Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris. First let me start by saying I read Behind Closed Doors and gave it three stars on Goodreads. I have not read the Breakdown. Behind Closed Doors was recommended by a friend who absolutely loved it. After finishing Bring me back I found myself feeling exactly the same way as I did when I finishing Behind Closed Doors. Both books swept me in at the start, through the middle they lost me, but kept me reading till the end. . I found the middle of the book very repetitive with not much happening. I realized I wasn’t really reading every word but skimming to see what happens at the end. The last 10 pages captured my attention again. If you are looking to escape and want an easy enjoyable read this is a good book to pick up!

B.A. Paris writes gold! Bring Me Back is a well thought out, well written, suspense. Character development is impeccable. You will sit on the edge of your seat, thinking you've figured out what's going on, and the book then takes a turn tossing your initial thoughts about who is responsible to the wind. Such a great read!

When I read Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris last year, it quickly became one of my favourite thrillers of all time, as well as our book clubs. Since then, I have also read The Breakdown, and as of yesterday, her newest release: Bring Me Back. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC, as I really don't think I could have waited until it release in June 2018. After reading the premise of the book, I knew I was hooked. I spent the majority of my Saturday finishing this one. B.A. Paris is an incredible writer, her first book was intricately plotted, with a shocking revelation, and left you haunted after the conclusion. Her newest book is another one to add my to ever growing collection of Domestic Noir: a literary subgenre within crime fiction. I really enjoyed parts of this one, however the overuse of Russian dolls (these mysterious dolls keep appearing throughout the story) made it lose its momentum, and I found myself skimming pages. The conclusion was too far fetched for me, and completely unbelievable. This one missed the mark for me in comparison to Behind Closed Doors, however it has received lots of praise, and may be the perfect twisted thriller for you.

Twisty mysteries and thrillers are some of my absolutely favorite books though they can be challenging come review time when there is so much I want to say, but can't without spoiling someones reading pleasure. I've read The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors and was excited to see another book by B.A. Paris. All I knew about Bring Her Back when I started reading was what the book description stated and that was more than enough to grab my attention and not let go until I finished.
12 years ago, Finn and his girlfriend Layla were coming home from vacation when Layla seemingly vanishes into thin air. There were no witnesses and no clues and while Finn is certainly considered a person of interest, the case remains unsolved and Layla's fate unknown. Now Finn has a good job and a new girlfriend Ellen who just happens to be Layla's sister. For the most part, they are happy and living a pretty good life until the past suddenly intrudes. Someone claims to have seen Layla, a Russian doll from the sister's childhood turns up in numerous places and Finn receives some unsettling emails. Has Layla been alive all this time or does someone have information tying Finn to her mysterious disappearance? Without giving anything away, I can say that B.A. Paris slowly reveals all and throws in quite a surprising twist! This was an enjoyable read with narrators I didn't trust and I definitely wanted to know what happened to Layla. With a U.S. publication date in June, I would recommend this as a perfect beach read to anyone who likes a good mystery.
Thank you B.A. Paris, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. I can't wait to be able to talk about that ending with my book-loving friends.

BRING ME BACK (2018)
By B. A. Paris
St. Martin's Press, 304 pages
★★★


Bring Me Back is a mystery that will keep you engrossed, even when you can't stand the protagonist, and even though a central reveal comes too early. Overall it's a readable and clever novel, even when it's not very convincing.

It was gutsy of Ms. Paris to cast Finn McQuaid as her lead, as he's the kind of jerk you'd avoid in real-life if you had an ounce of commonsense. Finn is vain, furtive, quick-tempered, and self-centered. He's also financially set thanks to an old friend, Harry, who helped him get his feet on the ground after a testosterone-fueled assault by bringing Finn into his high-powered London investment firm. The book is set between the years 2002 and 2016, which also tells us that Finn lined his nest during the global recession. As we know, profit-takers during those years are unlikely candidates for sainthood.

You'd better have a good tale if you want readers to connect with an egoist such as Finn. It's here that Paris casts her finest spell. Not much actually happens in Bring Me Back, but the novel is a bit like the old Alfred Hitchcock film Gaslight in that it sucks us into a psychological whirlpool. It's also like Hitchcock in that the more you suspend belief, the better you'll enjoy the spin.

Paris leads with intrigue: A British couple heading home from a French vacation makes a rest stop. When the male driver returns from the toilet, his female companion has disappeared without a trace. We soon learn that the couple is Finn and his girlfriend, Layla Gray. The book goes back and forth between time and point of view, and we immediately learn that Finn is an unreliable narrator. He is quite naturally the prime suspect in Layla's disappearance. Though he's cleared of wrong-doing, he informs us that he told both French and English authorities the truth, "just not the whole truth."

We also learn that Finn met Layla in the Underground—he an upscale Yuppie on his way to a party, and she a Scottish country bumpkin in London for the first time with no clue that she'd never find a youth hostel bed on New Year's Eve. Layla ends up staying at the posh flat Finn shares with Harry and before you can say, "Holy plot device," Finn has dumped his girlfriend for Layla. Harry is baffled as Layla is everything Finn is not: sweet, vulnerable, reckless, non-calculating, and naïve is ways that blur the line between inexperience and mental instability. The last trait surfaces anew when she and Finn move to a country cottage, but Layla begins to act oddly. She claims she longs for London because Devon reminds her too much of the Isle of Lewis, where she grew up. It also makes her miss her sister, Ellen, who stayed on Lewis to care for their father in his final days, even though he was an abusive alcoholic lout. But the trip to France was not an engagement trip, as Finn told police. Was the purpose something more sinister?

Twelve years pass. Layla has been declared legally dead, Finn now lives a quiet life in the Cotswolds, and he is affianced to Ellen, Layla's sister. She is Layla's opposite—calm, sophisticated, sensible, demure…. But the very announcement of impending nuptials sets off a string of bizarre consequences that begin when Ellen receives in the mail the missing piece of a Russian doll set she lost as a child. Only Layla knew about this. Other Russian dolls appear, with Finn doing his best to snatch them away before Ellen discovers them. There are reports of Ellen sightings and Finn begins to get emails with information that only Layla knew. Is she back? Is this a sick joke? Why doesn't she show herself? These questions haunt Finn. He becomes more and more agitated and irrational—which doesn't make him any more likable.

As I suggested earlier, much of Bring Me Back is more or less a crib of Gaslight, with the gender roles reversed. Although I unraveled a few rather obvious clues early on, I give Paris credit in that I did not anticipate the mystery's resolution. Nor did I particularly buy it once I finished the novel and thought about it. But perhaps this is the classic definition of a good summer read—one that keeps you swirling in the whirlpool until you cling to a branch, pull yourself out, and discover that the churning water was only two feet deep.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this novel.

Rob Weir

Bring Me Back – B. A. Paris

I was fortunate to receive this novel as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Finn McQuaid is an investment financier of sorts with a prestigious company in London, run by his good friend Harry. He is in a relationship a woman named Ellen, who is actually the sister of a girl he loved and lost long ago, named Layla. 12 years ago, he and Layla were returning home to their cottage after an evening out, and Layla disappeared from a rest area while Finn was using the rest room. No trace of her was ever found.

Now, 12 years later, strange things begin happening that make Finn believe that not only is Layla alive, but that she wants to see Finn. Fist, an elderly former neighbor is convinced that he’s seen her standing in front of their old cottage – empty since the night she went missing, and a memory Finn has not been able to bring himself to sell. Then Ellen thinks she catches a glimpse of her sister in a nearby village. Then the miniature dolls begin to appear.

The story vacillates between past and present, and is told from the point of view of the various characters – Layla reveals the truth about what happened that night, and Finn begins to feel as if he is being forced to choose between the two sisters.

Then, Ellen dissappears and Finn rages a frantic search to find her – only to discover that nothing is as it seems, and everyone is a suspect…

This is a novel that sucks you in, and keeps you turning page after pages far into the night, because it’s too good to put down – culminating in a twist you’ll not expect and never see coming! My first read from B. A. Paris, but certainly not my last!!

The story was full of suspense and intrigue. I simply could not stop reading. i absolutely HAD to know what was going on. And that twist.....superb.

This is the third book I've read by B.A. Paris and it hooked me just like the previous two. I very much enjoyed the story and couldn't put it down!

I think BA Paris books are not for me. They read like cheap pulp novels of the 1950s and not in a good way. Super predictable and bland. Maybe good for people who are not readers and just want something for the beach.

Bring Me Back by B.A.Paris

June 2018
Fiction

I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an unbiased review.

The story is told from the perspective of Finn McQuaid and Layla, his girlfriend who goes missing in 2006 after a ski trip in Megeve. The couple begin to argue and escalates when they stop at a rest stop on their way home from Paris. What follows is a confusing situation which results in Layla’s disappearance and Finn being the center of the police investigation.

After Layla’s disappearance, police detective Tony Heddon arrests Finn for suspicion of the murder of Layla when she is never found. Eventually, Finn is able to move on and become a successful businessman. By chance, he meets and eventually falls in love with Ellen, who happens to be Layla’s sister. Brought together by the grief and confusion of Layla’s disappearance and presumed dead, they build a life together.

After the couple become engaged and start planning for their wedding, clues begin to emerge that Layla might still be alive. When a small Russian nesting doll appears their pleasant life gets turned upside down. Rumors and secrets emerge which are meant to provide suspense regarding what happened to Layla. Unfortunately, the plot becomes rather monotonous and slows while unfolding the events which transpired over the years.

Although the Russian nesting dolls provided significance to the sisters relationship, they become “overused” as a mysterious indicator that stirs up anxiety from the past. Likewise, the plot begins to lose suspense during the Russian doll “plateau” so that the ending becomes more obvious.

I had wanted to like the book more than I did but it lost me half way through when it seems the plot “stalls”. Overall, it is an enjoyable read but not for those who desire a deeply suspenseful psychological drama.

I’ve wanted to read a book by B.A. Paris for a while now, but I never got to it. When I received an e-ARC of Bring Me Back I was eager to read it.

Bring Me Back starts off with Finn McQuaid, who is telling about how he was on holiday in France with his girlfriend Layla. On their way back to Devon, they stopped the car at a picnic area in the middle of the night. Finn went to the bathroom and when he came back, Layla was no longer waiting for him in the car. She disappeared.

This was twelve years ago. Now Finn is living together with Ellen, his new girlfriend and Layla’s sister. When Finn askes Ellen to marry him, strange things start to happen. An ex-neighbour claims to have seen Layla. A long-lost Russian doll from Layla and Ellen’s childhood turns up at Finn and Ellen’s house. Finn starts receiving strange e-mails, asking him about the cottage where he used to live with Layla. Is Layla still alive? Who is sending all these messages? Who is messing with Finn and Ellen’s minds?

This novel is full of suspense and I finished it in just two days. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t trust any of the characters. But.. I also didn’t like all of the characters. I think Finn was very naïve and self-centred. I couldn’t relate to him, although I really wanted to. This really is a plot-driven story, with little character-development.

The plot twist was very clever, although it felt a bit rushed. Some questions are left unanswered.

Although this isn’t the best thriller I’ve read this year, I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a fast-paced mystery.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

3 stars (release date June 19, 2018)

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Finn and Layla are a young couple on holiday in France. They stop at a rest stop and Layla disappears. Was she kidnapped? Was she murdered? Did she run away? No one knows and a body is never found. Twelve years later Finn is living in a small English town engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen. He begins receiving mysterious emails telling him that Layla is alive. He and Ellen also begin finding Layla's favorite Russian dolls around the house - a special secret that only Layla, Finn and Ellen know about. As Finn tries to hide Layla's possible return from Ellen, he becomes more and more frantic to determine if she is really alive, or if someone is just toying with him.

As with the author's last book, the story starts out strong and then slowly slips into a predictable mystery that has been done before. The book is told mainly from Finn's point of view - in the past and in the present - but is occasionally told from Layla's perspective. I figured out the twist fairly early in the book. While the book isn't that long, the middle and end seemed to really drag and I found myself skimming the last 1/3 of the book. Finn was supposed to be a really smart guy that makes millions in the financial world, but made strange decisions and wasn't too bright. Ellen was very one note and most of the time I forgot she was even in the story. Overall, the book was ok.

Finn is happily engaged to Ellen and life appears to be good. But Finn has never healed nor will ever be able to get over his first love Layla, Ellen’s sister, who disappeared years before under suspicious circumstances. As their wedding day approaches, little Russian stacking dolls begin to appear outside the home, in the mail and in locations they visit. These dolls have a distinct connection to Layla, so it’s a very intriguing thing that most people aren’t aware of. Except of course Layla and Finn, and questioningly, Mary? Finn begins communicating with Layla thru texts and emails, and she’s obviously playing a game of cat and mouse. This game puts Finn directly in the light of suspect once more as Ellen’s life appears to be at stake next.
Full of unexpected turns, I found this book a bit hard to flow with, and the plot is stretched a little further than I was comfortable with believing. Without spoiling the book for others, I can say it’s a fun and quick read with an ending that you may struggle with.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.)

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I’ve had the privilege of receiving an ARC for all of B. A. Paris’s books from St. Martin’s Press.

Our journey begins with Finn and his girlfriend, Layla, returning from a trip to Paris where she disappears from the car while he’s using the restroom at a rest stop. He’s questioned by the police and eventually exonerated from having anything to do with her disappearance. Twelve years have gone by with no information on what happened to Layla. Finn has moved on and is now engaged to marry Layla’s sister Ellen. The couple begin to receive Russian dolls, which held significance to Ellen and Layla as children. Finn also begins to receive taunting emails that appear to be coming from Layla. Is Layla alive? If so why has it taken her twelve years to reappear and where has she been all this time?

There isn’t a lot of depth to the characters and we really aren’t given much detail to their backstori.es. In many respects, they’re also unlikeable. I believe B. A. Paris does well with creating a page turning read though. You just keep flipping the pages to see what will happen next and how it all will end.

I loved her first book, Behind Closed Doors, and liked her second book, The Breakdown, but it is never a good sign when one laughs at a thriller, and wants to throw the book across the room when the last page turns. The premise was promising. British male character, Finn, pulls into a roadside rest stop in France to use the bathroom. When he returns, his young girlfriend, Layla, has disappeared. Twelve years later, good ole Finn is engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen, has just completed a big lucrative financial deal, and Layla rears her mysterious head. Ellen and Finn hear find Russian nesting dolls everywhere (it's a 'thing' with Layla), Finn receives multiple emails, and Ellen believes she sees her. As this mystery unwinds, we go back to the past to see the beginning of their relationship and it throws in what perhaps the author perceives are intriguing red herrings, but really, they're just stinky dead fish (I mean, the hermit-like neighbors next door?? The childhood friend he beats terribly??). And seriously, the ending had me shrieking with laughter, with the complete implausibility of the entire 'mystery.' B.A. Paris is waaaaaay better than this.

The story is told by the main characters by chapter. Finn whose girlfriend, Layla, disappears 11 years ago is ready to marry her sister, Ellen. Finn begins to receive strange emails as well as the tiny Russian nest dolls. Can Layla still be alive and has she returned on the eve of their wedding.

As Finn tries to find the answers his relationship with Ellen becomes strained. If you are a careful reader you may discover the ending before you get there. Well written and suspenseful.

4.5 stars for this ridiculously fun, brilliant & entertaining book!

