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

Is Cass crazy? Is she suffering from early onset dementia like her mother did before her? What is happening? Filled with some huge twists and a fast-paced plot, I can see why this book has been receiving so much hype. I wouldn't have been able to put it down had life not gotten in the way. It is a truly addictive read.From the international, million-copy bestselling author comes another addictive psychological thriller! 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. 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. The only thing she can't forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt. The Breakdown took a while to build up speed and tension. Obviously you know something will happen, but you don't know what or when. For a while, Cass' character really started grating on my nerves because she was just a sniveling mess, falling to pieces at the slightest thing, yet taking all sorts of risks. And then...BOOM. B.A. Paris throws in a twist which, while not utterly surprising, really turns the plot on its ear and sends the book careening to its conclusion.

When it comes to clues in any book, I usually don't have a clue--always seem to be surprised with most twists and never guess the endings. Maybe this is why I tend to enjoy these books. Finding text messages between Rachel and Matthew, Cass works out that they are responsible for the nuisance calls, and also for manipulating her to make her think she is losing her memory. She realizes that Rachel and Matthew are having an affair. 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. The next morning, Cass discovers that this woman was murdered that evening, on that dark wooded road. For fear of being judged, Cass told no one that she saw this young woman, not even her husband Matthew. This woman’s name was Jane, and it turns out that Cass knew her. And that triggers a chain of events, leading Cass to fear for her own life. She becomes scared, forgetful, paranoid and begins to show signs of early onset dementia, which what her mother passed away from. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

It’s far-fetched that Cass would get her hands on Rachel’s burner cell phone and it’s far-fetched the way it happens (though actually, I give the author credit here for ingenuity). If you love a story featuring an unreliable narrator, you will find plenty of material to enjoy in THE BREAKDOWN. Cass is the ultimate unreliable narrator, unable to trust even her own understanding of the events unfolding around her—and B.A. Paris does a great job crafting a believable explanation for Cass' memory loss, making her predicament feel authentic and sympathetic to the reader. This book did not grab me. Also let's talk about the character development, there was not one character that I liked, they were all dislikeable characters to me.

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.Her mind feels like it's going to break....everything is spiraling out of control. She's in a constant state of anxiety. The phone calls are amplifying all of her fears. Plus all of the things she's forgetting makes things worse. With everything going on Cass is desperate to know.... After the murder, Cass is terrorized and spends every second looking over her shoulder. And we do too. My heart was in my throat throughout most of this book, petrified for Cass, wondering if she was in danger or if she was imagining everything. B.A. Paris did an incredible job keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. I wanted to tear through the book as fast as possible but didn’t want to miss a second of it. 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.