Author: B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.

#BookReview The Guest by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress #TheGuestNovel #BAParis #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview The Guest by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress #TheGuestNovel #BAParis #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Guest

Author: B.A. Paris

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 20, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another home full of heart-pounding secrets, in The Guest.

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris’ clothes, even rearranging the furniture.

Laure has walked out on her husband—and their good friend—Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure’s mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll.

Iris and Gabriel’s only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.


Review:

Cunning, edgy, and mysterious!

The Guest is a fast-paced, menacing thriller that takes you into the lives of Iris and Gabriel as their worlds get turned upside down when one of their best friends shows up uninvited to stay, one of their other friends seems to have disappeared without a trace, and everyone all around them seems to have deep dark secrets they’re willing to do anything to hide.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, self-absorbed, and secretive. And the plot is a simmering, ominous tale full of twists, turns, deception, manipulation, friendship, family, lies, desperation, tension, unease, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Guest is another devious, intense, eerie tale by Paris that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me entertained, satisfied, and surprised.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.

#BookReview The Therapist by B.A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress @RaincoastBooks #TheTherapist #BAParis #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview The Therapist by B.A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress @RaincoastBooks #TheTherapist #BAParis #SMPInfluencers Title: The Therapist

Author: B.A. Paris

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jul. 13, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: Hardcover

Source: Raincoast Books, St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist–a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.


Review:

Brisk, eerie, and intense!

The Therapist is a suspenseful, psychological thriller that introduces us to Alice, a young woman who is excited to move into a new home with her long-distance boyfriend Leo, that is until the murder-suicide of the previous homeowners is learned, the neighbours of this coveted gated community seem distant and unfriendly, a PI appears out of nowhere asking for help in identifying the true killer, and danger seems to be lurking around every corner inside and out.

The writing is edgy and tight. The characters are obsessed, consumed, and flawed. And the plot is an unnerving, suspenseful tale of deception, manipulation, suspicions, revelations, mayhem, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Therapist is a twisty, atmospheric, sinister page-turner that does a wonderful job of highlighting just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally exploited, and reminds us that even those we think we know so well often have deep, dark secrets they choose to hide.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Raincoast Books and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.

#BookReview The Dilemma by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress #TheDilemma

#BookReview The Dilemma by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress #TheDilemma Title: The Dilemma

Author: B.A. Paris

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jun. 30, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.

Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he’s learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness?


Review:

Pensive, unsettling, and emotional!

The Dilemma is a poignant, intense, domestic drama that immerses you into the lives of the Harman family as they each grapple with weighty decisions, make potentially unforgivable choices, keep devastating secrets, and receive news that will shatter their lives forever.

The writing is gripping and unnerving. The characters are anxious, secretive, and troubled. And the plot told from two different perspectives uses an alternating, back-and-forth style to create tension and unease as it subtly unravels all the personalities, relationships, behaviours, and histories within it.

Overall, The Dilemma is, ultimately, a novel about life, love, loss, marriage, friendship, parenting, expectations, secrets, betrayal, fear, anguish, tragedy, and repercussions. It’s not the usual psychological thriller we’ve come to expect by Paris but is nevertheless an edgy, tight, emotionally compelling, thought-provoking tale.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.

#BookReview The Breakdown by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress

#BookReview The Breakdown by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress Title: The Breakdown

Author: B.A. Paris

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jul. 18, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 328

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…


Review:

Captivating, menacing and intense!

This is a suspenseful thriller that highlights just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally manipulated and how quickly things can spiral out of control.

It is, ultimately, a story about relationships, friendship, greed, jealousy, exploitation, deception, and murder.

The writing is crisp and clear. The characters are complex, secretive and unstable. And the plot, told through an unreliable narrator, builds nicely and has just the right of amount of tension, befuddlement, mystery, and authenticity.

This is the second novel I’ve read by Paris and although I didn’t find this novel as dark and disturbing as her previous novel it is certainly just as engrossing, entertaining and enjoyable.

If you haven’t had a chance to read my review for B. A. Paris’ other novel, Behind Closed Doors, be sure to check it out here:

Behind Closed Doors - Cover

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.

#BookReview Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

#BookReview Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris Title: Behind Closed Doors

Author: B.A. Paris

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Aug. 9, 2016

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 293

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Book Rating: 8.5/10

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?


Review:

Disturbing, suspenseful and extremely satisfying!

This is an absorbing thriller that delves into the psychological and emotional manipulation that can occur in a relationship and reminds us that you never really know what goes on “behind closed doors”.

The writing is well done. The story is told in a past/present, back-and-forth style that gives nice depth and understanding to both the relationships and the predicaments the characters find themselves in, and the plot is full of enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of you seat from the outset. 

I have to say this dark, gritty novel is incredibly chilling and if you like psychological thrillers I think you will definitely enjoy it.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy of this story from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Amazon UKAmazon USAmazon CanadaIndigoBook DepositoryKobo

 

 

About B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.