Behind Closed Doors by Elizabeth Haynes + a Giveaway

Hi, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Elizabeth Haynes's latest, Behind Closed Doors. This is the second title in her Briarstone Major Crime series. If you haven't had a chance to read Under a Silent Moon, don't worry I won't spoil it. I am also offering up a copy of that series debut here for one of you lucky readers, so you can get started with the Briarstone team! Be sure to read through to the end to enter.

Ten years ago, a young English girl disappeared while on vacation with her family in Greece. Louisa Smith worked the case - one of her first. Most assume the girl died, but the fact that the case was never officially closed has weighed on Lou. Lou gets a second chance when that girl is found in a brothel raid, ten years after her disappearance.

Meanwhile, Lou and her team are already on a tough case of their own: one man has been hospitalized after being brutally beaten while another lies dead. The two cases are seemingly unconnected at first, but it soon turns out they may not only be linked, but that the cases might also tie into discoveries made during an investigation Lou and her team worked just one year ago. 

Behind Closed Doors is a really dark read. The narrative alternates between Scarlett and the investigators, giving readers a disturbing look inside the world of human trafficking.

Scarlett is just fifteen when she is taken. Her trip to Greece offered her a first taste of teenage love but Scarlett's home life is anything but rosy and she starts to see the trip as a chance for escape. Ultimately the reader learns that she chose to stay for the sake of her sister; there are dark secrets in their family story, secrets that are only revealed as the book progresses.

The secondary case, which does turn out to be not so secondary at all, takes a backseat to Scarlett's tale, to be honest. She's captivating! She's strong and her story is tragic, plus the twists that Haynes teases along the way really do drive the mystery.

I did enjoy the fact that there are some lingering issues with the previous case. It's not terribly important to have read Under a Silent Moon first, though you will be aware at least of who DIDN'T do it in that one based on Behind Closed Doors. Briarstone itself seems to be a town rife with crime, so I do hope that means more of Lou, Jason, and Sam to come!

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Elizabeth Haynes and her work, you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

And now for the giveaway! To enter to win a copy of Under a Silent Moon, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, April 13. US only please.

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