July 16, 2017

Behind Closed Doors



Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
Thriller
2016 MacMillan Audio
Read by Georgia Maguire
Finished on October 21, 2016
Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)

Publisher's Blurb:

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace: he has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You'd like to get to know Grace better. But it's difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love.

Picture this: a dinner party at their perfect home, the conversation and wine flowing. They appear to be in their element while entertaining. And Grace's friends are eager to reciprocate with lunch the following week. Grace wants to go, but knows she never will. Her friends call—so why doesn't Grace ever answer the phone? And how can she cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim?

And why are there bars on one of the bedroom windows?

The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?


Behind Closed Doors is a suspenseful, unputdownable thriller that grabs you from the opening pages and doesn't let you go, even after you have long finished! I looked for every excuse to find time to listen to this book. It's compelling, chilling, disturbing and menacing; everything I like in a thriller. I hated Jack, who is the classic evil wolf in sheep's clothing. The tension in this book is evenly paced and while I found myself holding my breath, fearful of each dark corner, I had to stick with it and see if the ending was satisfying. Maybe not a happily-ever-after, but not ambiguous either. I tried to think of why I shouldn't give this a perfect rating and couldn't come up with a thing, other than the absence of lyrical passages. For this genre, though, that isn't one of my requirements, so... 5/5 stars!

Georgia Maguire is the perfect reader for this audio. Her accent, as well the tremor in her voice when Grace was frightened, made me believe everything that was happening was REALLY happening. It seems strange to say that I loved a book that involves such an evil, sadistic character, but I was spellbound and couldn't wait to return to the audio. The storyline and characters invaded my dreams and I still find myself thinking about the book and Grace's situation after all these months. Behind Closed Doors is one of the best psychological thrillers I've read. Fans of Sleeping with the Enemy (remember that creepy movie with Julia Roberts?!), Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl will not be disappointed. Intense!

12 comments:

  1. I loved this book too. Some people said they found it unbelievable but I sure didn't.

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    1. Kathy, I suppose it was unbelievable (how could her friends not guess what was going on?!), but I still thought it was highly entertaining.

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  2. I so wish I felt the same way as you do about this book! Picked it for my book club and I'm feeling like I'm going to get beat up about it on Tuesday. I'm definitely one of those people that Kathy mentioned, who don't find it believable. I have Paris' latest book so I'm hoping I enjoy that one more.

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    1. Lisa, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it and I'm eager to hear how the others in your book group felt about it. As I said to Kathy, it was highly entertaining in spite of the unbelievable aspects of the plot. Hope you enjoy the new book better. I've got it somewhere...

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  3. So glad to hear you enjoyed this one. I thought it was a great thriller too. There's a new book by this author coming out and I can't wait to read it. Hoping it's just as good!

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    1. Iliana, it's definitely one in which you have to suspend disbelief, isn't it? Still, very entertaining in my book. I can't wait to read the new one!

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  4. I found the book disappointing overall and wish I'd listened instead... I suspect it would have made a difference.

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    1. JoAnn, a lot of folks were disappointed with this book. I truly think the audio made all the difference in my enjoyment.

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  5. I liked The Breakdown by Paris better than Behind Closed Doors!

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    1. Jenclair, this makes me want to start it today! I really need to finish what I've started though, so I'll save it for my camping trip next month (unless you tell me it's too creepy to read while out in the wilderness!).

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  6. This got a 4.25/5 from me! Woo! I thought it had issues with plausibility, but I was still intrigued. Yay for a good book! :)

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    1. Yep, was a very good book wasn't it, Joy? I'm really looking forward to her next one.

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