The Breakdown had me gripped pretty much from page one. I read a large portion of it in bed at night, and I have to say that made for tense and eerie reading! I don’t usually get unsettled whilst reading or watching things (I am a big horror film fan) but, perhaps due in part to the darkness and being alone, this did leave me feeling a bit creeped out – it plays on your mind, but not in any way that hampered my enjoyment! I raced through it and felt it was a real page turner.

The characters are, at times, a bit frustrating – sometimes I felt like screaming at Cass to tell someone – but as you read on you understand, more and more, why she feels like this. They all feel like really well-crafted,convincing people that you can imagine having in your life...

As a reader you can also get a real sense of how it must feel to worry that you’re going mad or starting to show symptoms of dementia, and how that must affect how you confide in people.

This is a story where you’re never quite sure who’s being honest, who’s telling the truth or who’s a threat – and I love books like this. I’m a huge psychological thriller fan but some novels in this genre can get rather samey and completely ridiculous. This felt like a fresh take on the genre - it had some strange parts to it which seem a little unbelievable at first, but it all makes sense in the end!

The Breakdown felt like something a little different; something that stands out in the genre. It really gripped me, leaving me completely absorbed in the story and not wanting it to end! A definitely recommendation for any fans of the genre – or anyone fancying a fast paced, captivating read. I definitely want to read her other novel, Behind Closed Doors, now!

Compulsive reading,reeling you in so you don't know fact from fiction. The unreliabe narrator adds tension and interest. I did guess part of the outcome,though there was still a few surprises. I was a little disappointed with some aspects of the outcome,but overall, a must read

This is an extraordinary psychological thriller. Clever, full of suspense and a fantastic read. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers then this is a must. I was hooked from page one and it didn't disappoint in any way. I strongly recommend it.

An absolute belter! B A Paris is just knocking them out of the park. Gripping, thrilling, fast-paced, couldn't put it down and would recommend it to anyone! A definite bestseller for 2017!

BREAKDOWN
by
B A Paris



This psychological thriller has an exciting and intriguing opening chapter that immediately grabs the reader. The staff at the school where Cass teaches are celebrating end of term but outside a savage storm is gathering momentum. After a phone call from her husband Michael, Cass promises to head off home without taking the shortcut through the woods. But heavy traffic rushing past and lorries hemming her in spraying even more water over her little car, on a whim, she decides to risk the woods. Tree branches whip against her windscreen on the eerie narrow road with poor visibility when she spots a car parked at the side. Cass slows down noticing a woman in the driving seat. She stops ahead of the car uncertain as to what action she should pursue. The other driver does not flash lights or make any sign that she wants help. Cass recalls warnings of scams where women are lured out of their cars and endangered or robbed. After consideration she heads for the safety of home.
The following morning she learns that a woman she knew slightly was found dead in her car on that road. Remorse and grief overwhelm her and her shame that she did not at least try to help means she tells no one that she was ever on that road.
But her conscience troubles her to such an extent that she becomes tense and nervous increasingly so when anonymous silent phone calls persist when she is alone in the house. Is she being watched? The killer is still out there! She forgets where she parked her car, items she has no recollection of ordering arrive, she does not turn up for appoointments she has made with friends. She becomes certain she has inherited her mother’s early onset dementia. Michael, with unfailing kindness, is caring for her, taking her to the doctor, making certain she takes medication and has more rest.
The centre section of the book concentrates intensely on Cass’s mental health as her memory lapses increase and her confidence decreases. There is a tendency here for too much repetition and concentration on these ‘moments’ which make this part of the story sag slightly. This reader felt Cass was gullible and blind to what was before her eyes .
However I have to say the book picked up speed towards the finale which was spectacular and so cleverly crafted. I may have had my suspicions as to what was really going on but the denouement raised the level of the whole book.

I really enjoyed B.A. Paris's gripping debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, and couldn't wait to get started on her latest book. I devoured The Breakdown over a weekend, I simply couldn't put it down, so spent most of the weekend sat outside in the back garden until I'd finished it.

