The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Publication Date: November 1, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Pages: 304

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 4/5

The Prisoner is a fast paced thriller that sucked me in from the first chapter and kept me hooked through the interweaving timelines. The book starts with Amelie being kidnapped along with her husband, Ned, where she is then kept prisoner in a dark room by herself. The other timeline picks up from the time Amelie’s dad passes away when she is 16 leaving her an orphan. Paris brilliantly weaves these two timelines together to create a suspenseful and intriguing story.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how hooked I was on finding out how Amelie goes from where she starts at 16 to where she ends up. And the more story that gets revealed the more intrigued I was. I really admired Amelie’s strength and while she is a flawed character that could be annoyingly naive at times, I appreciated how hard she was constantly fighting for herself.

However, for how much I enjoyed Amelie’s character, I did find the other characters to all be one dimensional. Everyone felt very flat and it was obvious that they were only there to serve a purpose to the story. But I think B.A. Paris consistently delivers unique and twisty stories that I always fly though because I love the journey she is taking me on even if her character development is lacking.

Is is the most realistic story? No, but if you can suspend your disbelief enough then you will find yourself on a fun rollercoaster of a book that takes you places you won’t see coming. But I do recommend reading it in one or two sittings, if you can, to get the most enjoyment out of it. More than that and I think your incredulousness will hamper the pleasure of reading this book.