The Breakdown is BA Paris' second book after the amazing Behind Closed Doors which I personally loved and therefore was concerned that her next book had a lot to live up to. My concern was totally unwarranted as The Breakdown is utterly brilliant. This is a master class in psychological thrillers. Full of twists and turns, dread and guilt with a hint of paranoia. This story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. A phenomenal, tense and gripping thriller which I thoroughly recommend and if you like stories that give you that uncomfortable feeling almost like heartburn then please read this with a bottle of Gaviscon close by. 5 big fat stars.

I was totally chuffed to get this ARC from NetGalley, and even more so that it was B.A. Paris’ new book – her first being Behind Closed Doors (2016) which blew me away and had me reading until the wee hours (seriously, it was getting light beyond my curtains).

Taking in to account my level of excitement, I’m just going to go ahead and say first and foremost, that it is a great book. Mostly fast-paced with well fleshed out characters and a satisfying – if not entirely unpredictable – twist.

The Breakdown follows protagonist Cass, who may or may not be suffering early onset dementia, following in her deceased mother’s footsteps. She is married to Matthew, a good-looking bloke who clearly dotes on her, and with the patience of a saint.
Right at the beginning of the book, Cass takes the quicker route home from drinks and cuts through the wood near her house. In a lay-by on that road, she sees a car parked up. Due to the on going storm, Cass pulls over in front of the car, not before glancing in the driver’s window and seeing a woman, whose features she can’t quite make out. When the driver makes no move to indicate she needs help, she pulls away.
The next day, news comes in that the same woman was brutally murdered the night before, thus setting off a horrifying string of events that leaves Cass questioning her sanity, and the intentions of her nearest and dearest.

Though it’s fair to say I guessed at least part of the twist fairly early on, there was another aspect to it, which I had not been expecting and it was a welcome surprise.

Paris’ first book was not full of twists and turns, for the strapline and indeed the blurb was candid in its storyline, so in a way this is a new direction for her, and I think she’s pulled it off well. I could see each and every scene and though she doesn’t tend to go in to explicit detail for her characters’ appearance, they were clear as day in my mind, which personally I think shows real skill.

Would heartily recommend this fast-paced psychological thriller.

Been looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint, a fantastic psychological thriller filled with suspense and paranoia, that I just had to read in one sitting.

Wow I loved Behind Closed Doors but this book takes psychological thrillers to a different level. Cass is riddled with guilt as she failed to stop and help a motorist who was alone in the middle of remote woods on a terrible stormy night. When she finds out the woman has been murdered her guilt becomes intolerable, she is also shocked to find that she knew the victim. This is just the start of her life spiralling out of control where she becomes paranoid and imagines that she will become the next victim, she also becomes stressed and forgetful causing her to worry all the more. There is so much to this book, I would have read it in one sitting if i didn't have the inconvenience of having to break off and make food. Thank you for the ARC I loved it.

Excellent, absolutely superb! Read this in just two sittings which is something I don't normally have time for, but this book just begged for reading! Kept me guessing from start to finish with so many twists and turns. Without a doubt one of THE best books of the year!

Excellent story! Wonderful main characters and really well written. I would recommend this book.

This book was AMAZING. I have literally just put it down after a somewhat extended lunch break because I couldn't wait till tonight to see how it ended! I had sussed what had happened and why very early on but I didn't feel that it spoiled my enjoyment of the book; the main character's journey to unravel the mystery kept me hooked! Even after the denouement, the suspense was maintained as the reader waits to see what the main character will do once she knows what really happened. I can't wait for the next book from BA Paris - I only hope we don't have to wait so long for the third novel! I highly recommend this book for any fan of psychological suspense or domestic noir.

I was a huge fan of Behind Closed Doors, the first novel from B A Paris, it was intense and haunting so I was extremely interested to see what she would give us next…

The Breakdown follows Cass, who one night makes a decision that haunts her life – we’ve all done the “what if” thing but Cass is genuinely guilt ridden. This seems to be tipping over into all aspects of her day to day routines as she forgets the simplest of things and believes she is being stalked. But is it all in her head?

Again, BA Paris messes with your perception, keeping the story twisting and turning throughout, it is absolutely gripping stuff as Cass sinks further into the mire – but is she having a breakdown or is someone trying to break her? This is the question the reader keeps reading to find out and there is a beautiful unpredictability to proceedings and a lovely depth to Cass as a character which keeps you rooting for her.

With the explosion of the psychological thriller it is hard to keep track – if like me you are a fan of them as long as they are not boringly cliched – in the case of The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors B A Paris brings us two true page turners that are very different kettles of fish, yet each extraordinarily compelling in their own way. Plus I like that they make sense. Those who read widely in this genre will know what I mean!

Beautifully constructed, cleverly discombobulating, The Breakdown is a read in one sitting, paper cut inducing, emotionally haunting story. Loved it.

Highly Recommended.

Yet another outstanding psychological and I stress the word psychological thriller from B A Paris. It was an absolute rollercoaster of a ride. With twists and turns and stomach churning moments that had me thrown left to right. I absolutely loved it. Cannot wait for the next one from this brilliant author. Thanks for the opportunity. WOW! PS The title is genius too!

BA Paris has done it again. Another fantastic, fast paced, roller coaster of a read. I felt the horror and guilt Cass felt by leaving the girl on the side of the road. Her life seems to fall apart from thereon and she struggles with memory. Is she a reliable narrator or is she losing the plot. Great characters but are they friends and can they be trusted. This book had me all over the place but not guessing the very good, satisfying twist of an ending. Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the advanced copy for review. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Cass witnesses an apparent car breakdown on her way home, but doesn't stop to help. She learns that the driver was murdered later that night and is tormented by guilt, feeling that she could have prevented the murder. Over the next couple of weeks, she starts receiving silent phone calls and she is convinced the murderer is targeting her now. She also believes she is suffering from early onset dementia and finds herself becoming a recluse, hiding away from the world in fear.
Of course nothing is as it seems and there are plenty of twists and turns before we learn the true story behind Cass's torment. There is a claustrophobic feeling of unease throughout, keeping the reader unsettled and anxious to to keep reading. Would thoroughly recommend this book and those who enjoy a good psychological thriller/domestic noir will love this.

