By: B.A. Paris
ISBN: 9781250121004
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 8/9/2016
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars + Top Books of 2016 The 2016 debut bloggers can't stop raving about. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and The Ice Twins Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do. Though, you’d like to get to know Grace better. But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.
The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie? The debut psychological thriller you can’t miss!
Listen to an excerpt of B. A. Paris' Behind Closed Doors audiobook, read by Georgia Maguire. The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?
The debut psychological thriller you can’t miss!
My Review
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Movie Worthy, Top Books of 2016, Brain Twisting, “Grip-Lit” (AKA gripping psychological thriller), B.A. Paris, delivers a smashing debut BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (love the cover), where nothing is as it appears. Lovers of chilling "killer" psycho thrillers—move this one to the "top of your list." It is worth the hype, and then some! Grace Angel, wife of brilliant lawyer Jack Angel, is a perfect example of a woman who has it all—the perfect house, the perfect husband, the perfect life. Life had become perfect eighteen months earlier. The day Jack danced with Millie (her younger sister with Downs Syndrome) in the park. Or not? Jack likes privacy. The house, grounds, and the privilege of owning the most beautiful house in Spring Eaton. Security is important to him. Control. Appearances. Perfection. Esther joined the circle of friends a month earlier. Esther intrigues Grace. Esther and Rufus are welcome newcomers, to the area. Grace feels she has to impress. Possibly Esther notices more than Grace realizes. Grace fell in love with charming, amusing, and intelligent—Jack. He knows what to say and how to say it with his film-star good lucks. After all, Grace was lucky Jack wanted to marry her. Or is she? Grace’s sister Millie, age seventeen, nearly eighteen has downs syndrome. What exciting charming, and intelligent man would want to marry a woman with a sister and a burden to care for. A dream come true. A man who loves her and her sister. Desperate to care for her sister, she never thought she would ever be able to have a family and a life. She even sometimes wished Millie was normal. Her parents rejected their daughter and it was left up to Grace to support her. Her parent’s wanted to put her up for adoption. Grace fought for custody of Millie, as her principal caretaker. However, soon after the honeymoon she realizes she has to protect herself, and her sister. From the evil one in her own household. The man with two sides. Jack has turned into a monster. Behind closed doors he is evil, and slowly reveals an even more sinister plan, than she could ever imagine. This plan does not involve a happily ever after. She is a prisoner in her own house. Jack is calm, and collected on the exterior, but her new friend is intelligent- making it dangerous for someone like Grace. She is suspicious. Losing is never a word in Jack’s vocabulary. To make things even more intense, Millie talks about George Clooney (inside joke between the two sisters), and a strange grotesque painting with shades of red, a red room, a facade yellow room, abusive patterns, a room, a basement, steps, a prison, Thailand, sanity, no cell phone, no money, no housekeeper, no life, and a constant threat –taking time away from her sister, limited visits--she has no rights. Torture. How will she escape? She is not even allowed to go to the bathroom by herself. This man controls her every move. Where had the perfect gentleman gone? Had it all been a façade? Had he covered his true self with a cloak of geniality and good humor to impress her, or was there a bigger plan to his madness? Had she sold her soul and Millie’s to the devil? A psychopathic husband. Grace has to find a solution to this nightmare. As the time draws near for Millie to come and live with them (tick-tock) —Jack gets clever. Everything Grace has told him, he uses against her. He is keeping her prisoner and she is scared for Millie. He is out for revenge. Fear (and desperation) - the best deterrent of all. “In the drive outside, he holds the car door for me and waits until I’m in. As he closes it behind me, I can’t help thinking it’s a shame he’s such a sadistic bastard, because he has wonderful manners.” An abusive past, a craving. Jack becomes a lawyer, specializing in cases of domestic violence—the defender of battered women. However, is Grace really the reward or is it Millie? From perfection to horror. Jack even wants her to appear unstable. A husband for a psychopath. How will she convince people he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Jack loves torture and imprisonment. He thrives on it. As the day’s countdown for Millie’s release, will Grace be able to outwit and beat Jack at his own game before it is too late? Is she capable of murder, when it may be her only choice to save her sister? From past to present the author keeps you hooked, from the first word to the last- What a page-turner. OMG! Jack is pure evil. This is one of those thrillers you will want to read in one sitting. Unputdownable. A “Sleeping With the Enemy” on steroids with a modern twist. From being held prisoner to complete control, this is one cleverly crafted psychological suspense gripping thriller. The character development, the twisty plot, the choices, and moral conflict, along with fear and anxiety --all drive the psychological tension in unpredictable ways. The author brilliantly delves into the psychology of her antagonist and builds suspense slowly through ambiguity, making BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, A Top 10 List "Best psycho-thrillers for 2016!" EVIL. Guaranteed to mess with your head! The author truly emphasizes the unstable mental and emotional state of her characters. You have to “LOVE” Millie and (Jorj Koony) George Clooney. Her sharp character added just the perfect amount of wit. "Bad Jack. Very bad man." Plus, every Grace needs a friend like Esther. I enjoyed the “battle” of Grace and Millie against Jack. Their mind; filtering the good and evil, the moral and immoral, sane and insane – where the line between fact and fiction is blurred. The ending was priceless. Do you really know what goes on behind closed doors? No surprise the film and TV rights to talented B.A. Paris’ debut thriller has been acquired, and can certainly see why it was the #1 bestselling Kindle novel with 100K copies sold in the UK in the first three days. Can’t wait for Every Little Thing, coming January 26, 2017 and one I will be pre-ordering. An author to follow!
Review Links:
Advance Praise
“A hair-raising debut, both unsettling and addictive...A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night.” ―Mary Kubica, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Good Girl
"This outstanding debut novel will leave you breathless." ―Bella
"Brilliant, chilling, scary and unputdownable." ―Lesley Pearse, bestselling author of Without a Trace
"This one is 2016’s answer to Gone Girl. Nuff said." ―Women’s Health UK
"You’ll love this." ―The Sun
"Behind Closed Doors gives us a glimpse into the realities of a "perfect marriage," with addictive and heart pounding moments guaranteed to have you looking at your friends and neighbors differently." ―Margaret Madden, Bleach House Library
Breakdown
Coming June 20, 2017
THE NEW CHILLING, PROPULSIVE NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. Read More
About the Author
B. A. Paris is from a Franco/Irish background. She was brought up in England and moved to France where she spent some years working as a trader in an international bank before re-training as a teacher and setting up a language school with her husband.
They still live in France and have five daughters. She is the author of the bestselling psychological thriller Behind Closed Doors. Connect on Twitter
