BEHIND CLOSED DOORS by B.A. Paris
CBTB Rating: 4.5/5
The Verdict: addictive & chilling & utterly unputdownable
B.A. Paris’ BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is everything I need and more in a summer crime fiction read. Brimming with moments of quiet evil and breathtaking suspense, this is the perfect domestic thriller. How much do we really know about the people we choose to spend our lives with, and how much do we really know about the secrets our friends and neighbors keep in their homes? B.A. Paris explores the potential for evil and abuse in a picture-perfect marriage in this shocking and utterly addictive read.
Meet Jack and Grace. We all know (and likely envy) couples like them: Jack has a high-powered job and charm to spare; Grace is a gracious hostess and a classic beauty. They seem to have it all… But something isn’t quite right. Why does Grace never answer the phone? Why doesn’t she ever go out in public without Jack? And why are there bars on one of the bedroom windows? Sometimes the most picture-perfect couples hide the darkest secrets in the privacy of their homes.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS might just be my favorite domestic thriller I’ve ever read. B.A. Paris has built a world that is sinister in very subtle ways, drawing the reader ever deeper into the madness of Jack and Grace’s marriage. That subtlety was my favorite aspect of this book: I loved the way Paris is never heavy-handed, but rather delicately manipulates very ordinary situations to illustrate the truly twisted secrets this couple hides. Sure, there are fantastic “big reveals” and moments that are just plain shocking, but most of all, I loved watching Paris infuse the mundane with an underlying darkness. A meal course not timed properly, a specific lilt in Jack’s voice, a prying neighbor asking too many questions… all these very ordinary elements of life take on new meaning when viewed through the eyes of the traumatized Grace.
Truly the only reason I gave this book less than 5/5 stars was for a brief period in the middle of the book in which the plot became just a touch repetitive. The story quickly moved past this slight slump, and went on to become even more twisty and twisted than before, so I certainly wouldn’t want any reader to be dissuaded by it. Couple the story's fast pace with an ending as triumphant as it is shocking, and you've got a summer must-read.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is simply one of the most entertaining books I’ve read in recent memory. This domestic thriller grabbed my attention from page one, and I was utterly absorbed in the twisted world of Jack and Grace. Sickening and tragic and plotted at breakneck speed, this book will get under your skin and keep you up reading well into the night. Fans of Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn, Sophie Hannah, and Clare Mackintosh - B.A. Paris should be the next author you add to your reading list.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS releases August 9, 2016 from St. Martin’s Press