I absolutely loved 'Behind Closed Doors' so couldn't wait to read this one. It didn't disappoint at all, I loved it just as much as the previous book.

The Breakdown is a psychological thriller which grips you from the start, with so many twists and turns there is no chance of getting bored. A real page turner with an ending that blew me away, a highly recommneded book.

I can't wait for the next one from this author, this one gets a massive 5 stars from me.

Paranoia sweeps central character Cass in ‘The Breakdown,’ after she realises she could have helped her friend.

On her way home through the woods on a stormy summers evening Cass notices a broken down car by the side of the road. After briefly stopping, feeling vulnerable, she decides to continue driving. It is only later that she learns that the woman she saw has been killed and that she was a friend.

As Cass ruminates on what could have been, she begins to unravel. B.A. Paris has created another tension filled, fast paced novel which gives the reader a constant feeling of unease until the satisfying ending.

Cass is about to make the worst decision of her life when she decides to take a shortcut home on a dark and stormy night. The drive home takes her on a rural road through the woods during a torrential rainstorm. She passes a car parked near the woods with a woman inside, and she stops the car momentarily, thinking the woman will approach her if she needs help. The woman doesn't get out so Cass drives off. The next morning she discovers that the woman was later found dead in the car - and had been brutally murdered!

Cass is beside herself with guilt, could she have saved this woman? or would she herself have been murdered if she'd stopped to help?

Her decision that night has impacted badly on her health and she becomes really forgetful, forgetting even the simplest of things. This causes her extreme anxiety as she believes she's suffering from early onset dementia, just as her mother had. Then she starts receiving silent phone calls and believes whoever murdered the woman must have seen her that night, and is now watching her!

Oh Boy! I thought the author did a good job with her last book 'Behind Closed Doors', but she's excelled herself with this one. The characters are well formed, the plot is intricate but extremely clever, and the anxiety and fear jump out from every page - you've no choice but to be pulled helplessly along, yearning to discover what's coming next.

As is usual for me, I had a suspect lined up for the murder immediately- had them questioned, charged, and locked away. Well I was wrong! And that's what happens when I pit my my wits against someone as adept at her craft as B.A.Paris is.

Do yourself a favour and don't miss out on this one - you'll be missing a treat if you do!

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I really enjoyed B A Paris' first novel and had high hopes for this one. It did not disappoint. A thrilling, pacy tale with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Excellent characters and I particularly empathised with Cassie and the situation she found herself in. The book is cleverly written and really drew me in to the unfolding drama.
4.5 stars

The Breakdown is the first book I've read by B A Paris and I'm so glad I've found this author.

The Breakdown is the perfect chilling thriller that will have you hooked from the first chapter.

The story follows Cass, who after driving home one night can't get the image of the woman she saw parked in a car in the middle of the woods. The car belongs to a woman who was killed. Trying to put the car out of her mind after her husband told her not to drive that way home and reasoning with herself that she would have been hurt too if she'd stopped. But ever since then, she finds she is starting to forget things. Did she take her pills, what is the alarm code, did she order all the things that keep arriving at the house?

This book is a real page turner. The characters interweave perfectly and there is an underlying tension simmering throughout the whole book which adds to the gripping finale.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin UK Ltd and the author for the chance to review.

A round of applause to this author for another book that gripped me so whole-heartedly and was so compelling, that the outside world just disappeared whilst I was reading it.

I chose to read this NetGalley ARC for which I have given a voluntary and unbiased review.

I loved this author's previous book, Behind Closed Doors, and I was sceptical whether the same psychological tension could be replicated in this new book. But it was as every bit as tense and twisty! I flew through the pages; I had my suspicions about what was really going on..was she really suffering from Early Onset Dementia?..or was something else at play?...but I couldn't quite guess correctly! Great book, great storyline, great ending!

I would like to thank Harlequin UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Breakdown’ by B A Paris in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Cass is taking a shortcut through the woods during a thunderstorm and sees a car parked in a lay-by with a woman at the wheel. Thinking that the driver might need assistance she stops her own car in the lay-by ahead of the parked car but thinking it might be a trap she drives off. The next day she discovers that the woman in the car is her new friend Jane – and she’s been murdered!
Cass starts receiving silent phone calls and has the feeling that someone is watching her. She becomes convinced the murderer has noted her car’s registration number and is going to kill her too. Then Cass starts to experience memory lapses, how to turn on household appliances, appointments she can’t remember making, items she can’t remember buying, and is convinced she has the symptoms of early onset dementia which her mother died of at the age of 44.
This is a fantastic second novel by B A Paris, it has a brilliant storyline and compelling characters, is unbelievably chilling, and I can guarantee that once started the reader will be unable to put it down.

Having read and loved Behind closed doors I was thrilled to be able to read the secondition book from BA Paris.
The breakdown is a brilliant book, cleverly written and following the apparent happy lives of Andrew and Cass. Following the murder of a young woman close to their home Cass is finding things difficult to deal with, her fear that the murderer is close by, that they will come for her next. Those fears are compounded by strange goings on at home, silent phone calls and the feeling that she is being watched.. Cass is convinced that the killer knows who she is but does he and will she be able to escape?
Loved it, highly recommended to family and friends

Another unputdownable (when are they going to accept that word into the OED?) read from B.A. Paris. I really enjoyed her "clever, claustrophobic" debut BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and this read was "more" and "better". As POV protagonist Cass slips further and further into confusion, unsure what is her Early Onset Dementia and what is the murderer trying to scare her, so too does the reader become wonderfully discombobulated. While Cass may appear to be the very definition of "unreliable narrator" (and arguably does the wrong thing when she doesn't stop to help the woman "broken down in the woods") there is a careful depth to her that keeps you rooting for her all the way through.

I must admit that I worked out what was going on but that didn't spoil the ride. A beautifully constructed and paced domestic thriller that genuinely had me glancing behind me during my walk home.

WOW...... I have never been so tempted to skip to the end of a book to find out what happens and then go back, until now, that's how much I enjoyed this book. Nail biting, edge of your seat story, absolutely brilliant. One of the best psychological thrillers I've read to date. A must read in my opinion.

