Listen free for 30 days

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Poison Orchids cover art

Poison Orchids

Written by: Sarah A. Denzil,Anni Taylor
Narrated by: Aimee Horne
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.94

Buy Now for $26.94

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A dark, compelling new thriller from best-selling authors Sarah A. Denzil and Anni Taylor  

Young backpackers Gemma and Hayley arrive at a remote fruit farm in Australia’s Northern Territory, out of money and desperate for work. 

The weeks go on, a blur of fruit picking, parties, campfires and wading beneath waterfalls in the nearby hot springs. Until the night the girls find themselves on a dark highway, bruised and bloodied.  

Senior Detective Bronwen McKay and psychologist Megan Arlotti question the terrified girls. But Hayley and Gemma are telling two very different stories of what happened to them over the past three months.  

Which story is the truth, and what are the girls covering up? A suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

©2019 Sarah A.Denzil and Anni Taylor (P)2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd

What listeners say about Poison Orchids

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    178
  • 4 Stars
    117
  • 3 Stars
    51
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    226
  • 4 Stars
    81
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    153
  • 4 Stars
    96
  • 3 Stars
    53
  • 2 Stars
    16
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Winding Road

Uh, hello Netflix? yes, I have your next series right here!!! thrilling! Just when you think it's about to be over, there's another twist!

Cultish, murderous, suspenseful, and a bit on the sci-fi. Love it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good book

I really enjoyed this book. I read a few negative reviews and was concerned but was pleasantly surprised.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another winner from this author

My first ever audiobook was Sarah Denzil’s “Silent Child” and I’ve loved her writing ever since. This was no exception. I really hope it’s made into a movie someday. Her books keep me captivated from beginning to end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Utterly Ridiculous

So far fetched and unrealistic that I was annoyed I listened to the whole thing. The narrator was good though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's ok

Narration was very good, story was mediocre at best. Struggled to keep my attention. Not one of those stories that kept me intrigued.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Kept Me Engaged With Unique Plot

A variety of interesting characters, moments that made my heart race throughout, and a mystery to put together. I definitely kept listening past my bed time too often!

I really enjoyed the story but you do have to hold for disbelief for one element for it to work. With that in mind, it was tricky for me to know if it was justified how the characters would act but if one goes along with the plot details then it is a unique premise indeed!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration not so excellent plot

Decided to purchase this one after listening to Stanger in the woods and The Game you played. While it kept my attention, I feel like the story is a little far fetched. The narration is excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

surprises and twists will keep you wanting more

At first I thought this book was slow and I wasn't going to enjoy it or finish it. I'm glad I gave it a chance though. once I got in to it I didn't want to stop listening. a few twists and surprises kept me wanting to hear more. I sped up the narration a bit and it made all the difference. I'd recommend this book but be warned that it may trigger some individuals who have lived through trauma.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Feels like a copycat

I've never written a review here yet, but felt compelled. I found the story very interesting and powered through it. The ending for me was completely unexpected and left me unsure how to feel, but I actually appreciate am ending that leaves me conflicted.

HOWEVER, this storyline feels 100% ripped off from Nine Perfect Strangers which was published before this novel. There's nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other sources, but in my opinion this went too far in basically recycling someone else's work. That's why I rated the story do low.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

5/5 for this one! Thought this had a great plot with twists and turns. Definitely a page turner. The narrator was fantastic as well. Very easy to listen to and really brought the characters to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for cynth
  • cynth
  • 2019-09-07

Too long

The story started out well enough but unfortunately they needed an editor. There were surprises and some very good twists. It’s hard to put my finger on it except it was too long and wordy. At times I would have to skip because the situations went on too long. So parts of it worked and other parts were like come on get over it! I am in the middle with this book. Maybe because there were 2 writers?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

90 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Buzy_reading
  • Buzy_reading
  • 2019-08-27

My pretty orchids...we are family

Backpackers from around the world were recruited to work the mango farm during mango picking season. At Llewellyn Farm everyone is family. Most are run aways from broken homes looking for a new adventure.

When two frightened but brave girls end up on a highway away from the farm, two detectives and a psychologist are called to ask the girls a few questions. Megan was just a psychologist who’d stepped way past her professional boundary lines to find the answers the girls couldn’t retain. Megan worked closely with the detectives assisting them with any information she could retain from the girls.
When questioned separately each girl recounts a different set of circumstances leading up to their escape. Both girls were at the centre of it all. Thankfully both girls survived the accident on the highway.

