Bring Me Back

by B. A. Paris

The million-copy bestselling author B A Paris returns with a breathtaking thriller.

‘We’re in a new golden age of suspense writing now, because of amazing books like Bring Me Back’ Lee Child

‘Made me stay up way beyond my bedtime!’ Jane Corry

Finn and Layla: young and in love, their whole lives ahead of them. Driving back from a holiday in France one night, Finn pulls in to a service station, leaving Layla alone in the car. When he returns, minutes later, Layla has vanished, never to be seen again. That’s the story Finn tells the police. It’s the truth – but not the whole truth.

Twelve years later, Finn has built a new life with Ellen, Layla’s sister, when he receives a phone call. Someone has seen Layla. But is it her – or someone pretending to be her? If it is her, what does she want? And what does she know about the night she disappeared?

Bring Me Back is the utterly compelling, white-knuckle thriller from Sunday Times bestseller B A Paris.

Praise for B A Paris:

‘An addictive new voice in suspense fiction’ Sophie Hannah

‘Just finished this BRILLIANT book… Clever, addictive and twisty, I couldn’t sleep until I found out the truth… The twist floored me! Utterly compelling from beginning to end’ Claire Douglas

‘Made me stay up way beyond my bedtime! B A Paris has a knack for getting into your head’ Jane Corry

‘A page-turning masterpiece’ Amanda Prowse

‘A tale of dark secrets, with mystery and intrigue building up and up to an ending with a fabulous twist. I devoured it – I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough’ Mel Sherratt

‘This book is compulsive reading from start to finish. A perfectly crafted work of art, seamless and mesmerising. I envy those yet to read it for the pleasure they have in store’ Amanda Robson

‘A cracking page turner with a killer twist' Camilla Way

‘An incredibly pacy, heart-pounding thriller – the twist at the end left me reeling. B A Paris does it again in this exhilarating exploration of love, jealousy and betrayal. A must read!’ Phoebe Morgan

‘Bring Me Back will not leave your hands until you have turned the last page!’ Wendy Walker

• ISBN13: 9780008244873
• Publish Date: 8 March 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HQ
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Content Warning: Domestic Violence, Child Abuse,

Entertaining. I read it all. It's like a bad movie I couldn't stop watching.

Finn is a douche. Why is the rich white boy with an anger problem that gets bailed out of everything the main protagonist? He's not clever or funny. He's not someone to sympathize with or care about. I can't even properly root against him, he's so unseasoned. Who fucking cares? Not me!

All the tug of war whining and conjecture was annoying. Especially coming from Finn.

It's not a unique twist. I did see it as a possibility but kept thinking no way because all the characters could be THAT dumb, right? Wrong. They were. And I'm insulted that Paris though I'd be *shocked* and *awed* by it.

It's so silly and unbelievable. As in not fucking possible. And that throwaway line trying to be deep at the end *eyeroll*

Haven't read B.A. Paris's previous work. Don't plan on reading anything else by her.


Spoiler Shit:
Knew as soon as the "rigorous beauty regime" passage. It's so exact opposite, it's comical.
What about facial recognition? And her paperwork? And fingerprints?
Finn's whole "Russian doll saved me" is bullshit.
Wouldn't the acquittal from murder charges keep him from being prosecuted for manslaughter later via double jeopardy?

[Quirky Cat]

3 1/2 Stars

I received a copy of Bring Me Back from the publisher thanks to a contest. I don’t have to leave a review, but I am choosing to do so.

Bring Me Back is the latest in B. A. Paris’ thriller novels. What originally caught my attention (and was the reason I saw/entered in that contest) was the cover. It’s striking. I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of thriller novels make such wonderful use of yellow and black like that. The silhouette was a perfect touch too, especially considering the implied subject from the title.



Have you ever picked up a novel and been sucked into it right from the start? That happened to me with Bring Me Back. It immediately pulled me into it, and I just couldn’t look away. Like many thrillers, this one starts off with a tragedy. While we can tell it’s being told at a later date, the intensity of the moment pulls us in right from the start. Finn, the main character has lost his girlfriend. Or more accurately put, his girlfriend has gone missing.
From there things go back and forth, between the past and the present. They’re really easy to tell apart though. The past events are written almost as if in a letter, which is really interesting and a nice touch.
Together the past and the present build up a series of events, slowing telling us more and more of the truth for what actually happened that fateful night. It quickly becomes clear that not everything is what it seems, but more on that later.
Finn is an interesting sort of character. In some ways I liked him, and in other ways I couldn’t stand him. There were moments where he came off as being unbearable creepy or controlling, other times charming and passionate. Sometimes he was aggressive, and other times a coward. Other times he was closed to the world, even those that he should have been holding closest to him. Seeing how he was behaving versus what he was thinking allowed us some additional insight, but it was still difficult to ignore how the people around him must have been feeling. On the whole I think I’d have to say that I wouldn’t have liked Finn, had I met him in person. But that’s okay; I don’t think I needed to like Finn to feel invested in his story.
I will say that I was disappointed in how everything ended. For one thing I think the introduction was so much stronger than the conclusion. For another I felt, to put it simply, cheated. There was no way I could have figured out what happened here, as the truth was intentional obfuscated and warped. I also didn’t love the use of a couple of psychological clichés at the end (I’m trying to be vague because I don’t want to give away the big reveal). It felt cheap to me.
Other than the conclusion I really did enjoy this book. There were lots of moments that built up the anxiety and intensity of the situation, hitting those perfect notes that one can only hope for from thrillers. I also really loved the writing style and quality, which are huge bonuses in my book.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Eve1972]

This book was excellent. I loved this author's other book BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, so I knew I had to get my grubby hands on a copy of her new one. And disappointed I was not. I was hooked from the first page and hated to set it aside for some sleep. It was well written and fast paced. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. The characters were intriguing and well developed. Now, I will say that I figured out the twist pretty early on. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I had a theory from very early on and that theory proved to be right. That said, the author did have me doubting myself more than once as I tried to figure out what exactly was going on and who was behind it all. So I wouldn't say the twist was obvious, just that I am damn good of Sherlocking things out. (lol)





Anyway, all in all, this was another fantastic book by this author. It provided me an entertaining and much needed break from the monotony that has become the romance genre of late. Very soon I will have to pick up THE BREAKDOWN and give it a read as well. Yours truly is giving this one two huge thumbs up.

[kristy]

I received this book for free from the publisher through Netgalley for a review. This was another excellent book by B.A. Paris. I would recommend this book to any mystery/thriller reader and tell them to set some time aside because once they start they wont want to stop until the end. I was drawn in right away and finished the book within a few hours. Finn and his girlfriend Lyla are happy together and in love until the night that Lyla disappears. Years pass with no sign of Lyla, Finn has moved on and is about to be married when suddenly he starts to receive emails and find objects in his home which make him believe Lyla is alive. Has his old girlfriend returned or is someone else trying to play a game with him? I think the author did a good job keeping the action moving, creating characters that I cared about, and having a twist that I didn't see coming. I can't wait for the next B.A. Paris novel.