As someone who has driven past a motorist with their car bonnet up and later learned they had been struck by a car and killed, I could really relate to Cass and her guilt over the decision not to stop and assist the woman in the car. Add in the forgetfulness and the silent phone calls and this really was a chilling, gut twisting read for me. I was well and truly manipulated by the author and jumped from suspect to suspect each time convinced I had it solved. I felt a like the ending was a bit rushed but that might have been because I just wasn't ready to let the characters go. Don't you just hate it when readers say 'this would make a great movie', but this truly would.

Twelve months ago I was gripped by B. A Paris' debut novel Behind Closed Doors, so much so that it made my list of top books of 2016 so I couldn't wait to read The Breakdown. I was eager to find out if her second book would be as good as her first, but it wasn't. . . . . it was even better!!

Cass is on her way home, it's a filthy night and all she wants to do is get home. Deciding to go against her husband Matthew's advice she takes the shortcut down a dark, wooded and lonely road which will cut a few minutes off her journey, not knowing that it will be a decision she will very quickly come to regret.

Spotting a car in the lay-by she pulls up level with it to see if she can help the driver, but although she can make out a female sitting in the drivers seat, the woman makes not attempt to communicate with Cass. Not wanting to drive off and leave the unknown woman possibly stranded, she pulls over infront of the car to see if that encourages the driver. In the short time that Cass patiently waits her thoughts run away with her and she starts to think that maybe it's a trap and that maybe someone will steal her car if she gets out. With no movement from the car behind and no mobile signal she decides that the best thing to do would be to carry on home and make a call once she's there.

Cass never makes the call and is horrified to find out the next day that the female motorist has been murdered. Understandably she is absolutely riddled with guilt, going over and over the previous night in her mind - what if she had got out of her car, what if she hadn't forgotten to make a call when she arrived home, what if she had got out of her car, she might have been killed too - the list is endless but of course none of this will change the fact that a woman has died.

When the police find out who the mystery woman is Cass realises that she knew her and had lunch with her just a few weeks before. Her husband Matthew is supportive but he's worried when Cass starts to forget things and even more worried when she voices her fears that the murderer is making silent phone calls to the house.

In my opinion The Breakdown is an exceptional book and B A Paris is an exceptional writer. The further I read, the more palpable the tension got and at one point I could almost feel Cass' heart racing as she struggled to make sense of her life and battled the demons inside her head. No character was safe from the finger of suspicion being pointed at them and I was totally gripped, wanting to read faster to find out how it was going to end but at the same time not wanting to finish such a compelling book. As the ending was getting nearer I could feel my lips curling into a smirk and then growing wider into a grin as I realised what was happening and for me the ending couldn't have been better, but don't worry I won't spoilt it for you all.

This book raises the bar in the psychological thriller genre and although it's only January I'm pretty confident that The Breakdown will be one of my favourite books of the year. If you only read one book this year. . .make sure it's THIS one!

With kind thanks to NetGalley and publishers Harlequin UK for the review copy.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Behind Closed Doors was outstanding. The Breakdown is even better! B A Paris has written an absolute belter of a tale that had my heart literally pounding. The first person narrative races along and I felt as if I were actually inside Cass Anderson's head, experiencing events in the same way that she did. That's skilful storytelling.

The plotting is superb and there's a real sense of tension and pressure as the events take place over a few weeks in the summer holidays. Cass is a happily married teacher. She has a good friend, Rachel, whom she's known for years. A local lady is murdered and Cass realises that she knows her and saw her just before the murder. She could have helped and from this point, Cass's life starts to spiral out of control. Tension builds inexorably with silent calls, shadowy figures in the garden, memory loss, missed appointments until Cass can barely function. She's under threat and unable to trust her memory, she becomes increasingly reliant on her husband and friends to keep her anchored. But who should she trust and who will be betrayed?

I was convinced at around the half way point that I knew where the story was leading. I was totally wrong and the denouement in the final section is sublime. Poetic justice, beautifully wrought and delivered in fast paced chunks in a twist that's revealed by working through events in reverse. Read this in almost one sitting; it grips and doesn't let go. Simply brilliant.

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!!

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.

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!

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.

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!

Having read and enjoyed Behind Closed doors, I was eagerly awaiting this next book.
If like me, you like to read two or three chapters at bedtime over a week or so, this book definitely won't fit the bill!! I started this book in the morning while waiting for a delivery, and was absorbed from page one and became totally engrossed as I read on. When the inevitable knock on the door came, I shot out of my skin! I think I read this book with my eyebrows raised, my jaw dropped and the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Never before have I read a book so quickly - it was riveting. Definitely the best book I've read to date.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for approving my request.

I was very excited to see another BA Paris book hot on the heels of the fabulous Behind Closed Doors, so no sooner had The Breakdown hit my kindle than I started reading it. I did wonder if the bar had been set too high with Behind Closed Doors being such an outstanding debut, but I'm delighted to say that I am not disappointed and think that The Breakdown is as good as, if not better than, Behind Closed Doors.

At the beginning, Cass seems like a normal happily married woman with her head screwed on. Driving home one evening in torrential rain, she takes a short cut home and sees a car pulled into a layby. Her first reaction is to stop and see if the driver needs some help so she pulls in front of the car, seeing a woman looking at her as she does so. Sensibly, Cass has second thoughts and considers that this could be a carjacking trick, so when the woman doesn't show any signs of needing help Cass continues her drive home. The next day the news headlines report that a woman has been murdered. The same woman that Cass saw the previous night. As if her guilt wasn't bad enough, she realises that she knew the woman.

Cass then seems to unravel, thinking that the murderer is out to get her when she starts to get sinister but silent phone calls. She worries that, like her mother, she has early onset dementia and certainly everything that is happening seems to point in that direction. My heart really went out to her when she started to forget things and then when she turns to medication which all but knock her out she became even more vulnerable. The confusion was oozing out of the pages and I've read enough books to know that nothing is ever quite what it seems, but I would never have imagined the book turning out like it did.