Narrator:
Aimee Horne was amazing. I haven’t enjoyed a performance this much since I listened to Will Watt and Hayden Bishop. Superb performance. I especially liked the British performance. Aimee reminded me how wonderful this story was when I read it myself. This was a revisit of the story and I thought it deserved a revisit with an audio experience. Aimee didn’t disappoint. She enhanced my reading experience 10 fold. I always follow along to the narration to ensure I’m retaining every word and this one didn’t disappoint.

This was a flawless performance. Each word was voiced just as it was written. The sound quality was sound proof with no outside disturbances.

Overall:
I loved the layout. Sarah immediately took the focus off of who chased them down the highway by focusing on the why. Let me just say I was unprepared for the why. Sarah has quite a scary imagination. The twists and turns were nothing I’d imagined. Sarah pulled off a clever story. It was brilliant.

I liked both detectives collaborating with the psychologist sharing ideas and concepts to proceed in the case. I liked all the supporting cast of characters they enhanced the story and brought this story to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

66 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for rkr4cds
  • rkr4cds
  • 2019-10-27

Pretty Good except for several unrealistic actions

- - except for several unrealistic actions by the professionals in the story: police, & Drs. I don't think that being set in Australia makes their actions divert so much from what common sense would dictate in human nature; severe lapses in 'Common Sense'.
If you can overlook those faults it was passable entertainment.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for mercyjam317
  • mercyjam317
  • 2019-09-13

Seems slow at first...just Wait For It!

I bought this book because of the great reviews and I was interested in the fact that the girls told different stories. When I started listening, I was disappointed because I felt like I had already read/listened to so many similar stories. Serial killer, keeping girls captive, they eventually escape... I don’t mean to sound cold, it just seemed like an old story. I wouldn’t want to spoil it, just believe that the first part hasn’t even scratched the surface. It gets really good!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Sasha Short
  • Sasha Short
  • 2019-09-16

Can't finish

I didn't finish the book. The narrator was okay when it came to general narration but her dialogue was so awkward and it made me cringe every time someone spoke. And it didn't matter who spoke, they all had multiple weird pauses within one sentence. It is also very hard to discern between the two girls.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Shenise Ramdeen
  • Shenise Ramdeen
  • 2019-08-17

Wow.

This was so creepy it had me looking over my shoulder a few times. It's been a while since I've come across a true psychological thriller. You definitely won't be disappointed!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kimberly
  • Kimberly
  • 2019-08-15

Twists A-Plenty

I don’t often do more than just give a “stars” - leaving the full reviews to other folks. That said, when an author really captures my attention and interest like Sarah and Anni did, I need let others know!

This book twists and turns, and just when I thought I’d figured it out - another twist. Right up to the last sentence this was an excellent and well written book! It was quite a ride!!

Bravo!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Christine Fogas
  • Christine Fogas
  • 2019-08-13

Interesting and captivating

I was worried at first this was going to be one of those books where nothing happens in the present, and the whole story is just flashbacks and re-telling of the past. That is definitely not the case! The story picks up quickly and has many unpredictable twists throughout. Would highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kelly
  • Kelly
  • 2019-08-13

Wow!

Writing was excellent. Story was going strong right off the bat then introduced new characters from a new perspective. Of course that's necessary bringing in the police procedural part of it.
Trust me though it's a fascinating story and after a long dry spell with nothing exciting this was a great. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Lia
  • Lia
  • 2020-01-17

Who's Lying

The book opens with a truck driver seeing two teenage girls running across a highway to get away from a man. He crashes the truck trying to avoid them, the girls are rescued and taken to a hospital. While Gemma and Hayley are recovering, they tell the detectives a bizarre and horrible story. But their stories don't quite match...

The book is three sections: the aftermath of the accident in the hospital, then three months prior when the girls arrived at the mango farm, then the present. It dragged a little in the last section, I thought things could have been moved along a little quicker. I also wished the police had been a little smarter, they really should've figured things out before they did.

Nothing is what it seems, both Gemma and Hayley are unreliable narrators at times, and there were enough twists to keep me guessing. I found the epilogue pretty chilling.

Aimee Horne was excellent with the delivery of the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful