Behind Closed Doors, B.A.Paris. Kindle.

Clever, chilling, manipulative.

B.A. Paris tells an effectively sinister story of a naive woman drawn unknowingly into marriage with a charismatic psychopath. I needed an easy, engaging read following my own wedding—once I finally had free time not spent on seating charts—and this fast-paced psychological thriller perfectly fit the bill.

Grace Angel is the sweet, wide-eyed narrator and protagonist, whose self-worth has been so diminished by her ineffective parents that she’s the perfect fodder for husband Jack Angel’s sadistic hobbies. I won’t give too much away here, but Paris weaves the story through Grace’s eyes: a disturbing reality of suffering and pure evil hiding in plain sight, beneath the gauze of perfection. It was satisfying to experience firsthand Grace’s transformation from hopelessly oblivious to empowered and determined. In a genre currently dominated by the likes of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, I enjoyed Paris’ demonstration of psychological manipulation as a more terrifying and affecting alternative to physical violence.

Favorite Line: “When I look at him I feel dismayed as I always do at how normal he looks, because surely there should be something—pointed ears or a pair of horns—to warn people of his evilness.”