OMG I just loved this book this Author is defo one that is going on my favourites Authors list..
I read the first book this Author wrote and so enjoyed it so i had to also read this one and yes it did not disappoint it was just as good....This Author has a great future in front of her if she keeps turning out books like these 2 I am not going to say what it was about you can read the blurb for that just to say the book is really well written the characters are all great and the ending is wow...

Thank you Netgalley the Author and Publisher for a chance to read this book...

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and B.A.Paris for the ARC of "The Breakdown" by B.A. Paris for my honest review. B.A. Paris is the author of "Behind Closed Doors", and her novel "The Breakdown" doesn't disappoint. The genres of this novel and Mystery and Thriller. One of the blurbs for this book are" If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust."
I find that B.A.Paris describes her characters as complex and complicated.This story reminds me of the movie,"Gaslight". I read this book in one sitting and did not stop until I was finished. I just couldn't put this down.
The story starts when Cass is driving home from a torrential downpour and is forced to take a path through the woods. She sees the headlights of a car, and barely notices a woman sitting in it. Not sure what to do, she flashes her lights and looks for some indication that the woman needs help. It is an isolated area, and with the heavy rain and lightening, Cass decides to move on. There is no cell reception to make a call.
Cass is extremely insecure, and had been taking care of her mother, who had dementia at 44 years old. When the mother passes away, Cass inherits a tremendous amount of money that she had no idea existed. Cass has a career teaching, a husband and friends.
When Cass gets home, she is distracted and relieved, and forgets to call for help for the woman in the woods. She doesn't tell her husband she went through the woods, because he would be furious.
The next day Cass finds out the identity of the woman in the woods who has been murdered. Cass feels guilty and starts questioning her decisions. Cass's house is near the woods and isolated. There is no information that is given that can determine the killer or the motive. There is a murderer running around. There is concern and tension.
Strange things start happening. Cass starts getting phone calls,with no one on the line. She has the feeling someone is watching her. Things are misplaced, and Cass has no idea how this could happen. Packages arrive at the house with items that Cass does not remember buying. Cass is missing appointments with friends, and making appointments she does not remember making.
Why is this happening? Who is the murderer? There are twists and turns. Some of the characters are not likeable. Some of the characters seem to be suspect. I enjoyed this intriguing book and would highly recommend it.

I must start this review by saying I'm surprised about how much I enjoyed this novel. For those that follow my reviews (and thank you!) you may be aware that this author's first novel upset me immensely. Behind Closed Doors was a fast paced thriller that had a strong story of an abused wife. I would have loved it if that's all it was. But adding in the gimmicky feeling of torturing a mentally retarded girl ruined it for me. So when my fellow reading friends convinced me to give her a second read I did so cautiously. And I am so glad I did. B.A.Paris is a creative story teller and a genius at twists and turns. Her stories are haunting and shocking enough without adding anything. In THE BREAKDOWN her talents really shine through! Ms Paris reels you in and has you questioning everyone around you including yourself. The story takes a bit to develop but stick with it because everything comes together and you will be completely invested. I'd say at the 40 percent point I didn't want to stop reading. Also make your own theories but keep them close because these twists will make you question them all! Absolutely loved this book and hope the ones that come out stick with the strong story and twists so I can read her more

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early read! This is the perfect mid summer read just read it with your phone off, doors locked and all the lights on!!

Cassandra is a woman afraid. Coming home late one night she sees a car parked halfway on the road. She pulls up in front thinking someone needs help. It is storming and the rain is coming down in sheets ... all she can vaguely see is a blond woman. But as the woman doesn't wave or get out of the car, Cass drives off. She tells herself it could have been a trap..maybe someone was waiting to attack her.

The next morning she hears on the news that the woman was murdered. She feels so much guilt thinking that perhaps she could have stopped it. She doesn't tell anyone what she saw. But she does place an anonymous call to the police.

Cass thought she's feel better after calling the police, but the exact opposite is happening Police are going to the media asking that the woman who called to please call them back. And when Cass suddenly starts getting hang up calls, she's afraid that the killer thinks she knows more than she does.

This whole scenario sets the stage for a woman who is afraid she's losing her mind. The calls only come when she's alone. Is someone watching her ...watching her house? And now she's forgetting things like where she parked her car .... ordering jewelry from home shopping TV...she doesn't remember asking friends over for a BBQ. What was that alarm code again? Why did she order a pram when she isn't pregnant?

