Twists and turns at every page. I would recommend this book again and again. Absolutely amazing and sickeningly creepy. A+
Behind Closed Doors
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 168,195 ratings
Price: 13.12
Last update: 11-05-2024
About this item
The instant New York Times and USA Today best-selling debut psychological thriller you can't miss!
The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?
"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 best-selling author of The Good Girl)
"This debut is guaranteed to haunt you.... Warning: brace yourself." (Bustle: 10 New Thrillers to Read This Summer)
"The sense of believably and terror that engulfs Behind Closed Doors doesn't waver." (The Associated Press, picked up by The Washington Post)
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He's a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You're hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.
But it's difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.
Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn't work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.
Some might wonder what's really going on once the dinner party is over and the front door has closed.
From best-selling author B. A. Paris comes the gripping thriller and international phenomenon Behind Closed Doors.
Top reviews from the United States
Brittani5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly written.
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2024
DonnaC4.0 out of 5 stars
More intriguing than thrilling
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2016
Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris
4 stars!!!
“Had it all been a facade, had he covered his true self with a cloak of geniality and good humour to impress me?”
I have just read two psychological thrillers on the bounce as my thirst for something mentally taxing and suspenseful overran my usual penchant for tear jerkers or romance. For a debut novel, this was a great read. Not gory, blood thirsty or overly dramatic but more a workout for the grey matter. This was a book that makes you read between the lines as you try to imagine just what does actually go on behind closed doors.
At first glances, Jack and Grace Angel are the ideal perfect couple. The people that know them want to emulate them, they are jealous of how in love they are, the house they have and the life they perceive to lead, but we all know that appearances can be extremely deceptive. Told from Grace’s point of view with flashbacks to past and present, BA Paris cleverly weaves the sorry tale of the Angel’s and one psychopathic husband.
“‘Fear,’ he whispered. ‘There is nothing quite like it. I love how it looks, I love how it feels, I love how it smells. And I especially love the sound of it.’ I felt his tongue on my cheek. ‘I even love the taste of it.’”
Jack is a forty-year-old, highly successful lawyer, who is the front runner in domestic abuse cases. He battles for the battered women and has never lost a case…he even has a job that makes you want to love him…add into the mix he is drop dead gorgeous and Grace never really stood a chance. Grace is a thirty-two-year-old successful buyer for Harrods that has lived her life for one person and one person only, her sister Millie who is seventeen and has downs syndrome. Millie boards at a special school and Grace works all the hours to provide for that schooling. She is biding her time until Millie turns eighteen when she can finally come to live with her.
Grace and Millie meet Jack on one of their frequent visits to the park, as Millie is dancing on her own with her arms around an imaginary dancing partner, Jack does the unthinkable and dances with her…cue heart melting into a pile of mushy goo. This is exactly what happened to Grace…cue whirlwind courtship and marriage with Jack promising to provide everything for Millie if Grace gives up work and becomes his wife as Jack is tired of coming home to an empty house and bed…this is where you wonder where the hell Jack Angel went.
“He prides himself on uttering only the truth, and enjoys that I am the only one who understands the meaning behind his words.”
As I said above, this is a book that makes you think, I was constantly second guessing Grace trying to think of ways I could get out of her situation but actually when you sat back and thought about it, you really couldn’t. Jack was one clever son of a bitch, being a lawyer he was intelligent and also has seen and witnessed a lot of crap, but he was meticulous in everything, was one step ahead of everybody and had managed to create the perfect illusion. Jack was conniving, inherently evil and the master manipulator, he was mentally depraved and yet still managed to cast the perfect veneer over his evil cravings…he was the devil in disguise and had one huge trump card that he constantly dangled over Grace’s head…Millie. The things we do for love…
“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 known all along—that fear is the best deterrent of all.”
While the flashbacks to past and present worked, I personally felt that this could also have worked in chronological order and may have actually flowed a little better…there is only a little over a year covering the whole book so the time lapse wasn’t that great. My need for the present was greater than for the past, but the little snippets that we got from those past chapters only intensified the need to keep page turning as little by little the real Jack Angel stood up. The brief look we got into his past was jaw dropping and while it went some way in trying to justify the man he was, really it was just the match that started the raging fire that must have already been on a slow burn, because one instance did not maketh the man that Jack Angel became.