With a conclusion that certainly kicks ass, The Breakdown is a story balanced on a knife edge and one false move could result in an early bath for any of the main characters. I had to hold myself back from pumping the air and shouting 'Girl Power' as I turned the final pages. Definitely one I'd recommend reading, The Breakdown is an easy 5 out of 5 rating from me.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Having read Behind Closed Doors and loved it I was anticipating this book. I recommended the first book to all my friends who read it in a day.
I did not think that the first book could be followed with anything as good...how wrong I was.
It is hard to say much without giving the plot away the premise from the book is as follows
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. Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she’s sure someone is watching her. Consumed by guilt, she’s also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is – and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it.
This really does not give you a lot of idea about the book but it races along at a fast pace.
A word of warning you may start to feel annoyed with the central character (I know I did) but stick with it you will not regret it.
Will certainly be one of my books of 2017 beyond a doubt.

WOW !! The Breakdown had me totally involved from the beginning .This is a wonderful psychological thriller ,full of twists and turns and a touch of paranoia !! I loved the characters they felt very real ,how can people be so cruel to each other ? I particularly loved the ending which I didn't guess !! Brilliant 10 stars !!!

I loved the first book and this second title by this author did not disappoint. Please keep writing BA Paris, these books are great!

Following on from the bestselling debut ''Behind Closed Doors'' must have been a bit daunting for B.A. Paris, but I think ''The Breakdown'' is a worthy successor.

The whole introduction of the storm-ridden trip through the woods was eerie and suspense-filled. The storm providing the perfect background for the terror that is about to be unleashed on Cass. Suffering from apparent memory lapses Cass is seemingly unravelling throughout, edging on a breakdown herself and I must admit that even I was doubting what I'd read that she said or did. I kept having to remind myself to pay attention to what was said to her and what she said to others and this in turn meant that I doubted lots of the people surrounding her. Just who could we trust?

These doubts were then coupled by Cass not telling the truth about that night, about what she saw and what she did (or didn't do). I do accept that she was ridden with guilt but I don't know why Cass found it hard to admit she'd seen 'The Breakdown' even to her husband Matthew, and so I was a little frustrated by her. This frustration then seemed to be echoed by others who grew increasingly confused by her behaviour - it all became a vicious circle with Cass in the centre becoming beaten down by worry.

It was easy to see how anxious and confused she was and whilst I did suspect what was happening to her in parts, it didn't dampen my enjoyment of the well-crafted mystery. Neither could the fact that I couldn't quite keep up with the timeframe; I'm putting this down to a deliberate ploy, as I got the sense of time just slipping away. I suppose this was a good metaphor for the sense of disquiet and uncertainty Cass was suffering from.

''The Breakdown'' is a thoroughly good read which has enough twists and turns to keep you always on the backfoot. A captivating mystery that will keep you on-edge throughout.

This was a gripping read. The tension was established right at the start with the storm lashing around on Cass's drive home. This tension is maintained throughout to the end as Cass deals with her concerns about her mental health. I would not wish to write too much in the review in case it worked as a spoiler so will comment mainly on the characterisation which I thought was superb. I certainly empathised with the main character who shared a profession and maternal health issues with myself. I also thought the setting was well done, both the house itself and the surrounding woods and villages. A nasty, but all too believable tale and I shall certainly read more by the author.

Just wow! The long awaited book from B A Paris. Absolutely loved Behind Closed Doors and have been eagerly awaiting this book!
Cass feels very guilty when she realises that she could have saved a young woman from being murdered. If only she had stopped and helped when she saw a car on her shortcut through the woods on a stormy night.
Talk about playing with your mind. I was exhausted with all the twists and turns. Most certainly one to recommend. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

I was super excited to read this book. I was dreading waiting until February, and I honestly feel that therapy should be provided for anyone that has to wait that long to read this stunning novel. Having been on the blog tour for B A Paris’s debut novel this book had a lot to live up to. If you haven’t read Behind Closed Doors, then you are missing out on one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. You can see my review here.

I have to admit when I first started this book I thought it wasn’t going to be as good as Behind Closed Doors. But B A Paris just needed time to get going. I was initially put off because I thought that the plot was going to be straightforward and centre around who was in the car and it would plague the character. But it was soon evident that this wouldn’t be the case. There was a lot more going on that what I initially thought.

The suspense and intrigue woven into this narrative is sensational. I finished this book in 3.5 hours, and that is a personal best for me. I just couldn’t move; it was like I was Cass and I was desperately trying to fit all the pieces together. I did have one of the pieces, but the final revelation was breath-taking (literally).

I think that the thing B A Paris does best is satisfying endings. She doesn’t end her books with the revelation and the character moving on. She gives the evil people in her books their just desserts. I think this is what I love so much about her writing. There is so much injustice in the world it is wonderful to see people face the music for what they have done. I actually cannot wait for this author’s next book.

The Breakdown will be released on: 9th of February 2017.
A MUST BUY! I can already tell you that it's going to be a bestseller.

If you enjoyed Behind Closed Doors then you will love this story just as much, if not MORE! I have voluntarily read and reviewed this story... The Breakdown had me locking the door and looking over my own shoulder in my own home. One not to read if you're home alone at night. Spooked me out. But WOW! I loved it and devoured it in a day! This story is well written, contains short chapters and extremely ADDICTIVE and fast paced. You will have finished it before you know it and wanting more. Brilliant story! Highly recommend to you all. I hope (fingers crossed) there is more to come from this amazing author. Eeee.

TRUST NO-ONE IN THIS STORY! Trust no-one in your life. You'll be shocked! Unexpected twist you WONT see coming! Five stars PLUS from me. Enjoy, I did.

If you thought B.A. Paris couldn't top Behind Closed Doors, then you need to think again. This book is absolute genius! Proper edge of your seat, stomach clenching stuff. So full of intrigue and deceipt. It's brilliant!

This is without a doubt a 5 star read. And I want to rave about how well Paris has written certain aspects of the story but I cant because its a huge spoiler, one that I discovered just as I was sitting down to read the book and it was constantly there in the back of my head so I was waiting for it... and I refuse to spoil anyone else's enjoyment. So no spoilers from me.

