* Copy courtesy of (and published by) HQ Fiction, an imprint of Harlequin Books *Bring Me Back by B A Paris begins with a cracking start and I was immediately drawn into this thriller mystery. Finn's girlfriend Layla disappeared on holiday in France 12 years ago and now Finn is in a relationship with her sister, Ellen.
The question for the reader is whether Finn is guilty of killing Layla or whether she was abducted. When we finally learn the truth, I realised that the character's behaviour up until that point was purposefully misleading. A guilty/innocent person wouldn't behave the way Finn did, and I find intentional misdirection like this slightly irritating.
In the middle to end of the novel I thought there was too much of the second character POV and those sections could have been edited down to improve the pace.
The killer 'twist' at the end was actually a disappointing denouement for me, and I definitely wasn't 'buying it'. I mean, HOW could he not know? It felt like a weak explanation and certainly not in keeping with the cracker beginning and promising plot.
Overall, Bring Me Back was an enjoyable mystery that peaks at the beginning and slowly moves down from there. If it had maintained the level of writing at the beginning, this would easily have been a contender for Top 5 reads of the year. Unfortunately it didn't.
Recommended for crime readers, those who like Russian nesting dolls and reading about relationships between sisters.
My rating = ***
Carpe Librum!
P.S. Click here to read a FREE sample
My rating = ***
Carpe Librum!
P.S. Click here to read a FREE sample
