Behind Her Eyes: A Suspenseful Psychological Thriller Hardcover – January 31, 2017

When every blurb on the front and rear cover of a novel mentions the 'final twist' and how it 'will leave you reeling' I have to make a decision as a reader. It sort of reminds me of every M. Night Shyamalan film after "The 6th Sense". That film had such a legendary twist that you find yourself looking for the twists in each successive film. This strategy takes away from fully allowing yourself to be immersed in the work and simply let the surprise, if any, happen as it was intended to.That is the challenge with the terrific new psychological thriller from Sarah Pinborough, BEHIND HER EYES. I made a mental note to drive through the novel and enjoy it as it was written, although I must admit to trying to piece together a few end game scenarios from what was unfolding before me.Before I jump into the set-up for this brilliant novel I must firmly aver that I am not a band-wagon jumper when it comes to Sarah Pinborough. Back when Leisure Books used to have a Horror Genre I was a club member who received two new or re-printed Horror paperbacks each month. This was how I was introduced to Ms. Pinborough as a slew of her horror novels were included as selections with the club. I really enjoyed her horror work and continued to seek out her other novels that included fantasy novels as well as a terrific exercise into grief entitled THE LANGUAGE OF DYING.BEHIND HER EYES unfolds like a classic love triangle thriller. Single mom Louise meets a stranger at a bar and the evening ends with a sultry kiss. Imagine how surprised she is to find that her boss at her new job is the very same man from the bar. She finds out that he is David Martin and he is married --- albeit, not happily.Things get complicated when she bumps into, quite literally, a woman on the street one morning who she strikes up a conversation with. This young woman is attractive and comes across as very lonely. She confesses that there are some distance issues with her husband --- a Psychologist named Dr. David Martin. Louise is in quite a predicament as she had a brief 'thing' with David yet really likes his wife, Adele, and also is in need of a female companion to befriend.Of course, Louise does not let on to Adele that she had a thing with her husband --- and that relationship begins to flower well beyond a mere kiss. She is really torn because she truly likes Adele. Things get really sticky when Adele declares that she feels her husband is seeing someone else. Rather than ending both relationships, she continues to move forward with each. It turns out that Adele and Louise have a lot more in common than just being attracted to the same man. They share similar anxieties that include suffering from severe night terrors. Adele is able to teach Louise a trick that allows a person to take command of their dream state and literally have out-of-body experiences that helps to prevent the dreaded night terrors.As expected, things begin to spiral out of control, especially when Louise reads the case file David kept in his office on Adele. She has many problems outside of mere nightmares and is heavily medicated. Adele paints a picture of David being super controlling and keeping her in check by knowing where she is at all times and staying on top of her daily pill intake.To go any further threatens to risk letting out critical information so I will leave things at that. The style of BEHIND HER EYES follows the scheme made uber-popular by Gillian Flynn in her novel GONE GIRL, where each chapter is told from a different characters perspective and forces the reader to make the connections. If one, or more, of the narrators turns out to be unreliable it makes things that much more interesting. The twist, when it comes, is a doozy and one I did not see coming. The best twist I have experienced since the terrific novel by Clair Mackintosh last year entitled I LET YOU GO. Sarah Pinborough deserves to be a household name internationally and I trust that BEHIND HER EYES raises her to that illustrious status.Reviewed by Ray Palen

4 Crazy Frakking Stars.Oh My Gosh. What did I just read? I haven't the faintest idea! Crazy with a side of Tabasco thrown in? Something like that.And now for my review? I don't even know what to say. First, this book is bat-sh&t cray cray. Second, you must believe the hype people, it's real.So what’s the story? Louise, a single mother, is out one night having a drink – there she meets a man (David), whom she is immediately drawn to. The night is mostly innocent, though there is an instant connection. You know how it is. The next day Louise goes into the medical office where she works as a secretary and discovers that David is her new boss. And he’s married. Talk about uncomfortable. Later, while out and about, Louise meets his wife, Adele, and finds that Adele is absolutely amazing. Over time the two somehow become besties, all the while Louise carries on an affair with David and Louise just can’t choose between the two. AS IF. Thereafter, things become a little strange (RIGHT?!) and Louise gets drawn deeper and deeper into David and Adele’s crazy as heck marriage.As you might be able to tell, this is one crazy, compelling and totally compulsive read. I admit that towards the end, I snuck in time to read this whenever I could (at times when I should have been well, say - doing more productive things). Sarah Pinborough’s writing is suspenseful, gripping and full of life. Her writing can’t be confined, nor can it be perfectly presented in a pretty little package. It’s crazy, wild and totally out there. The characters are all consuming, I got so wrapped up in them - especially the character of Adele, that I felt like I couldn’t escape. And perhaps that was the point. At the end, my eyes flew open, I re-read the last few pages several times and thought I might have gone nuts, but alas, I’m only a little crazy (I think). It might have been one of the craziest, strangest endings I have ever read. But I think you all know that by now. You’ve read enough reviews. It is a WT-Frak ending. Nothing you have read will prepare you for it.And if you think for a second that you are going to figure this out, I just have one thing to say: You’re never going to get it - so just quit while you're ahead! Then again.. my GR “sister” Norma apparently figured it out (based on her splendid review), so maybe, just maybe you will actually be able to figure it out after all. Regardless, it is one insane ride and is well worth it. Recommended for anyone looking to be entertained.Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 8.18.17.

This was a good read through the book with an interesting twist in the end. However, I absolutely HATED the ending. It literally ruined the entire book for me.