Bring Me Back

March 1, 2018

Finn and Layla, hopelessly in love, stop at a public rest area on their return from a romantic ski weekend in France. When Finn comes back to the car, he sees the door open and evidence of a scuffle. Layla is gone, never to be heard from again. Finn is accused of her murder and has to comprehend that Layla's body was never found. His only solace is his dog and the country house he shared with Layla, until he finds love and happiness again with Ellen, Layla's sister. Consoling each other over their loss, Ellen and Finn slowly build a relationship, with Ellen moving in and Finn proposing marriage. But when they announce their engagement, strange things occur. A tiny Russian doll, just like one that belonged to Layla, appears on Finn's car. He receives emails claiming Layla is alive. Then there are sightings of her around town. Ellen and Finn must accept the possibility that Layla is alive. And what Finn didn't tell the police about the night of her death. VERDICT Paris (Behind Closed Doors; The Breakdown) once again proves her suspense chops with this can't-put-down psychological thriller.--Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park H.S., MD

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
A man whose girlfriend disappeared more than a decade ago suspects she may still be alive.Twelve years ago, Finn McQuaid's girlfriend, Layla Gray, disappeared without a trace while they visited a rest stop while on holiday in France. He was eventually cleared as a suspect and is shocked when Exeter-based police detective Tony Heddon contacts him with the news that an ex-neighbor of Finn and Layla's claims to have seen her outside of their old cottage in Devon. Finn gets another surprise when he arrives at the home he shares with, wait for it, Layla's sister Ellen --now his fiancee--whom he evidently bonded with while mourning Layla's disappearance. Finn, who narrates, makes it clear that Ellen is no Layla and constantly tries to convince himself that he truly (really!) loves her. Now she's found a little Russian nesting doll on the sidewalk in front of their house, similar to a doll that was found at the place where Layla disappeared. Then the dolls begin appearing everywhere, and Finn starts getting some pretty strange emails that may be from Layla herself. Could she be alive, and if so, what happened all those years ago? As the emails get more ominous, Finn falls all over himself chasing the clues and offers insights into his past with the complicated Layla. Paris (The Breakdown, 2017, etc.) quickly ramps up this short novel's paranoia and tension; Finn is the consummate unreliable narrator--or is he? But Finn is largely two-dimensional, and Ellen is little more than a prop. Although Paris seeds the tale with plenty of clues, the denouement takes a turn that will stretch the reader's credulity to the limit, and beyond.Far-fetched fare.

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Starred review from April 30, 2018
Investment manager Finn McQuaid, the unreliable narrator of this outstanding Hitchcockian thriller from British author Paris (Behind Closed Doors), has settled into a comfortable routine in the small English community of Simonbridge, bolstered by financial success after landing a big client for his equities firm. But his tranquility is shattered when a friend phones to tell him that his old girlfriend, Layla Gray, who vanished 12 years earlier while the two were on holiday, has been spotted near the cottage they shared in France. Then his wife, Ellen, who’s Layla’s sister, discovers outside their home a Russian doll that she believes Layla stole from her when they were children. Finn, who has kept the actual circumstances of Layla’s disappearance a secret from Ellen, starts finding Russian dolls himself. The stakes rise when he begins getting emails purportedly from Layla. Paris plays fair with the reader as she builds to a satisfying resolution. Fans of intelligent psychological suspense will be richly rewarded. 400,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Camilla Wray, Darley Anderson Agency (U.K.).

April 1, 2018
The past comes back to haunt Finn McQuaid, who is brought up short by what seems the reappearance of his former lover, Layla, who vanished 12 years earlier. After being cleared of Layla's murder, Finn gradually became close to her older sister, Ellen, and they were recently engaged. Then the appearance of a set of Russian dolls?significant to only Layla, Ellen, and Finn?suggest that Layla may be alive and nearby. In Paris' previous thrillers, male characters have turned out to be not what they seem; this is also true of Finn, known as a gentle giant in his youth before his hair-trigger temper showed itself. But the questionable character of Finn pales compared to those of Layla and Ellen, as they seem to compete for the man they both love, and questions of sanity arise. The narrative toggles between the past, when Finn met Layla and their relationship developed, and the present, as Finn's comfortable life is splintering. Paris adroitly ramps up tension to a complicated resolution that feels a bit drawn out. Compelling much of the way, but finally less satisfactory than Paris' previous The Breakdown (2017).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)