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Book Summary and Reviews of Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

Into the Darkest Corner

A Novel

by Elizabeth Haynes

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2012, 416 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

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

But what begins as flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic, controlling behaviour becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine - now Cathy - compulsively checks the locks and doors in her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbour, Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may still be possible ... until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee’s impending release. Soon after, Cathy thinks she catches a glimpse of the former best friend who testified against her in the trial; she begins to return home to find objects subtly rearranged in her apartment, one of Lee’s old tricks. Convinced she is back in her former lover’s sights, Cathy prepares to wrestle with the demons of her past for the last time.

Utterly convincing in its portrayal of obsession, Into the Darkest corner is an ingeniously structured and plotted tour de force of suspense that marks the arrival of a major new talent.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. A harrowing psychological thriller … A terrifying and convincing portrayal of an abusive relationship and a damaged woman’s heroic attempts to recover from it." - Publishers Weekly

"A chilling page-turner." - Booklist

"Haynes clearly intends this to be a tale of female empowerment, but it's really just another revenge fantasy. And the ending, which dangles the possibility of a sequel, is a cheap shot. Effective, in an ugly sort of way." - Kirkus Reviews

"Starred Review. The characters are real, and the dramatic tension created by Catherine's painful efforts to heal keeps readers tightly engaged." - Library Journal

This information about Into the Darkest Corner was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Cloggie Downunder

a brilliant debut novel
Into The Darkest Corner is the first novel by British author, Elizabeth Haynes. In 2003, personnel manager Catherine Bailey is confident and carefree, with a full but somewhat risky social life that involves copious drinking and sexual promiscuity. In 2007, Cathy Bailey is frightened and withdrawn, crippled by the OCD rituals she follows to keep her emotions under control, to keep the fear and panic at bay.

In October 2003, Cathy meets a somewhat mysterious but totally gorgeous man named Lee. He’s closed-mouthed about his job, but charms her friends, and as she gets involved with this enigmatic figure, a man who can be loving and vulnerable, but also rough and controlling, her life changes in major ways.

The gripping tale is told in an alternating narrative that switches between the two timeframes: dates are clearly marked so that it is easy to distinguish the “when” of events. There are also two court transcripts that explain certain incidents. Haynes gives the reader a riveting plot with a twist or two, several nail-biting climaxes and some bombshell revelations that will have them gasping.

The story touches on stalking, PTSD, sexual assault, domestic violence, and the devastating effects of those skilled in manipulation and psychological terror. OCD is very realistically described. It is impossible not to feel empathy with the main character, despite her occasional unwise choices, and impossible not to cheer her on as she gains control of her life. This brilliant debut novel is a page-turner with a chilling ending.

Kathleen

Slow build
I finished this in two days. The author revealed what happened to Cathy in the past slowly but not so slowly that it became frustrating. She was simultaneously ratcheting up the tension in the present. It was an excellent thriller and I look forward to her next book.

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Author Information

Elizabeth Haynes

Elizabeth Haynes is a police intelligence analyst. She started writing fiction in 2006 with 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.

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