Well, that didn’t take long!
I just finished Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, and once I got started, I had a hard time putting it down.
This was my first book by B.A. Paris, and I can already tell you it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style, the way she developed the characters, and how she kept building the tension throughout the story.
And that ending? Oh, I have some thoughts!
This is easily one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I’ve read quite a few, so that’s saying something.
About the Book
Amazon’s description of Behind Closed Doors:
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.
My Thoughts
Warning: Major spoilers ahead! I’m discussing the plot, characters, and ending in detail.
You Know Something Is Wrong From the Beginning
Right from the start, you know something isn’t right.
There’s so much talk about how perfect Jack and Grace are. Their perfect marriage, their perfect home, their perfect dinner parties. Everything is just a little too perfect.
And when someone spends that much time convincing everyone how wonderful their life is, you know there’s something going on behind the scenes.
I immediately felt for Grace. And I immediately disliked Jack.
But even though I knew something was terribly wrong, there was absolutely no way I could have imagined what Jack was actually doing to her.
The control, the manipulation, the punishments, and the lengths he went to make sure nobody would believe Grace if she tried to tell the truth were horrifying.
He had thought of practically everything. He’d already laid the groundwork to make her look unstable, foolish, or incapable of taking care of herself.
And poor Grace. How could anyone go through what she did and not be completely broken down?
I Loved the Past and Present Chapters
One of my favorite things about the book was how the story moved between the past and present.
We’d see Grace’s life as it was, then go back and learn how she ended up in that situation. As the two timelines moved closer together, everything became even more agonizing.
I think that’s the word I’m looking for. Agonizing.
You know what’s happening to Grace, and you’re desperate for her to find a way out. But every time you think there might be an opportunity, Jack seems to be one step ahead of her.
I loved how the two timelines finally came together toward the end. It made the story that much more suspenseful.
Millie Was Stronger Than Anyone Realized
Now, let’s talk about Millie.
I absolutely loved her.
Jack thought he could use Millie against Grace, and he did. He knew Grace would do anything to protect her younger sister, and he took full advantage of that.
But what Jack underestimated was Millie herself.
Millie has Down syndrome, but that certainly didn’t mean she was stupid or unaware of what was happening around her.
She knew Jack was a terrible person. She knew he’d deliberately pushed her down the stairs at the wedding. And she knew Grace wasn’t safe.
And I loved how she kept saying she hated “Jorj Koony”!
It was one of those little details that made me love her character even more.
What really stood out to me was how brave Millie was. Grace had been emotionally and psychologically destroyed by Jack, and understandably so. But Millie had a strength that Jack never expected.
He thought she would be easy to frighten and control.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
What Jack Planned for Millie Was Horrifying
Of all the disturbing things in this book, I think Jack’s plans for Millie were the worst.
The fact that he had created an entire room specifically to terrify her, and that his goal was simply to enjoy her fear, was beyond awful.
He didn’t want money from her. He didn’t need anything from her.
He just wanted to frighten her over and over again.
I can’t even describe how that made me feel.
And knowing that Grace understood exactly what he was planning made her situation even more desperate.
She knew she couldn’t let Millie end up in that room. No matter what it took, she had to stop him.
And she finally realized there was only one way to make sure he could never hurt either of them again.
Grace’s Plan Was Absolutely Fantastic
I loved the way Grace finally turned the tables on Jack.
He had spent the entire book controlling everything. He planned every detail, anticipated every possibility, and made sure Grace had no way out.
Or so he thought.
When Jack lost his first case, Grace recognized an opportunity. She used his disappointment and wounded pride to get him to let his guard down.
And then she drugged him and locked him inside the very room he’d created to torture Millie.
How fitting was that?
After everything he’d done, he ended up trapped in his own nightmare.
Meanwhile, Grace went ahead with the planned trip to Thailand. Esther even drove her to the airport.
Grace continued acting as though everything was normal. Then, when she supposedly couldn’t reach Jack, she became increasingly worried.
Eventually, someone from the embassy arrived to tell her he’d died.
The explanation was suicide. After all, he’d just lost his first major case. It was easy enough for people to believe he’d been unable to handle the failure.
But the reality was that he’d died from dehydration because he couldn’t escape the room.
And I have to say, that felt particularly fitting after what he’d done to poor Molly, the puppy.
I absolutely hated that part of the book. It was heartbreaking.
Jack had been so confident that he could control everyone and everything. In the end, his own carefully designed room became his downfall.
I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying ending for him.
And Then There’s Esther!
I have to give Esther her own section because I absolutely loved her.
From early in the book, I had a feeling she knew something wasn’t right with Jack and Grace.
She noticed things. She asked questions. She tried to get information from Grace without being too obvious.
I loved that about her.
While everyone else seemed perfectly happy to believe Jack and Grace had this wonderful marriage, Esther wasn’t completely convinced.
And when Grace returned to England after Jack’s death, Esther proved just how observant she really was.
Their conversation toward the end was fantastic.
Grace gradually realized that Esther wasn’t trying to expose her. She was trying to help her.
Esther knew what Grace had done. Or at least she understood enough to put the pieces together.
And instead of turning against Grace, she helped her establish an explanation that would protect her.
I loved that Esther had been paying attention all along. She wasn’t fooled by Jack’s charm or the perfect image he worked so hard to maintain.
And when it mattered most, she was there for Grace.
Honestly, Esther might be one of my favorite supporting characters I’ve read this year.
Final Thoughts
I really, really enjoyed this book.
It was disturbing, suspenseful, frustrating, and at times downright heartbreaking. But I loved the characters, especially Millie and Esther, and I loved watching Grace finally find a way to take back control of her life.
B.A. Paris did such a good job of making me absolutely despise Jack. And even though you know from the beginning that something is wrong, the truth is so much worse than you could imagine.
I also loved how the past and present timelines came together and how the ending brought everything full circle.
This is easily in my top 10 books of the year. And considering how many books I’ve read, that’s pretty impressive!
I’ll definitely be reading more from B.A. Paris. If her other books are anything like this one, I think I’ve found another author to add to my favorites.