With a history of having a mother who died of dementia at a young age, Cass is so terribly afraid. She doesn't know who to trust .... especially if she can't trust herself.

I read this author's first book .. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS... and was extremely impressed by her writing. I was so hoping this one would create the same feeling ... and I was not disappointed. This is a well-written psychological thriller.

The first half of the book is setting the stage ... you can feel Cass's terror as she realizes that she is losing her mind. Her husband is trying to be compassionate but even he, after a while, begins to wonder. There are several characters that play a secondary part of the story, but they are all so important.

The ending is not what I had envisioned. There are some major twists and turns that took me by surprise. This is an author who is well-worth watching.

Many thanks to the author / St. Martin's Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE BREAKDOWN. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Leave yourself plenty of time when you start this book, because once you start, you will not be able to put it down. Thankfully, I started it on a 7 hour plane ride! The perfect place to start and finish this excellent psychological suspense story. A thrill ride of a book that has you guessing just how much to believe of this unreliable narrator's story. Nicely done Ms. Paris!

I enjoyed this book. I loved the ending and I didn’t see it coming. However, I also feel that it ended kind of abruptly. I don’t feel like the story was properly wrapped up and I would like to have known more about how certain characters ended up. This is the first book I've read by B.A. Paris and I was very impressed. I can't wait to read more from this author!

THE BREAKDOWN BY B.A. PARIS

This book was a more compelling read for me than the first book. Cass Anderson is forgetting all kinds of things. Her mother died young from pneumonia after having the full blown diagnosis of at age 44 of early onset dementia. Cass thinks that she may have inherited the illness from her mother and she has a BREAKDOWN. Cass is riddled with guilt because on a torrential down pour of a rainy night she took a dangerous road on her way home and she pulled her car over up ahead of a car that she sees pulled over on the side of the road. Cass can not exactly see who the woman is in the car that she has pulled over for. Her husband made Cass promise not to take that dangerous road home. The next day Cass sees on the news that the car that she pulled over to help was a blossoming friendship with a woman named Jane who was murdered and the murderer is still at large.

Cass can't confide in her husband that she had pulled over on that dangerous road to help because she swore she wouldn't take that route. Cass feels more guilty as each day passes knowing that it was Jane stranded in the car and she might have saved Jane's life if she only got out of her car and walked over to the stranded car. Cass sees Jane's husband by chance in the park with Jane's two beautiful twin girls. Guilt can be a corrosive emotion to carry around and Cass starts receiving on her landline phone an unknown number at the same time everyday. When she answers the phone nobody speaks. Cass thinks it is the murderer calling her everyday and is afraid to stay in her house alone. She only gets these phone calls when her husband is at work. Cass deduces that the murderer is watching her house which is in an isolated area.

This was a very clever story and I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put the book down. This was far more better storytelling than B.A. Paris's first book. The first book was very predictable where this one was not. I was not able to solve this until Cass solved it and I sorta thought it could be, no it can't be going through my mind. I had said that psychological thrillers were all cookie cutter formula's in that they were all written pretty similar. Not so with this one. This one held my attention up until Cass by pure serendipity solves whose behind gaslighting her. It is almost Hitchcockian in the taut suspense plot and characterizations. Keep writing like this B.A. Paris and move over Stephen King. I absolutely LOVED this book and Highly recommend it.

Thank you to Net Galley, B.A. Paris It was a pleasure, and St. Martin's Press for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.

B A Paris certainly knows how to write a good book. I loved Behind Closed Doors but this one really is outstanding. Such a clever plot. I can't wait to see what's she writes next. Excellent

WOAH! This book absolutely blew me away!!! BA Paris knows how to get the heart racing and this book proves it. Writing with sharp precision and adding just enough anticipation over what is going to happen next will leave any reader hanging by the edge of their seat. This book is divine and I can definitely see it topping the best sellers list.

** My full review of this heart stopping novel will be posted on my blog and retail outlets closer to release"*

Oh my goodness. I have one word for this book, trippy. If you have read Behind Closed Doors and liked it, you will totally enjoy the next book by the same author, B.A. Pris, The Breakdown. Even the cover looks completely intriguing.