Cass is the main character and the entire book is told from her perspective. One evening, after a night out with friends, she's driving home in the middle of a huge storm. On a spur of a whim moment, she decides to take a short cut along an isolated road through the woods, although she knows her husband would go mad if he discovered the twisty road she had driven down. Stopped on a layby she spots a car haphazardly pulled over. She can just about make out a woman sat behind the wheel, but the rain blurs the details. Cass is reluctant to get out of her car in the pouring rain and concerned it could be a nutter laying a trip, so when she realises the other woman doesn't appear to be in distress or in need of help, she drives off. The following morning there are news reports about a woman discovered brutally murdered while sat inside her car on the lonely road through the woods. It's the same woman that Cass saw, so she obviously feels a tremendous amount of guilt. She doesn't say anything to her husband or friends, because she knows how terrible she would appear for just driving off. Once the victim is named, Cass realises she knew her so feels even more terrible.

While this is taking place, Cass keeps forgetting other things; such as to buy a present for a friends birthday, that her husband has to work away, that she invited another family for a BBQ and simple things such as which windows she shut or didn't. Her own Mum developed early onset dementia and Cass is terrified she's following in her footsteps. Things continue happening; Cass is sure she is being watched, she keeps receiving silent phone calls and her memory doesn't seem to be improving. Meanwhile a murderer is still on the loose and Cass can't get the woman who was murdered out of her head.

The Breakdown is an excellent fast paced, psychological thriller that you won't want to put down until you reach the conclusion. As a reader we aren't sure if the main character is actually losing the plot or if something even more sinister is at work. With most thrillers, it's difficult to say too much about the book, without giving away huge chunks of the plot. It's no different with The Breakdown, it would spoil things for potential readers to go into too much detail about the plot or characters.
This book really is super addictive and once you pick it up you will struggle to put it down. There is a slightly eerie and anxiety filled ambience throughout, which keeps you turning the pages while trying to work out who the murderer is. If you enjoy well written psychological thrillers that are full of suspense and tension and keep you guessing right until the end, this is definitely one to add right to the top of your to buy list.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin (UK) Limited and BA Paris for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Wow oh wow oh wow!
My first BA Paris read, and certainly won't be my last. Intense psychological thriller, one which I'm sure will stay with me for a while. There were times when I was reading this book that I actually held my breath, and could feel my heart pounding, almost as if I were Cass- I was truly living the moment! Very cleverly written, I know this will be one of my top reads of 2017!

What a stunning story.
Just like Behind Closed Doors I couldn't put this book down.

It all started that night in the woods.
Cass Anderson didn’t stop to help the woman in the car, and now she’s dead.
I can see why she took the shortcut through the woods in a storm. I also would.
The spray from the main road would have been unbearable for me too.

Cass feels so much guilt that she didn’t stop.
Now she thinks the killer is stalking her through silent phone calls. She feels uneasy in her own home. She is filled with fear and paranoia.
So well written, it took me on an anxious journey with Cass. I felt I was with her the whole way, questioning my own sanity. I felt claustrophobic at times, my heart was racing.

Cass’s mum had early onset dementia and with all the things she’s forgetting she worries it is affecting her too. I like the double meaning of ‘the breakdown’.

I don’t want to say anything else for fear of spoiling the plot.

Please give this book a go, you won’t be disappointed.
I just loved the ending, absolutely perfect.
A gripping psychological thriller with lots of paranoia thrown in.
Thanks to the publishers, Harlequin (UK) Limited and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

So, I was super super hyped for this one after reading and loving "Behind Closed Doors" way more than I probably should have and this one didn't disappoint! The Breakdown was exciting and kept me guessing. Cass was a great character to follow as the events of a mysterious night began to unfold. You never knew what was going to happen next and I loved every page. Damn great. I cannot wait for B.A. Paris' next book already!!

An absolute belter of a book. Creepy and slightly disturbing, you really don't know who to believe. Is Cass really losing her mind?? I was totally absorbed in her tale -- why was she so distraught? Who can she trust??

A take your breath away, can't put it down kind of book. Read in (almost) one sitting. Don't want to say anymore, but read it. It's great.

5* from me.

I really liked this authors first book and was so pleased that I was able to review (thanks Netgalley) this new book. I could totally relate to this book as my mother has dementia and I am going through the same anxiety as Cass. This book had me a bit spooked to be honest but in a good way. One of the best books I have read in ages.

