Behind Closed Doors [Mass Market Paperback]

Natalie R. Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2007

For twenty years, they had been closer than sisters, sharing girlhood secrets, their hopes and dreams for the future--and a soul-searing promise. Melissa was the only one who knew what had really happened to Jannie beyond the sacred walls of the Mormon Temple the night that changed her life forever….
 
UNTIL HER BEST FRIEND VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE.
Now Melissa has gone missing, just days after entrusting Jannie with a mysterious box that someone would kill to possess. And someone has--leaving in their murderous wake an innocent victim and a trail of blood that leads to the heart of Jannie's hidden burden. Desperate to protect her secret, and to find out what has happened to Melissa, Jannie trusts no one. Not the stranger whose piercing green eyes have already seen too much, nor the family and friends whose familiar fold may be shielding a cold-blooded killer who is lurking
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Intense, suspenseful…page-turning."--Allison Brennan, author of The Kill

 

"A riveting look at the very heart of contemporary Mormonism."
--Cornelia Read, author of A Field of Darkness
 
"Dark, powerful…[a] searing tale of one woman's search for justice."
--New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner on Wives and Sisters

 
"An intense, suspenseful, character-driven mystery that I couldn't put down. Collins expertly weaves a journey of self-acceptance with a page-turning mystery….A gripping story from the chilling opening to the startling conclusion."--Allison Brennan, author of The Kill 
 
"With Behind Closed Doors, Natalie R. Collins doesn't just treat readers to a taut, compelling mystery, she gives us a riveting look at the very heart of contemporary Mormonism. This book is not, however, fired by an apostate's anger, but rather by one pilgrim's bittersweet search for true justice, faith, and community in the wake of her own brutal loss of innocence."--Cornelia Read, author of A Field of Darkness

From the Back Cover

SHE TRUSTED HER BEST FRIEND TO KEEP A SCANDALOUS SECRET…
For twenty years, they had been closer than sisters, sharing girlhood secrets, their hopes and dreams for the future--and a soul-searing promise. Melissa was the only one who knew what had really happened to Jannie beyond the sacred walls of the Mormon Temple the night that changed her life forever….
 
UNTIL HER BEST FRIEND VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE.
Now Melissa has gone missing, just days after entrusting Jannie with a mysterious box that someone would kill to possess. And someone has--leaving in their murderous wake an innocent victim and a trail of blood that leads to the heart of Jannie's hidden burden. Desperate to protect her secret, and to find out what has happened to Melissa, Jannie trusts no one. Not the stranger whose piercing green eyes have already seen too much, nor the family and friends whose familiar fold may be shielding a cold-blooded killer who is lurking
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
 
 
"A riveting look at the very heart of contemporary Mormonism."
--Cornelia Read, author of A Field of Darkness
 
"Dark, powerful…[a] searing tale of one woman's search for justice."
--New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner on Wives and Sisters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312934866
• ISBN-13: 978-0312934866
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #809,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have eight published books, several others in various stages of publishing, and am currently working on my next one... or two... or three.

The next one out will be TIES THAT BIND, from St. Martin's Press. Set firmly in the closed Mormon world, it promises a twisting plot and a surprise ending.

I have dabbled in both dark suspense and cozy mysteries, and am happy to be able to work in both genres.

I have also written for Penguin Putnam, Thompson Gale and BPP. I do not have a thing for the word "Sister." I promise. A lot of my titles just kind of turned out that way. Maybe it's branding, and maybe it's eccentricity.

Or both.

Visit my Web site at:
http://www.nataliercollins.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riviting from page to page, January 4, 2007

By 

Calista Cates (Florence, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Mass Market Paperback)

Collins has woven an incredible plot with living, breathing characters into another fascinating read.

Jannie Fox has survived rape, the betrayal of her birth religion, and betrayal by her family for the last five years by living in an emotional dead zone. Five years as a shadow of the once vibrant person she was. Five years spent hiding from her self, five years dedicated to helping women survive their abusive relationships. But with the disappearance of her best friend, life has suddenly become three-dimensional, surround-sound, techno-color and now Jannie Fox is running to stay alive.

The Salt Lake City Police Department and Detective Colt Singer are determined to get to the bottom of Melissa's disappearance. Is Colt Singer the man to relight Jannie's heart when Jannie's ex-fiancé wants her back? Can the Salt Lake City Police stop Jannie's childhood friend Michael Holt, Melissa's husband, and bring him to justice? Will you be able to unravel the twist and turns of Jannie Fox's life and the Mormon Church? You'll never know until you read Natalie Collin's latest masterpiece Behind Closed Doors from St. Martin's Press.

Apparently I can't pick up a Natalie Collins book without being mesmerized. From the prologue to the epilogue Collins weaves a tale that sucks you into the storyline with smart dialogue, a twisted - devious plot, and very human characters - characters who live in your memory long after you read the last word and close the book. Make sure you buy Behind Closed Doors because you'll definitely read it more than once. I did.

Calista Cates-Stanturf

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved IT!!!, January 28, 2007

By 

KDBower - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Mass Market Paperback)

Natalie Collins can easily draw the reader in to what the main character is feeling. I cannot adequately describe how much I loved reading this book. I easily finished it in a day.

Regardless of what some may say, the religious aspects of the book are not the main story line and it is not an expose of Mormonism. The religion is really more like a setting.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous romantic thriller, January 14, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Mass Market Paperback)

She grew up in the Mormon faith believing in its tenets until the night her fiancé Brian raped her in the temple. The bishop says both contributed to the rape as Jennie wore provocative clothing and let things go to far; and he should have had the strength to not give in to temptation. Unable to believe the bishop's "words of wisdom" she walked out on Brian and never returned to a temple or a church.

She counsels abused and is fearful when she learns her best friend Melissa disappeared. The two women along with Michael and Brian were childhood friends until she left her fiancé, but kept close connections with the other two. Jeannie doesn't want to believe Melissa is dead even though all evidence points to Michael killing her. The more she digs the close she comes to getting murdered from a killer who is determined to keep his identity a secret.

This is a chilling thriller that exposes the dark side of religious extremism and intolerance. Even though the heroine walked away from a religion that she now believes treats women as second class chattel, she feels guilty that she no longer accepts the Mormon faith that was her bedrock as a child and teen. The characters are believable and the pace swift and action packed while the romantic sub-plot between the lead detective on the case and the heroine adds spice to a fabulous romantic thriller.

Harriet Klausner