This book was a strong, suspenseful, excellent read.

The book begins with a young couple on vacation and the disappearance of the young woman, Layla, and the realization that our narrator, Finn (the other half of the couple), is an admitted liar.

After escaping prosecution for Layla's disappearance and an impending marriage to Layla's sister scheduled, Finn's nightmarish past comes up again with a call from a police detective and some unexplained mementos.

Even if you figure out some of the twists, the book is still very enjoyable in the skilled hands of the author. I enjoyed the pacing and dialogue, and felt the author did a very good job of building the main characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced copy.

The premise was interesting, but I felt that it had been done before more successfully. Finn was not a likable protagonist and I wasn't sure why Layla would ever want him back. The Ellen character was too easy to see through early in the story.

I have really come to look forward to a new BA Paris book release. This book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed how this story unfurled and always expect the unexpected. I flew through this book and stayed up late to finish it because I couldn't put it down!

2.5 stars

Bring Me Back held none of the intensity of Paris’ debut novel and unfortunately was a disappointment.

Finn and Layla are driving along when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. When he returns Layla is gone―never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police, but it is not the whole story. The opening pages of this book did draw me in. I was eager to know what happened to Layla and why Finn couldn’t tell the police the whole truth? Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen (ummm, yeah?!). Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close. Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone has seen Layla.

I had high hopes that this was going to be an engaging and gripping story after reading the prologue. However, my hopes plummeted rather quickly. This story was repetitive in places, slow and unbelievable. So why did I finish it? I kept hoping it would get better, that there would be this huge twist at the end. There wasn’t. While all the questions asked during the telling of the story are answered, they inspired nothing in me but a great, big yawn and a shrug of unbelievability!

After loving Paris’ debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, she was quickly added to my must-read list. Her sophomore attempt was good, but not as good as her first. This third novel totally missed the mark with this reader. I hope her next novel reaches the level of intensity her first did or she may go off my must-read list. Here’s hoping for the best.

I absolutely loved this book!! I totally didn’t see the end coming! What a twist! I can’t wait to read her next book!

3.5 Stars...

Because I loved Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown, both of which are compelling, suspenseful reads that I highly recommend if you haven't read them, I couldn't wait to read Bring Me Back. Paris is one of my favorite authors and writes some of the best suspense books around today. And she proves what an excellent author she is in her newest novel with her clever premise, an alternating narration of the novel told in a "then" and "now" format, unfolding tension, sinister, creepy atmosphere, and highly unreliable narrators in Finn and Layla.

The plot is one I'm not going to give away because you should go into this book knowing as little as possible since you have to decide which character is telling the truth about events that happened twelve years in the past and have come back to haunt the present...it is all very creepy, clever, and on the edge of your seat!

It wasn't a perfect read for me though, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped that I would. I loved the first half of the novel but then I felt like I was reading a different story the second half. Not only was the plot predictable enough that I had it figured out but there was a such an unbelievable twist towards at the end that no matter how much I tried to suspend my belief, it just didn't work for me.

Besides the implausible twist, this was an addictive page-turner. Once I started reading the novel, I didn't put it down, so it's a compulsive read! Although I might have enjoyed Behind Closed Doors much better, B.A. Paris will remain an auto-buy author, and I'll be reading everything she writes because I love her style and suspenseful stories! If you've enjoyed her other books, then you'll enjoy Bring Me Back but just prepared for an unsatisfying and unbelievable ending. Fans of fast-paced, thrilling, well-written suspense will enjoy it too!

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my fair and honest review. **

Unfortunately this book was on my what the heck just happened list. It was hard for me to get through after the first few chapters. The beginning captured me with the mystery of where Layla disappeared to. But then the more I kept reading the cheesier it got. I wanted to love this book. I wanted to be enamored by it but every time I went to pick it up I found myself skimming to just get through it. The characters never really came to life for me and Finn was just so .... disappointing! Layla sounded like a nut job and not even in a fun way. Then the ending...WHAT! I think my eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out of my head. The twist just didn't pack the big BAM I was expecting and hoping it would give me. I hate to be such a debbie downer about this book because I try and find what I really enjoyed and focus on that but for the most part this book just didn't do it for me. I am sure I am in the minority with this review but overall it was just a disappointment.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

This one was alright. I honestly liked The Breakdown the best and Behind Closed Doors came in close second. This one, not so much. Not as exciting, the plot was actually kind of dull and I wasn't a huge fan of any of the main characters. Ellen was a pushover, Layla was unpredictable, Finn was a first class jerk, Harry was an enabler and I don't know enough about Thomas or Tony to make character judgements. The plot was not nearly as good as her previous two and even following the climax of the story, I was disappointed. The plot was portrayed in such a way to appear like it would be complex and intriguing when in actuality it was simplistic and way too predictable. The ending left much to be be desired. I hope she writes another one soon because I think B. A. Paris is a talented writer, I honestly think she has more potential and this particular book just didn't work out.

As a fan of B. A. Paris's other novels, I could not wait to read Bring Me Back. From the first chapter, I was completely intrigued. The author does a fabulous job of weaving a line into each chapter to let the reader know that things are not as they seem. Between that and the character development, I struggled between wanting to finish the book in one sitting and wanting to drag it out to keep it from ending so soon! Thrilled that, once again, B. A. Paris did not disappoint!

Another fast-paced page-turner by B. A. Paris. Her writing is so good that you don't want to stop reading. I was captivated with the story from the beginning and it did have me guessing as to what was going on with the appearance of Russian dolls and the mysterious emails. I did and I didn't figure out who was the person responsible for the dolls/emails. That's a little difficult to explain without giving it away so that's all I will say about that. I felt that the twist at the end was surprising and a bit strange, but overall it was a good suspenseful read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy.

Definitely suspenseful, quickly paced, and I did appreciate the format. Alternating viewpoints worked very well for this story. Had no clue exactly what was going on most of the time, totally fooled. Didn't like any of these characters, suspected Finn of many things, Ellen seemed the most normal, well adjusted. Unreliable narrators was my thinking. The Russian doll gimmick I thought corny.

This was a sisters read where most liked more than I. Turned out to be a mixed read for me, though it turned out to be a very strange story. I found the resolution far-fetched and unbelievable. Plus, I still don't understand the relationships between Finn and Henry.

ARC from Netgalley.

I disliked this book at first, I found the narrative to be irritating as it appeared that the narrator was admitting to causing the disappearance of his girlfriend Layla. However, I read on, hoping the novel would surprise me. It did. I did not expect where it was going at all, sadly the writing style was still not quite to my taste but was definitely an interesting and surprising read.

B.A Paris never fails to draw me in with impeccable character development and twisty, turn-y storylines that keep you guessing until the very end!
Finn has lived through the disappearance of his girlfriend years earlier, even as he was a suspect and cleared of any wrongdoing. Now, Layla has been spotted and seems to want to make contact with her former life. This book kept me up until the wee hours of the morning to find out "what next" and "what really happened"!! You will not regret picking this up for your next psychological thriller!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, B.A. Paris and NetGalley for an ARC of this incredible book!

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.