#44 Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris

Behind Closed Doors is a psychological thriller that follows the story of married couple Jack and Grace Angel. They appear to be the perfect couple to all their friends but they dont know what is happening behind closed doors.

Jack and Grace meet in the park by chance one Sunday afternoon. Grace is on a day out with her seventeen year old sister Millie who has Downs Syndrome. No man has ever accepted Millie as a big part of Graces life which has always stopped her from having long term and serious relationships. Graces and Millies parents did not want to carry on with the pregnancy when they found out that Millie would have Downs Syndrome so Grace became her primary carer when she refused to let her mother abort the pregnancy. Millie attends a boarding school but will be released into Graces care on her eighteenth birthday.

When Jack is completely accepting of Millie, Grace believes she has found the perfect man. After introducing him to her parents they find themselves engaged and planning a wedding. On their wedding night everything changes as Jack disappears and ignores all of Graces calls and texts. The next day as they are due to travel to Thailand for their honeymoon Jack shows a different side of his character. He steals Graces passport and purse and informs her that she will basically be living as his prisoner. He informs the staff at the hotel that she is mentally ill and suffers from paranoia and anxiety so any time she tries to escape the staff believe it to be down to her illnesses.

When they return from Thailand she is confined to the house that has bars on the windows and every door is locked. Grace is kept in a small room with an en suite. She has no tv, books or anything to entertain her. Jack dictates what she wears, says and does. They hold dinner parties in which Grace must act like the perfect wife and play into their facade of being the perfect couple.

Grace complies to Jacks wishes as he blackmails Grace with her sister Millie. Firstly by not allowing her to visit her at boarding school and also by threatening to scare Millie and lock her in the basement when she comes to live with them when she is eighteen. As Grace is so attached to Millie she will bow down to Jacks wishes in order to protect Millie.

The most compelling thing about this story is that it is so realistic! As you are reading you cant help but think that this could happen in real life and it is almost sickening. Parts of this story actually scared me and Jack as an antagonist is so believable. Grace is a slightly annoying character but she is also very believable.

I have often heard this compared to Gone Girl but they arent similar at all and i found this story to more realistic than Gone Girl although i ended up rating both 4 stars. This is a must read if you enjoy thrillers.