Book Review: Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

April 19, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 17 Comments

Behind Closed Doors
by
B. A. Paris

If you like domestic thrillers, check out Behind Closed Doors, a story about a woman who seems to have the perfect marriage, but the truth of their relationship is locked inside their beautiful home.

Set outside London, we first meet Grace Harrington as a single woman in her early thirties. A successful buyer for Harrod’s, she has dedicated her life to raising her little sister, Millie, who was born with Down’s Syndrome. It’s a dream come true when she meets her future husband, Jack Angel, forty-one, smart, successful, and handsome. A lawyer specializing in protecting battered women, he’s never lost a case and is passionate about his job.

In the beginning, their courtship is like a fairy tale and they quickly become serious. Grace was nervous about how her sister would fit into their relationship, but Jack has been wonderful with Millie. Millie will soon turn eighteen and graduate from her school, and be Grace’s full responsibility. When Jack proposes three months later, he tells her, “I just want you to know that wherever we live, there will always be a place for Millie.”

From the beginning, something is off. Red flags are everywhere, even at their wedding and on their honeymoon. And now Grace is fully dependent on her new husband because Jack insisted that Grace quit her job. Together, they host dinners, go out to lunch with Jack’s friends, and visit Millie. Grace is never alone, until she’s behind closed doors…

I won’t include spoilers, but this is a very readable and fast-moving suspense novel that checks the boxes for domestic thrillers. I watched Grace get into a dangerous relationship and wondered how she didn’t see the warning signs! Blinded by infatuation, and vulnerable because of her situation with Millie, she makes mistakes that trap her in their home. With almost no resources, I hoped she would find an opportunity to break out of a dangerous marriage.

Like many books in this genre, you’re going to need to accept the facts as they’re given, and not question things that don’t make complete sense. Behind Closed Doors is a solid thriller with a story that keeps moving, a book you can read on a plane or the beach and not have to concentrate too much! But readers sensitive to violence with twisted, evil characters and storylines might not enjoy the story.

B. A. Paris is a Franco-Irish author who lives in England and is the author of eight novels. Behind Closed Doors was her debut novel, published in 2016. Learn more about Paris and her books here.

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Book Review: The Witch Elm by Tana French

March 19, 2026March 19, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 18 Comments

The Witch Elm
by
Tana French

I’ve read and liked three other books by Tana French, so I knew I would enjoy another one. Many of French’s books are from two series: the Dublin Murder Squad and the Cal Hooper books, but The Witch Elm is a standalone psychological crime novel set in Dublin. In this story, the effects of post traumatic stress disorder influence the main character’s ability to remember key events relating to a murder.

In his late twenties, Toby Hennessy had enjoyed a life of wealth, privilege, and luck and his friends liked to point that out. He had a great PR job at an art gallery and a girlfriend he hoped to marry. Even when he got caught up in an art scandal, he managed to talk his boss out of firing him. But Toby’s luck is about to change. When he discovers two men in his apartment, they brutally beat him and leave him for dead. Now he’s dealing with the aftermath of brain injury, including memory loss, a language disorder, and other physical weaknesses.

Out of the hospital, but still unsteady, Toby and his girlfriend, Melissa move in with his uncle, Hugo, who has terminal brain cancer. The Ivy House, in the family for generations, and a place where Toby and his cousins, Leon and Susanna spent summers while their parents traveled, continues to be a family gathering place. What Toby hoped would be a period of recovery and reconnection with Hugo during his uncle’s final months becomes a criminal investigation when a young family member unearths a human skull in the yard.

Detectives quickly identify the victim and, as they investigate, they delve into Toby and his cousins’ high school years. They uncover conflicting versions of the past, depending on who they ask. It doesn’t help that Toby has memory issues, and he thinks Leon and Susanna are holding back information. Soon Toby becomes a prime suspect, even to himself.

The mystery is what really happened to the victim and who is responsible. Along with Toby and the detectives, we untangle events and relationships from ten years earlier. While Toby insists these were happy times for him and his friends, his cousins tell a different story, underscoring Toby’s lucky life, but also showing how he has never understood how other people feel. The author takes us through a complex series of events that show who murdered the victim and why. The final chapters end in a shocking conclusion making you see the full effects of Toby’s PTSD.

I enjoyed this book, but at 526 pages, I thought it was overly long. But as with many books after I’ve had a chance to think about them, I thought Toby’s dilemma was original and interesting and that the author showed how peoples’ perspectives are different.

