Into the Darkest Corner: A Novel

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 Darkestcorner is an ingeniously structured and plotted tour de force of suspense that marks the arrival of a major new talent.

When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can't believeher luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost tooperfect to be true.

But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sextransforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee's dazzlingblue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbedby his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turningto her friends for support, she's stunned to find they don't believe her. Increasinglyisolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperateCatherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is tryingto build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma ofthe past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor,moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hopeand the possibility of love and a normal life.

Until the day the phone rings . . .

“Check the locks on your doors and windows and surrender to this obsessive thriller.” - Karin Slaughter, author of Fallen

“Gripping.” - The Guardian

“Fantastic.” - Newbooks Magazine

“This intense, gripping account of domestic violence and its aftermath is utterly unputdownable. A stunning debut.” - S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep

“A chilling, page-turning read, which charts domestic violence without flinching and portrays OCD with insight and compassion.” - Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister

“Chilling.” - The Book Case, 20 summer standouts

“A gripping psychological thriller....A terrifying cautionary tale of modern relationships.” - Miami Herald

“Gripping….A compelling first novel.” - Jeff Ayers, Associated Press

“In this violent, gripping suspense novel, a woman with obsessive compulsive disorder lives in fear of her unstable, stalker ex-boyfriend.” - Wall Street Journal

“A sexy psychological thriller…. Anyone looking for a suspenseful read this summer at the beach, pick up Into the Darkest Corner.” - John Searles, Weekend Today Show

“A highly suspenseful and cleverly-crafted psychological thriller….Haynes masterfully teases out the disturbing details, which involve a Jekyll and Hyde boyfriend. If you’re a fan of cinematic showdowns you won’t be disappointed, but it’s also the quietly powerful moments in Haynes’s narrative that resonate.” - Erin Kodicek, Amazon.com

“This mind-bending thriller will give you chills as you follow a young woman who is trying to escape her ex-boyfriend - and her own demons.” - Cosmopolitan

“Harrowing.” - New York Times Book Review

“A scary and superbly written debut thriller.” - Library Journal, 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, starred review

“A chilling page-turner.” - Booklist

“Gripping psychological thriller. . . . Haynes puts the reader into Bailey’s mind and the result is a grim, dark and extremely difficult story. The feelings of isolation and helplessness ooze off the page. . . A compelling first novel.” - Associated Press

“Verdict: This chilling debut take of obsession will keep readers awake late into the night.” - Library Journal, Additional Review, Summer Reading Feature

“A tour de force début novel that is both creepily disturbing and yet beautifully rendered.” - Sam Millar, New York Journal of Books

“Unforgettable.” - Kathleen Heady, Deadly Suspense magazine

“Haynes is a master at building tension to unbearable heights, and her thorough and thoughtful exploration of the psychological fallout of abuse adds a unique layer to the story….Into the Darkest Corner is a terrifying thriller.” - BookPage

“Into the Darkest Corner is a gripping page-turner that will suck you in from the first scene and not let you go you until it reaches its stunning conclusion.” - Chevy Stevens, author of Never Knowing and Still Missing