BRING ME BACK by B. A. PARIS had me racing through the pages and finishing this in just two sittings which I haven’t done in quite some time. I really upped my Kindle “time left in book” reading average with this book.

So here’s the thing about this book. It was an extremely enjoyable, entertaining, fun, and ridiculous psychological thriller novel that had me totally engrossed and interested right from the very first page. The psychological aspect to this novel I thought was extremely clever and well executed. I know that doesn’t sound right but that is the way I felt while reading this one. I wouldn’t say that this storyline was all that suspenseful or thrilling but I absolutely love the way that B. A. Paris tells a story though. There were definitely some questionable storytelling and one liners here that had me rolling my eyes a little bit but all in all nothing really irked me and I absolutely loved the Epilogue. Let’s just say the last line of this book I gave a little whoop and thought it was a good one and thank you B. A. Paris for that!!

B. A. PARIS delivers a very readable, unique and fun story here with unreliable characters that weaves back and forth in a then and now perspective with short chapters to make this an extremely quick and easy read.

So if you are looking for a compulsive read with the help of some Russian Stacking Dolls to solve this mystery then this book is for you! Would recommend!

Publishing Date: June 19, 2018

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and B. A. Paris for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This author came highly recommended to me. I love psychological thrillers and was eager to check out this book when I found it. Still, B. A. Paris was someone who I didn't know before reading this novel.

That said, I'm hooked. Her straight-forward writing style made it so easy to read. I became engaged at the very beginning and stayed engaged until the end. The twists kept me guessing and second guessing myself throughout, which is the sign of a great thriller in my opinion. There was no point when I thought I had it all figured out and the ending was not predictable. I loved this and cannot wait to read the other books she has published. I would definitely recommend to other lovers of psych-thrillers!

In part one, the story is told in two parts, “Now” and “Before,”. Both of them are significant to understand the story but I was most interested in the “Now” plot as it was always filled with drama and twists. The plot is the star of this show as our characters are a little dry. Ellen and Finn have very little detail. Layla has the most but it’s because every section pretty much revolves around her life. Finn was unreliable right from the start as well other other characters. Some of the other characters were a bit vague and I think the author sometimes left out important details and then just wrote details of important events that happened into a dialogue. That can be a bit annoying sometimes but it can also lead to a longer unnecessary book that a short dialogue can fix. I get it; but, it did feel a little incomplete in this particular book. I didn’t quite like Ellen because she seemed too complacent. Finn’s friends also were unlikable for me. Ruby was the most redeeming to me. A subplot between her and another character that I won’t mention in order to steer clear of spoilers also felt unfinished and unnecessary to the story.
I had a hard time putting this down when I picked it up. Thrillers always intrigue me and I actually like being surprised so I don’t often like having the story be solvable. This story seemed to me like I had solved it very quickly but I was wrong which is always pleasant. There is nothing I like better than being shocked and surprised when reading.
As I started onto part two, I started picking up on character traits from others that seem naive and innocent but surprisingly occur too often and are creepy. That is where I started to look more into characters more and I’m glad that I did because my hunch was correct.
As with most thrillers, I cannot say much more about the plot or story without giving it away but it is well worth a read. The title is very fitting in hindsight and I enjoy when titles have such a significance that you don’t know of until you’re reading. It’s a mystery within the mystery in this case.
I am in love with thrillers so I’m also beginning to think that I have too high expectations of things going in hence the 3 stars. It’s been a bit of time since I found something I loved and raved about. However, I did enjoy this read as I said already. It was a read that I did have a hard time putting down when I got the chance to pick it up and was shocking.

Sometimes a book starts off kind of slow, and you aren't so sure about it. Then it gets better as you go and you are glad you stuck with it. This book was the total opposite of that. I was intrigued by the premise and was sucked right in at the beginning. Then it started to lose me. The characters were annoying and I found myself not caring what happened to any of them. The plot became more implausible and ridiculous as it went on, finally ending in a plot twist that I had already figured out. Ugh.