In matters of domestic dispute or marital conflict, perception is important and emotional responsibility can be difficult to quantify. In her latest novel, POISON, Galt Niederhoffer takes this reality to a terrifying extreme.

Cass and Ryan Connor are successful, good-looking and, from all appearances, totally in love. Ryan was the exciting man who helped Cass move past the loss of her first husband and with whom she had her third child. Having relocated to a small town for a simpler life but still hard at work in their respective careers, they seem to have it all. But when Cass discovers signs, and then evidence, that Ryan is having an affair, she first begins to question the kind of man she married, and soon finds herself fighting not just for her family but also for her life. Not long after she learns about Ryan’s infidelity, Cass becomes very sick. Eventually she comes to believe that Ryan is poisoning her. But why? And how?

"POISON is as frustrating, scary and heartwrenching as you can imagine a story of emotional and physical abuse and manipulation would be.... Readers looking for a slow-burn thriller with an emotional foundation will be entertained."

As her illness increases, so does her fear. But her worries and complaints are repeatedly dismissed by authorities or ignored by those she turns to for support. All the while, Cass swings back and forth on an emotional pendulum, suffering both for loving Ryan and for wanting to leave him. Over and over, she tries to either reconcile with him or outwit him and prove his guilt, but his gaslighting is well thought out and finely executed, and her voice is dismissed as hysterical. Every time Cass believes she has found someone she can trust, it becomes painfully clear she has very few people in the world she can rely on. When custody of the children comes into play and Cass is faced with possible institutionalization, she draws on her background as an investigative journalist to take down Ryan, protect her children and save her own life.

POISON is as frustrating, scary and heartwrenching as you can imagine a story of emotional and physical abuse and manipulation would be. The trap in which Cass finds herself is claustrophobic and near complete, and Niederhoffer saves the resolution for the final pages of the novel, resulting in a relentlessly emotional read. While Cass’ wavering can be excused and even understood, readers will cheer when her nerve becomes resolute.

Niederhoffer’s style is choppy at times, and the plot is repetitive. It may be a function of telling the kind of story she is attempting to tell here, but it can also be a distraction from an otherwise compelling narrative about power, sex, gender and family dysfunction. POISON is both a domestic novel and a psychological thriller, but the motives of the main bad guy remain murky at best. Similarly, the lack of legal and medical support for the issues Cass brings to the police and doctors seems unlikely, even in a tricky situation such as this one. Niederhoffer plays with the idea of Cass’ reliability, and by the end of the book, everyone appears to be in cahoots with Ryan. Or, in reading it as such, are we falling victim to Cass’ paranoia as well?

Overall, this is a great premise, but the execution is lacking in some key areas. Readers looking for a slow-burn thriller with an emotional foundation will be entertained.