Editorial Content for Behind Closed Doors

I’ve been waiting for this one. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is the follow-up to last year’s UNDER A SILENT MOON. It was with that book that Elizabeth Haynes broke form after a series of stand-alone crime thrillers and began what is now known as the Briarstone crime series. Briarstone is the patch, if you will, of Louisa Smith, who heads up the town’s Major Crime squad. It is evident within the first few pages that this is a book worth waiting for and one that, impossible as it may seem, surpasses its predecessor, which was one of the best mystery novels of 2014.

Lou and Major Crime begin BEHIND CLOSED DOORS behind the eight-ball. They are working two disturbing cases consisting of a murder and a brutal assault that may be connected. The murder victim is Carl McVey, a bar owner with some possible ties to the criminal element. His body was discovered partially buried in a wooded area with his valuables gone, apparently taken by his killer. The assault victim is a younger man named Ian Palmer, who also is reputed to be involved with a troubled element. There are few clues in either case, which makes it all the more distressing when one of Lou’s cold cases from a decade ago suddenly rears its head.

"BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is amazing from beginning to end. I kept waiting for the story to flag or lose energy, or for my jaded self to lose interest. None of that ever happened."

Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Rainsford had been on a family vacation in Greece when she suddenly vanished. Lou, who was a DC in Major Crime at the time, was charged with investigating the case and flew to Greece, only to run into numerous dead ends, not only from the Greek police but also from the missing girl’s family, whose behavior was considered odd, to say the least. Scarlett was ultimately presumed to be dead, and the case languished. When it is learned in the present that Scarlett is not only alive, but also working in a brothel in Briarstone, the news is electrifying.

To make matters more interesting, there appears to be a direct link between Scarlett’s present circumstances and a murder that Lou has been investigating (one that is an unresolved plot thread from UNDER A SILENT MOON). Thanks to some flashbacks that alternate with the narration in the present, the reader learns early on, through information released in excruciating dribs and drabs, how Scarlett happened to go missing.

In the present, though, Lou’s colleague, Sam Hollands, attempts to gently coax Scarlett’s story from her. There are many questions to be answered. Where has Scarlett been all this time? Why is the reaction of Scarlett’s parents to her somewhat strange and certainly unexpected return so...unusual? As Lou’s different investigations progress, another violent assault and homicide occur that appear to be tied to the earlier incidents and, against all odds, to Scarlett’s situation as well. As the cases seem to be on an all-but-inevitable collision course, Lou will uncover truths and lies that have lain dormant for years.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is amazing from beginning to end. I kept waiting for the story to flag or lose energy, or for my jaded self to lose interest. None of that ever happened. Haynes keeps the story complex, but expertly guides readers through the thicket, providing enough revelations to keep everyone happy until the next installment. Jump on this series now, as you will want to catch up with it sooner rather than later.