Into the Darkest Corner (urspr publ 2011; utgåvan 2011)

2nd reading ( )

Not enough angst for me. Definitely a whirlwind between past and present story. I sighed in relief when both finally coincided. It was great she earned herself back but I want to feel gritty in the end. So it was an okay read but a slight disappointment.

BLURB: Catherine has been enjoying the single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous – Lee seems almost too good to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.
But Lee’s erratic and sometimes controlling behaviour makes Catherine feel increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, she plans a meticulous escape.
Four years later, and struggling to overcome her demons, Catherine dares to believe she might be safe from harm. Until one phone call changes everything…
This is a dark, disturbing and extremely accomplished first novel from Elizabeth Hayes.

REVIEW : The book opens with in May 2005, with a transcript of a scene set in Lancaster Crown Court. Lee Brightman is giving evidence against Catherine who he says had some emotional problems and was violent towards him. He confesses he did hit her, once in ‘self defence’. At once we have a sense of how their relationship ended. The author then cleverly weaves Catherine’s story between two timeframes: her time with Brightman in 2003/4 and later in 2007/8.

Catherine, pre Lee, is vivacious and outgoing and anything but a victim and her descent into a life abuse and isolation is shocking and so believable. She is reduced to a lonely, terrified woman with OCD and PTS, constantly in thrall to her checking the security of her home and restricting her life. As a reader you engage with Catherine right from the beginning as she talks about her compulsive need to check the locks on the door to her flat over and over again whilst acknowledging how ridiculous it is.


Gritty, tense, compulsive reading, you actually can feel your anxiety grow as you read certain passages and you have no idea how this will end. The pacing is superb with the author slowly building a feeling of unease, tension and suspense until you are almost as wound up as Catherine.
This is an edgy and powerful first novel, utterly convincing in its portrayal of obsession, and a tour de force of suspense.

One of my books of the year ( )

This was one of the best books that I have read in awhile. I think it was even better as an audio. The author gave us a great look at what a person with OCD lives through. It was a bit confusing at first due to it going back and forth from past to present but after about an hour or so it all fell into place. Definitely more of a psychological thriller than a mystery. HIghly recommended. ( )

This is me being happy discovering this book!


Picked this up last night. I was reading a book about serial killers. it was good but for me a lot of repetition because I've read so many books about them. Then I checked my kindle and decided to look at this book. Well I started reading and was immediately engrossed in it. Could not put it down. Very interesting way to have 2 story lines about the same woman, in different time periods. I am even reading during the day! (Normally I only read when I go to bed) Very much liking it.
Oh and before I forget, as I said before,I am an avid true crime reader, but even I was a bit shocked at the way she wrote about a woman dying while her lover is standing there,waiting for her to die. Wow!

Update 2. Love love loving it! What a great read. Read about 83% and I do not want it to end.

Update 3: Finished it 2 days ago. 28-12-2012.

There are so many great reviews written about this book, I can't surpass that and do not want to.

What I can do is tell you how much I enjoyed it.(see my first 2 updates ;) )
It was good to really want to read not only while in bed,but during the day because I was so enthralled with this book. Does not happen often enough.

To sum it up. The suspense is very slowly build, but not annoyingly slow. I love the way Elizabeth Haynes writes and really enjoyed the way this book was told. (as I mentioned before, in 2 timelines but by the same person).
Why I am not giving it 5 stars is because of the end.You will find out yourself when you pick up this book. After reading it you really expect even more at the end.
I highly recommend it! ( )