The Breakdown

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Cass’s continual highs and lows will cause you whiplash, and you will FEEL her frustration as she grasps at straws (tongs, and cans of hairspray) to keep her crumbling life together! The Breakdown is the second book from B.A. Paris. It starts out with a woman named Cass Anderson who is trying to come to terms with something she saw in a rural road in the middle of a storm. That’s when she first saw the woman sitting in a car in the woods– the same woman who was killed. She can’t tell her husband Matthew about it, because he would be mad that she took the shortcut home even though she promised not to. She might even have been hurt if she had stopped. The main character in The Breakdown is Cass Anderson. She’s spooked by something she saw driving in the woods while going home– and now that woman is dead and she can’t get it out of her mind. Now things are getting weird, and she’s not sure who it is that is calling her at night. Is it the ghost of the woman who died– or someone else entirely? For a story that started so promisingly, I felt it dragged in the middle. What was meant to show the building fear and confusion started to just feel

On the positive side, I liked that Paris told the story from Cass’s perspective, which did help keep the tension going. As the title implies, there are multiple definitions of a breakdown. Not just the car, but Cass’s mental state. I tend to be really hard on thrillers, so I can totally see why others fell so hard for this one. I still have Behind Closed Doors on my to-read list, and I have little doubt that The Breakdown will be seen on beaches, airplanes, and e-readers once it is released this summer, and deservedly so. But, I decided to take a more cautionary approach, concerned that the book might suffer from the dreaded ‘second book hangover’. Thank you so much to NetGalley, B.A. Paris, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book for a fair and honest review.Cass is about to make the worst decision of her life when she decides to take a shortcut home on a dark and stormy night. The drive home takes her on a rural road through the woods during a torrential rainstorm. She passes a car parked near the woods with a woman inside, and she stops the car momentarily, thinking the woman will approach her if she needs help. The woman doesn't get out so Cass drives off. The next morning she discovers that the woman was later found dead in the car - and had been brutally murdered! Where’s the tension? I need some! I guess I couldn’t feel any tension because little miss smarty pants here thought she knew exactly what was happening (it’s only fitting that I had half a comeuppance). But whatever the reason, feeling no tension when you’re reading a thriller is a total bummer. Cass is forgetting quite a lot of things these days. Riddled with guilt, self-doubt, and untold truths, her mind begins to slip. Then the telephone calls begin, with no one speaking but with an air of menace about them. Has someone been in the house? Why can't she remember anything? The paranoia begins to eat her alive, and she fears she is going mad. Her wild ravings and accusations have eroded her credibility with her husband, her friends, and the police. Cass is convinced the killer of the woman in the car is after her now. You won't be able to put down B. A. Paris's The Breakdown, the next chilling, propulsive novel from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.

Okay, while I found this story to be really fun and exciting for the most part I must say that I did find some of it to be a little predictable and tedious in parts but it sure made up for it though with its heavy buildup of anticipation, the thrilling climax, and the unexpected and surprising conclusion to make this an extremely good read.B.A. Paris’ debut psychological thriller, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, was one of my most-recommended crime books last summer, and I was beyond excited to get my hands on a copy of her next thriller, THE BREAKDOWN. While THE BREAKDOWN doesn’t deliver the same addictive, spine-tingling suspense of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, I still found myself hooked on this wholly entertaining story. This book is the epitome of a “beach read” if ever there was one. If you’re looking for a crime novel that’s pure entertainment—think fast-paced, not too violent or too dark but still suspenseful—THE BREAKDOWN belongs on your summer reading list. Vira bruscamente no sentido do atalho, e... após uns quantos percalços mais ou menos aterradores, eis que Cass chega a casa sem mazelas! To say I was excited for this novel is an understatement. I loved Behind Closed Doors so I couldn't wait to see what B.A Paris had in store for me this time. Cass seems to have it all—a loving husband, a job she enjoys, a secure financial position, and good friends. One night in the middle of a huge rainstorm, she takes a shortcut home through the woods (in her car, not with her picnic basket), even though she promised her husband she would avoid that route. When she's nearly home she comes upon a car on the side of the road, in the midst of the storm, and she sees a woman sitting in the car.

Let me preface my review by saying, I was not one of those readers that was over the moon for this author’s first book, Behind Closed Doors. While I liked the characters, especially memorable Millie, and found myself engrossed in the storyline, the execution didn’t wow me; in fact, I felt there was something major missing. Mas o tentador atalho é uma faca de dois gumes — pode pô-la em casa nalguns minutos, ou... levá-la a derrapar calamitosamente!

The Breakdown

The following day, news comes in that the same woman was brutally murdered the night before which sets off guilt, fear and paranoia and after subsequent events leaves her questioning her own sanity. She begins to lose control of her life and fears that she will be the next victim of the murderer. B.A. Paris was born in Surrey, England, in 1958 to a French mother and Irish father. She is the third of 6 children, including 4 brothers and a sister. After completing her education, she moved to France, where she worked as a trader in an international bank in Paris for several years. During this time, she met her husband, with whom she now has 5 daughters. They eventually left the world of finance to set up a language school together. It’s hard to believe that the old appliances and the murder weapon would be hidden in the shed. Hello. Everyone knows you don’t leave incriminating evidence around. Exploram os caminhos tortuosos da mente, quando confrontada com situações limite. Esta tende a armadilhar-se num emaranhado de emoções, que se viram contra o próprio, convertendo-o no seu mais temível inimigo!... Consumed by terrifying thoughts, Cass is blanketed in paranoia. She begins to hear unaccustomed sounds within her house, misplacement of items, phantom phone calls, and the dreaded presence of someone watching her. Her greatest fear seems to be coming true. Her mother was diagnosed at the young age of forty-four with early on-set dementia. Is this what awaits Cass or something far more menacing?