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)

If you enjoyed Gone Girl.......

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

Got this book based on a review from another Audible member.
It got me through an entire day of painting, enjoyably!
Well worth the listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Read this book!

Hard to read yet a page turner

Well written and well portrayed by the narrator(s). Rarely do I lose track of time but I found it difficult to stop listening. I like that her recovery wasn't rushed and wasn't easy, but wish there was a more definitive ending. I presume the author didn't want complete closure.
Lynda

Terrifying tale of domestic violence

Audible enticed me to try this mystery novel, saying if I loved Gone, Girl, I'd enjoy Into the Darkest Corner.

Gone, Girl still remains the most shocking mystery novel I've ever read (and I've read/istened to more than I can count). I've yet to find a mystery that beats it -- yet some come close to being nearly as good, and Into the Darkest Corner is a goodie. Is great, actually -- five-star rating, especially for the performance by narrator Karen Cass.

Cass gives voice to Cathy, the victim, both the confident Cathy that came "before" and the Cathy who, well .... don't want to give any plot spolilers away here. Listeners need to learn Cathy's fate for themselves.

Excellent and chilling story

Would you listen to Into the Darkest Corner again? Why?

Yes, I'm sure I'll listen to it again in the distant future. I found the story really compelling, and the fact that this kind of thing happens in life made it somehow scarier.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot kept me engaged from the first minute. Though we already knew certain things weren't happen, I still kept hoping against all hope that they would. The heroine in this story is thoroughly sympathetic, and this was the first time I felt like I could really understand how somebody could get sucked into an abusive situation. The leaps between present and past also kept the pace really fast.

Audio version made this book...

I can see that many of the negative reviews were from those who actually read the book & struggled with all of the dialogue, but the narrator did such a fantastic job with the audible version, you should give it a shot! I love the way the dark elements were balanced with humor, and although it’s not a “whodunit” It still kept me intrigued. Katherine was so endearing… I felt for her but she also made me laugh out loud. This reminded me a lot of Lisa Jewell’s books, and I am a huge fan of hers.

Almost too scary!

I'll admit - I had to turn this off at one point because I was just too scared to go on. In the end, I persevered because it was a good story. I felt the psyche of an abused woman was well portrayed. Less so for the antagonist, but still there was insight as to why a person would act like that. I also learned something about OCD, which I had never thought could be caused by an event, but it makes sense. There were some poorly edited moments, where you would hear the reader shuffle papers and clear her throat - I guess the editor droned out for a bit and it did put a hiccup in the story line so I gave the performance 3 stars for that, not for the reader, she was fine. All in all an enjoyable listen and worth my credit and time.

I was hooked!!

Would you listen to Into the Darkest Corner again? Why?

I would listen to this story again, I couldn't seem to quit listening.

What did you like best about this story?

She was a normal girl, could have been any of my friends and she got in over her head! But she persevered and kept going.

What about David Thorpe and Karen Cass ’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to each of the readers

Psychological journey into the Darkest Corner

Where does Into the Darkest Corner rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right up near the top.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into the Darkest Corner?

The ending ... a relief!

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

Not familiar with the narrators.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was captivated, completely involved and ultimately relieved.

Any additional comments?

Very different from my usual choice of books, but excellent!

Glad I downloaded it.

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

I listen to this book while I clean the house - I actually get excited to clean the house now so I can listen. I love the narrator and I love the story,

Loved it!

I totally enjoyed the writing style which flipped back and forth from the past to present day. The author created a great deal of suspense - we know something bad happened to the heroine but never learned details until much later into the story. The british accents of the narrators were most delightful and I don't think I would have enjoyed the story as much had I simply read it.