the next chapter would reveal what happened 25 years ago. I was not expecting the plot twist. The only negative I have is that at times it was a bit hard to follow. With each new chapter it took me a few minutes to get into which character we were hearing from. I really appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

Great writing and enjoyable. I enjoyed the storyline and characters. The twists were a bit predictable but I it was a great read and I highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a very well done domestic thriller, and I found myself glued to my seat.

This was a fast paced read that gripped me right from the start and I read it in a couple of hours, I couldn't put it down.

Toxic People is a domestic thriller. It involves a family with a long history of issues that become more disturbing as the book progresses. It starts slow and builds as it goes.
The family is bizarre and the title indeed defines them.

It was a bit too slow for me and I wasn't as engaged as I would like to have been. That said, it is still a good read.

These were certainly some toxic people-
If nothing else, truth in advertising.

I was entertained by these people buy not at all sad to close the book on them.

If you liked novels by Louise Candlish and Gillian Flynn you’ll LOVE this too.

Ticked every box for me !.

It’s a don’t call me, don’t text me, have-to-cancel-that-meet up, enormously satisfying, one-sitting meal of a novel. (I literally did make excuses and cancel a scheduled coffee with a buddy, to read it in one go).

The “Narcissist Personality Disorder mother” and a “marriage in tumultuous times” was a big draw. That’s in context of a significant threat to the central characters, of what the reader finds out are a True Crime documenting author and his design media wife.

If you like psychological depth, high quality writing and a fast, super compelling narrative - well frankly this just delivers. Feel like it would make an excellent T.V adaptation too.

The interpersonal stratas are very authentic between the early 40’s married couple and the caustic wife’s family envelope.

I really liked the device of a home outright ownership issue, just tenuously hanging on the humours of the parent, who is just one of the titular “Toxic People” in the book.

The “Golden Chid” sister is a serious piece of work too.

There’s the veritable roller coaster of plot twisty, O.M.G-ish story turns that are too complicated to allude to, without giving things away, but suffice to say, the tall dark menacing stranger who’s come to town, isn’t of the cliched variety.

Another stand out feature of Toxic Ppple was that it had of THE most original and clever style and deivery of ending I’ve read in years.

In one regard it asks an uncomfortable question of people on all sides of a polarising contentious social issue, whilst being just exceptionally satisfying and unpredictable as a psychological thriller FIN.


Toxic People is simply one of those 1st class, 5 Star, #MustReads.

HIGHLY recommended !!


( Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. )

A superb fast paced thriller. I absolutely loved the story and couldn’t stop reading it. It’s perfect for all readers, especially thriller lovers.

The synopsis for this book made it sound very good but as I started reading it, I was very confused. The writing is very choppy and there were incomplete sentences. I wasn’t sure what was going on and none of the story seemed believable. I couldn’t get past the writing style.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Total snooze fest. Nothing happened. The deep dark secrets weren't shocking and neither were the 'twists.' The characters made ridiculous decisions. Not my cup of tea.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I was absolutely gripped by this book! A really enjoyable domestic thriller that is much more character oriented (which in my opinion is how a domestic thriller should be) than it is driven by events. I felt incredibly invested in the characters and needed to know what happened. Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this. Its pretty much what you'd expect from a domestic noir, a few twists and turns thrown in throughout and a few deep dark family secrets..... which I do have to admit aren't really that deep or dark! It's very character driven with a pot of tension building rather than actual events happening but that does appeal to a lot of domestic noir fans so I'm sure it'll go down well. It's a really quick read and you are left with a few questions but if you don't overthink it then it's pretty enjoyable. After all, this is a fiction book so some artistic license is allowed!