DNF

This was an engrossing psychological crime thriller that was hard to put down. Unusual in that you know who the culprit is from the opening prologue which is a transcript of his trial but still utterly "edge of the seat stuff". I've often wondered how women get sucked into these abusive relationships and why they can't leave. Well this book shows you exactly how it can happen. The characters are very cleverly developed. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with the author at the end of the book. Just great for my crime fiction writers' group.

This book starts out a bit slow, but is such an excellent portrayal of both anxiety disorders and domestic abuse. I didn't want the book to be over.

This was a good book. I really liked the ending of the book, which can be iffy with a book that had a pretty typical plot. While the story was not the most unique, it was good and it was well-written. This story moves back and forth between the past and the present. At the start of the book, we have Lee on the witness stand defending himself and saying that he did not beat Cathy. From there, the next chapter we see how Lee and Cathy meet, and then we also see her in the following chapter with very bad OCD, and it is well after the trial.

At first I was confused with the book because I didn't pay attention to the dates at the header of each chapter, but once I realized what was happening, it went much easier. The suspense was good, and I thought it was interesting how Cathy was dealing with (or sometimes not dealing with) her OCD. Overall, good, but not too scary.

a pior coisa que pode acontecer a uma mulher.

I wouldn't normally read a book about domestic violence but saw great reviews for this book and thought I'd read it. It's quite a gripping tale about how a controlling relationship gets worse and worse and leads up to more and more shocking scenes shapes the future of a young woman's life. The book jumps back and forth between the past and present, keeping the reader enthralled at what's happening at both timelines and wanting to know what happens next. The protagonist develops severe OCD as a result of the experience, and the book was very interesting on many levels. The book got especially interesting and gripping towards the end when it leads up to the final scene of domestic violence and also shows how her story shapes up at the end. I would really recommend this book.

Into The Darkest Corner is about the life of Catherine Bailey. Everything seems to be ordinary, until the day she met the charismatic, handsome, and irresistibly sexy Lee Brightman. Their chemistry was undeniable: they are both crazy for each other, great sex, and all a young woman like Catherine could ask for a man. Even Catherine’s friends think she’s lucky to have Lee as a boyfriend. But that’s all they know because what seems to be a perfect pair in the eyes of an outsider has turned into a possessive, controlling, and abusive relationship Catherine fights to escape from. Lee, the perfect and enigmatic man, had morphed into a monster who constantly stalks, rapes and beats Catherine to death. Worst, no one believes her – not even her best friend.


Four years later, now that Lee is locked behind bars, Catherine had moved into a new city for a fresh start. But every day she fights for freedom while suffering traumatic repercussions from her past.


Fair warning: there is brutal description of physical abuse throughout the book. If you’re a faint of heart, you might want to consider this before reading Into The Darkest Corner.


The author, Elizabeth Haynes, is successful in capturing the intensity of the story by alternating chapters between Cathy’s past and present day. As her relationship with Lee unfolds, we also get to see how she copes every single day with PTSD and OCD. The way Haynes wrote Catherine’s trauma was so bold and right on: the need to check inside her apartment before leaving for work, and other numerous paranoiac things she does in public are just downright freaky. It’s scary to think the burden of trauma she acquired from the abuse.


The transformation of Lee Brightman’s character – from a protective, and caring man to a crazy, dangerously possessive creature - was carefully crafted as the story unfolds. On the other hand, Cathy had found an upright companion with Stuart Richardson, a psychiatrist who moved into the same apartment building as hers. At first I didn’t trust this guy, much less as Cathy considered him nothing more than an inconvenience to her daily OCD-ish rituals every day. I guess my over skepticism is to blame for this. I didn’t trust anybody in this book until at least when I got into the middle part. And I mean it the best way.


As I move along with the story, like any ordinary reader does, I tried to think of a possible resolution. I’m glad it didn’t turn out the way I expected it. Overall, Into The Darkest Corner was intense and thrilling. You wouldn’t understand me fully until you see for yourself.