Catherine has been enjoying single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. But there is a dark side to him and his erratic, controlling and sometimes frightening behaviour means that Catherine is increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, she plans a meticulous escape. Four years later, struggling to overcome her demons, Catherine dares to believe she might be safe from harm. Until one phone call changes everything...
Into the Darkest Corner
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From its uncompromising prologue - a young woman being bludgeoned to death in a ditch - Haynes's powerful account of domestic violence is disquieting, yet unsensationalist. This is a gripping book on a topic which can never be highlighted enough. --Guardian
A very impressive first novel. The pain and frustration of OCD is brilliantly evoked and I winced every time Cathy embarked on yet another ritual. The contrast between Cathy's two lives is cleverly drawn and the hesitancy in her new relationship is very believable. This is a fantastic personal read with plenty for a reading group to discuss. --NewBooks Magazine
Within ten minutes I couldn't put it down. I've always said that I would never be caught in an abusive relationship, as I'd be out of it at the first sign of a problem but after reading this book I realised that it really isn't that simple. There's a superb picture of the burdens of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It's not enough to check once that the door is firmly locked. What if you didn't lock it properly? There's real dramatic tension in this book and when I got to the end the first thing that I did was to turn back to the beginning again. --The Bookbag
A tense and thought-provoking début novel with dark moments. Its portrayal of obsession is one that will send a shiver down your spine and you'll hope that you are never in that position. But don't look for a "pat" ending - it seems that things never end the way one hopes! This début novel by a police intelligence analyst is certainly well worth the read. --Shotsmag
Our South coast-based book group had been starved of a good book for a month or two, so it was with some excitement that we stumbled across the buzz on Twitter about Elizabeth Haynes' compelling debut novel Into the Darkest Corner. Thankfully starvation swiftly changed to gluttony when we got our hands on the book, as this is a compulsive thriller with sufficient twists and plot turns to keep the most action-avaricious of readers satisfied.
A very impressive first novel. The pain and frustration of OCD is brilliantly evoked and I winced every time Cathy embarked on yet another ritual. The contrast between Cathy's two lives is cleverly drawn and the hesitancy in her new relationship is very believable. This is a fantastic personal read with plenty for a reading group to discuss. --NewBooks Magazine
Within ten minutes I couldn't put it down. I've always said that I would never be caught in an abusive relationship, as I'd be out of it at the first sign of a problem but after reading this book I realised that it really isn't that simple. There's a superb picture of the burdens of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It's not enough to check once that the door is firmly locked. What if you didn't lock it properly? There's real dramatic tension in this book and when I got to the end the first thing that I did was to turn back to the beginning again. --The Bookbag
A tense and thought-provoking début novel with dark moments. Its portrayal of obsession is one that will send a shiver down your spine and you'll hope that you are never in that position. But don't look for a "pat" ending - it seems that things never end the way one hopes! This début novel by a police intelligence analyst is certainly well worth the read. --Shotsmag
Our South coast-based book group had been starved of a good book for a month or two, so it was with some excitement that we stumbled across the buzz on Twitter about Elizabeth Haynes' compelling debut novel Into the Darkest Corner. Thankfully starvation swiftly changed to gluttony when we got our hands on the book, as this is a compulsive thriller with sufficient twists and plot turns to keep the most action-avaricious of readers satisfied.
Haynes treats the subject matter of domestic violence delicately and with gentle self-assurance. And it's this theme that makes the book so suited to book group discussion, with our group having a lively debate over how we would react in the same situation. `I never thought that simple words on a printed page could create such fear that I'd be checking under the bed every night.' `Couldn't put it down.' `It's curious how a book that deals with obsession, can itself leave the reader obsessed.' But don't just take our word for it, Haynes has been selected as one of Amazon's Rising Stars for 2011, so hers is clearly a name to watch. --Bookgroup.info
Some books are unputdownable. Not many. A few. This one is one of them. It is an absolutely gripping story and from the very first page I was hooked and kept on reading to find out more. It is a story about domestic abuse and the awful consequences that it can have, how life is never the same again. Genre-wise it is somewhere between a mental disorder novel and a psychological thriller but mostly it is the last one.
--WickedWonderfulWords
'Check the locks on your doors and windows and surrender to this obsessive thriller.' --Karin Slaughter
'This intense, gripping account of domestic violence and its aftermath is utterly unputdownable. A stunning debut.'
