The Breakdown, by B.A. Paris is a psychological, domestic thriller about a woman who can’t trust anyone, not even herself. When the story begins, Cass is about to drive home from an end-of-school-year-celebration with her fellow teachers. It’s about to storm, and her husband, who’s home with a migraine, makes her promise not to take the country road back; he wants her to stay on the busy, well-lit streets. But the rain starts to pour, and Cass makes the last minute decision to detour onto the country road after all. Cass encounters a vehicle with a woman sitting inside, who looks like she needs help. Cass drives up next to her, expecting the woman to get out and ask for assistance. When she doesn’t, Cass is worried it might be a trick, and concerned for her own safety, Cass drives home.

Well, the next day, it’s all over the news. A woman was murdered on that country road. When Cass discovers that the woman she could have helped is dead, she’s flooded with guilt. But it gets worse–turns out the woman was a new friend of Cass’s.

Of course, Cass can’t tell anyone, including her husband, that she drove past the woman’s car. Because in these novels, keeping secrets like that are the backbone of the plot. But it starts to strain credulity that Cass would keep such a secret, or that she wouldn’t tell even her best friend.

Also, Cass’s mother had early onset dementia. When Cass is overcome with remorse over her new friend’s death, she starts to forget things and it leads to a breakdown.

The book was fine. Entertaining enough to keep me reading to the end, and the writing was tight yet descriptive. However, I saw the “twist” coming from miles away, and I’m not always the best at figuring out where a plot is going. Plus, Cass could be very frustrating. Even when the mystery is over and she’s supposed to have grown, she’s still, well, frustrating. But the fact that it’s set in England and that there were enough surprises to keep me invested made The Breakdown worth reading.

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The post Book Journal: The Breakdown by B.A. Paris first appeared on LaurelLit.com.

The post Book Journal: The Breakdown by B.A. Paris appeared first on LaurelLit.com.