This is my first time reading a book by BA Paris, but after devouring The Breakdown in one day I think its safe to say I shall be reading her other book Behind Closed Doors. The Breakdown was such an easy book to sit down and read. Even with Cass being an unreliable narrator, sometimes if not done well it can have a jarring effect on the flow, but thankfully that is not the case here. And to be honest I think Cass's inability to trust herself makes the book all the more interesting. Because we only ever get Cass's POV you never really know who is telling the truth and therefore who we can trust. Which all makes for fantastic reading.
I cant recommend this book enough.

My second by this author and the best imo. Loved this book and read in two sittings only interrupted by sleep . Keeps you guessing till the end with lots of turns along the way . Easy 5 stars .. thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my arc which I have chosen to review

Wow B. A. Paris has just knocked  Hitchcock off the poll position for the best suspense classic with this novel. So get everything around you that you will need for the next 5 hours or so as you won't want to move once you open this book!  Like all great suspense stories it has to start with the mother of all thunder storms, night time, and a woman on her own in a car, so should she take the long route home with more traffic or the short cut through the woods? No choice really, but what would you do if you saw a car pulled up with a woman in it, Is she in trouble or broken down? would you stop?
This isn't a book of car chases but it kicks your adrenaline  into action just the same. Cass's Mum had died only a couple of years before, which was a blessing due to the dementia which she had developed, but now Cass, still only a young woman, was displaying early signs of it too. This is certainly a look over your shoulder kind of book with every creak from upstairs meaning something completely different to you while you are  reading this. Before you finish it wont be just Cass that suffers from paranoia! Petrified, feeling guilty and doubting her own sanity Cass turns to the people that care for her in her life for support and help. 
 This is a perfect read for anyone that enjoys a psychological thriller. I am left buzzing after reading this. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Stories for an ARC of this book which I have chosen to review

Another great thriller from B A Paris.
Driving home from a party on a dark night of torrential rain, happily married woman, Cass, sees a car parked in a layby with a single woman inside. Has she broken down? Does she need help? Or is it a trap to make passers-by stop? Cass parks in front of the car – willing the woman to approach her. No movement – so Cass drives off as she needs to get out of this terrible weather, and home to her husband. Once home, she is distracted by a phone call, and forgets to let anyone know what she has seen. Next morning, the woman is found dead. Cass having forgotten to call the police when she got home turns out to be just one of the many things she forgets over the following weeks. Her mind is deteriorating, and she fears that she has early onset dementia, like her mother. Despite the unstinting support from her husband and friends, Cass believes she is going mad. Guilt and paranoia take over. Who killed the woman, and is he now after Cass?
The initial scene of the drive home is so well done, that you can almost feel the rain hammering down on the car. Along with Cass you peer through the curtain of water and fear an accident in the appalling conditions. The relentless pace and stress does not let up until she gets home, and her phone rings. Sudden peace and relief – as though the phone ringing has cancelled out the rain, the panic, the urgency. Of course, the respite is only for the remainder of the night.
The mystery really starts with the title – does it refer to Cass’s mental breakdown, or is it the assumed breakdown of the woman’s car in the woods, which triggered Cass’s descent into incipient dementia.
The pace ratchets up again, slowly at first and then with increasing speed. Cass’s forgetfulness and fear of losing her mind is overwhelming. As the reader, you start to question your own memory – what would (could) you do in such circumstances?
Nothing is clear until close to the end of the book. Then after the big revelation (did not see that coming!), there is another even more brutal twist.
The book keeps a stranglehold on your attention throughout, and the ending is as much a surprise as a relief that the emotional turmoil in your own mind (not to mention Cass’s) is at an end.

This was amazing. Another engaging addition to the thriller genre. I thoroughly enjoyed Behind closed bpdoors and Paris has kept that moment up. Engaging, thrilling, and so suspenseful . I loved it.

Cass is having a hard time after finding out the woman she had driven past on a stormy night, in the woods on a rural winding road, had been killed. She could not confide in her husband as she had promised him she would not take the shortcut and he would would be furious with her. Ridden with guilt, Cass is starting to forget things. Where she parked her care, meeting with friends etc. Is she suffering from early onset dementia?

B.A. Paris has covered all bases with her new psychological thriller. On three separate occasions I thought I knew where this story was going and three times I was wrong. There is a lot of twists before we get to the conclusion but I certainly did not see the final twist in the last chapter coming. I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harlequin (UK) Limited and the author B.A. Paris for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is another thrilling book from BA Paris. It has many elements to it which kept me enthralled.

Cass had been driving home on a stormy night, using a shortcut through the woods which she had promised her husband she would not take. En route she sees a woman in a stationary car in a lay-by. Cass pulls in ahead of the car in case it has broken down but due to the heavy rain doesn't get out. The person does not signal that they need help so Cass drives away.. The following day she hears the woman in the car had been found murdered. As the details are disclosed Cass goes through a gamut of emotions, including guilt for not getting out of her car to check, fear of what could have happened if she had.

This book is brilliantly descriptive and enthralling. The characterisation is excellent and the twists and turns had me second-guessing everyone. I did not think that this author could write another book as good as Behind Closed Doors but she has and it is equally as dark and thrilling. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

THE BREAKDOWN by B.A. Paris is a psychological thriller that will burrow inside your head and make your pulse race. Cass' life is turned upside down when she learns that a woman whom she saw sitting in her car during a storm on her way home late one night, has been found brutally murdered. And it becomes worse when she realises that she actually knew the victim. As Cass struggles with feelings of guilt over having not done more to help, every other part of her life starts to suffer as she begins to forget things. Worried that she is taking after her deceased mother who had early onset dementia, Cass is fighting to remain calm and upbeat for her husband Matthew and her friends. But then the phone calls start. Somebody wants to scare Cass and will stop at nothing to achieve it. Convinced that the murderer has tracked her down, can Cass overcome her own issues to figure out who is out to make her their next victim? Or is it all just paranoia associated with her illness?
THE BREAKDOWN by B.A. Paris is a superb piece of criminal fiction as it kept me guessing all the way through. Just when I thought I had it figured it out, something explosive would happen and throw my theory out the window. And I have never encountered such an apt title as it encompasses everything about this story. Brimming with tension, danger, and fear, this is the type of novel that really gets under your skin. Fast-paced and gripping at every page, THE BREAKDOWN by B.A. Paris cannot be missed.

