The Prisoner: The bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club pick for 2023

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So far I’ve read B.A. Paris’ The Breakdown and The Dilemma. I enjoyed both of those but I think I liked this one better! B.A. Paris is an author of suspense novels. She grew up in England but has moved to and spent most of her grown life in France. In the past, she was worked in finance and also as a teacher. She has five daughters. She has written two books, Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown, both of which have been published by St. Martin’s Press. She is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author for her novel Behind Closed Doors. At the end: all the pieces of puzzle were positioned at the right places. The questions were mostly answered. Some of the answers were a little far fetched but they are still satisfying enough. We move on, climb stone steps, I count them, twelve in all. Then, at the top, the worn stone under my feet becomes warm wood, softer against my skin. A door is opened, I’m moved forward. No question, Amelie has had a rough life. Orphaned at the age of 17, she was rescued off the streets by a woman who would give her a job, a home and friendship. But after moving on to a new job with tycoon Ned Hawthorpe, her life once again is about to spin out of control.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. The story just ends after Hunter explains himself in New Zealand. Amalie says that maybe they can keep in touch, and walks away. The Review:

About Me

This was like a B list movie to me-you know the kind…you aren’t sure if it’s bad acting or if the actors have just been given bad lines……🫣 I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job at keeping the tension going when it started to get tedious. At about 75% in I had a general idea of what was going on and I ended up being correct. Sometimes this doesn't take away from the story, but in this case it did. Especially since we get an info dump at the end where it is all explained to the reader, even though we should all be bright enough to put it together without the wrap up. (Side note, this is the second book in recent days that has done this and it's frustrating.)

The positive attributes of the book absolutely surpassed the negative ones so I decided to round up 3.5 stars to 4 claustrophobic, dark, twisty, thought provoking stars!

If it hadn’t been for Carolyn, I wouldn’t have had any misgivings at all. She would be hurt that I’d kept a supposed relationship with Ned from her. It bothered me that I couldn’t tell her the truth. But if I did, she’d be angry that I’d married him for money. Except that I hadn’t, not really, because I’d given him something in return, a way out of what to him was an impossible situation.

With all of this being said, it was suspenseful and it did keep me fairly engaged, but I have read all of B.A. Paris's works and when I see her name on a cover, I get excited. Frustrated? Uncomfortable? Claustrophobic? Confused as to WHY and HOW you ended up trapped in said box? It all started with the loss of her parents: her mother at a young age, and Papa more recently, to a terrible illness. After moving from Paris to London, Amelie tries to forge ahead with her adult life and process her grief...until she happens to meet a woman named Carolyn (quite randomly) who THEN gets her somehow entangled with playboy billionaire Ned Hawthorne, whose father has a well-known foundation. When Ned presents her with an interesting proposition that will end in marriage, it seems like all of Amelie's dreams are coming true at once and a new and exciting life is just around the corner...so why now does her imprisonment seem like her ONLY hope for escape?

I think we all have fears of being kidnapped. Or maybe just fears of the dark or waking up in a dark room. Is that just me? Cool. One thing that I appreciated about this book was the fact that Amelie was strong. A lot of times, women (as written in situations like this) will get whiney. Yes, there were times when that happened, but I also think that she was stronger more than she was whiney. I have enjoyed most of this author’s previous work, but this one was a BIG miss for me! If I wasn’t buddy reading it with DeAnn, it would have been a DNF!