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Check out my reviews of these other books by Tana French:

The Likeness
The Searcher
In the Woods

Ten books I’m waiting to read

February 23, 2026 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 22 Comments

Today is a snow day where I live and what better thing to do than spend the morning browsing the library catalog for books I want to read. Now I have 10 on hold and will need to juggle them as they become available!

I’m particularly interested in reading these:

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan because I love World War II historical fiction
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst because I can’t get enough of the boats-in-a-storm books
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk because I read it a long time ago, loved it, and want to read it again
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware because I liked The Woman in Cabin 10 and I think her books are a cut above the typical thriller.

Here’s my future haul: All descriptions are from Goodreads.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff: One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan: In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened.

Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams: From the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a story of two friends who embark on an ill-fated caving expedition—and the dark truth of what happens deep underground.

The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill: In this debut, three adult sisters grapple with a shared tragedy over a Thanksgiving weekend spent in their childhood home, navigating complex relationships and old tensions.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave: Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. My coworker recommended this and the next one. And since I enjoyed The Night We Lost Him (read my review here), they made it to my list!

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave: Five years after her husband Owen disappeared, Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together they’ve forged a relationship with Bailey’s grandfather Nicholas, and are putting the past behind them. But when Owen shows up at Hannah’s new exhibition, Hannah knows that she and Bailey are in danger.

Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk: Marjorie Morningstar is a love story. It presents one of the greatest characters in modern Marjorie, the pretty 17-year-old who left the respectability of New York’s Central Park West to join the theater, live in the teeming streets of Greenwich Village, and seek love in the arms of a brilliant, enigmatic writer. You know this is by the author of my #1 favorite book, Youngblood Hawke, right? Check out my review here.

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst: The electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins: St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984. I liked another of her books, The Heiress and you can read my review here.

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware: In this follow-up to the multi-million copy mega-hit The Woman in Cabin 10 from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.

I’ve also read these books by Ruth Ware. Click on the links to read my reviews:

The It Girl
One by One
The Turn of the Key
The Woman in Cabin 10

While I’m waiting all these books, I won’t be idle because I have plenty of others waiting for me!

What’s up next on your reading list? Leave a comment!

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Book Review: The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

December 30, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 9 Comments

The Other Mrs.
by
Mary Kubica

If you’re looking for a good domestic thriller with a lot of twists, you might like this story set on an isolated island off the Maine coast. The story begins as Dr. Sadie Foust and her family move from Chicago to the island. After his sister Alice’s suicide, Sadie’s husband, Will has inherited her house and taken guardianship of Alice’s teenage daughter, Imogen. They’re hoping to make a fresh start after Sadie’s unexplained departure from her medical practice. In addition, their fourteen-year-old son, Otto had his own troubles with bullies at school. So although the place is isolated, especially in the winter months, the family is glad to get away from their former life.

A few days after they move to the island, their neighbor Morgan Baines is brutally murdered. Up until this point, the story has been narrated by Sadie, but now we have a new narrator, Camille, someone from Will and Sadie’s past. Readers also learn about Sadie’s jealous feelings towards Will’s former fiancée who died twenty years earlier. The story becomes even more muddled when the author introduces a third narrator, Mouse, a young girl. We’re not sure who she is or how she fits into the plot, but her story is compelling.

Soon Sadie becomes a person of interest in Morgan’s murder. She can’t explain how people saw her talking to Morgan when she swears she never met her. And her alibi has suddenly come under scrutiny. At the same time, Sadie’s mental health begins to decline. Can she clear her head enough to save herself?

I was impressed with the author’s imagination in this story, and her ability to tie it all together at the end. She starts with a simple plot line to draw you in and introduces new characters and subplots that make you suspect others. I never would have guessed the outcome!

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Book Review: The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

December 29, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 21 Comments

The Younger Wife
by
Sally Hepworth

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller about a man who shocks his family when he announces his engagement to a much younger woman. The news puts Stephen Aston’s adult daughters, Rachel and Tully in a tailspin because Stephen is still married to their mother, Pamela. Not only that, they are older than Heather Wisher, the fiancée! How will they cope with these big changes? When tragedy strikes on Stephen’s wedding day, the Aston family must take a closer look at their past—nothing will make sense until they uncover painful family truths.

