Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

​The title of this psychological thriller suggests that this is a tale of domestic abuse or something weird. The 'perfect' one-dimensional husband is, obviously, too good to be true (he even looks like George Clooney) and we quickly realise that he is something more sinister.

The premise of this story is, frankly, quite ridiculous. On the wedding night he changes completely into a one-dimensional baddie and the independent, professional wife from London turns into a whimpering wet lettuce. I found it hard to believe that any new wife would behave in the way the protagonist did. Considering that the first 10% of the book was describing the perfect dinner party, complete with beef Wellington and honey glazed carrots, I thought that I was in for a long, tedious and tortuous read.

However, it turns out to be an engrossing and fast read. The writing style is simple and effective with each chapter alternating as 'Present' or 'Past'. Towards the end I found it a little bit confusing as the timelines met up, but it is okay on the whole and gives the book pace.

There is no violence although it is alluded to in subtle and disturbing ways, which gives the story an edge. There were times when I called out 'Really?' in frustration, but they, thankfully, disappear as the story continues. The ending simply has to be the way out - we know she survives as the book is written in the first person - so we continue on to discover what happens. The characters are few and have no great depth, making this a great beach read despite being a typical domestic noir.

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Published by HQ on 11 February 2016.

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