Review - Behind Closed Doors by Elizabeth Haynes

Book summary

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 - 3 star

I was looking forward to reading another by Elizabeth Haynes as Into the Darkest Corner is one of my favourite reads period, one I recommend often.  I was disappointed by this one.  It is the 2nd in a series and usually I would start from the beginning but the 1st didn't intrigue me, so I will say, that may have been a mistake but I didn't feel like I missed out on anything.

I enjoyed the character of Scarlett and was really disappointed at the ending, I felt like why did I go on that journey with Scarlett for it to end like that.  And also the ending with her sister we knew as a reader but it just all came to an end and I didn't feel fulfilled as a reader after the whole story.  I wonder if Elizabeth Haynes changed the story from her initial plan towards the ending.  Never getting the parents story, especially the dads was a let down.

Ten years of hell, Scarlett lived ten years of hell when she was taken and put into a life of prostitution.  When she is found and meets her mom again, what a shocker, punch in the gut reunion.  "I haven't forgotten, you know.  I saw you.   I saw you."  Kindle 38%  Can you imagine seeing your mom when you are being thrown in a van.  You would believe you would be saved and then nothing, ten years of nothing and then not even a sorry.  "Sometimes you make mistakes.  And if you don't own up to them, sooner or later they turn into bigger mistakes and bigger ones, and then you can't admit to them at all, ever."  Kindle 89%  This family was dysfunctional on a level of hate, I had nothing for the parents and understand the ending but still felt like something was missing, I needed closure.

The drug, human trafficking, crime groups case the police were trying to take down was a separate story which didn't engage me and this may have been from book 1.  The style of adding evidence is usually quite entertaining and makes me feel like part of the investigative team.  I thought this was worthless and didn't add to the readers enjoyment, also adding to the book being longer then necessary.

There were characters I enjoyed but overall this one just did not work for me, very disappointed.  I enjoyed the ten year timelines then coming together at the end, that was executed well.  It only gets a 3 because I completed it without skimming.  I would have went back to book 1 if I really enjoyed this one, but I won't now.