“In her mind, where the line between fact and fiction is often blurred, murder is simply a solution to a problem.”
The ending, while predictable was delivered in style if not a little rushed, however, the last two lines summed up this book perfectly and delivered one hell of an emotional impact which really brought together the whole plot line. This was extremely clever and left me giving the author a clap and a mental high five. What is it with red rooms…?
4 stars!!!
“Had it all been a facade, had he covered his true self with a cloak of geniality and good humour to impress me?”
I have just read two psychological thrillers on the bounce as my thirst for something mentally taxing and suspenseful overran my usual penchant for tear jerkers or romance. For a debut novel, this was a great read. Not gory, blood thirsty or overly dramatic but more a workout for the grey matter. This was a book that makes you read between the lines as you try to imagine just what does actually go on behind closed doors.
At first glances, Jack and Grace Angel are the ideal perfect couple. The people that know them want to emulate them, they are jealous of how in love they are, the house they have and the life they perceive to lead, but we all know that appearances can be extremely deceptive. Told from Grace’s point of view with flashbacks to past and present, BA Paris cleverly weaves the sorry tale of the Angel’s and one psychopathic husband.
“‘Fear,’ he whispered. ‘There is nothing quite like it. I love how it looks, I love how it feels, I love how it smells. And I especially love the sound of it.’ I felt his tongue on my cheek. ‘I even love the taste of it.’”
Jack is a forty-year-old, highly successful lawyer, who is the front runner in domestic abuse cases. He battles for the battered women and has never lost a case…he even has a job that makes you want to love him…add into the mix he is drop dead gorgeous and Grace never really stood a chance. Grace is a thirty-two-year-old successful buyer for Harrods that has lived her life for one person and one person only, her sister Millie who is seventeen and has downs syndrome. Millie boards at a special school and Grace works all the hours to provide for that schooling. She is biding her time until Millie turns eighteen when she can finally come to live with her.
Grace and Millie meet Jack on one of their frequent visits to the park, as Millie is dancing on her own with her arms around an imaginary dancing partner, Jack does the unthinkable and dances with her…cue heart melting into a pile of mushy goo. This is exactly what happened to Grace…cue whirlwind courtship and marriage with Jack promising to provide everything for Millie if Grace gives up work and becomes his wife as Jack is tired of coming home to an empty house and bed…this is where you wonder where the hell Jack Angel went.
“He prides himself on uttering only the truth, and enjoys that I am the only one who understands the meaning behind his words.”
As I said above, this is a book that makes you think, I was constantly second guessing Grace trying to think of ways I could get out of her situation but actually when you sat back and thought about it, you really couldn’t. Jack was one clever son of a bitch, being a lawyer he was intelligent and also has seen and witnessed a lot of crap, but he was meticulous in everything, was one step ahead of everybody and had managed to create the perfect illusion. Jack was conniving, inherently evil and the master manipulator, he was mentally depraved and yet still managed to cast the perfect veneer over his evil cravings…he was the devil in disguise and had one huge trump card that he constantly dangled over Grace’s head…Millie. The things we do for love…
“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 known all along—that fear is the best deterrent of all.”
While the flashbacks to past and present worked, I personally felt that this could also have worked in chronological order and may have actually flowed a little better…there is only a little over a year covering the whole book so the time lapse wasn’t that great. My need for the present was greater than for the past, but the little snippets that we got from those past chapters only intensified the need to keep page turning as little by little the real Jack Angel stood up. The brief look we got into his past was jaw dropping and while it went some way in trying to justify the man he was, really it was just the match that started the raging fire that must have already been on a slow burn, because one instance did not maketh the man that Jack Angel became.
“In her mind, where the line between fact and fiction is often blurred, murder is simply a solution to a problem.”
The ending, while predictable was delivered in style if not a little rushed, however, the last two lines summed up this book perfectly and delivered one hell of an emotional impact which really brought together the whole plot line. This was extremely clever and left me giving the author a clap and a mental high five. What is it with red rooms…?
Amber Uncorked5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Thriller That I Could Not Put Down! (Possible Spoilers) Download Immediately!