--S J Watson
About the Author
Elizabeth Haynes is a police intelligence analyst. She started writing fiction in 2006 thanks to the annual challenge of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) and the encouragement of the creative writing courses at West Dean College. She lives in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son. Into the Darkest Corner is her first novel.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By Rowena Hoseason
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Told from the point of the view of a female victim, this first novel is utterly gripping, extremely well told and considerably more detailed and textured than the typical crime thriller.
The story seems to peer behind a typical local news story, the type of two-minute item which says that 'a man was sentenced to three years for assaulting his girlfriend' without going into any depth. In 'Into the Darkest Corner' Elizabeth Haynes has examined how a young woman could enter into a destructive, controlling relationship, and what might happen to her in the years after it ends. So far as the public is concerned, a trial and conviction might be the end of the matter, but for the protagonist of this book it's just part of her personal, horrible journey.
The narrative is split into two timelines which is a confusing device at first, but you soon become used to the action jumping between 'then' and 'now'. The plot and characters would have worked fine without using this slightly artifical style of writing, but the juxtaposition of the heroine's original character and behaviour alongside her current incarnation is artfully intelligent and underlines the catastrophic effect of the ordeal she has undergone.
The author's depiction of obessive-compulsive disorder is also masterful. For those lucky folk who have no neurosis or hang-ups, the description of the girl feeling forced to check, and re-check and check again that her door is secured should give some insight into what it's like to lose control over your own destiny, actions and intellect.
And if all that sounds very up itself and worthy, don't be put off in any way. 'Into the Darkest Corner' works on many levels -- it's a rip-roaring page-turner even if the psychological stuff doesn't ring your bells.... Read more ›
The story seems to peer behind a typical local news story, the type of two-minute item which says that 'a man was sentenced to three years for assaulting his girlfriend' without going into any depth. In 'Into the Darkest Corner' Elizabeth Haynes has examined how a young woman could enter into a destructive, controlling relationship, and what might happen to her in the years after it ends. So far as the public is concerned, a trial and conviction might be the end of the matter, but for the protagonist of this book it's just part of her personal, horrible journey.
The narrative is split into two timelines which is a confusing device at first, but you soon become used to the action jumping between 'then' and 'now'. The plot and characters would have worked fine without using this slightly artifical style of writing, but the juxtaposition of the heroine's original character and behaviour alongside her current incarnation is artfully intelligent and underlines the catastrophic effect of the ordeal she has undergone.
The author's depiction of obessive-compulsive disorder is also masterful. For those lucky folk who have no neurosis or hang-ups, the description of the girl feeling forced to check, and re-check and check again that her door is secured should give some insight into what it's like to lose control over your own destiny, actions and intellect.
And if all that sounds very up itself and worthy, don't be put off in any way. 'Into the Darkest Corner' works on many levels -- it's a rip-roaring page-turner even if the psychological stuff doesn't ring your bells.... Read more ›
373 of 384 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a rule I don't read crime or thrillers. It's not that I haven't enjoyed some (I have) it's simply that there's so much out there and only so much time. And I tend to be drawn to other genres.
However, I heard about this début on Twitter and I had to give it a go. I am SO glad that I did. It's fantastic. Many readers have said what a page turner it is, and I would whole-heartedly agree, but what makes this special is that we know from the outset that Lee is a bad 'un, that no good will come of Catherine's relationship with him, yet Haynes still manages to build almost unbearable tension as Catherine slips from good-time, confident girl to security obsessed, gibbering wreck and back again thanks to the love and concern of neighbour Stuart. Or does she?
The ambiguity of the ending was another thing I loved about this book. Just like the characters it felt real and all too believable. I've heard it said that many crime novels tie things up nicely at the end. That the bad get their just desserts and the good live happily ever after. And it is this deviation from the real world that lends them much of their appeal. With its first person, chatty narration, Into the Darkest Corner flows well and is easy to read. But it is not a comfortable read,and nor should it be. Prepare to be gripped, appalled and stunned. This is a fabulous début. Elizabeth Haynes has a crime convert in this reader. I look forward to her next.
However, I heard about this début on Twitter and I had to give it a go. I am SO glad that I did. It's fantastic. Many readers have said what a page turner it is, and I would whole-heartedly agree, but what makes this special is that we know from the outset that Lee is a bad 'un, that no good will come of Catherine's relationship with him, yet Haynes still manages to build almost unbearable tension as Catherine slips from good-time, confident girl to security obsessed, gibbering wreck and back again thanks to the love and concern of neighbour Stuart. Or does she?
