I don’t know what this says about me, but I was kind of disappointed that we never truly got to see what Jack was capable of. Yet Paris undercuts her own suspense by allowing Jack to, at great length, recount his coming-to-villainy back story. Finally, the character of Esther's acute intuition as to Grace's predicament doesn't hinge on enough evidence - but I have a suspicion that this is one of B A Paris's salient points, that hunches get dismissed potentially to someone else's violent demise. She also has a sister with Down’s Syndrome named Mille that she needs to protect because eventually Millie will move in with her and Jack.

with friends, so he’s forced to be social with his wife, who has to pretend to love him lest people find out she’s married to an abusive idiot. We step back to try and clear the air of the noxious fumes, but we and our senses are held hostage by the toxicity of what lies beneath this panoramic view. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs. Set in large grounds at the far end of the village, it gives Jack the privacy he craves, as well as the privilege of owning the most beautiful house in Spring Eaton.I felt that this thriller was like so many others I have read, and I guess what was going to happen way before the information was reveal. dear women's health - please leave the readers' advisory work to trained professionals and stick to telling us how much water we should be drinking.

And later I felt empathy for Grace's growing confusion and horror at Jack's 360° character change following their marriage, even though we got a hint of this early on. The story fallows Grace, an elegant, ‘perfect’ housewife who seems to have it all – good looks, a perfect, caring husband and a lovely home. His description of the thrill he gets from other people's fear is chilling and would be gut wrenching for anyone to sit through.

Spurred on by Diane, who tells them that soufflés wait for no one, they drain their glasses and make for the table.