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016
One of the best stores of 2016 hands down! I actually downloaded this book early and just got around to reading it a week ago and once I started I could not put it down unless absolutely necessary and since I have to work a full time job and be a wife and mommy that was often however, whenever I could read this book was in my hand.
This book has been getting a lot of hype and for good reason. This is a skin crawling, chilling, suffocating, impossible to imagine story and yet it's written so well that it's damn hard to put down. It switches between past and present which I like although sometimes I'll have to go back and reread a couple things to get my bearings but it's put together extremely well.
Let's start with, I have never wanted a character to die as much as I wished Jack would. From the very beginning I loved Grace. She was sweet, independent, and absolutely adored her sister Millie. When she met Jack she thought she had met her soul mate. He was wonderful, charming, and seemed to adore her sister as much as she did. He had a successful career as a domestic volience attorney for women and had never lost a case. He wanted to marry Grace, build her a dream house, and even have her mentally disabled sister living with them. Dream come true, right? Wrong!
After they are married Grace learns the awful truth. Jack isn't who he says he is. He's an evil monster of a man who now owns her. Grace and Jack put up a good front around people, they come off as the perfect couple but behind closed doors is a completely different story. It's true what they say, you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.
This story kept me on my toes and I'm not ashamed to say it scared the living hell out of me. Jack is a vile, horrible, man and the entire time I was reading this book I couldn't help but pray he that he gets what's coming to him.
The only real down side for me was how the book ended. I mean it's a great ending however it had me flipping an extra couple pages and I even turned to my husband and said, "That's it?!" It would have been nice to know how the characters continued on after the ending. An epilogue would have been a nice addition to this story I believe. Other than that I have no real complaints. The story was well written, fast paced, the characters were well developed, and I feel like they didn't spend too much time in one area or another. B.A. Paris hit it out of the park with her first novel and I applaud her.
Although, I'll tell you this right now if they make a movie out of this novel I WILL NOT be watching it. NO way, NO how! For those who worry about possible triggers this could definitely have a few. There were moments where I was holding my chest in anticipation of what was coming next however, I couldn't stop reading.
If you haven't bought, downloaded, or read Behind Closed Doors yet I suggest you get this book in your library immediately! I downloaded the e-book then loved it so much I bought the hardcover as well. I'm serious, buy it now!
This book has been getting a lot of hype and for good reason. This is a skin crawling, chilling, suffocating, impossible to imagine story and yet it's written so well that it's damn hard to put down. It switches between past and present which I like although sometimes I'll have to go back and reread a couple things to get my bearings but it's put together extremely well.
Let's start with, I have never wanted a character to die as much as I wished Jack would. From the very beginning I loved Grace. She was sweet, independent, and absolutely adored her sister Millie. When she met Jack she thought she had met her soul mate. He was wonderful, charming, and seemed to adore her sister as much as she did. He had a successful career as a domestic volience attorney for women and had never lost a case. He wanted to marry Grace, build her a dream house, and even have her mentally disabled sister living with them. Dream come true, right? Wrong!
After they are married Grace learns the awful truth. Jack isn't who he says he is. He's an evil monster of a man who now owns her. Grace and Jack put up a good front around people, they come off as the perfect couple but behind closed doors is a completely different story. It's true what they say, you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.
This story kept me on my toes and I'm not ashamed to say it scared the living hell out of me. Jack is a vile, horrible, man and the entire time I was reading this book I couldn't help but pray he that he gets what's coming to him.
The only real down side for me was how the book ended. I mean it's a great ending however it had me flipping an extra couple pages and I even turned to my husband and said, "That's it?!" It would have been nice to know how the characters continued on after the ending. An epilogue would have been a nice addition to this story I believe. Other than that I have no real complaints. The story was well written, fast paced, the characters were well developed, and I feel like they didn't spend too much time in one area or another. B.A. Paris hit it out of the park with her first novel and I applaud her.
Although, I'll tell you this right now if they make a movie out of this novel I WILL NOT be watching it. NO way, NO how! For those who worry about possible triggers this could definitely have a few. There were moments where I was holding my chest in anticipation of what was coming next however, I couldn't stop reading.
If you haven't bought, downloaded, or read Behind Closed Doors yet I suggest you get this book in your library immediately! I downloaded the e-book then loved it so much I bought the hardcover as well. I'm serious, buy it now!