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// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs B. A. Paris a good author? Yes, she's a degree above.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from B.A. Paris)

B. A. Paris
Paris in 2021
Born
United Kingdom
OccupationAuthor
Children5
Writing career
GenresPsychological thriller, Family drama, Fiction, Drama, Crime fiction, Suspense, Thriller
Notable worksBehind Closed Doors (2016), The Breakdown (2017), When I Kill You (2026)
Websitebaparis.com

B.A. Paris is a Franco-Irish author of psychological thrillers and drama novels. She writes under a pen name. Her eight books have sold over nine million copies worldwide, been translated into 41 languages and distributed in 50 territories. Her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors (2016), was an instant New York Times[1] and Sunday Times bestseller, and won the Platinum Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2019 for sales of over one million copies in the UK alone.[2] In 2023, she was named the recipient of a lifetime achievement award in Poland, having sold over 1.3 million copies of her novels in the country,[3] and in 2024 her second book, The Breakdown (2017), was adapted for film as Blackwater Lane.[4] Her latest novel, When I Kill You, was published in 2026.[5]

Biography

[edit]

B.A. Paris was born in the United Kingdom to a French mother and Irish father, the third of six children. After completing her education, she moved to France, where she spent much of her adult life initially working as a trader at an international bank in Paris before retraining as an English teacher. Together with her husband, she ran a language school while raising their five daughters.[6]

Writing came later in life when one of her daughters suggested she enter a writing competition. Although she did not win, the experience led her to continue writing.[7] Her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, was published in 2016 and became an instant international bestseller, selling over three million copies in the UK alone and launching her career as one of the most widely read authors in the psychological thriller genre. She is now published by HarperCollins in the UK and St. Martin's Press in the US, and lives in Hampshire, England.

Novels

[edit]

Behind Closed Doors

[edit]

Paris's debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, was acquired in 2014 by her agent Camilla Bolton at the Darley Anderson Literary Agency in London and published in 2016 by HarperCollins in the UK and St. Martin's Press in the US. It became an instant New York Times[8] and Sunday Times number one bestseller. Paris was nominated in the Best Debut Author[9] and Best Mystery & Thriller[10] categories at the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2016, and in 2017, Behind Closed Doors won the Gold Nielsen Bestseller Award for UK sales of 500,000 copies, making Paris the only debut fiction author to win a Gold award that year.[11] The novel went on to win the Platinum Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2019 for sales of over one million copies in the UK alone.[12] More than 6 million copies have now been sold globally since its release.

The novel explores themes of psychological manipulation and coercive control in intimate relationships. Paris has spoken in interviews about being inspired by real accounts of women in controlling relationships.[13] In a Goodreads Q&A in 2017, she noted that she was glad the book had "brought the subject of psychological abuse — which is so much harder to prove than physical abuse — into the open."[14]

The Breakdown

[edit]

The Breakdown was published in 2017 and won the Silver Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2025 for UK sales of 250,000 copies.[15] The film and television rights were acquired by Stone Village Productions in 2016 and the film adaptation, titled Blackwater Lane and directed by Jeff Celentano, was released in June 2024 starring Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace and Dermot Mulroney.[16]

List of Published Works

[edit]

Novels

[edit]
  • Behind Closed Doors (HarperCollins, 2016; psychological thriller)[17]
  • The Breakdown (HarperCollins, 2017; psychological thriller)[18]
  • Bring Me Back (HarperCollins, 2018; psychological thriller)[19]
  • The Dilemma (HarperCollins, 2020; family drama)[20]
  • The Therapist (HarperCollins, 2021; psychological thriller)[21]
  • The Prisoner (Hodder & Stoughton, 2022; psychological thriller)[22]
  • The Guest (Hodder & Stoughton, 2024; psychological thriller)[23]
  • When I Kill You (HarperCollins, 2026; psychological thriller)[24]

Collaborative Works

[edit]

Short Fiction

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]

Praise for Behind Closed Doors

[edit]

Behind Closed Doors received widespread critical acclaim upon its publication in 2016. The Guardian praised it for the way it "twists our expectations of the entire psychological thriller genre”, while The Observer called it "a rollercoaster ride, with plenty of twists."[27] Booklist awarded it a starred review describing it as "one readers won't be able to put down",[28] as did Library Journal calling it "a can't-put-down psychological thriller in the same vein as Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train”. Publishers Weekly described it as a "claustrophobic cat-and-mouse tale" with "contagious" terror, and the Associated Press wrote that "the sense of believability and terror that engulfs Behind Closed Doors doesn't waver."[29] Bestselling author Mary Kubica described it as "a hair-raising debut, both unsettling and addictive — a chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night.” and Harriet Tyce called it "expertly plotted and compellingly told", adding that she "raced through it."

