Why am I passionate about this?
Iâve read crime fiction since I was a kid, starting with Nancy Drew and the mystery magazinesâAlfred Hitchcock, Mike Shayne, and Ellery Queen. While in elementary school, I wrote mystery short stories, which my sister illustrated, and we sold them on the street corner for 25 cents apiece. In the nineties, I devoured novels by Patricia Highsmith, Ruth Rendell, and P.D. James. The 2000s introduced another generation of favorite authors, including Belinda Bauer, Chris Whitaker, and Tana French. I love too many to name! My current passion is for novels that I can really sink my teeth into, with complex characters hiding dark secrets.
Barbara's book list on domestic thrillers unraveling dark family secrets
Why did Barbara love this book?
The twists at the end took me by surprise, though I sensed something wasnât quite right throughout. I just couldnât put my finger on what exactly. Iris and Gabriel return from a holiday and are surprised to find their friend Laure staying in their home.
What begins as an annoyance escalates to a threat as long-buried secrets start to surface. The tension kept me swiping the pages on my E-reader. Itâs my favorite B. A. Paris thriller so far.
1 author picked The Guest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another home full of heart-pounding secrets, in The Guest.
Some secrets never leave.
Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again: sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture.
Laure has walked out on her husbandâand their good friendâPierre, over his confession of an affair andâŚ