Behind Closed Doors - (Briarstone) Large Print by Elizabeth Haynes (Paperback)

About the Book

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.

Book 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.

From the Back Cover

Ten years ago, fifteen-year-old Scarlett Rainsford van-ished while on a family holiday. Was she abducted, or did she run away? 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 been found during a Special Branch raid on a brothel in Briarstone.

Lou and her Major Crimes team are already stretched working two troubling cases: nineteen-year-old Ian Palmer was found badly beaten and soon after, bar owner Carl Mc-Vey was found half-buried in the woods.

Review Quotes

"It's hard to put the uniqueness of Elizabeth Haynes' writing into words. Her stories grip you by the throat and force you to acknowledge that this is what real crime and real horror look and feel like, as well as real love, hope, fear. Suddenly, much of the other crime fiction you've read seems, in comparison, rather like stories made up by writers. Haynes is the most exciting thing to happen to crime fiction in a long time." - Sophie Hannah
"Haynes is a master at building tension to unbearable heights....The only breaks you're likely to take while reading will be to triple-check the locks on your doors and windows." - BookPage
Praise for Under a Silent Moon: "Should give puzzle fiends plenty to chew on." - New York Times Book Review
"Haynes deftly weaves together the instructional style of most police procedurals with a taut, suspenseful mystery. It's a captivating tale of jealousy, madness and murder that readers won't be able to put down." - Romantic Times BOOKclub, 41/2 stars
"Haynes debuts a promising procedural series featuring a strong lead character who could just become a genre stalwart." - Booklist
"An involving police procedural with a protagonist who agonizes about maintaining both a committed personal relationship and a demanding career." - Booklist
"Haynes pulls no punches.... the skillful police work and superb ending make the reading truly worthwhile. Mystery readers will want more Haynes!" - Library Journal
"Harrowing.... Vivid, unsparing prose.... helps make this a haunting, highly disturbing mystery." - Publishers Weekly
"If there's anything Haynes excels at, it's addictive, tension-filled reading." - BookPage
"You'll want to stay up all night reading Under a Silent Moon. Bestselling author Elizabeth Haynes assembles a cast of memorable characters in this gripping murder mystery that combines police procedure with romantic desire." - National Examiner
"The first in a series of police procedural mysteries that undoubtedly will significantly increase her readership while retraining those who have been with her from the beginning. . . . It's as impressive a book, in any genre, as you will read this year. . . . .And the ending will leave you breathless.? - Bookreporter
"[A] gripping page-turner." - Crimespree Magazine
"Like your novels racy? If so, this one will fit the bill? . . . A strong opening to what promises to be a strong series." - New York Journal of Books
"This is an edgy, suspenseful story that will keep you up late at night, but make sure your doors are locked." - Suspense Magazine