I haven't read B A Paris's previous books but I liked the look of this one so thought I'd take chance on a new author. Paris is an excellent author with a tight writing style which really ramps up the tension and plays on the motions. The emotional aspects of the book are beautifully handled and the psychological aspects tense.

The book starts when Cass sees a woman in a car in a lane in a dark wood. She does not stop and the woman is subsequently murdered. Alongside this Cass is forgetting things and is worried that she is developing early onset Alzheimers like her mother. This leads to a taut psychological thriller which had me on the edge of my seat. I truly could not put it down and was reading until 3.30 am to find out what happens. To say it is a page turner may be a cliche but it is true.

There are not many characters in the book but the ones which are there are realistic. The way they play of each other and the very sparsity of them only adds to the tension.

This is an outstanding book which I would not hesitate to recommend.

I loved the author's first book last year and wondered how the next one would go. I absolutely loved this book. We meet Cass, a school teacher who is happily married and has good friends. One day in filthy weather conditions she drives past a car which looks like it has broken down. She finds out later that the woman in the car has been murdered. From then on, Cass starts forgetting simple things and is convinced that the murderer is out to get her.

The book was fast paced and I genuinely didn't know what the outcome would be. In fact, I was wrong from my initial thoughts. Am just sorry I read it so quickly.

This was a fantastic, lightning quick read that completely kept me glued in. I immediately was sucked into the story by asking myself what I would do in the same situation. Was Cass wrong not to stop or did she do what most solo female drivers would do, especially late at night? I found Cass's subsequent journey into memory loss intriguing and emotionally charged. Because of her memory issues, Cass quickly becomes an unreliable narrator which adds even more intrigue to the story. I really felt left in the dark for this book and though I had some of my own conclusions, I really had no idea what was going to happen.

Near the end, as things become clearer I was genuinely left gasping with shock when some things going on were revealed and my heart really broke for Cass and what she was going through. I was angry, sad and thrilled all at once and i could not put the book down until I'd read the very last page. i 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting, thrilling read that they can't put down.

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The Breakdown
By B. A, Paris
The Breakdown
Blurb

For my birthday last year I received a copy of Behind Closed Doors, the debut novel by B. A. Paris, and I really enjoyed it. The Breakdown was even better and in my opinion is already a contender for the best psychological thriller of the year.
It is a dark and stormy night, Cass has been out with friends, and despite promising her husband she wouldn’t, she takes a short cut home.
“Even with my headlights full on I can barely see where I’m going and I instantly regret the brightly lit road I left behind. Although this road is beautiful by day – it cuts through bluebell woods – it’s hidden dips and bends made it treacherous on a night like this.”
When she is almost home she comes upon a woman pulled over in a layby. Cass pulls over and debates getting out to see if she wants help but then she remembers stories about car thieves tricking people into stopping. When the girl gives no indication she needs help Cass decides to drive on.
The next morning Cass discovers the woman was brutally murdered. She later learns she worked with her best friend and she herself had been for dinner with her. Cass is burdened with guilt and feels really bad that she didn’t get out of her car to help.
Cass feels unable to tell her husband, Matthew, as she knows he will be appalled that she put herself in danger. She can’t tell her best friend Rachel because she feels as though she would judge her for not helping.
Then there are the strange phone calls where the phone rings and she answers but nobody speaks and the sense of being watched.
On top of all of this, Cass is experiencing memory problems. She invites friends round or makes plans with them and then has no recollection of making plans, she orders things online but again has no memory of doing so and she even makes plans for an alarm to be fitted to her house but forgets having done so.
Cass is worried that she is showing symptoms of early onset dementia, her own mother was diagnosed with it at the age of 44 and Cass is in her early 30s.
As the book progresses Cass’ behaviour becomes increasingly eratic and her sense of danger only increases.
Brilliant book.

I loved behind closed doors by this author and was excited to receive this book to review. Exciting, chilling edge of your seat kind of reading.
What a twist! I have disappointed when I got to the last page.
Love Love Loved this book!

The Breakdown

Having loved Behind Closed Doors, I had high expectations of The Breakdown and let me just say that it doesn't disappoint!

The Breakdown is everything we've come to expect of a psychological thriller and much more, twist and turns that will make you dizzy as you grip the edge of your seat and hold your breath! A gripping and tense thriller that deserves nothing less that 5*!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book, with thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved her first book, and was eagerly anticipating this read. Once again, the beautiful writing flows into your mind and then grips you tight and pulls you in. A worthy book 2 - I shan't post any spoilers so please just read it!

I enjoyed the author's debut novel and hoped that this would live up to what she produced previously. I was not disappointed.

This is like a book of two halves. The first part is where the reader believes they know the way the story is going to go due to what the author tells us about the main female character. The second half totally blows everything you thought you knew out of the window. The way the story is written drew me in and had me trying to work out if what I was reading was actually what was going on, or if it was what the character was being led to believe was happening.

As a psychological thriller this was brilliantly done, I would recommend this author to anyone who loves a story with plenty of twists throughout.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

After a night celebrating the end of the school term, Cass takes a shortcut through the woods to get home. The road is dark and a storm is hitting hard when she sees a car laying on the side of the road. Inside there is a woman but she doesn’t seem to be in need of help and afraid it may be a trap like you see in horror movies, Cass keeps driving. The next morning the news announces that a woman was found murdered the night before on the same road. Consumed by guilt, Cass starts forgetting things like presents to buy or friends who she invited over. Does she have dementia as her mother did? And is the killer behind the silent calls that she receives every day? As her husband and best friend start to doubt her sanity, Cass becomes more depressed and paranoid. Not only a story of murder and jealousy, but also of a woman trying to come to term with the fact that she may become like her mother. A compelling and sinister page-turner with so many twists and turns that at the end I was literally on the edge of my seat.

Another fantastically gripping tale from B A Paris! I was totally drawn into Cass' world of confusion and fear. Tried to guess the outcome but failed! A seriously well plotted and devious thriller with plenty of red herrings. Cannot wait for this authors next book of this is anything to go by they are just getting better and, if possible, even more twisted.

