The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods. It was on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, and a woman was sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm, and she probably would have been hurt herself if she’d stopped. Not only that, her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing. Where she left the car; if she took her pills; even the alarm code.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

And the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

Kindle Edition, 337 pages

Audiobook 9 hours, 25 minutes

Published March 1, 2019

 by St. Martin's Press

3/5 stars

This was my first time reading a book by this author. The Breakdown started with an enticing scene that had me hunkering down as I listened to the audiobook. I also had the Kindle version and alternated while not driving.

Like I said the opening scenes really grabbed my attention.  A dark stormy night, deserted country road until it wasn't, the guilt Cass feels for not stopping...I was feeling the vibes.  But then it lost a little momentum. It got bogged down with repetitiveness as Cass feels like she is losing her mind. Since her mother passed away after having dementia diagnosed while young, Cass feels she has inherited this trait. Cass also feels guilt for not helping the woman stranded on the side of the road though that is her little secret that keeps eating away at her thoughts, thus creating tension within.

It wasn’t until the last quarter that things really picked up, it became an addicting read that I had to finish before retiring for the night.

The Breakdown is a story of inner demons, tragedy and mystery. Is Cassie really losing her mind or is something else to play?

Like I said I listened to the audio for most of this book and I’m glad I went that route, I think if I read I might have given up at the halfway point.

The audiobook was obtained through CloudLibrary with the Kindle via the publisher, St. Martin Press