Stephen, a highly-respected heart surgeon, loves his daughters and shows nothing but support and affection for their mother, Pamela, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Tully has it all, a loving and successful husband and two great little boys. Rachel, a beauty that turns heads wherever she goes, runs a thriving wedding cake business. But both daughters fight unspoken demons. Heather, an interior designer, has impeccable taste and plenty of clients. She, too, has a secret.

I liked this book because it wasn’t just a thriller. The author creates likable characters with real problems and the story is a great combination of humor and serious subjects. The plot twists were fun and intriguing and force you to take a second look at people and understand their circumstances.

This is the second book I’ve read by the author. The Mother-in-Law was just as good!

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Audiobook Review: Never Lie by Freida McFadden

September 24, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 30 Comments

Never Lie
by
Freida McFadden

I forgot to include Never Lie in my list of the books I read during my break. Because it was an audiobook, I didn’t take notes, so I’m going to be winging this review! When you listen to an audiobook, you really must let go of the idea of keeping close track of things and just enjoy the story. So that’s what I did.

I chose Never Lie as part my summer reading challenge to listen to an audiobook and I admit, I picked one that wasn’t overly long because you need to strategize! In addition, I chose it because I had recently read The Housemaid by McFadden and thought it was good.

Set outside NYC, we meet Tricia and Ethan, a young and wealthy newlywed couple on their way to see a mansion for sale. There’s a big snowstorm and no cell service and they almost get lost. When they arrive, the place is dark except for a light on an upper floor. And no sign of the realtor. What do they decide to do? Look for a key and go in on their own, of course. They can’t stay outside because the snow is piling up outside. They may even have to stay the night if the roads aren’t cleared.

The house is the former home of a famous female psychiatrist who was murdered, so it’s kind of creepy. And the place is dusty and unlived in except for a fresh pack of cold cuts in the fridge. Weird, huh? But no thriller is a thriller unless the characters make foolish decisions. I got pulled in right away. The two notice many other strange details, but they stay strong with their decision to keep going with the plan.

And of course there are secrets between Tricia and Evan. When Trish goes off on her own she finds a hidden room full of audiocassettes, recordings of the psychiatrist’s sessions with her patients. You can guess what Tricia decides to do next!

As Tricia listens and Evan works upstairs, she attempts to tie the past to the present. Alarming and confusing details emerge. You may think you have it figured out, but don’t count on it.

McFadden builds the suspense right to the final chapters and finishes with a wild outcome. I didn’t guess, but I never try because with thrillers, I prefer to just go along for the ride!

If you enjoy thrillers and suspense, I think you’ll like this one. It was a fun listen and cleverly written.

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Book Review: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

July 3, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 24 Comments

The Housemaid
by
Freida McFadden

Well, I finally got around to reading a Freida McFadden book last and now I’m just getting around to writing a review! These books are very popular at the library and I was curious why. I chose the The Housemaid, the first of three psychological thrillers about a woman who works as a nanny/housekeeper. We meet Millie Calloway when she interviews for a job with the Winchester family. With bills to pay and a big secret, she can’t believe her luck when Nina Winchester hires her. The pay is terrific! And even though she senses a strange vibe in the family, she knows she can make it work.

Right away, Millie gets off on the wrong foot with their nine-year-old daughter, Cecelia, and Nina seems to make a complete mess of the house just to make Millie clean it up. But Nina’s husband, Andy is so nice to look at and he seems to be sympathetic to her situation.

No suspenseful book would be complete without a creepy attic bedroom with a weird door lock system. After several incidents, I wanted to tell Millie to turn around and leave, but she’s desperate for a job. Can she trust Nina? She seems normal some of the time. Maybe Cecelia will come around and trust her new nanny. But maybe she should just go to Andy who seems much more normal.

I really enjoyed this escape read. It was fast and fun and full of moments that made me want to scream at Millie to get out now while she can. The plot takes both predictable and surprising turns and, while I would never call The Housemaid great literature, I was completely entertained and there’s value in that. Not everyone in my book club felt the same way, but several members agreed with me. How about you? Have you read any books by Freida McFadden? Do you like the escapism? Leave a comment!

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Book Review: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

June 15, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 21 Comments

The Heiress
by
Rachel Hawkins

I love a mystery/suspense novel that promises a twisty, hard-to-solve plot with an equally twisty and satisfying ending. Also tempting to me are stories that feature the bad behavior of generations of the moneyed elite who never had to earn their own money, yet battle with each other over heirs and the family riches. I’d never read one of Rachel Hawkins’s books until The Heiress and totally enjoyed the intriguing premise and cast of suspicious characters. Did it deliver on all promises? Yes!

