Despite its turns, twists, and surprises, this isn’t all that complex of a tale once viewed from afar. But that’s not a putdown; with a barebones cast and the all-consuming focus on the mysterious and bizarre Layla, Paris does a respectable job of standing out in the growing crowd of emulators ... Bring Me Back is one of those unputdownable books that disquiets you even as it draws you in. At times, it’s hard to swallow—and yet you won’t be able to walk away.
...an outstanding Hitchcockian thriller ... Paris plays fair with the reader as she builds to a satisfying resolution. Fans of intelligent psychological suspense will be richly rewarded.
Paris knows how to keep us in the seat and our eyes glued to the page. Bring Me Back sets its own pace of creeping suspicion, denial, a good re-think, then circling back to rampant suspicion ... A small cast, a small setting, few choices in suspects as to the who and why narrows your focus and this will rachet up the tension for the reader who will pile it onto every character encountered ... Bring Me Back is a fast and enjoyable beach read ... Definitely a one trick pony though.
Perhaps the most glaring disappointment of this book for a crime fiction reader will be its utter lack of tension and suspense. At the core of this story is a mystery that, the more I read of it, the less I could figure out exactly why it was a mystery to begin with ... Unfortunately, the plot device central to Bring Me Back became tired for me, and it became tired fast ... Bring Me Back> must have one of the most frustrating and unsatisfying conclusions I’ve ever read ... Perhaps one of the strangest pieces of my reading experience was just how quickly it took a turn for the worse; I actually was thoroughly enjoying the book’s first section, until Part Two arrived and totally derailed the reading experience.
Although Paris seeds the tale with plenty of clues, the denouement takes a turn that will stretch the reader's credulity to the limit, and beyond. Far-fetched fare.
