Behind Closed Doors

Newlyweds Grace and Jack Angel seem to lead a perfect life in British author Paris’s gripping debut, but appearances can be deceiving. In addition to being a handsome, successful attorney, Jack is also a sadistic psychopath, and the couple’s picture-perfect Spring Eaton, England, home doubles as Grace’s prison. Jack forced Grace to quit her job, refuses to allow her unsupervised contact with the outside world, and cruelly punishes her escape attempts. Grace would welcome death were it not for her 17-year-old sister, Millie, who intends to come live with them once she finishes school. Grace’s life may be hell, but Jack has made it clear that Millie’s in for far worse, so Grace must free herself in order to save her sister. Paris reveals the couple’s past and present in alternating chapters, creating suspense regarding both their origin and their fate. Jack’s mustache-twirling monologues occasionally sap the story of tension and believability, but Grace’s terror is contagious, and Millie’s impending peril creates a ticking clock that propels this claustrophobic cat-and-mouse tale toward its grisly, gratifying conclusion. Agent: Camilla Wray, Darley Anderson Agency (U.K.). (Aug.)