Behind Closed Doors

by Natalie R. Collins

For twenty years, they had been closer than sisters, sharing girlhood secrets, their hopes and dreams for the future--and a soul-searing promise. Melissa was the only one who knew what had really happened to Jannie beyond the sacred walls of the Mormon Temple the night that changed her life forever€¦. UNTIL HER BEST FRIEND VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE.Now Melissa has gone missing, just days after entrusting Jannie with a mysterious box that someone would kill to possess. And someone has--leaving in their murderous wake an innocent victim and a trail of blood that leads to the heart of Jannie's hidden burden. Desperate to protect her secret, and to find out what has happened to Melissa, Jannie trusts no one. Not the stranger whose piercing green eyes have already seen too much, nor the family and friends whose familiar fold may be shielding a cold-blooded killer who is lurking BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 2, 2007

About the author

In her acclaimed thrillers, Natalie R. Collins reveals the secrets that lurk in every town, the darkness that lies in every heart, and the ties that bind every family--till death...

Natalie R. Collins has ten published books, has worked as a ghostwriter on several other books, and is currently working on revisions for her fourth book with St. Martin's press, as well as a YA, her first. She has dabbled in both dark suspense and cozy mysteries, and is happy to be able to work in both genres. She has written for Penguin Putnam, Thompson Gale, and still currently has a contract with St. Martin’s Press. She spent five years as an editor at the Sundance Film Festival, has worked in journalism, and is currently working to get her degree in graphic design.

Natalie also has three books, TUTU DEADLY, TAPPED OUT, and POINTE AND SHOOT, published by Penguin Putnam (Berkley Prime Crime), under the name Natalie M. Roberts. The Jenny T. Partridge Dance Mystery Series chronicle the adventures of an erstwhile dance teacher in Ogden, Utah, and her many adventures with pyscho dance moms.

Her critically acclaimed WIVES AND SISTERS received excellent reviews, including one from Kirkus, calling Collins “…a talent to watch.” New York Times Bestselling author, Allison Brennan, said of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, "Intense, suspenseful…page-turning."

Publisher's Weekly said of TWISTED SISTER, "In this solid sequel to Sisterwife....Roberts pulls off a thought-provoking puzzler."-- Publishers Weekly

Reviews

[Diane V-R · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy books that go around in square circles then you’ll be far more appreciative of this one than I was.

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

For twenty years, childhood friends Jannie and Melissa have been inseparable, until one night, Jannie’s life changes forever. Several years later, Melissa goes missing just days after she entrusts a mysterious box in Jannie’s care. The secrets Jannie has kept for so long start to unveil as the police search for the missing Melissa. Jannie soon finds that the people she thought she knew, all have secrets of their own.

This book was originally recommended to me by an avid library user but what really caught my attention was the fact Allison Brennan had recommended it on the front cover (I had just discovered her). And while the book description suggests this title is a novel of mystery and suspense, it is really a romance with some suspenseful elements. The murder and missing person storyline was secondary to Jannie’s self-discovery. The culprit behind the crimes was obvious early on, and it wasn’t as fast-paced as I like my books to be. That being said, I think I will try at least one more of Collins’ novels.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good mystery novel, and an interesting, if skewed look at Mormonism. Many of the characters of this book are Mormon, and the main character is a lapsed Mormon. I found the details of the religion provided through the day to day life of the characters interesting, but felt much of the book was anti-mormon and so didn't feel it was a fair and balanced representation of the religion.

[Mary Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I finished this book, I can't say I was at all satisfied with it. The main character was too something, and the hero was too good to be true. The bad guys were too extreme. I found the Mormon aspects to be distracting. I'm not a Mormon or an ex-Mormon, but I do have quite a bit of generic knowledge about the religion. Yet, I found it difficult to relate to some of the feelings being discussed.

[F · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a mystery, but overall the book was the main character, Jannie, dealing with renunciation of her Mormon upbringing. My main discouragement with the book: it was just not plausible that all the events that occurred in the plot could happen basically within one week's time. In the midst of several domino-effect murders, the investigator / detective is attracted to Jannie instantly while Jannie's father falls from grace as the Mormon stake president.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, it's okay. The setting is very Mormon, which I am unfamiliar with. It ended up being anti-patriarchal, which I enjoyed.

[Nancy Revere bondhus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I might read it again. Definitely will recommend! I didn't want to put it down!

[BooksByTheMillions*_* · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST FREAKING BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!