behind closed doors book summary

Behind Closed Doors Book Summary

“Behind Closed Doors” is a psychological thriller novel by B.A. Paris. The story follows the seemingly perfect marriage of Grace and Jack Angel, but as the title suggests, things aren’t as they appear.

Grace is a successful and independent woman who appears to have found her soulmate in Jack, a wealthy and charming lawyer. However, their wedding life is different from what it appears. Jack is a controlling and abusive husband who keeps Grace locked up in their luxurious home and completely isolated from the outside world.

As the story unfolds, we learn that Jack’s behavior is directed toward Grace and her younger sister, Millie, who has Down Syndrome. Jack has sinister plans for Millie, and Grace must find a way to protect her and herself from Jack’s dangerous games.

The novel is told through alternating timelines, switching between the present, where Grace is trapped in her abusive marriage, and the past, where we learn how Jack manipulated Grace into marrying him.

As the story progresses, Grace’s situation becomes increasingly dire, and she must find a way to escape Jack’s grasp before it’s too late.

Overall, “Behind Closed Doors” is a gripping and suspenseful novel that explores the darker side of marriage and relationships. It is a cautionary tale that reminds us that things are not always as they seem and that we should never take our freedom and independence for granted.

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Full Book Summary Of Behind Closed Doors

Grace Angel recently got married to Jack, a charming lawyer. He initially won her over with his attractiveness and commitment to protecting mistreated women, but largely because of his love for Millie, Grace’s sister who suffers from Down syndrome. Grace soon discovers that Jack is a psychopath and not what she expected him to be. Jack’s father was a terrible man who put would cage his wife, Jack’s mother, in the cellar while Jack was a child. Together, the father and son tormented the woman, and when Jack was a teen, he killed her and put the blame on his dad. After searching for a woman to imprison and abuse similarly as a grownup, he has concluded that Millie, Grace’s sister, is the ideal candidate due to her Down syndrome. Grace and Millie are easy targets as they do not receive the care they require from their parents.

Jack ensures to make his relationship with Grace seem flawless by making her appear adoring and gorgeous in society with his acquaintances while keeping an image as both a competent and caring lawyer. He restricts Grace to a confined space at home and barely provides her with food. She attempted to leave the union early on, but Jack reduced her existence ever-smaller. Till Millie graduates from her school, which will happen in a few months, he wants to keep Grace around. Yet, Grace is unsure and she cannot take the chance of saying something to Esther for fear of upsetting Jack. Grace believes as though Esther, their new neighbor, may have a better understanding of their relationship than others do.

At some point, Millie also admits that she is aware of Jack’s terrible character. One day, she sneaks Grace a few sleeping pills and advises her to use them to save herself from Jack. Although Grace does have some faith that she can leave her husband thanks to the medications, it is challenging to devise a strategy to defeat him. Fortunately, he is engaged in a high-profile case and spends a lot of time on it and the case now is beginning to weigh on his mind as the date of court approaches. Grace makes the most of it by bringing him into her bedroom where they have a regular conversation over a drink and go over the case. Grace believes she has time, but Jack is unwilling to let Millie depart after she attends a birthday party at their place and wants her to move in with them asap. He assures her that this would be possible as soon as the court matter is concluded. A deadline puts pressure on Grace.

On the day the case is settled, Jack returns home and tells Grace to get prepared for leaving for Thailand and pick up Millie when they get back. Jack is lured to the cellar by Grace after she successfully mixes the crushed sleeping tablets into his drink. “Millie’s Room” is a terrifying, unventilated, red-painted room that shuts from the outside. In addition, Jack’s prior clients are depicted in horrific paintings that line the walls. Despite the fact that Jack meant the chamber for Millie, Grace seduces him and confines him inside. Grace flies to Thailand by herself, informing everybody she encounters that Jack pushed her to go in order to devote some time to wrapping up the case he just lost. Esther is informed by Grace that Jack will be joining her soon for their trip. 

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Jack, of course, never appears. Grace calls him frequently during her stay and even leaves messages for him so that everyone in the hotel believes that she is looking after him. After some time, the London police are called, and they discover Jack in the basement, deceased from dehydration. Grace returns home in a hurry.  Esther is the one who picks her up from the airport but before taking her home, she asks her for a coffee. While talking to her in the cafeteria, she gives her advice on how to talk to the police in order to walk away from the murder. 

What I Mean…

If you enjoy reading psychological thrillers which also engage the emotions of the reader then Behind Closed Doors is a seemingly perfect choice. We have described the book summary above and if this interests you, you must read the book because we know you will definitely enjoy it. But if you are unable to read the book then the summary will give you the complete idea of the story so enjoy reading and do suggest to us other books you need summaries for.

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