Set in the fictional town of Tavistock, North Carolina and nestled in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we meet the dysfunctional McTavish family as they battle each other over a disproportionate inheritance, including Ashby House, the family’s sprawling mansion. The story begins with the 1943 kidnapping of young Ruby McTavish who, months later is discovered living with another family. After her return to Ashby House, Ruby will grow up, marry…and become a widow, four times. When Ruby dies in 2013, her adopted son, Cam wants nothing to do with his toxic family and moves across the country. Now, ten years later, he’s back, with the full support of his wife, Jules.

Told in the present in alternating chapters from Cam’s and Jules’s points of view, the story also includes letters written by Ruby, where she details her life and marriages. Through these POVs, we initially think we are getting a clearer picture of who’s good and who’s bad, but soon discover that everyone has a secret and no one can be trusted!

It’s Cam and Jules against the rest of the McTavishes and it all comes down to a series of big reveals in the family’s formal dining room. I really enjoyed the momentum of the story when it reached this point!

The Heiress has all the pieces of a juicy mystery and social commentary, with themes of marriage, family, legacy, and wealth. And of course, despicable behavior. You’ll recognize some familiar tropes, kind of like a shout-out to the original classics. The final chapters are loaded with twists and I was fully surprised by the ending, Even though I’m finished, I’m still deciding who was good and who was bad!

I recommend The Heiress to readers who enjoy the escape of a fast-paced suspense novel with a cast of secretive characters.

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Five suspenseful wintry reads for winter days…and nights

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 37 Comments

It’s snowy outside and tonight I’m under a blanket on my couch. What better time to read something gripping! Here are five suspenseful wintry reads that I liked. Maybe you will too!

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards: This Young Adult thriller is just as good or better than many of the adult thrillers I’ve read. This one is about a high school art student traveling home for Christmas. When a snowstorm strands her at the airport, she accepts a ride from her seatmate on the flight, a college student who has rented an SUV and offered rides to three others. Treacherous driving conditions become the first layer of suspense. Then, one by one, the strangers’ belongings, important ones, go missing. It only gets stranger. What if one of them got in the car for all the wrong reasons? A fast, satisfying read, I recommend it to fans of the thriller genre.

One by One by Ruth Ware: There’s something about the premise of a group of people stuck and alone in a dangerous situation that I can’t resist. One by One takes place in the French Alps where ten members of a tech startup gather for a retreat. Right away, tension is thick. Warnings of heavy snow and avalanches prompt the group to get in one good day of skiing before they’re snowbound. But Eva, an expert skier, doesn’t return and then, as predicted, the avalanche hits, crushing the area and knocking out power. Then, one by one, members of the group turn up dead. Great for readers who like suspense and intrigue.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney: a clever mystery with many satisfying twists about a couple who hopes to repair some serious tears in their marriage at a retreat in the snowy Scottish Highlands. But when they arrive, they discover that the bed and breakfast they’d booked appears empty. The place is covered in dust, clearly neglected. A cryptic message tells them they can find food in the freezer and to enjoy their stay! Think noises outside, a jumpy dog, roaming sheep, thick stone walls, cold floors, and complete darkness when the lights go out. Recommended to readers who like suspenseful mysteries and who are willing to suspend disbelief with the promise of a good story.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena: A winter storm at a weekend retreat in the Catskills cuts its guests off from the world. At first, it seems like a cozy getaway, but fear seeps in when the power goes out and one guest turns up dead at the bottom of the staircase. Was it an accident, or was it murder? Before long, there are more bodies and plenty of anxiety. Who will be next? And why? The setting is perfect for a scary read: icy cold outside, no power or cell service, dying flashlights, a winding back staircase, and a creepy basement all play into the suspense.

Hidden in Snow by Viveca Sten: a crime novel set in Stockholm and Swedish ski resort Åre. When Hannah, a Stocklholm City Police officer whose love life and career are off the rails retreats to her highly successful sister’s vacation home in Åre, she finds herself in the middle of a case. A high school senior girl has disappeared after a party. One of the only clues is a scarf found by the side of the road. Hannah is desperate to redeem herself as a police detective and talks the local police department into a job. Readers learn about the girl’s friends, the party scene, her parents, and questionable relationships, as well as witness her family disintegrate as the hours and days pass. I was totally engrossed in this book and the character development.

What’s your favorite thing to read on a cold winter night? Suspense? Cozy Mystery? Romance? Something else? Leave a comment!

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