I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing BA Paris about her latest psychological thriller "The Prisoner" for the Storytime in Paris podcast on Paris Underground Radio. This is what I said:

Ep 53. B.A. Paris, “The Prisoner”

My guest this week is New York Times and Sunday Times #1 bestselling author B.A. Paris. Bernadette’s latest novel, “The Prisoner,” is a psychological thriller centered around Amélie, a young woman who wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is, who brought her there, or what they want.

In our conversation, Bernadette shares what draws her to psychological thrillers, how she crafts a naive protagonist, whether it’s more fun to write moral or irrmoral characters, sensorial writing, and so much more. Then, she treats us to a reading from her book.

You can find the full interview at parisundergroundradio.com/storytimeinparis, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

So, this was a miss for me. It's orphan Annie with a kidnapping and some confusing back and forth. I have read all of BA Paris and I really want to like her books. I feel they all have potential and then they lose their momentum with far fetched additions that didn't necessarily need to be added or just seem impossible.
My heartfelt thanks to #Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.

I do love a Paris book! This one didn't disappoint either. Suspenseful and entertaining, two must haves in any book. The book also had great narration.

After hearing excellent reviews of previous titles by Paris, I had high hopes for this title. I picked this book up multiple times over a period of two weeks and it couldn't keep my interest. At the beginning, I felt like nothing was happening. I liked the short chapters, but it just didn't click with me. I kept waiting for more and to be hooked, however, I ended up putting the book down a couple months ago and never picked it back up. I have made the decision to DNF this book.

I loved this!
As soon as I saw my favourite narrator Georgia Maguire was the actor chosen to narrate this one, it was an audiobook I was desperate for. I cite Maguire and B.A. Paris as the duo that got me hooked on audiobooks, when I listened to Behind Closed Doors from the library.
This was just as good. Maguire has that kind of voice that just speaks to me (literally) and I listen at any available opportunity.
The dual timeline of before and after Amelie's capture was a great way to keep up the intrigue and suspense. At several points, I laughed at Paris' clever writing and how she brought it together.

I am pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed The Prisoner so much after reading many early lackluster reviews. While I was initially intrigued by the beginning, the first half of the book is very slow moving. However, the second half of the book won me over, as the pace increases significantly due to the shorter chapters, and the answers I needed were discovered.

I have read all books written by B A. Paris and with the exception of her debut, this is by far my favorite. The transition from each chapter past to present blends together as the story progresses and suddenly all the questions make sense. Turning the final page and realizing that is the last page so makes me want to reread it, hoping there is more. Already anxious for her next book!

Thank you to Macmillion Audio, NetGalley and B.A. Paris for the advanced listener copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own. My review is given voluntarily.

As this is my first B.A Paris novel I had such high expectations for this one as I have seen such high praise and reviews for B.A Paris' books. The beginning was quick paced and entertaining, but i felt like it died off and left me feeling disconnected with the story. I struggled to finish. I felt like it was too slow paced for me to stay engaged. However, the ending was not something i was expecting so that was nice. I did like the narrator and i think that may have saved it for me. Even though this one fell short, I will read/listen to another of her books and give her another try! This one was not bad, just not for me.

Having read other Paris books, I had really high hopes for this one, but it fell flat. Between the flashbacks and current time, it was easy to let my mind wander through out. Especially while listening to the audiobook. The main character, Amelie, made unrealistic choices that made her unlikeable and dramatic. The slow burn of this book made it hard to finish; I really wanted to DNF it.

The narrator Georgia Maguire did a good job with the content she had to work with. But it was still easy for the mind to wander during both the audiobook and physical copy.

I want to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook.

Let me start off by giving kudos to the narrator. She was interesting to listen to.
I’m a huge fan of the author but must say it took me awhile to get into the story. Once I did… I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m new at listening to audiobooks so therefore that may have been part of the problem. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to one of my favorite authors.

I enjoyed the locked room effect of this story and the darkness added to the creepy vibes. I felt the tension and desperate need to get out, and also to understand why this was being done and who did it. It's a slow burn mystery/thriller and I liked how the answers were gradually revealed among twists and turns in the plot.

The Prisoner by B. A. Paris was okay. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Georgia Maguire and she was good. I was excited to read this one since I enjoyed The Therapist but this one fell a bit flat for me. I liked the alternating timelines and the secrets. The main character Amelie gets kidnapped and I found her motivations lacking. There was a lot of repetition and I didn’t find any of the twists shocking. I would still consider reading more from this author in the future.

I found this one to be weak on plot, and not BA Paris's best work. She's a strong writer, but this one just wasn't my favorite!

I enjoy B.A. Paris and the way she weaves mystery and intrigue into her stories. The Prisoner was no exception but there wasn't quite the "a-ha" moment that I believe was intended. Some of the plot twists were easily discernible. But the story of Amelie and her ability to overcome great odds was enjoyable.

Review of The Prisoner by BA Paris

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. I enjoyed it overall very much and it was a super quick read for me. It is not overall my favorite by this amazing author but it was a solid thriller for me. Thank you so much to @stmartinspress for the finished copy with awesome book light! What a fun surprise.

Quick synopsis: Amelie has had a tough life but is determined to go to college and become a lawyer. She is befriended by a woman in a coffee ship named Carolyn who invites her to stay in her home and help with her housework. The two become very close and Amelie also becomes friends with Carolyn’s close friends. It is through them that she meets the man who will be her newest boss. This meeting will uproot her life and turn it into a nightmare.

I've read and enjoyed so many books by author B.A Paris, that I now consider Paris an auto-read/buy author. I was excited to read this latest release, THE PRISONER, a stunning new thriller about one woman wed into a family with deadly intentions. The story follows Amelie and her husband, who have been kidnapped and kept separated, unknown what the intentions of the kidnapper are.

I was immediately drawn in with the first chapter, and the mystery of who the kidnapper was, and what was going on. However, the slower pacing and unfolding of the outrageous plot started to drag a bit for me, compared to the author's previous novels that I'd read.

I read both the physical and the audiobook of the book, and thought the narrator was a great choice.

*many thanks to St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

B. A. Paris is an auto-read for me. She does a great job writing domestic suspense books that leave you just a bit uncomfortable. In this book Amelie and her husband have been kidnapped, though they are being kept apart. The twists and turns on the reason for their captivity and the ultimate outcome left my head spinning. The quick chapters mean I couldn’t stop turning pages to find out what happens next! The dual timelines also helped create a great back story in order to cheer on the main character.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #theprioner #baparis #smpinfluencers

The Prisoner pulled me in and had me listening late into the night. It unfolds slowly at first, but then the action really picks up (so stick with it for the second half!). I did not love the ending, but you'll have to read and decide for yourself.

This was so good at first! I was all in! With short chapters, alternating between the past and the present, I was hooked. Amelie's story was intriguing and I couldn't help but gasp a few times at what was happening.

As I got further in, however, the story started to get a little outlandish, and disbelief set in. You all know I'm not good at suspending disbelief, lol, and well, that was that. Then when I got to the end.

Solid audio book and solid thriller. A little predictable and overall likeable. With an eerie premise promised to chill bones.