Into the Darkest Corner

By: Elizabeth Haynes

Narrated by: David Thorpe, Karen Cass

Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

AMAZON BOOK OF THE YEAR 2011

WINNER OF AMAZON RISING STARS 2011

AMAZON EDITORS' CHOICE BEST CRIME NOVEL OF 2011

LONGLISTED FOR CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER 2011

Catherine has been enjoying the single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic, spontaneous – Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.

But there is a darker side to Lee. His erratic, controlling and sometimes frightening behaviour means that Catherine is increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, and trusting no one, 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.

This is an edgy and powerful first novel, utterly convincing in its portrayal of obsession, and a tour de force of suspense.

©2012 Elizabeth Haynes (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"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.” (SJ Watson)

“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.” ( Bookgroup.info)

AN OCD IS STALKED BY A PSYCHOPATH

This is a real page-turner. If you like a good suspense story, you will want to read this one. For a first novel Elizabeth Haynes has written an awards winner. She handles dialogue like a veteran writer. Her choice of time technique to tie major strands of the plots together is effective and fits the elements of the story perfectly. It is especially well suited to portray the development of the psychoses of the two primary characters.

In addition to being a really good read (listen), it aroused my curiosity about the mental/emotional conditions suffered by Catherine and Lee. I knew almost nothing about OCD; I did not realize how painful and destructive it is. The descriptions of the behaviors of Lee raised questions read about too often in news reports about the impact of the constant high level of stress has on police officers and their families.

A good book poses questions, offers something to think about and entertains. This is a good book. Enjoy.

Intense

A debut novel so a first time author for me. It had great critical acclaim so I had to give it a shot. It was really intense, a page turner that was so intense you sometimes had to take a break from it. It was very sexually explicit. You'd hope there aren't really people like this in the world but i suppose there are. Will look forward to the next book by E Haynes.

Great Book!!!

I must admit the book was off to a slow start; however I am glad I hung in there. I was surprised by the ending and happy it ended the way it did.

Interesting and Suspenseful

STORY - I really enjoyed this book. The narration jumps back and forth between two timelines which are basically before and after a horrific attack on the main character, Catherine. It is easy to keep track of which timeline you are in because the characters and actions are so different, plus the narrator reads the month and year each time it changes. It's facinating to see party girl Catherine's life before the attack and watch the events unfold that lead to its occurrence, then switch to how her life has changed post-attack and how she fights to live a normal life. The biggest negative to this book is listening to her CONSTANTLY check the doors and locks (due to OCD) in the second timeline. While it's an important part of her personality, it doesn't necessarily make interesting listening time.

This book has romance but also some suspenseful and painful moments. It is an easy book to listen to -- you don't have to worry about hearing every single detail or trying to keep tons of characters straight in your mind. Good book to clean house or run some errands.

NARRATORS - I don't know why they used two narrators the way they did in this book. Most is read by a woman with a very charming Scottish(?) accent. The male voice is only a tiny bit at the beginning and then a little at the end of the book for the trial segments. While it was nice to hear a male voice for the lawyers and the judge, it was strange to hear the voice of Sylvia read by a man when throughout the rest of the book she had been read by a woman. Whatever, the narration was good so not a big deal.

OVERALL - This story has romance, suspense and an interesting perspective of someone who has been through a violent crime. A little tedius for the first few hours but worth it in the end.

good read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, highly entertaining

What other book might you compare Into the Darkest Corner to and why?

Which scene was your favorite?

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Any additional comments?

on the edge of my seat !

Best I have listened to for a while

This had me gripped from beginning to end. I loved the way the author built the story, the characters, and gradually ramped up the suspense. Very believable story and highly recommended.

Graphic book that sheds light on abusive relationships

I've always been curious about this book and did not know much about it. I knew it dealt with an abusive relationship but I had no idea how graphic it would truly be. It's definitely a page-turner...a psychological thriller that will have you leaning on the edge of your seat.

It's very Tarantino-ish with the book starting with a court case. This all takes place in the U.K. It jumps back and forth from Kathy in 2003 to Kathy in 2007. We see a huge difference in her. The 2003 Kathy is carefree and wild while the 2007 Kathy is paranoid and OCD. The OCD was hard to listen to at times because it is so tedious but it helped the reader understand what prison the OCD can be. Kathy meets a man that will change her life forever in 2003. She is gradually stalked, controlled, isolated, and abused. You seriously want to upper-cut her friends because they don't believe her instincts about him are true. The man is sick and completely obsessed with Kathy. He thinks what he did to her was love.

The author did a great job of making me feel Kathy's emotions. I felt like I was right there with her! I felt so hopeless and depressed myself. Definitely an awesome book!

I loved every minute

The portrait of an abused woman is so perfect. The mental and emotional abuse being worse even than the physical. Unprovable. Something that stays with you forever. And she didn’t take the easy way out. No victim blaming. Really great. And a great read in the current climate especially if you don’t have a good picture of what abuse really looks like. How pernicious and pervasive it is. And how leaving isn’t an option. Really a great thriller but I would argue a great novel all around. Not literary fiction but certainly well developed story and characters.

Super

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kept me doubting until the very end. I was never quite sure which character to align myself with. One obviously wants to believe the heroine but her OCD compulsion, alongside the paranoia, leaves you doubting her grasp on reality. I kept waiting for the reveal that everything is in her mind. On the flip side, all her compulsions can be explained by the horrendous occurrence in her past. Is it all real or isn't it? I will leave that for you to discover.

Will make a great, scary movie when it comes out!

It's interesting to note that Elizabeth Haynes is (was?) in law enforcement, lending more veracity to the chilling story of a young woman in the grips of PTSD. Her penchant for detail allows us to see into the interiors of the bars, houses, and along the cold English shore woven into this thriller--most definitely cinematic. Although the novel is suspenseful, some of the characters are simply foils for the main character, Cathy, who struggles with debilitating fear. Having just recently been robbed while I was asleep in my home, the whole "what was that noise?" really resonated with me. Frightening.