Behind Closed Doors by Elizabeth Haynes…Blog Tour Stop & Review

Synopsis:

An old case makes Detective Inspector Louisa Smith some new enemies in this spellbinding second installment of New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Haynes’s Briarstone crime series that combines literary suspense and page-turning thrills.

Ten years ago, 15-year-old Scarlett Rainsford vanished while on a family holiday in Greece. Was she abducted, or did she run away from her severely dysfunctional family? Lou Smith worked the case as a police constable, and failing to find Scarlett has been one of the biggest regrets of her career. No one is more shocked than Lou to learn that Scarlett has unexpectedly been found during a Special Branch raid of a brothel in Briarstone.

Lou and her Major Crime team are already stretched working two troubling cases: nineteen-year-old Ian Palmer was found badly beaten; and soon after, bar owner Carl McVey was found half-buried in the woods, his Rolex and money gone. While Lou tries to establish the links between the two cases, DS Sam Hollands works with Special Branch to question Scarlett. What happened to her? Where has she been until now? How did she end up back here? And why is her family–with the exception of her emotionally fragile younger sister, Juliette–less than enthusiastic about her return?

When another brutal assault and homicide are linked to the McVey murder, Lou’s cases collide, and the clues all point in one terrifying direction. As the pressure and the danger mount, it becomes clear that the silent, secretive Scarlett holds the key to everything.

My Review:

Behind Closed Doors is the second book in author Elizabeth Hayes DCI Louisa Smith series and the first of author Hayes’ work I’ve read. While this is, in fact, a book centered around the victim of human trafficking, and obviously a bit dark, I did enjoy it quite a bit.

We follow the ten-year journey a young girl, Scarlett, who was taken away from her family while vacationing in Greece. What follows is the mystery and story of a young woman being trapped in a very dark and dangerous world with no way out for those ten years and her sudden and unexpected return.

Of course, there were clear hints that all was not as it had appeared within Scarlett’s home life and that even though she was in the awful world of human trafficking, it wasn’t as though she had been taken from a world of warmth and love. I was kept on the edge of my seat, waiting to get the bottom of why this girl had returned to her hometown, after being missing for ten long years, but had no desire to see her mother and father. She did, however, share a close bond with her sister and I was hoping the two girls would have a nice reunion. Of course, with things not as they seem within the family, things will get worse before they have a chance at getting better…if at all possible.

The story also mirrors the current investigation into Scarlett’s return and the detectives working to get to the bottom of where she had been and hopefully will result in some arrests and rescues of other woman being held against their will. These detectives are pretty amazing, excelling at their careers while possessing big hearts and the gift of being able to deal with the most fragile of victims. I really enjoyed reading the two sides simultaneously. It added a nice layer to the book.

I went through many emotions while reading this story. I was anxious and sickened by what women go through every day in this very real situation. I was filled with emotion and worry for Scarlett and wasn’t sure there was any way she could have a normal life again. Through reading her journey, and having suspicions that her childhood before she was taken wasn’t ideal, I knew there would be one hell of an ending and I wasn’t disappointed. Up until the very end I was kept on the edge of my seat and I loved the amount of suspense that was written into the situations.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you’re a fan of mystery and suspense, this is a book I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Thank you, Ms. Haynes, for an emotional and thrilling read!

Four Loves

 Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

About Elizabeth Haynes

Elizabeth Haynes is a police intelligence analyst, a civilian role that involves determining patterns in offending and criminal behavior. Dark Tide is her second novel; rights to her first, Into the Darkest Corner, have been sold in twenty-five territories. Haynes lives in England in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son.

Visit her at elizabeth-haynes.com, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.