There is a small mystery bookshop located across the street from a cornfield. It's name is the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop and I have contributed a few book reviews to their quarterly newsletter. Here is my book review on Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris.
Twelve years ago, Finn and Layla were driving back home to England, from skiing in Megève, and pulled off at a picnic area on the side of the road. It was around 1:30 in the morning, and Finn had to use the toilet. He told Layla to keep the doors locked because he knew she was scared of the dark and didn’t feel right about leaving her there alone. Walking into the bathroom, Finn passes a man walking out and moments later, hears a car drive off and a truck pulling hastily out of the parking lot. It wasn’t long before the silhouette of his car was outlined against the dark on his way back, and he approaches closer to see that Layla isn’t in the car. After waiting a spell to see if she had used the toilet, despite saying earlier that she wouldn’t, his mind starts to panic. The love of his life has just disappeared…
At least, that is the version that the French police know about. The version that Finn sold them. A version that, whilst holding faint traces of truth, is not what really happened.
Now it's the present and the Simonsbridge’s local paper has announced the engagement of Finn and Ellen, Layla’s older sister. Everything is great. He manages stock trading from his home office, located outside in his garden, while Ellen works on her illustrations from her home studio. Finn has just landed a major investment for his best friend, Harry, and everything seems to be working out after years of depression and melancholy over what had happened. Brought together by Layla’s memorial service held four years prior, Ellen moved in about a year ago and couldn’t be happier with her life. That is until a small Russian doll shows up on the outside wall of their house.
As more of the same small Russian nested dolls start appearing, partnered with emails from an unknown source, Finn finds himself in a losing battle with the past and memories he thought he had buried long ago. Is Layla back? Could she be the one taunting him? What could she possibly want after all these years, if it is her? Only a few people know of the significance behind the dolls, leading Finn to start questioning everything he thought he knew. “And as always, not knowing is worse than knowing,” or is it?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it extremely hard to put down. The novel leads you through two parallel stories in Part I, what happened in the past and Finn’s current life with Ellen. Part II shifts the viewpoint slightly as it flips between the unknown emailer and Finn, ultimately taking the reader to a shocking final Part III where we are watching everything unfold from Finn’s perspective. This beautifully designed plot is enhanced with well developed characters that feel real, woven into a story that is utterly bizarre but creepily plausible. Swear words are used appropriately, there is no gory violence being described, and limited sexual content. Overall, an absorbing read that thrilled me to the end.
For more information on the author, and to see what other books she has written, please visit the following link: https://us.macmillan.com/author/baparis
If you would like to see more reviews, like mine, please check out the following link that will take you to this issue of their newsletter. You can also visit their website at www.mysterybooksonline.com for all your mystery book needs. Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you pick out a new adventure to dive into. #reading #books #bringmeback #baparis #author #bookreview #mechanicsburgpa #bookshop #mysterybookreview #mystery #thriller #british