I was worried after reading Paris's first book that the second could be a let down. I needn't have. This book was absolutely stunning story about a woman who takes a short cut through the woods, and finds another can broken down at the die of the road.

What follows is a catalogue of events you couldn't predict. What an amazing literary gem. I couldn't put this down and didn't see the twist at the end coming at all.

I haven't read B.A. Paris' widely praised novel Behind Closed Doors yet so I was able to start this novel with an open mind. It might not be a bad thing in this case because a lot of people might compare the book to the first unintentionally.

This being said, I still find it difficult to give this novel one single rating. I loved how the story developed towards the end but I must admit that the pacing was steady but not super fast for a good part of this book, relaying all the extremely aggravating events that were happening to Cass. I was also expecting certain things because of its genre so my expectations didn't make me doubt certain events as much as probably intended. I know I'm being mysterious here but it can't be helped.

Right from the start and all through The Breakdown Cass feels extremely guilty for having driven past a woman in a car one stormy night only to hear the next day she was murdered. What's worse is the fact that she even knows the woman who was murdered because they had lunch together some weeks before.

Cass starts to fear the murderer saw her and might think she saw him. Especially when strange things start to happen around the house. She gets mysterious phone calls for example. At the same time she starts to forget certain things. Her mother died of young dementia so of course she's wary now that she might suffer the same. She's never told her husband for fear of him not wanting to marry her any more if he knew what might be waiting for them in the future, so now she's trying to cover it up as best as she can. Only things get way, way! out of hand. Her paranoia, her guilt and fear made this a perfect mix that kept me wanting to read on and on and on. Is she really suffering from a breakdown, is it dementia, is the killer on to her?

I can't tell which one it is (or isn't) but know that this one had a superbly crafted plot and the story knows a big revelation, thanks to a little thing called serendipity which changes matters drastically in how they stand up to that point. Cass finally becomes a woman who is no longer crippled by fear but goes looking for those most needed answers. More surprises are just around the corner and the ending was splendid. Let me correct myself, the ending was excellent, gripping and did I mention splendid?

I know people don't like it but this is indeed one of those books that remind me of the book that is always mentioned on plenty covers with an intricately crafted plot that makes you gasp out loud when you reach the climax in the end. It's not as fast-paced but plotwise I can certainly see they are a match for each other.

Like most readers and reviewers I absolutely adored Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, her debut psychological thriller. I recommended it to so many people and not one came back to say they were disappointed. So as soon as her second novel came up on Amazon, I pre-ordered it straight away. But then the publication date was pushed back and I started to worry a little. Was she struggling with that second novel syndrome that can strike after such a brilliantly received debut? How would this new book compare with Behind Closed Doors and was it unfair of me to compare it anyway and have such high expectations? So it was with a smidgen of trepidation that I started to read The Breakdown. But OH MY WORD! Once that book was in my hands, it did not leave them! The term “unputdownable” seems a strangely mild description of how much this book grabbed me by the throat and squeezed tighter and tighter until I could hardly swallow! I think I was physically shaking with the dread of what was happening to Cass and how it was all going to end.

The opening scenes of The Breakdown are absolutely terrifying. It was like watching a horror film where the heroine always does what she’s told not to do! In an horrendous summer storm, Cass doesn’t take the better lit and busy dual carriageway whilst driving home from a meal with colleagues. No, scared by the water and the lorries on the road she takes a shortcut onto a dark and twisting country lane. Why would she do that!? But that decision ends up setting off a series of events that make Cass doubt her very sanity. This was where I started to appreciate the cleverness of that ambiguous title as Cass seemed to be heading for a breakdown of her own. But instead of the frustration I expected to feel with the way the plot was developing, I was gripped, well and truly overinvolved in the petrifying path Cass was quickly sliding down. And all the time it felt so utterly convincing and truthful, that I just couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page.

I always say I like the surprise nowadays with these types of books as this is such a popular genre nowadays that it’s so difficult to keep twists new and fresh. But weirdly enough here, it wasnt about that! It was about a natural storyteller drawing me in from the very start and refusing to let me go by developing characters I really cared about and situations I felt powerless to stop. And I’m going to let you in on a little secret now-I actually think I loved this more than Behind Closed Doors! It’s certainly as good as its predecessor, if not better and I feel ashamed to admit that I ever doubted that it wouldn’t be.

