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)

EXECELANT THRILLER

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

This is the best thriller I have ever listened to. Of all the best writers of our day this book by Elizabeth Haynes puts them to shame. I wish this book could be put on the top of everyone's list of must reads.

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

I could not stop listening on the edge of my seat clear through the entire book. As an avid reader I have not had a book keep me engaged so thoroughly as this story. I will listen to this book many times again. I wanted to jump right into the book and take part in the story.

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

Karen Cass does an amazing job portraying this woman's story. David Thorpe comes in only when needed which is perfect.

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

Prepare yourself to forget the popcorn and soda as you will be in the movie yourself.

Any additional comments?

I just picked this book out of thin air but I wish I could tell everyone that loves thrilling books to read this one.

Best of the genre

Hands down one of the very best of the Psycho Boyfriend suspense novels I've ever read. I love that the protagonist is not a fragile flower: on the contrary, she is a wild, somewhat troubled but life loving hell-raiser brought to her knees by a psychopath, putting the lie to the idea that women trapped in such relationships are weak. The evolution of the relationship from loving to diabolical is completely believable, as is the buildup to the inevitable confrontation. Thumbs up.

You go through it all

Very realistic and a great reader. Sometimes getting so thoroughly into someone else's head is just as tedious as being in my own though :-)

favorite book this year

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

This book was captivating! It moved a little slow through the first half but I couldn't put it down near the end. The reader is fabulous, she pulls you right into the story. Language is a bit harsh but if you don't mind that, it's an awesome thriller.

Doomed by lady narrator

This might have been a good story, but I was so annoyed with the British accent of the lady narrator I couldn't tell. Between all the "meselfs" and "don't they now"s I could hardly focus on the plot at all. And frankly, I think Catherine was the world's most stupid character - it was like watching a bad horror movie where you know the girl is going to get killed if she goes down in the basement but she goes down in the basement anyway! I might try looking at this one in print and might like it better. Am just amazed at the difference narration can make.

This is my second British one this month. Audible staff - we aren't all from London! How about cutting back on the British narrators?

Intense!

The author slowly builds tension till I was almost crawling out of my skin! Excellent! Narration was fabulous!

I wanted it to go on

Would you consider the audio edition of Into the Darkest Corner to be better than the print version?

Yes I would as I can listen to the story whilst doing other things. The reader was excellent and managed to capture the intensity of the story.

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

The explanation of the panic the main character experienced. Very realistically told.

Which scene was your favorite?

I'm not into violence but the description of the scene where Lee was beating her up made my blood run cold and made me realise this actually happens to some poor females.

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

Only one of panic for Kathy to get away from Ian.

suspend your disbelief

You'll need to suspend your disbelief and accept how absurd some of the events in the story were .

Couldn't stop listening

Great story. I didn't want to stop listening and then when I was done I wished there was more.

Amazing - Fantastic

This was a real "page-turner" as they say although of course I was listening to it. The narrator is first rate. I felt like she could have been in my living room telling me about her life. That's how good she was and how real it seemed as she was relating the story. I highly recommend this book.