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The Breakdown

By: B. A. Paris
Narrated by: Georgia Maguire
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, July 2017

When your friend drops a "what book should I bring on my vacation?" poll on Facebook...add comment: The Breakdown. It’s everything I love in a psychological suspense: It draws you in right away, then launches you up, down, and sideways through twists and turns. Georgia Maguire’s lovely English voice is so easy on the ears, and her performance is at once heartbreaking and breathtaking. I’m still sorting out my emotions. Without spoiling anything for you, let me just say this: It’ll make you think twice about doubting your instincts. —Erin, Audible Editor

Publisher's summary

Named One of the Most Anticipated Thriller Novels of 2017 by Bustle!

The newest propulsive audiobook from the author of New York Times and USA Today instant best seller Behind Closed Doors.

If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside - the woman who was killed. She's been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It's a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she'd broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she'd stopped.

But since then, she's been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn't have a baby.

The only thing she can't forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she's receiving, or the feeling that someone's watching her...

You won't be able to hit pause on B. A. Paris' The Breakdown, the next chilling audiobook from the best-selling author of Behind Closed Doors.

©2017 B. A. Paris (P)2017 W F Howes Ltd

What listeners say about The Breakdown

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    4,961
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    2,549
  • 3 Stars
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Average, but Cozy

I quit this a few minutes in, then went back and stayed. It's a *beach read;* what I call an airport pick-up book: not spectacular but it becomes easy on the ears and comfortable. It has that settle in and go along quality that is easy to drift with. The story itself is transparent, easily solved far before the author reveals the facts, but lends itself to pleasantly picturing the events without effort as long as you leave logic in your pocket. Sometimes the perfect book is the one you can pick up, set down, pick up again all without worrying about a book mark.

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Boring

I tried for several hours since it started off very promising and the narration is impeccable. But the protagonist is pathetic with too much self loathing over and over again. Parts of this story are frustrating as opposed to suspenseful. Just couldn't go on.

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41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Boring

I hate to give a book a poor review but this book is really boring. I finished it only because I didn't want to completely waste my money. The story is so repetitive. I had the whole thing figured out within the first chapter. I'm going to try the author's other book because it sounds much more interesting but I would not recommend this book.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Mediocre

This was a huge disappointment after "Behind Closed Doors." The main character is incredibly annoying (seeming to learn nothing from previous experiences...). Can she really be that naive? Then, towards the end, there are a couple of hours (at least it seemed like hours) that might not have been a tad annoying in paperback but made for an unbearable listening experience: a recount of texts from a phone where the narrator is forced to read the date and time of each text before reading the brief content of the message (eg. "November 3, 6:58 PM: Hello there. November 3, 5:59 PM: How are you? November 3, 5:60: What are you up to now?). This goes on. And on. And on. And on....And on. (After a while, you know exactly what the texts are about to say so it makes the whole experience even more annoying). Hard to describe....but hopefully you won't be driving when you get to this part (I was) so you are able to fast forward through most of it. The main "turn" in the plot is such a huge coincidence that it seems incredibly lazy on the author's part (I believe the main character even points out to how incredible this was). Will download B.A. Paris' next book when it comes out, based on "Behind Closed Doors." If this had been my first book by the author, it would probably have been the last.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Its just OK

What did you like best about The Breakdown? What did you like least?

It starts off well, fairly predictable and boring in the middle.
Some sections make you wonder ... really ?

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but predictable

I was a huge fan of this author’s prior book so really looked forward to this one. It was predictable though and I knew who the villains were from the start. Some unpredictable or more suspense would have been welcome. Good overall but not nearly as strong as I had hoped.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Easy to Figure Out Plot Twists

I found myself waiting for some action because I knew who the “evil” character was very early in the story. I wish that there had been more development of the couple’s history. The twist at the end was the best part, but I don’t think it was worth the wait of listening to the main character make mistake after mistake.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Can’t put down!

This is the second audible book I have listened to by this author and I have to say it was just as captivating as the first, Behind closed doors. The narrator certainly does make or break a “read”… or rather, “a listen”. Simply awesome.
You won’t want to miss this one. Hey ready to listen every spare minute…

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Modern interpretation of Gaslight

I really enjoyed the first few chapters of the book, and then I realized that you could literally predict almost everything else that was going to happen up to a point. overall the clever rewrite, but I was left disappointed.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant, very enjoyable. surprise ending

I enjoyed behind closed doors so I knew I would enjoy this one. This writer is brilliant and keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. I really liked the surprise ending. I highly recommend this book.

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