Cass's life changes overnight when she takes a decision to take a short cut through the woods one rainy evening. There's a car parked in the layby and apart from stopping her car for a few minutes, doesn't get out to help, something she will regret. Shortly afterwards things start to go wrong, forgetting things, mysterious parcels arrive, silent phone calls - she's doubting her own sanity. Wow!! Just loved this from the very first line - what a stomping good read, gripping and menacing, pacey and dark. It was one of those books you just have to read in one sitting, no putting it down apart from the essentials that is! Allow plenty of time because you won't want to leave this story and watch out for your fingernails as you just might bite them off as you feverishly turn the pages! Another wonderful book by this author.

Well the author certainly has a devious mind that’s for certain. Within the first few pages I already knew who the bad guy was and was certain I knew who the killer was too. About three quarters into the read I decided I was wrong and had a new suspect. Turns out I was wrong on both counts. It was neither of my suspects.

Paris does know how to lead readers on a merry goose chase.

Let me tell you what I liked the most about this story. It was the way the author manages to create a perfect situation of moral wrongdoing even when the act itself isn’t actually legally wrong. A question of conscience one could say, which is something Paris seems to excel at.

I bet a lot of readers will wonder what they would do or would have done in the same situation. Would you have stopped and helped or even stopped the car at all? It’s a dark, wet and secluded area. Common sense and precautionary warnings suggest driving on would be the most sensible thing to do, and yet there is that niggling doubt called base humanity and kindness. Of course cynical me thinks kindness is probably what gets a large percentage of people killed in the first place.

The author creates a convincing atmosphere of fear and paranoia, which is linked to a medical condition and mental health issues at the same time. Everything Cass is going through seems to be exacerbated by her choice to drive away. Of course, it’s a B.A. Paris story so nothing is as it seems.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of The Breakdown*

Last year, BA Paris’ debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, catapulted her to the top of bestsellers lists on both sides of the Atlantic and this outstanding writer of psychological chillers is back with The Breakdown, a tense, taut and terrifying page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and biting their nails to the elbow once again!

Cass Anderson seems to be a woman with the world at her feet – she has a loving, handsome and kind-hearted husband who worships the ground she walks on, good friends and a lifestyle other people would envy. But recently Cass cannot help but be troubled by worrying episodes that are forcing her to question her sanity and her grip on reality. As these events start to become even more frequent, Cass finds herself asking whether she is going to be plagued by the same illness that had destroyed and claimed her mother’s life – or whether there might be something even more sinister afoot…

One night, when Cass is driving through the woods, she comes across a woman sitting in a stationary car by herself. Although Cass wants to offer her assistance, she is frightened that she might be walking into a dangerous trap that could have frightening consequences, so she drives on home and decides to put the unusual episode behind her – until news reaches her the following morning that the woman has been found murdered! She finds herself consumed by guilt and despair – and by an unsettling feeling deep within her gut that she might be the murderer’s next victim. Is Cass in danger? Can she trust anyone to keep her safe from harm? Or will she end up being let down not just by the people around her, but also by her own sanity and hazy memories of that fateful night?

As the people around her seem convinced that she is losing her mind, Cass finds herself in a desperate race against time to uncover the truth about who murdered the woman in the car that night – before she ends up paying the ultimate price…

BA Paris’ The Breakdown should come with a warning: cancel your plans, make sure all the lights are switched on at home and lock all your doors because this is a heart-pounding, nerve-shredding and absolutely terrifying thriller that will grip you from the very first sentence and keep you riveted until the final jaw-dropping twist. The pages will simply turn themselves as you find yourself completely and utterly consumed by this first class thriller that continues to cement BA Paris’ standing as one of the genre’s finest and most ingenious talents.

An outstanding tale that you will not easily forget, if you liked Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train and haven’t yet discovered BA Paris’s twisted and hair raising spine chillers, then what on earth are you waiting for?

After reading and loving Behind Closed Doors by the same author I was so excited to hear that this one was being published, but would it be as good as her first?

I didn't need to worry, The Breakdown is equally as good as BCD. From page one BA Paris grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and unceremoniously dropped me right into the front seat of the rollercoaster that was about to become Cass Anderson's life and the trail of events that followed.

The story begins with Cass driving home from a night out with colleagues, through a severe storm when she decides to take a shortcut through the woods close to her home, she happens upon a car parked up in a lay-by and stops in case she can help, when the woman in the car doesn't appear to want help, Cass drives on home, only to find out the following morning that the woman was brutally murdered.

What follows is a complex chain of events which presents the reader with more twists and turns than a helter skelter and left me not knowing if I was coming or going, the writing is pure genius and my heart was in my mouth throughout the book.

If I could offer this book more than the standard 5 stars I would because it definitely deserves it. I would like to thank Harper Collins for the approval. I will post my review on Goodreads, Amazon UK & US and Twitter.

AND......... Breathe!

WOW! Talk about a 'Can't put it down' thriller. I raced through this book in record time. It had me hooked from page one to the end. It is a fast paced, edge of the seat, nail biting, heart thumping 5 star read and I highly recommend it.

Behind Closed Doors was one of the most talked about breakthrough debut novels of 2016 so it was always going to be interesting to see how B.A. Paris followed it up. Have no fear though because The Breakdown is even better.

Cass Anderson is returning home from a night out with the other teachers from school. Term has just ended and a long summer break looms ahead. A summer storm breaks as she is driving home from the party. The torrential rain is making the motorway treacherous so she decides to come off early and take the short cut through the woods instead. Visibility here is not much better but at least she is away from the spray and speeding cars. Halfway home she sees a car pulled over in a lay-by. She can just make out a blonde woman in the front seat. The weather is so bad and the area so remote that Cass really doesn’t want to get out of the car so she stops briefly to see if the woman approaches her for help. When no contact is made Cass drives off and goes home.

The next morning she is horrified to hear on the local news that a woman was murdered in her car the previous night. In the woods. In that lay-by. Cass could have saved her but she left her to die. Cass could even have been another victim herself. As the guilt begins to take its toll on her summer plans she finds her world starting to come apart. When the silent calls begin Cass knows that it is the killer on the other end. Will she be next?

Settle down in your comfiest armchair and prepare yourself for a journey into hell. Just don’t forget to breathe!


Supplied by Net Galley and Harlequin Books in exchange for an honest review.

An enthralling read. Having enjoyed Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris , I was very much looking forward to reading this second book, The Breakdown. Completely different to Behind Closed Doors, It was every bit as thrilling. . The story has some great twists and turns. which made me suspicious of every character. Which is exactly what I love about a book.! Such a brilliant conclusion that I didn't see coming. Looking forward to reading more from BA Paris.

HAUNTING. ATMOSPHERIC. UNPUTDOWNABLE.

"If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?"

I loved Behind Closed Doors, the novel by B A Paris. It was everything I enjoy in a good psychological thriller, so was eager and excited to read her latest offering and was not disappointed!

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of the downpour, with the woman sitting inside - the woman who was killed. She's been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done really? It's a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she had broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she'd stopped.

As Cass comes to terms with the events that occurred that night, the guilt and blame she feels start to take a hold of her. Everyday activities, even the simplest of tasks are becoming daunting as she's forgetting the easiest of things, she believes she is being stalked and things are spiralling out of control. But is it all in her head?

B A Paris once again has astutely constructed another beautifully written psychological thriller. It was compelling, atmospheric, discombobulating and unputdownable! The story will have you guessing throughout with twists and turns you won't see coming. Told through Cass as she falls further into a weakened state of mind. Wrote with such depth to her character, you won't be able to not be empathetic towards her - I was genuinely rooting for her. But is she having a breakdown or is someone trying to break her?

The Breakdown is an all consuming read in one sitting, emotionally captivating story.

Highly recommended!

**Arc received with thanks from the publish in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris is a contemporary psychological thriller and what a fabulous read it is. I was gripped from the start to end. With heart racing, I read on, trying to guess the outcome.. but failed.
The Breakdown is a clever read as it can be seen on two levels, literal and imagined. Written in the first person, the reader can easily see themselves as the main protagonist. Questioning ones sanity as the action unfolds, the reader wonders what is real and what is imagined? And whose sanity is intact?
B.A. Paris has an intricately constructed plotline. As the book progresses, the reader becomes more embroiled in the action. Home, that should be a safe haven becomes more and more terrifying. Who can be trusted? Where does the truth lie?
There are the themes of guilt and trust. In a world that is becoming more shaky, who can one confide in? Guilt can eat away at ones peace of mind. The past cannot be changed. The guilt needs to be dealt with. Confession is good for the soul but who can be told the truth?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Breakdown. It was my first forage into the genre of psychological thriller. It is not a book to be read alone. B.A. Paris is a marvellous new author and I shall definitely be seeking out more by this author.
A cracking tale. More please.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Ho Lee Wow. This book is an absolute belter. I completely love a bedtime book you can’t stop reading until your eyes won’t stay open. Warning: you might not sleep.

Imagine you’re driving home alone on a stormy night, down an isolated country lane. It’s late, dark & creepy. You pass a fellow female driver who appears to have broken down. Do you stop? Pull over? Keep on driving?

This story unravels following the decision that Cass takes that night. There has been a brutal murder in the country lane, strange things start to happen and she begins to question her own sanity. Is she going mad? Is she being stalked by the murderer who thinks she might have seen more than she actually did?

The title is really clever – referring to both the car on the stormy night and Cass’ subsequent emotional distress following the event. I love a clever title! I’ve yet to read Paris’ 2016 release Behind Closed Doors but after finishing this one, it’s definitely getting a spot on my toppling tbr pile.

I really enjoyed this one – thanks Netgalley & Harlequin – and I read it super-fast. If you like your domestic noir sharp, clever & with some lovely twists & turns then you’ll love this too.

A top smart five cwtches! Get your copy here.

The Breakdown was sent to me from Netgalley. I have to admit that recently I have been moving away from my typical genre of books and trying new types and this psychological thriller had me gripped and wanting more from Page 1.

Described as "If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust? 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. Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she’s sure someone is watching her.
Consumed by guilt, she’s also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is – and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it."

All the way through I was changing my mind about who the stalker was and although at times Cass drove me insane for not being more assertive I could see entirely why she took the actions she did.

Fabulous book and I cant wait to read more novels by B A Paris

Last year I read Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris which was quite honestly one of the best thrillers I read all year. I was therefore eagerly anticipating the arrival of her second novel, The Breakdown, hoping it would be just as good as the first. Having read it all in the space of just one day, I can truly say that The Breakdown was an incredible book. It was everything I hoped it would be and so much more and was in my view a very worthy five star read.

We first meet Cass, a school teacher, on the last day of term before the summer holidays on a dark and stormy night. Keen to get home to her partner and out of the bad weather, on the way home she takes a shortcut through the woods. Whilst driving she notices that a car has broken down on the side of the road but, despite being concerned, decides not to stop. When she wakes up the next morning she discovers that the person who was in the car was a woman, someone she once met and she has been found dead. Feeling guilty for not having stopped to help the previous night, over the coming weeks Cass finds it hard to get the woman out of her head and not only does she receive a number of silent phone calls but she also starts to forget things. As she fears for her sanity, is she going mad or is there another explanation?

Cass was a character whose story I couldn’t help but become incredibly involved in from the start. What was nice about Cass was that you could tell, from the way she felt so bad about not having stopped, was that she was a character who had a conscience and one who would do the right thing. She was a character who cared deeply for her friends, one who would do anything tc ensure that they were happy. Subsequently it broke my heart to read of her declining mental state and I really felt her fear that was present throughout the majority of the novel - the fear that she was experiencing early onset dementia like her mother did.

Unlike in Behind Closed Doors in which it was pretty clear what was happening, The Breakdown was much more of a mystery. From one moment to the next it was impossible to predict what was going to happen and what was going to be discovered. I thought that B A Paris had done an incredible job at writing this novel, creating something that was atmospheric, addictive and breathtaking. As a relatively fast-paced novel in which the tension did nothing but grow, there was twist after twist and it was the sort of novel that certainly played on my mind when I had to put it down for just a few minutes.

The Breakdown is the author’s second novel to date and all I can say is that B A Paris has proven that she is here to stay, an author who is so capable of having success after success. I really couldn’t have enjoyed this book any more than I already did and I’d urge readers not to miss out on what is truly an outstanding read. I’ll definitely be back to read more by B A Paris in the future!