General Acclaim

[edit]

Paris's writing has been widely praised across her body of work, with her novels being described as "pulse-pounding" by Crime Monthly. Writing for The Toronto Star, Jack Batten described Paris as "a consistent whiz at stitching any number of random events and devious characters into a plot winner."[30] Her books have been noted for their strong word-of-mouth appeal, with Goodreads nominating Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown for its annual Goodreads Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017 respectively.[31][32]

Awards and Honours

[edit]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
YearCountryAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2016United StatesGoodreads Choice AwardsBest Mystery & ThrillerBehind Closed DoorsNominated[33]
2016United StatesGoodreads Choice AwardsBest Debut Goodreads AuthorBehind Closed DoorsNominated[34]
2017United KingdomNielsen Bestseller AwardGold BestsellerBehind Closed DoorsWon[35]
2017United StatesGoodreads Choice AwardsBest Mystery & ThrillerThe BreakdownNominated[36]
2017PolandEmpik Bestseller AwardForeign LiteratureBehind Closed DoorsNominated[37]
2018United StatesGoodreads Choice AwardsBest Mystery & ThrillerBring Me BackNominated[38]
2018United StatesInternational Thriller WritersBest Hardcover NovelThe BreakdownNominated[39]
2018PolandEmpik Bestseller AwardForeign LiteratureThe BreakdownNominated[40]
2019United KingdomNielsen Bestseller AwardPlatinum BestsellerBehind Closed DoorsWon[41]
2021PolandEmpik Bestseller AwardPopular FictionThe TherapistWon[42]
2023PolandGreat Calibre AwardLifetime Achievement—Won[43]
2024PolandEmpik Bestseller AwardPopular FictionThe GuestNominated[44]
2025United KingdomNielsen Bestseller AwardSilver BestsellerThe BreakdownWon[45]

Other Achievements

[edit]
  • The Prisoner was selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2023.[46]
  • Behind Closed Doors was included in Dead Good Books' 100 Best Crime Books of All Time in 2020.[47]
  • Paris's novels have appeared in Poland's Empik bestseller charts 77 times.[48]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Aug. 6, 2017 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Behind Closed Doors". NielsenIQ Bestseller Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "British writer honoured by Poland's Crime and Mystery Festival - English Section". www.polskieradio.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (21 January 2025). "Blackwater Lane review – medieval mansion is the star in haunted house stalker thriller". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  5. ↑ CrimeReads (16 February 2026). "10 New Books Coming Out This Week". CrimeReads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "B A Paris". Darley Anderson. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  7. ↑ news?content_type=all (26 June 2017). "Interview with B.A. Paris". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Aug. 6, 2017 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Debut Goodreads Author!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  11. ↑ The Nielsen Bestseller Awards (7 February 2017). Interview with B.A. Paris, who was presented with a Gold Award for Behind Closed Doors. Retrieved 9 June 2026 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ "Behind Closed Doors". NielsenIQ Bestseller Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Wednesdays with Writers: B.A. Paris talks about her runaway bestseller BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, psychological & emotional abuse, letting the characters do the 'talking,'pottery, and so much more". Leslie A. Lindsay. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Although your book is a product of your... — B.A. Paris Q&A". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "AWARD WINNERS". NielsenIQ Bestseller Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (21 January 2025). "Blackwater Lane review – medieval mansion is the star in haunted house stalker thriller". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Behind Closed Doors". HQ Stories. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "The Breakdown". HQ Stories. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Bring Me Back". HQ Stories. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Dilemma". HQ Stories. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "The Therapist". HQ Stories. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Paris, B. A. (21 February 2025). The Prisoner. ISBN 978-1-3997-1021-3.
  23. ↑ Paris, B. A. (18 January 2024). The Guest. ISBN 978-1-3997-1030-5.
  24. ↑ "When I Kill You". HQ Stories. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  25. ↑ The Understudy. 14 May 2019. ISBN 978-1-5293-0392-6.
  26. ↑ "The Mosquito". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "Behind Closed Doors". The Guardian Bookshop. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "Booklist Online: Leading Book Discovery". www.booklistonline.com. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "Review: 'Behind Closed Doors' is gripping domestic thriller". AP News. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  30. ↑ Star, Jack Batten Special to the (22 June 2018). "Devious characters, grisly crimes mark the newest crop of mystery books". Toronto Star. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  32. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  33. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  34. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Debut Goodreads Author!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  35. ↑ The Nielsen Bestseller Awards (7 February 2017). Interview with B.A. Paris, who was presented with a Gold Award for Behind Closed Doors. Retrieved 9 June 2026 – via YouTube.
  36. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  37. ↑ "Książkowe podsumowanie 2017 roku". www.empik.com (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  38. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  39. ↑ "Past Nominees and Winners". International Thriller Writers. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  40. ↑ "Co czytają Polacy? Znamy nominacje do Bestsellerów Empiku 2018!". news.empik.com (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  41. ↑ "Behind Closed Doors". NielsenIQ Bestseller Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  42. ↑ "Najlepsze książki 2021 - Bestsellery Empiku 2021". www.empik.com (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  43. ↑ "British writer honoured by Poland's Crime and Mystery Festival - English Section". www.polskieradio.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  44. ↑ Wiśniewska, Agata (10 January 2025). "Bestsellery Empiku 2024 – nominacje". Wydawnictwo Albatros (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  45. ↑ "AWARD WINNERS". NielsenIQ Bestseller Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  46. ↑ Blog, Jen-MMB Book (31 December 2023). "Richard and Judy Book Club 2023: Complete List of Books". MMB Book Blog. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  47. ↑ admin (16 October 2020). "100 best crime books of all time, as chosen by our readers". Dead Good. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  48. ↑ "B. A. Paris - książki, życiorys - Empik". www.empik.com (in Polish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
[edit]
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