Let me tell you a little about this tale. Cass is a teacher, a seemingly normal 30 something woman who just happens to stumble across what is later known as a crime scene. While driving home from a party one night she sees a woman in her car, only to learn hours later that that same woman was found murdered just minutes after Cass drove by. Not only does she blame herself for not stopping to help this woman, she finds out that the two actually knew each other, and had gone to lunch together.
All of this information is too much for Cass, and soon she is having a mental breakdown. She can't remember simple things she did, like when she orders an alarm system for her house, or the fact that she is almost certain the person who killed that young woman is now going to come and get her. Add on top of that all the things she seems to lose track of, like if she took her medicine or the fact that she lost her car in a parking garage. Being a witness is really taking a toll on her life, and on her marriage.

Then the calls start, no one is on the other end, at least no one is speaking. Could it be the killer? Or something even more crazy? This book has a whirlwind of twists and turns that will keep your little eyes in anticipation until the very last page. I for one, never saw the end coming, but maybe you can figure it out before you have your very own breakdown.

This book was just such a win for me. I had so much fun reading it, it gripped me from the very beginning because there was just so much information coming in from all directions. Not only that, but there was just something off about Cass, and I had to figure out what that something was. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, this will be the next best read of 2017, you just watch. I received this book from Netgalley, make sure you pick this one up!

This was such a good book! It kept me up late and on the edge of my seat. Very well crafted. I am a mystery lover and this book was definitely a page-turner. Highly recommend. I will be reading more from this author.

After reading Paris' debut Behind Closed Doors, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Breakdown. A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Driving home in the rain, Cass decides to take a shortcut through the woods against her husband Matthew's wishes that she stick to the main roads. She is surprised to see another car on the road in such poor weather. She pulls in front of the car, but is too scared to get out thinking this may be a trap set to entice her out of her own vehicle. When the female driver does not approach, Cass figures help is on the way and drives off.

The next day, Cass hears on the news that the driver she passed was murdered. She is incredibly distraught and guilt-ridden thinking she could've done something. The guilt begins to eat away at her, especially after she learns the identity of the woman, and she was someone that Cass recently met. Her emotional state is smothering. On top of this, she is growing increasingly paranoid and forgetful—she is certain that she is suffering from early onset dementia, the same condition that her mother had—and therefore is not credible. She is convinced the murderer knows her identity and is responsible for the silent phone calls she has been receiving. But with her family history of dementia, and her mental state, who is going to believe her?

Paris brings nothing new to the realm of the suspense/thriller genre, in fact, there was nothing really that was overly shocking by way of plot twists, and Cass' inner dialogue was often repetitive. So why read this book? It is a page-turner and hooks you plain and simple. The novel is perfectly timed and flawlessly executed. Given the main character's paranoia and hysteria, the denouement could have been obvious and trite, but it wasn't because of the way she developed her unreliable narrator—this was the perfect angle from which to tell the story.

This book kept me on edge of my seat from the beginning. Surprised at the end. great read!

This was my first book by Paris. I own Behind Closed Doors but haven't gotten around to reading it. Well guess what is next now on TBR list?

While the plot line doesn't truly blow me away, the writing did. Paris has a wonderful way with words that makes the entire book exciting and I never felt let down.

It moves fast and keeps you guessing throughout, which in a world of thriller wannabes, is no easy feat. I love the way Paris added a trickle of doubt to every character so I never really knew who was trustworthy. Not mention the fact that we have an unreliable narrator in Cass due to her ongoing mental breakdown.

Overall I can't see many fans of psychological thrillers not enjoying this book. Super excited to read Behind Closed Doors.

Another great read from an author I am already a fan of. It was exciting, suspenseful, & had just the right amount of twists & turns. I'm excited from what's next from B.A. Paris!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

Oh wow, what a book! I went into this book with very high hopes, and these hopes were exceeded, this will be one of my favourite reads of this year. This is a psychological thriller that kept me guessing the entire way. The story follows a woman named Cass, who lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband. She is driving home late one night during a thunderstorm, and her partner gives her strict instructions to not take a short cut down a windy country lane, and to instead stick to the main roads. She promises to not take the shortcut, but then drives that way anyway, despite her best instincts telling her that it's a bad idea. Upon driving that way, she stumbles across a car with a woman in and Cass briefly stops with intent on seeing if the woman needs help. It is raining very hard, and Cass worries for her own safety and so doesn't get out of her own car, the woman makes no signals for help, and so Cass drives off home and goes to bed without a second thought. When Cass wakes up the next morning, her husband tells her that a woman has been murdered close by. This is really all I think you should know when going into this book, as with any psychological thriller, less is more.

