This is a new book from one of my favorite thriller authors. An innocent looking app in your phone to spice up your love life. For Abby and Brendan Hollander everything went really well in the beginning. Then they started receiveng tasks that made things menacing and complicated.

This book really opened my eyes to the dangers of social media and all the smart appliances you can link to your personal account. Your apps are watching and listening. I've witnessed it more than once, when after a coffee table conversation I start getting weirdly specific ads on my feed. No one reads all of the terms and conditions of apps and technology that they use.

This was a thrilling roller coaster ride with lots twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for a copy of this book ( )

Abby and Brendan have been married a long time and are stuck in a rut. Determined to save their marriage, they agree to see a counselor who asks them about their sex life. Admittedly, things have gone a bit stale in that department, so she recommends the hottest new app: Sugar and Spice. It’s a sort of truth or dare for adults with a points system that first puts Abby and Brendan playfully at odds. They’re competitive by nature and each wants to hold the high score. Many sugars and some hot, hot spices later, their marriage might not be fixed but their sex life is turbo-charged.

Cut to the killers. It wouldn’t be a JD Barker novel without some twisted sadist, so what motivates Romeo and Juliet to check off names on a hit list gleefully? And what does it have to do with Abby and Brendan?

When the Sugars and Spices take a nasty twist, Abby and Brendan want out, but it’s too late. Sugar and Spice isn’t for quitters.

JD Barker has written a steamy and terrifying novel about couples, the bonds forged from adversity, the dangers of technology, and the power of greed. I couldn’t put it down! What starts as an R-rated story about a couple ended up being a fast-paced thriller with a tech twist. If I wanted to turn in my virtual assistant devices before Behind a Closed Door, I’d gladly donate them all now. Highly recommended for readers who don’t mind their thrillers extra spicy. I especially loved the Author’s Note at the end. JD “made the words” and I’m so glad he did.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and JD Barker for the ARC of Behind a Closed Door. ( )

Behind a Closed Door by JD Barker is a well written look at our use, and often dependance, on apps that we haven't done our due diligence in understanding. This is also a book I didn't enjoy as much as I think I could have.

I chose the higher rating because it is a good book, just not for me. One of my criteria is what I loosely call gratuitous action, whether of violence, sex, or anything else. Before anyone gets upset, I think where we all draw these lines is different, so what I call gratuitous you may not. I happened to find more such scenes here than I felt were necessary to move the plot along and instill the suspense and tension. When I'm reading a scene and I'm thinking "I get it, move on," it has reached that point unless the scene ends up presenting some new element of tension. Too many here did not.

For those who simply enjoy such scenes even if they serve little purpose, you will love this novel. The premise is very good and even with the unnecessary embellishments (I guess even writers have to put in their own kinks to make the process enjoyable) the story is effective. I enjoyed thinking about the story a lot more than I enjoyed reading it.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )