The Man Behind Closed Doors

The Other Side of Domestic Bliss

By: Maria Frankland

Narrated by: Beruce Khan

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

What could be so bad that a six-year-old stops talking?

Domestic violence isn't only perpetrated by men. Ask Paul Jackson who is on remand, accused of stabbing his wife, Michelle. As he reveals his reality behind their troubled marriage, it seems that only his six-year-old knows what really happened. But she's trapped in her own world of silence.

©2020 Maria Frankland (P)2020 Maria Frankland

Finally a real perspective

I loved this book. As a victim advocate I highly recommend this book. The multiple ways that abuse was portrayed in this book are all unique and insightful. The narration was exactly what the content needed ! Highly recommend especially if you work in the DV field. Worth a credit.

Intense

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was an amazing book. I wasn't too fond of the narrator at first but eventually got used to him at around chapter 7 or so. This is a book filled with twists and turns with a shocker ending which had me floored. It's a frustratingly sad tale of depression, codependency and abuse. The characters were well created and I felt so much for them. It's a must read!

Diatribe Ahead

I'm required by law to state that I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for my unbiased review.

And my unbiased opinion is that this book had so much potential and didn't act on any of it.

I tried so hard not to write any spoilers, but...well...spoilers ahead. Consider yourselves warned.

I think it covers an important topic -- the topic of female perpetrated spousal abuse is an issue that doesn't get discussed very often. Perhaps if a man had actually written the book, it would have made a difference? Who knows? I was kind of invested in the story until the end. I feel like justice would have been better served if we didn't suffer through 10 hours of court hearings and flashbacks in order to prove the main guy's innocence only to find out that he did it afterall. Oops. Sorry. The story had a lot of weight about how because this character is a man no one takes him seriously and he is immediately blamed for killing his wife just because he's a man and women aren't usually the aggressors in domestically violent relationships, and the message that the system needs to change with regards to this topic is very powerful. But then the author killed it by making the battered husband the killer afterall. It smacks us in the face like the main guy's wife hitting him with her handbag. It couldn't have been either of the clearly psychotic people in the story. It had to be the battered husband. Really? Come on! The whole plot point about his daughter being the only witness gets lost in the mire of court testimonies and supposed twistiness. So much potential. So disappointed.

I liked it

It was a great story , dragged a little bit but still good read ! I liked it and think it definitely good to raise awareness to partner abuse and toxic relationships

A good suspenseful read

I was given a free code for this book by the author. An unexpected twist at the end. I didn’t see that coming. It was a good read, kept me guessing. Beruce Khan was great narrating this novel. I love when a reader narrates the book not straight read it. I like when they put voices to the characters. Reading this book led me to ponder how many men out there are facing domestic violence and afraid to talk about it. Regardless men or women, nobody should stay in a abusive relationship. If you like suspense I recommend for you to check this book out. You will not be disappointed. It’s a fast paced read. I will definitely read other novels by Maria Frankland.

A different point of view.

I always enjoy stories that use real life situations that a lot of people can’t or won’t acknowledge. This was a great picture of domestic violence from a man’s points of view.


"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Excellent story!

This is a look inside the mind of a man being abused by his wife. Very interesting tale.

Poor Paul

Wow, this was definitely an interesting and totally enjoyable audiobook. Poor Paul. And when it comes to DV, I can totally see the potential of this happening. With the #MeeToo movement. It just reinforced that woman have all the power. Then you have people *cough* Amber Heard *cough* and soft on crime prosecutors. And unless you have cameras following you around constantly, its a total he says, she says, thing. I could totally see why men wouldn't want to go to the police as well. Not being able to handle your own wife I'm sure would mess with a lot of guys heads.
But I don't want to say anything else and give anything away. I will say that I was surprised by the ending. I'm not sure what I thought happened. But I definitely wasn't expecting that. It was a good book. Kind of Law & Order vibes with the way it pops you back from the past and back to the RL court case.

A great story with mental health stigmatisation

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.*

Paul lived for many years in what you could call a troubled marriage. One day, his wife is found stabbed while the family was on holidays and he is accused of having perpetrated the act. He denies having done so at all times, and his daughter, a 6-year-old child, possibly the only witness, hasn't spoken a word since it happened.

I needed to know what would happen next and loved the plot twist this psychological thriller had.

The plot was interesting and engaging, the writing style did a great job for the genre and helped the listening experience enjoyable.

Regarding the characters, Paul and Alina's were spot on. However, I believe Michelle Jackson's mental disorder is featured quite differently from the way it really is. While Alina seems to suffer from a psychopathic personality disorder, Michelle, as I see it, is meant to be Borderline. Well, aside from being a psychologist, I suffer from BPD and this disorder is not as the book reflects. Our motives are not manipulative, we are not narcissists. I believe there's a confusion among these from the book, which actually made me feel uncomfortable and stigmatised on a few passages.

This would have been a 4.5 otherwise because I loved the rest of the features.

Beruce Khan did a pretty good job with the voices and intentions, allthough I believe there was something missing at times.

Very British

This very British novel could be categorized in part as psychological suspense, part as legal suspense and all about human relations. I'm not at all familiar with the British legal system and was surprised by a few things in this story, such as the lack of prohibition against double jeopardy and their seemingly shorter prison sentences. I was also disappointed by the ending, but despite all that, or maybe because of the "Britishness" of the story, I found it engaging and worth the listen. And Beruce Khan's competent narration gave the story authenticity.

Note: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.