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)

Its Good.

What did you love best about Into the Darkest Corner?

I loved the way Elizabeth Haynes really takes you into the mind of Kathy.

What did you like best about this story?

Though I could foresee many of the events, there were surprising and exciting twists.

What does David Thorpe and Karen Cass bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Karen Cass and David Thorpe surprised me very much. Karen Cass made Kathy so innocent and sweet and really made her come alive for me. Plus the accents rocked.

Any additional comments?

I will listen to this selection again for sure.

Way Too Long!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe, I found that I didn't really care about the characters near the end.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I thought it was very disappointing. Could have been much more suspenseful leading up to the ending. Naomi definitely could have been brought into the story line more then she was, and Lee could stop crying. There were too many sex scenes, which is not nesscessarily bad, but I think the author used them as filler.

Would you listen to another book narrated by David Thorpe and Karen Cass ?

Yes definitely.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not sure.

Any additional comments?

I think the author got the OCD characteristics perfectly.

Being paranoid doesn't protect you.

What made the experience of listening to Into the Darkest Corner the most enjoyable?

I like the way the main character took charge of her life, although I'm not too sure about the later romantic ending, which didn't seem realistic.She would be more likely to go to India and start am organization to rescue abused women.

Have you listened to any of David Thorpe and Karen Cass ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to any.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If a film were made, I would wish that the main character were a realistic, not overly beautiful woman. I'm tired of movies where the actor for the female detective has obviously been chosen for her beauty.

Haunting and engrossing story

Who was your favorite character and why?

A fascinating story that shows how a woman becomes involved in a horribly abusive relationship. This story also shows the development of OCD in a realistic way

Intense!!!

Loved this. The author is brilliant at building tension. The story is told alternately in two time frames and tension builds in both, so there is little relief. Confronting, scary, sad, brave.

The reader is excellent, too. Easy to listen to, gently spoken and voice characterisations terrific.

I couldn't put this down.

So much better than I expected!

Fantastic character development. The fast switches from past to present were easy to follow. I was so proud of the main character’s gradual progression out of her OCD prison, and fascinated by her “checking” routines in the beginning.
I’d have liked to know more about Lee’s past, and Sylvia’s story from “then” to “now” — but it didn’t really matter for understanding and enjoying the book.
Will be eagerly looking for more by this author!

Geez!

Like a lot of fellow “reviewers” I felt the first 1/3 of the book was a bit of a challenge stay interested in. But I hung in there and it was well worth it! The next 1/3 was really good. I couldn’t stay away from my air pods at work! Had to keep on the story. Really enjoyed it. But there did come a point near the end where I felt like “okay...enough is enough, let’s start this thing up! Let’s go! I’m ready for the inevitable action to unleash itself!” and it did. So all in all the only thing I can say I didn’t like about this book was it took a tiny bit too long to really kick in the end scene. The suspense “carrot” was left dangling a little too long just out of reach! Lol. I would def recommend those book though for those looking for a good/smart/moving piece of work that will keep you engaged. Great job by the narrators well. A real superstar performance. She was perfection for this read, and I’d never hesitate to chuck a credit at another book from this author/narrator collab. Fun book!

Fell flat

This book has all the makings for an amazing story. I was extremely interested then it just fell flat. It had all this build up that went no where.

Truly a masterpiece in suspense

What a page-turner! I loved this book when I read the print version years ago, and the audible version is just as good. The storyline is original, the characters are well-defined, and the suspense is palpable. Makes me wonder why I wasted so much time on far-fetched tales about missing kids who turn up again years later.

Disappointing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

First half really dragged, and moved back and forth between two time periods so quickly that it was hard to become engaged with either narrative. I almost stopped listening but the second half picked up a bit

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Predictable ending

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Nothing

Do you think Into the Darkest Corner needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No