One of the most basic psycho thriller book has to be Behind Closed Doors. I kept wondering why there wasn’t more depth to the story. Everything was a tad bit obvious from the onset. Previous reviews by other readers alluded to this book as a thought-provoking thriller with some psychological mystery to it, which ended up being quite the opposite, at least for the most part. I must give it to Paris though, the book has some interesting twists and turns with somewhat a solid plot.
Since we’re talking about a thriller/mystery, of course, the story was more plot driven than character-driven. However, I think Grace and also Jack were well-portrayed characters. Some of their characteristics were believable, with their flaws they felt relatable in some way or another and they were also very engaging. Grace was a likable character for the most part, but honestly, at times, she was so frustrating that I really wanted to throttle her.
The story is told both in the past and present. The fact that the events from the past happened only a year before the events from the present seemed odd. These elements kept popping up as I read the book:
1.Surely, someone would notice that this guy is a bit off within the one-year duration.
2.Why doesn’t Grace say something and run away all this time
‘Fear,’ he whispered. ‘There is nothing quite like it. I love how it looks, I love how it feels, I love how it smells. And I especially love the sound of it.’ I felt his tongue on my cheek. ‘I even love the taste of it.’”
The book is about a marriage that looks perfect from the outside but has many secrets hidden that reveal that marriage is far from being perfect. Grace, a faultless lady from the onset seems to have it all with a good looking, perfect and caring boyfriend who after six months of knowing him gets married to Jack. This guy is nothing short of amazing as he is charismatic, a good provider a caring and devoted husband. They all look happy but only Grace knows what happens behind closed doors. In the beginning, he charms her with his good looks and his devotion to her sister Millie who has Down Syndrome. This is however short-lived because soon after the wedding Grace finds out that she’s married to a psychopath. As a child, Jack lived with his cruel father that kept his mother locked up. Together they both tortured her mother and eventually, Jack ended up killing her mother and blamed it on his father.
During his adult life, he searches for a woman he could torture similar to what he would do to his mother. He over time maintains a brilliant persona of a kind lawyer which easily makes it for others to believe that he’s the all-around perfect person. Grace’s neighbor, Esther is suspicious of this perfection but ultimately doesn’t know how to confront it.
As the story unfolds you will be taken through a rollercoaster of emotions as some scenes are full of tension, others gory and disturbing while others will frustrate you all this while Grace devices a plan to kill Jack. In the end, the story ends exactly like anyone would expect, Grace is able to tactfully kill Jack while pretending to be a distressed wife. This was well played out.However, the end felt a little rushed as the reader is left in suspense not knowing if Grace was truly able to get away with murder once the police unravel the mystery surrounding Jack’s death.
Eve 254 