Thursday, August 11, 2016

Behind Closed Doors - B.A. Paris

My favourite genre right now is psychological, twisty thrillers. And lucky for me, there seem to be many to choose from lately!

Behind Closed Doors is B. A. Paris's debut novel. And it was a good one....

Following a whirlwind romance and wedding to Jack, Grace seems to have it all - a beautiful home and a successful, handsome, devoted husband who makes it possible for her not work.

'Seems to' being the key words. That's looking from the outside in. Because what's happening behind closed doors is a completely different story, Grace is actually a prisoner in her home. Locked in with Jack controlling everything - money, seeing friends, clothes and food. Grace's younger sister Millie is what Jack uses to control Grace. And Millie is what keeps her going......

What an addictive read! I couldn't put it down. Early on I was shouting at Grace to listen to her intuition and run.  And then I was behind those doors with Grace, hoping and planning her escape - and revenge. But as every attempt fails and the months go by, Grace's determination and strength starts to wane. " I hold my hands out in front of me and the shaking that I can't control tells me what I've only just begun to realise but what Jack has know all along - that fear is the best deterrent of all."

Paris has created a charming but deadly psychopath in Jack. His dialogue and manipulative actions are simply chilling. Grace is of course the polar opposite, a likable, caring, genuine person who was attracted to a man she thought also had those traits.

Paris unfolds this story in a now and then narrative - how things started and where they are now. There were a few plot details that ask the reader to suspend disbelief. I suggest you do - stopping to ponder them will only slow up your reading. And this is an action filled read, rather than a slow building suspense book.

Did I like? Absolutely! Great escapist reading on the porch swing on a summer's day. Read an excerpt of Behind Closed Doors. Behind Closed Doors would make a great movie.

You can follow B.A. Paris on Twitter.

2 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Everyone's loving this book! It sounds great!

Mona said...

I LOVE psychological suspense/thrillers, my favorite genre! I received an advanced copy of this one from St. Martin's Press when they were doing a massive marketing campaign and gave out 10,000 copies.

I read it in two days! Hubby just happened to be out of town(great timing!) After I finished it(and several days after the 8/9 release date), I put it in our condo building's lending library. It was gone within an hour and I don't expect to see it on the shelves any time soon.

Nice review -- thanks :)