Very highly recommended by me!

Thanks to Net Galley & Harper Collins Publishers for an ARC of this book. A brilliant read. Fast paced page turner.
Cas's mother had early onset dementia and Cas is worried sick that she now has the same. She is forgetting things, simple things at first, but things get worse following a murder near her & Matthews home and to make things worse Cas knew the woman Jane who was murdered. Cas feels enormous guilt that she passed Jane in her car the night of murder.
Cas is stressed by the murder, silent phone calls to her home put her on edge, she believes the murderer is targeting her. Her memory gets worse , she can't remember how to switch on the washing machine, use the coffee machine & forgets where she parked her car a day.
Her husband Matthew is beginning to loose patience with her.
Cas,s life is spiralling out of control.
A must read for those who like suspense.

Another fantastic book from this author. I loved her first book and this one certainly didn't disappoint. It was full of twists and turns that had me hooked from the first page. I loved how the whole story panned out and how it ended which I definitely didn't see coming! I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. It was quite a page turner for me and was reluctant to put it down. I read lots of thrillers and mysteries and almost always work out the plot and/or whodunnit. I did with this one - there are clues everywhere. But there was also an unexpected additional twist at the end which I liked.

The characters are all relateable. The process of the main character's breakdown is well written - a lesson on how to create self doubt and drive yourself mad in very easy steps. I particularly liked the use of text messages to tell the other side of the story. (Had to stay awake overnight with my son in hospital. Reading this on my kindle made the hours fly by really quickly and I didn't even feel dozey once. Certainly kept me gripped).

Worthy of it's psychological thriller description. Ripe material for a movie which I'd definitely watch. Highly recommend it and there a few books group I'll be suggesting it to.

Amazing.
I read Behind Closed Doors by this author, and really enjoyed it. I loved The Breakdown even more. I look forward to seeing what B A Paris can give us next.

Seriously impressive new book by the wonderfully talented B A Paris, I was completely hooked on this book and the unfolding story and read it in one sitting. The writing drew me in from the start, and it really made me think at times as to what I would do in the same situation.

If you were driving in a storm, and had taken a short cut through the dark woods late at night, with poor visibility and saw a car just stopped in a layby, what would you do? Well Cass stopped, but given the woman in the car didn't seem distressed or flash her lights or anything, Cass drove away, intending to call the police just in case once she got somewhere with reception.

Feeling guilty but too scared and not really wanting to go out into the storm, Cass drove away having done nothing, and then a text message distracts her once home. By the following morning, Cass's living nightmare starts, when the woman is found dead in the layby, and Cass can't bring herself to own up to having been there that night.

I'm not entirely sure what I would have done in the circumstances, but Cass feels guilty, and then is terrified when she starts receiving silent calls, on a very regular basis. Not only that but she feels she is losing her mind and seeing things when a series of incidents occur.

The book is written entirely from Cass's perspective and you really are on this journey with her, experiencing her fear at the silent calls and also wondering just what is up with her memory. I was scared for her many times in the book and had to keep reading to see what would happen next.

I was so hooked on this book, that about a third of the way in, there was a knock on my door at home and I jumped out of my skin, thinking it was the person who had been making the silent calls! I can't say how glad I am that I was reading this book in daylight and not at night, although I may still have disturbed dreams!

I'd been slightly apprehensive before reading The Breakdown, purely because I had loved Behind Closed Doors so much, that I was scared that it may have been a one off - needless to say my fears were unfounded as this was superb. There is much of the last third that was completely unexpected, from the direction I would have predicted the story was going in, but it was a good surprise and worked incredibly well.

B A Paris' writing is clear and very easy to follow, and she seems to have a knack of writing about subjects that don't come up in everyday life and give you new ways to think about them. There is a lot of talk about early onset dementia in this book, as well as Cass' original moral dilemma.

The Breakdown is a fantastic story, that is gripping and informative and one that I would heartily recommend.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HQ for this copy that I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book, however I have read one so similar in the past that the twist and outcome were exactly the same, so I knew exactly what was going on very early on which did spoil it for me somewhat. If you haven't read the other book, you will love it.