I guess her first book might have been a one-off for me.īlog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube Unfortunately, though, I don't think this book was particularly clever OR fast-paced and enjoyable. In general, I prefer more carefully-crafted plots with more complex characters than Paris offers up here, but I can definitely enjoy pulpy, nasty thrillers like her Behind Closed Doors. The middle dragged as I was forced to ponder what exactly I was supposed to be caring about - are we supposed to be afraid of Layla? Are we supposed to care about the romantic relationships and who Finn will choose?
Finn seems like a dick from the get-go (and a dumbass - why would he go meet someone he suspects is a kidnapper?), Ellen and the secondary characters are bland and one-dimensional, and don't even get me started on Layla. The narrative reminds me of the criminologist from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, raising his eyebrow at the camera and saying "Or had they?"Īnd it was difficult to become invested in any of the characters' stories. It was just so ridiculous I wanted to laugh. So I log on to my emails and find one from Layla. Not like Layla was, that night, I silently add. "I don't ever want you to be scared of me," I say. Every chapter ends with some really cheesy line that is supposed to be ominous. Problem is, it's all a bit like a slightly comical (though unintentionally so) B-movie. Her beloved Russian dolls start appearing everywhere, and when Finn receives emails from a mysterious source who seems to know too much, it becomes obvious something nefarious is going on. Despite believing Layla is gone for good, signs start popping up that she may be alive. Most of the book takes place in the present. And many of those authors have made it more convincing than Paris managed here.īring Me Back alternates between the past, in which Finn (the narrator) and his girlfriend Layla take a holiday in France and she disappears the present, in which we find ourselves ten years later with Finn about to marry Layla's sister Ellen and first person accounts from Layla, where she mostly talks like a comic book villain, figuratively twirling her mustache.
The twist/reveal of the book may be shocking to new mystery readers, but it's actually been used by too many authors for me not to see it coming at this point. I'll give it an extra half star for keeping me reading despite rolling my eyes every few pages, but that's the most enthusiasm I can muster for it. Paris' Behind Closed Doors kept me on the edge of my seat, but her sophomore novel The Breakdown bored me, so I figured two out of three ain't bad, right? Sorry, it's a Meat Loaf kinda morning.
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