The Breakdown

by B. A. Paris

From the million-copy bestselling author, BA Paris 'A psychological page-turner' - Good Housekeeping 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.

Praise for The Breakdown

'A psychological page-turner'
Good Housekeeping

'Gripping!'
Woman

'You'll race through to discover what's happening!'
Prima

'You'll be unable to rest until you've followed the twists and turns to an ending you didn't forsee.'
Daily Express

'BA Paris has done it again! The Breakdown is a page turning thriller that will leave you questioning the family you love, the friends you trust, and even your own mind.'
-Wendy Walker, author of All is Not Forgotten

'Utterly compelling, brilliant and tense.'
Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me

• ISBN10: 1250179831
• ISBN13: 9781250179838
• Publish Date: 22 May 2018 (first published 23 December 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Griffin
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[catiebug]

4.5/5 stars

I love this! I love Behind Closed Doors a bit more, but it's still just as good. Definitely a fan of B. A. Paris.

[whisperingchapters]

3.5 latte's to The Breakdown. I really enjoyed this one, but most of it was slow, in my opinion. The plot didn't really hook me, despite having everything to lure me in. It wasn't until things started to get pieced together that I found interest in it. And the ending was really good with all the revelations that came to light.

This being a mystery, I couldn't quite believe Cass being mentally unstable. I do admit the author set it up very nicely with her mom's background. Still, it wasn't enough to let me believe it. Also, a few things happened in the beginning that had me questioning the motives of a few characters and in the end, I was right.

The suspense wasn't really there for this book as I had hoped. It was still a bit entertaining.

Full review to come!

[pagesbycyndy]

Cass is having a bad night and things get worse for her. A woman that she saw stopped at the side of the road, a rainy , creepy dark road, winds up dead.

This is exactly the type of book I dive into and do not want to stop until I know what really happened. Cass's life just seemed to fall apart page after page, I kept thinking how can things get worse for this character? The author really took me on a twisted journey with this one. Cass is now paranoid and is having trouble remembering things. I found this book to be a bit spooky , not one that I would want to read alone in the house at night. All throughout the book I did have some theories that I was right about, I kind of saw where this one was going but I was not one hundred percent sure and that is one of the things that I loved about the book. The fact that it made me question almost every characters real intentions toward Cass was another good thing this book had going for it. I had no idea who Cass could trust, maybe she was the guilty one , I just had no clue.

Towards the end of the book there is a lot of suspense and when I finally find out what really happened,  I am not surprised but then  something else happens and I am surprised. It's just that type of book.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge

[chymerra]

The Breakdown is a nail-biting, psychological thriller that will take you through the wringer as you read it. There is a fine line when writing books like these. The author can give too much away in the buildup and it ruins the rest of the book. It didn’t happen with The Breakdown.


I read this book within a day. I had my Kindle on me at all times, I was that engrossed in it. Everything about it had me not wanting to anything but read. See, I am the type of reader that will read a few chapters, put my Kindle down, get involved with other things and then remember…hey I was reading and repeat the cycle. So for me to actually not put down my Kindle, the book had to be good and The Breakdown was.

The two main storylines (the murder and Cass having a breakdown) were wonderfully intertwined. There was a point in the book where I couldn’t help but wonder if Cass had anything to do with the murder. But I was vindicated later in the book and then had to wonder who the murderer was. Let’s just say that I was very surprised by that and by the reason that woman was killed.

I did figure out certain elements of the book before they were revealed. But kudos to the author because she did do a wonderful job keeping who was stalking Cass under wraps until the end of the book. The details and the length that this person went through to actually drive Cass to a nervous breakdown was insane.

The end of the book was very anti-climatic but good.

How many stars will I give The Breakdown: 4

Why: A great storyline and memorable characters.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

[Leah]

Behind Closed Doors was one of the breakout books of 2016, selling (I think) over a million copies. Some authors don’t even sell a million their entire career, never mind with one book, never mind with a debut. So it stands to reason that B.A. Paris’ second novel The Breakdown had the same kind of hype. Would it be as good? Would it sell the same? How do you follow up something so excellent as Behind Closed Doors with another unique read? The pressure must be immense. The Breakdown is a very different book, in that unlike Grace, you feel like Cass has the potential to be an unreliable narrator. But it’s just as absorbing and I read both books in one day. One before my shift at work, one after my shift at work. (And no, my shift at work wasn’t 15 minutes long…)

The Breakdown is such an intriguing read. Cass drives home on a stormy night (*shivers*), through woods she promised her husband, Matthew, she wouldn’t drive through and she sees a car broken down, in a lay-by. She stops, but since the driver makes no move to get out or flag down assistance, Cass drives off. The next day, the woman is reported as dead and Cass starts feeling incredibly paranoid. She’s forgetting things, she’s getting crank phone calls, and she feels like she’s losing the plot, like the dementia that took her mother has come for her, even though she’s a decade younger than her mum was when she was diagnosed. Cass is sure everything that’s happening to her is a combination of early onset dementia but she’s also sure it has something to do with the murder in the woods.

The Breakdown wasn’t as edge-of-your-seat as Behind Closed Doors, nor was it as inherently creepy, but it was fascinating to see Cass seemingly lose the plot. I forget things, I can be at work and ask the customer if they want a carrier bag and completely forget their answer within thirty seconds and have to re-ask. I go online, planning to look at something and completely forget where I was planning to visit. Does that mean there’s something wrong? Or am I just forgetful? Is Cass just forgetful? It’s hard to defend her as the novel wears on, because she does become increasingly erratic and there’s a part of me that wonders where exactly the plot would have gone, whether Matthew and her friends would have believed Cass, if she’d just told them how she’d gotten home the night of the storm, that’d she’d seen the murder victim, Julie. OF COURSE it sounds crazy that a murderer is stalking her, because there’s no context to it. WE, the reader, know that Cass saw Julie, but no one else does, because she just keeps it a secret. It’s so frustrating!

The biggest thing for me, the thing that made the book, was actually not a surprise. I can’t even tell you my favourite line from Major Crimes because it will totally tell you exactly what happens in this book, boo. But there’s a line from the show that pretty much sums up this kind of book and I NAILED IT. Actually, I got it half right? BUT THAT IS A WIN. I am taking that as a win. So once again, Leah beats the thriller. HUZZAH. *Confetti falls* As the plot unfolded, it was incredible. It was satisfying. I really liked Cass, despite everything, and when you look back on it in hindsight everything that happened was just nightmare type stuff.

The Breakdown was another incredible read. B.A. Paris really knows how to write thrillers, how to write marriages, how to keep me on the edge of my seat and I’m devastated I’ve finished both of her books so quickly. The way she delves into the human psyche and the way her characters act are scary, but also incredibly compelling. Put me down as a huge fan, it’s rare I read one book in a day, never mind two but I was hooked from start to end. I very much recommend you pick up either The Breakdown or Behind Closed Doors, they are two unique thrillers you won’t forget in a hurry, and they definitely herald the arrival of a brand new thriller superstar in B.A. Paris!