The Dilemma: A Novel

by B.A. Paris

Overview

A woman's birthday party takes a dark turn in a poignant, heart-stopping new novel from the reigning queen of suspense, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back.

“A heartbreaking page-turner that will have you up at night reading just one more chapter.” —Catherine Steadman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water

“The phenomenal B. A. Paris has done it again! I devoured The Dilemma in one sitting—it grabbed me from the very first page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Secrets, guilt, shame and heartbreak—this story has it all in spades.”—Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman

Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.

Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he's learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250151377
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	95,040
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

B.A. PARIS is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, Bring Me Back, The Dilemma, and The Therapist. Having lived in France for many years, she and her husband now live in the UK. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher, and she has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Editorial Reviews

A USA Today Bestseller!

One of Bustle's "Most Anticipated Horror Novels and Thriller of 2020"

One of PopSugar's "New Thrillers and Mysteries to Look for in 2020"

One of BuzzFeed's "17 New Thrillers You Need to Add to Your Summer Reading List"

A New York Post "Best Book of the Week"

“Paris constructs an unusual and compelling premise and masterfully maintains suspense about what happened and when it will be revealed. A breathtaking story, nearly impossible to put down.”—Booklist (starred)

“[An] evocative drama. Welcome to B.A. Paris' dilemma. It's the kind of book you can read cover to cover in one sitting, eager to see how the characters' impossible choices play out.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“A heartbreaking page-turner that will have you up at night reading just one more chapter.” —Catherine Steadman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water

“The phenomenal BA Paris has done it again! I devoured The Dilemma in one sitting—it grabbed me from the very first page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Secrets, guilt, shame and heartbreak—this story has it all in spades.”—Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman

“An all-encompassing, tightly plotted novel of psychological suspense.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Riveting, groundbreaking and absolutely compelling. The brilliant BA Paris explores new psychological territory in this irresistible thriller about impossible decisions, wrenching loyalty, and heartbreaking loss. Do not miss this!”—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The First to Lie

“A powerful, beautifully crafted story that ratchets up the tension with every page and packs a huge emotional punch.” —T. M. Logan, author of Lies

“A beautifully written story of love and loss which will stay with me.”—Louise Jensen, author of The Sister

“BA Paris is a mistress at tapping into fears you didn’t even know you had. This is a poignant, thoughtful family tale with a difference.”—Jane Corry, author of My Husband’s Wife

From the Publisher

03/30/2020

Destructive secrets abound in this maddeningly melodramatic psychological thriller from bestseller Paris (Bring Me Back). Adam Harman is busy preparing for his wife Livia’s 40th birthday party, an event for a hundred guests under a marquee tent in their backyard in Windsor, England. Adam is expecting their 19-year-old daughter, Marnie, who’s studying in Hong Kong, to make a surprise appearance at the party. But as he and 22-year-old son Josh set up chairs and choose a playlist, Adam learns that Marnie may have died in a plane crash in Cairo. His quandary is whether he should tell Livia and ruin her evening’s happiness. Livia, on the other hand, has discovered a highly personal fact that Marnie has withheld from both parents. Does she tell Adam and affect his relationship with Marnie? The novel bounces back and forth between guilt-ridden lies and deceitful behavior, such as Livia’s betrayal of Adam. By the end, the reader is likely to feel frustrated by a psychological thriller that withholds information for far too long. Debilitating circumstances aren’t enough to excuse egregious behavior of reprehensible characters. 150,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Camilla Bolton, Darley Anderson Agency (U.K.). (June)

Publishers Weekly

05/08/2020

Paris's fourth novel takes place over 24 hours in the life of Livia and Adam, a long-married couple with two grown children. Livia's 40th birthday party (planned and paid for by her) is a substitute for the dream wedding she missed out on owing to an unexpected teen pregnancy. Paris gives us a snapshot of Adam and Livia's seemingly perfect life, with alternating chapters narrated by each spouse. The big dilemma is that they both have a secret they aren't telling the other. The story's unfolding is excruciatingly slow. Unfortunately, Livia and Adam are rather shallow characters without much backstory, and they come across as immature adults who are playing house. The two grown children are flat, especially daughter Marnie. The secondary characters seem to meld into one another, and it's hard to keep track of who is who. VERDICT Paris's latest is not her usual thriller fare. Fans excited to read the next edge-of-your-seat suspense, such as Paris's The Breakdown will be disappointed with this sad family drama that combines frivolity and tragedy. [See Prepub Alert, 12/9/19.]—Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park H.S., MD

Library Journal

Be prepared to stay awake listening to this heartbreaking, suspenseful audiobook. When is it okay to keep secrets? How do we protect those we love from news that will change their lives forever? The story is told in the first person from the alternating perspectives of husband and wife Adam and Livia, voiced by Peter Noble and Elizabeth Eyre. Their narration perfectly matches the themes and emotions of the story. It all begins with Livia's fortieth birthday celebration—a party to make up for the wedding reception they never had. Livia and Adam are both keeping secrets—some exciting, some devastating. As the night unfolds and truths come out, everyone is forced to confront their actions and deal with the consequences. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Be prepared to stay awake listening to this heartbreaking, suspenseful audiobook. When is it okay to keep secrets? How do we protect those we love from news that will change their lives forever? The story is told in the first person from the alternating perspectives of husband and wife Adam and Livia, voiced by Peter Noble and Elizabeth Eyre. Their narration perfectly matches the themes and emotions of the story. It all begins with Livia's fortieth birthday celebration—a party to make up for the wedding reception they never had. Livia and Adam are both keeping secrets—some exciting, some devastating. As the night unfolds and truths come out, everyone is forced to confront their actions and deal with the consequences. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

2020-03-29
A woman plans—and experiences—the long-awaited 40th birthday party of her dreams. But to ensure the party is a success, both she and her husband have decided to keep unexpected news from each other that will derail their lives.

Neither Livia nor her husband, Adam, are perfect. Over the decades of their marriage they have both hurt each other, but despite this, they still love each other. Married quickly in a registry office as teens because of Livia’s unexpected pregnancy, their planned futures derailed 23 years ago as parenthood and manual labor replaced their individuality and chances to go to university. Because her dreamed-for over-the-top wedding didn’t take place, Livia began saving money to have the perfect 40th birthday party as a substitute. But 20 years into the planning and six weeks before the party she finds out something she fears will end the comfortable life she and Adam have established with their two grown children, Josh and Marnie. So she decides to keep it a secret until the party is over. And the day of the party, Adam finds out something devastating that could not only destroy their lives if it is true, but could also needlessly ruin the party Livia has been planning for so long if it isn’t. So he decides to keep quiet until after the party. This is a novel told almost entirely in hourlong chunks during the course of that day, alternating between Livia's and Adam’s points of view. Author Paris grapples with the question of whether it's love or selfishness that keeps half of a couple from sharing bad news immediately with the other half and whether or not it's deceptive to do so. While the complicated, interlocking nature of Livia and Adam’s social circle might present an overwhelming amount of detail to absorb at the start of the book, clarity comes quickly and is crucial to understanding the story.

An all-encompassing, tightly plotted novel of psychological suspense.

Kirkus Reviews