The ambiguity of the ending was another thing I loved about this book. Just like the characters it felt real and all too believable. I've heard it said that many crime novels tie things up nicely at the end. That the bad get their just desserts and the good live happily ever after. And it is this deviation from the real world that lends them much of their appeal. With its first person, chatty narration, Into the Darkest Corner flows well and is easy to read. But it is not a comfortable read,and nor should it be. Prepare to be gripped, appalled and stunned. This is a fabulous début. Elizabeth Haynes has a crime convert in this reader. I look forward to her next.
150 of 158 people found the following review helpful
By Bookworm
Format:Paperback
Having felt a bit confused by the first three apparently unconnected changes in time, (over the first three or four pages) I suddenly realised how the time-shifts functioned and from then on I was utterly gripped by this wonderful thriller. I basically devoured it in two days, and then went back to read it a second time straight away, able now to take it more slowly and enjoy the crafting of the narrative, which is beautifully put together, and very clever.
I don't want to risk any spoilers, so won't talk about plot at all. You just need to read it. But be warned - at times this is a seriously scary book - if you read it late at night, do check the locks on the doors and windows before you settle down.
I don't want to risk any spoilers, so won't talk about plot at all. You just need to read it. But be warned - at times this is a seriously scary book - if you read it late at night, do check the locks on the doors and windows before you settle down.
44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By kehs
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is the best psychological thriller I have read in years. It kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. I have now got a long list of friends waiting to read this gripping story. At first, the time changes bothered me as it's not a style I am comfortable reading but after only a few pages I realised how well this was going to work for this book. What makes it so scary is that the plot line is a touch too realistic for comfort. The events in this book really could happen. Nothing seems to far fetched and it even brings in the topic of OCD in a very senstive and enlightening manner. The author made me care about the main character and continue to care long after I'd finished the book. Haynes really breathes life into all of the characters and I soon knew who I loved and who I hated - as well as who I was terrified of! A brilliant book and one I can't praise enough. I am definitely going to be looking out for more by Elizabeth Haynes.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Livergirl
Format:Paperback
I was looking forward to receiving this book after reading the other reviews and I was not let down. From the moment i picked it up I enjoyed every moment and finished the book last night wanting it to keep on going. I will look forward to reading the next book from the author. I would recommend this book without a doubt, its already made its way to my friends house.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad read
Not one of the most gripping books I've ever read but not bad, can't say I empathised with any of the characters.
Published 3 minutes ago by suzy50
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping
I didn't think I'd like this as graphic violence in first few pages but turned out to be a gripping story despite it's dark content. Read more
Published 1 day ago by SuzyQ
5.0 out of 5 stars
gripping Thriller
This book is fantastic, I literally could not put it down. The tale twists and turns, and is very well written.
Published 7 days ago by Hels Bels
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable read
Enjoyed this book, would recommend it.
Would certainly read another one by this author.
Good book to take on holiday.
Would certainly read another one by this author.
Good book to take on holiday.
Published 7 days ago by Maz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely amazing..
I'm not going to write about the characters as it wrecks the book for people all I'll say is it's the best book I've read in a long time very gripping till the end.. Read more
Published 7 days ago by leanemid
5.0 out of 5 stars
could not put it down until the end!
I read loads of books, many of them thrillers and more often than not my conclusion is 'good but not great, wouldnt really recommend it' but this book i have recommended to loads... Read more
Published 8 days ago by T. Laverack
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
An amazing and intriguing book. I oculdn't put it down ... and then I read it again. Very well written.
Published 8 days ago by Ms H Bovey
4.0 out of 5 stars
suspense aplenty
I really enjoyed this book. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It gives you an amazing incite into the life of an OCD sufferer. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Tracy Hibbert
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely compelling!!!
One of the darkest books I have ever read, I just couldn't stop being drawn in completely, an absolutely amazing book!!!
Published 9 days ago by Clare Griffin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, scary, edge of your seat stuff!
I was hooked as soon as I started reading this book. Very cleverly written set 5 years apart telling the story of how Cathy's life changed so quickly. I loved it!
Published 11 days ago by Lucy Koh
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