I found this book truly addictive, I couldn't think about anything else while reading it, and truth be told, I would have read it in one sitting if time had allowed. It's one of those books that you can't get out of your head, from the moment you pick it up, until weeks after even finishing it. I was totally engrossed, I was obsessed with trying to work out who was guilty of what, and had many theories from very early on, although they all proved to be wrong. This book is far too clever for me, there are twists and turns I could never have dreamed of.

The characters all feel real, and I found myself feeling genuinely sorry for Cass. When she was scared, I too was scared, in fact I can't remember the last time a book chilled me to the extent this one did. I was a little shook up reading this one home alone at night, which is something I treasure because so few authors can achieve that sort of response from me.

I can't recommend this book enough, and I hope that if you pick this up, which indeed you should, that you enjoy it as much as I did. I live in the UK, and so this book has already been out for a while here, and I've been instructing all my friends to give it a read, this is the sort of book you scream from the rooftops to get as many people to read as possible, the writing flows and makes for a quick read. Can you really afford to miss out on reading one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early review copy of The Breakdown.

*Spoiler warning*

Having taken a shortcut home on a stormy night, Cass drives by a broken down car whose driver has been murdered (though she doesn’t know this at the time nor does she know who the driver might be). She doesn’t admit to her husband (or most anyone) that she’s passed this car on that night because she feels guilty for having not done more to help. This situation is further complicated when it’s revealed that the woman who has been murdered is an acquaintance of Cass’s, someone she’s recently met and had lunch with; someone she felt instantly connected to. A mother of twins. A good woman that endured a tragic end.

Shortly after the revelation of who has been killed, Cass begins getting prank phone calls. Nothing but silence. She assumes the caller knows she passed the car, might have been a witness. Things go downhill from here. Cass has recently lost her mother from early onset dementia and believes, after a series of memory lapses, that she’s doomed for the same fate.

Most of the book from this point on focuses on mundane things Cass should but doesn’t remember, and it’s almost an effective hook that makes the reader wonder if she might know more about the murder. Almost. There’s no reason to believe Cass is involved in killing Jane, so the stakes are weak.

The story is utterly forgettable and the plot is overwhelmingly slow. “I forgot. I forgot. I forgot.” Cass’s secrecy (embarrassment that she might be ill) is what’s done her in, and the only reason this story is allowed to move forward. Had she talked to any of the people involved in her memory mishaps she’d have realized sooner that she wasn’t losing it at all.

Everything about the reveal feels convenient. The setup is telegraphed from the minute we’re told Cass has a sum of money. I suspected her husband as part of it from early on. The double entendre title might be the cleverest thing about this book.

I’m disappointed after as many rave reviews as this book has received how much I disliked it. The Breakdown is proof that having decent writing skills (putting together a plot and well-structured sentences) isn’t enough to make a compelling story. This one lacks originality and pace. The motive for the murder is the most basic. Memory loss isn’t an uncommon trope in mysteries, and while maybe early onset dementia was another way of getting that across, of making Cass easy to manipulate, the result is the same as if she’d been hit on the head or any other reason for a cognitive gap. I’m unimpressed, which isn’t to take anything away from the author’s achievement. It’s clear B.A. Paris is a talented wordsmith, but The Breakdown is lacking for me in comparison with other recent reads written by Megan Miranda (The Perfect Stranger and All the Missing Girls) and Lianne Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. As an avid reader, it’s hard not to compare books.

FOUR POINT FIVE STARS

”I veer off to the left, taking the shortcut that Matthew didn’t want me to take.”

It was a dark and stormy night when Cass was leaving a party and phoned her husband to say she’s on her way home. Her husband, Matthew, tells her to NOT take the shortcut home through the woods. He won’t be up when she gets home because he has a migraine and he’s going to sleep in the guest room.

Right away, I can relate to Cass because I’d probably take the shortcut and figure my husband would never know. I mean what can go wrong … it’s only late at night on a deserted road. Seems perfectly safe, right?

Just like Cass, it would be my luck to come upon a car pulled off the side of the road with their lights on. Cass can see there’s a woman in the car but because of the downpour, she can't make out any details. Now she has a dilemma on what is she supposed to do:
A) Does she get out of her car to see if they're okay?
B) Drive on because hey she shouldn't have been in the woods at night by herself in the first place. The boogeyman lives there.
C) Drive to where she has cell signal and phone the police?

Cass picks option B and the next morning she learns that the woman in the car has been murdered. Now her guilt sets in because she questions why she hadn’t stopped to help or at least called the police?!! Had she done that then maybe that woman would have been alive now! Or maybe Cass would have been murdered too! Gah! Her indecisions on what she had done continued to plague her throughout the story.

”Fear and guilt have become such constant companions that I can’t remember what it was like to live without them.”

Cass begins to spiral downwards with guilt. I began to feel like the story was gaslighting me because Cass couldn’t remember anything. It makes the reader question their own sanity as they read about Cass doubt her own mental health. Cass lived in a state of constant paranoia to the point that she couldn’t even hear the phone ringing without being sure someone was calling her torment her.

The last 25% is golden - it’s where the rubber meets the road and we start to see pieces of the puzzle fit together. I called the book early on and to see it come fruition was fun. Especially, when Cass started to put it all together and gain her life back.

The Breakdown is a standalone thriller. This thriller will leave you questioning who you can trust and wondering if you’re having your own mental breakdown.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2017 (The story takes place on July 17)
Pre-order | order: http://amzn.to/2nkGVIP

STANDALONE

**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

On the evening before the summer holidays, schoolteacher Cass Anderson says goodbye to her colleagues, gets into her car, and heads for home. A sudden thunderstorm makes road conditions hazardous so Cass takes a shortcut through dark, woodsy, isolated Blackwater Lane.....though she promised her husband she wouldn't.

On Blackwater Lane Cass spots a car pulled off in a lay-by, with a woman inside. Thinking the woman might need assistance Cass stops in front of her and waits. The woman doesn't get out, or flash her lights, or tap her horn, so Cass - thinking of stories about thieves setting traps for do-gooders - goes on her way.

The next day the BBC reports that a woman was found murdered in Blackwater Lane. Realizing it was the person in the lay-by Cass feels terrible, thinking she might have been able to help the victim. It also occurs to Cass that the killer may have been lurking about.....and seen her!

Cass is so shocked, confused, and guilt-ridden that she can't make herself call the police, or even tell her husband Matthew what happened. Worse yet, when Cass learns the name of the victim, Jane Walters, she realizes she knew her. Cass's best friend Rachel had invited her to a leaving party for a co-worker a couple of weeks back, and Jane was there. Cass and Jane had hit it off and met for lunch a couple of days later.

On top of being distraught about Jane, other worrisome things are happening to Cass:
She forgets to purchase the group gift for her friend Susie's birthday, and can't even remember getting the money.....or what she was supposed to buy.
After receiving an estimate from a security company Cass apparently agrees to have her house alarmed - but doesn't recall making the arrangements or signing the contract.
When a friend calls to ask what time his family should come over for a barbecue, Cass doesn't remember inviting them, and is completely unprepared.
While purchasing a baby outfit for a friend Cass seemingly orders a pram to be delivered to her house, but has no memory of doing this.
Cass is sure she parked her car on Level Four of the shopping center's car park, but it isn't there when she returns.
And so on.

Cass thinks she's getting early onset dementia, a condition that contributed to her mother's premature death. Cass can't decide what to do. Matthew doesn't know about her mother's illness, and Cass is afraid to tell him now - thinking he'll be sorry he married her.

To add to her troubles Cass starts getting frightening phone calls. Every morning, after Matthew leaves for work, the phone rings.....but no one speaks. Cass convinces herself that this is Jane's killer, who plans to murder her. Cass becomes increasingly anxious and fearful - jumps at every sound - and begins to behave irrationally.

Matthew realizes that something is off, but he's a very solitcitous spouse.....constantly hugging and caressing Cass, and planting kisses on her face and head. (This overdose of affection made me squirm.) Matthew even arranges for Cass to see a doctor, where she gets pills to ease her stress.

Cass tries to lessen her unease by looking in on Jane's husband and children, and confiding in her former boyfriend John. Eventually an important discovery leads to a satisfactory denoument, and that's all I can say.

For me this book is just okay. The entire narrative is told from Cass's perspective, so we follow what Cass is seeing, hearing, thinking, saying, and doing - day after day - for many weeks. This makes the book feel a bit slow and claustrophobic (to me). Moreover, Cass behaves in a naive and foolish fashion, which got on my nerves. I prefer female protagonists to be bright and and capable. And finally, many readers are likely to figure out what's going on early in the book, which lessens the pleasurable suspense.

In parting I'll say this: if you enjoyed B.A. Paris's book Behind Closed Doors you'll probably like this story - and vice versa.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book.