Into the Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes

[Luanne Ollivier]

Well, last week I gave you a title I thought you should add to your must read suspense list this summer. I'm sorry, but you'll have to add Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynesto the list as well - it's a remarkable debut novel and a  fantastic edge of your seat read!

The book's prologue opened with a court transcript that piqued my interest. Mr. Brightman is being questioned about his relationship with a Miss Bailey.

Into the Darkest Corner is told from two time periods 2003 and 2007. It took me few pages to work out that the two time frames are told from the viewpoint of the same person - Catherine Bailey in 2003 and Cathy Bailey in 2007.

In 2003, Catherine is a young, full of life woman who meets Lee, a bar doorman, one night. He seems like the perfect catch - attentive, good in bed, handsome, thoughtful and more. But, in 2007, Cathy is tormented by extreme anxiety, panic attacks and OCD. She can't stop checking her doors, windows and locks. What in the world happened between then and now? Maybe Lee wasn't quite the catch he seemed to be.....?

Haynes employs a highly effective technique, unravelling the two stories in alternate chapters. The danger in 2003 is insidious, slowly building towards a climax, with the tension ratcheting up and up.  I liken it to a scary movie at the theatre. I wanted to yell at Catherine 'NO, trust your instincts - get out of there!' In 2007 Cathy is struggling to cope with life when.........

Into the Darkest Corner does deal with quite serious subjects. Haynes does an insightful job in depicting obsessive compulsive disorder and domestic violence.

I never read other reader's reviews until after I'm finished my own. I was honestly surprised to find there were many readers who did not like the book. I myself found it to be a riveting psychological thriller that kept my interest until I turned the last page. (Actually I had a hard time not skipping to the end midway through just to see what happened)  Into the Darkest Corner was Amazon UK's Best Book of the Year for 2011 and film rights have been sold.

See for yourself - read an excerpt of Into the Darkest Corner.

"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." You can catch up with Elizabeth on Facebook and on Twitter. 

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