Reading the first couple of chapters of Behind Closed Doors, you might think that Jack and Grace have the perfect marriage. Jack is a highly respected and successful lawyer, whereas Grace stays at home keeping busy with her talents in cooking and gardening. They have an exquisite home where they host lovely gatherings for their friends, and always seem to be in agreement with each other. Their friends find this charming, and have no reason to question this ideal relationship, except for one – Esther. She is suspicious and can detect that there is more to this image that Jack and Grace are trying to pull off, and boy, was she right!

Esther doesn’t have a major role in the story, but her uneasy demeanour towards Grace made me question their relationship that I didn’t think too much of in the beginning. Jack and Grace’s true story is only revealed a third-way in to the book, which is a bit disappointing because I was expecting revelations to happen a lot earlier on. So, although the story started off slow, the plot certainly thickened once details from the past came to light, and before I knew it, this story became a twisted and unsettling psychological thriller.

I have read a number of psychological thrillers in the past several months, but I don’t remember the last time I was so frightened and anxious on what was to happen next, particularly to Grace. Grace is the victim in an abusive relationship that dwells on so much fear and uncertainty. Grace’s sister, Millie, has Down’s syndrome, and once Grace discovers that Millie is targeted to be a victim as well, Grace’s fear intensifies. Now, she has all the more determination to escape this so-called “perfect” marriage, and expose Jack for what he truly is and what he’s done. Do you think she can do it on her own, or will she fail and be stuck in a loveless, abusive, and tormenting marriage for the rest of her life? Read Behind Closed Doors to find out!