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Elizabeth Haynes
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Never Alone Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Haynes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 1,873 ratings
Elizabeth Haynes' new psychological thriller is a brilliantly suspenseful and shocking story in which nothing is at it seems, but everything is at stake.







Sarah Carpenter lives in an isolated farmhouse in North Yorkshire and for the first time, after the death of her husband some years ago and her children, Louis and Kitty, leaving for university, she's living alone. But she doesn't consider herself lonely. She has two dogs, a wide network of friends and the support of her best friend, Sophie.







When an old acquaintance, Aiden Beck, needs somewhere to stay for a while, Sarah's cottage seems ideal; and renewing her relationship with Aiden gives her a reason to smile again. It's supposed to be temporary, but not everyone is comfortable with the arrangement: her children are wary of his motives, and Will Brewer, an old friend of her son's, seems to have taken it upon himself to check up on Sarah at every opportunity. Even Sophie has grown remote and distant.







After Sophie disappears, it's clear she hasn't been entirely honest with anyone, including Will, who seems more concerned for Sarah's safety than anyone else. As the weather closes in, events take a dramatic turn and Kitty too goes missing. Suddenly Sarah finds herself in terrible danger, unsure of who she can still trust.







But she isn't facing this alone; she has Aiden, and Aiden offers the protection that Sarah needs. Doesn't he?
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  1. Print length
    377 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Myriad Editions
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    28 July 2016
  6. File size
    2.1 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

Review

"Haynes is one of those "just one more chapter"; all-night-reading writers. Her acute understanding of human nature under stress is delicious, her plotting ingenious and trustworthy. Never Alone is a terrific book."; - Alex Marwood

"A masterclass in suspense. The final chapters are the most sublime I've read in ages. So brilliantly tense."; - Clare Mackintosh

"I knew from the first page that Never Alone was going to grab hold of me and not let go and I was right. The tension and intrigue ramp up throughout the book, right until the final terrifying moments."; - Rachel Abbott

"A tale of love, jealousy and obsession. The characters crept under my skin more and more as the story unfolded, revealing layers of intrigue and mystery and finishing with a climactic ending. A superb rollercoaster of emotions."; - Mel Sherratt

"Atmospheric and beautifully written - impossible to put down. I tore through it, gripped all the way to the pulse-pounding ending. Brilliant."; - Mark Edwards

"A gripping and tense story that had me on the edge of my seat. A grown-up version of Into the Darkest Corner, this story is full of lust, suspicion, mistrust, desire and guilt. An exceptional psychological thriller."; - Tracy Fenton, THE Book Club

"Haynes doing what she does best cleverly, subtly weaving the terrifying into everyday life. What makes it all the more chilling is that this could happen to any one of us."; - Lisa Cutts"Haynes is genius at finely tuned suspense. Never Alone frayed my nerves and gripped me from the start."; - Lesley Thomson

"A thrilling, atmospheric, creepy and unsettling page-turner."; - Sam Carrington

"Full of menace, and dead sexy."; - Ava Marsh

"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 s acute understanding of human nature under stress is delicious, her plotting ingenious and trustworthy. This is a terrific book."; - Alex Marwood

"I tore through it, gripped all the way to the pulse-pounding ending. Brilliant."; - Mark Edwards

"Haynes is genius at finely tuned suspense. Never Alone frayed my nerves."; - Lesley Thomson

"A superb rollercoaster of emotions."; - Mel Sherratt

"All the more chilling because it could happen to any one of us."; - Lisa Cutts

"Full of menace, suspense, and dead sexy."; - Ava Marsh

"A sublime masterclass in suspense."; --Clare Mackintosh

About the Author

Mark Meadows is a British actor with extensive theatre, film and TV credits. He is a frequent contributor to plays, musicals, narrations and readings for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Mark has narrated around 80 audiobook titles and was a nominee for the 2013 Audible Narrator of the Year award. He also provided the voice of the ship’s computer in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.

Elizabeth Haynes is a police intelligence analyst. She started writing fiction in 2006 thanks to the annual challenge of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) and the encouragement of the creative writing courses at West Dean College. She lives in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son. Her first novel, 'Into the Darkest Corner', was the winner of Amazon's Rising Stars and has been translated into 30 languages. Her second novel, 'Revenge of the Tide,' was published in March 2012.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01GUJMCXW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Myriad Editions
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 28 July 2016
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ UK ed.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.1 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 377 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1908434975
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 1,873 ratings

About the author

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Elizabeth Haynes

Elizabeth Haynes

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Elizabeth Haynes worked for many years as a police intelligence analyst. Her debut novel, Into the Darkest Corner, won Amazon's Book of the Year in 2011 and Amazon's Rising Star Award for debut novels.

Elizabeth grew up in Sussex and studied English, German and Art History at Leicester University. She now lives in North Norfolk. Elizabeth is a regular participant in, and a Municipal Liaison for, National Novel Writing Month - Nanowrimo - an annual challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
1,873 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise this psychological suspense novel for its excellent tension-building plot with thrilling twists. The book receives positive feedback for its writing quality, with one customer describing it as a brilliant debut novel. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it fast-paced while others describe it as dull drivel. Character development also gets mixed reviews, with some appreciating the great characters while others find them one-dimensional and boring.

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60 customers mention ‘Plot’42 positive18 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of this psychological suspense novel, praising its excellent storyline and thrilling twists that build tension throughout.

"...I just loved this-it was psychological suspense perfection and a 5* page turner from beginning to end. Buy it now!!!!" Read more

"...The book really builds the tension and I loved the characters of Sarah’s two dogs, each of them had their own characteristics and became part of the..." Read more

"...the writing was flawed, the characters were boring and the storyline was predictable...." Read more

"...That is the case here. This terrifying, suspenseful psychological thriller, set in a remote village on the Yorkshire moors, will have you turning..." Read more

54 customers mention ‘Readability’46 positive8 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a brilliant debut novel.

"...to be able to tell you that this is pretty much one of my top 10 books for 2016!..." Read more

"...is still a very good psychological thriller and one that I enjoyed reading very much...." Read more

"This was ok but I would struggle tor cognise it as the work of the author who wrote Revenge of the Tide or Into the Darkest Corner...." Read more

"...2011, Elizabeth Haynes's latest novel, Never Alone, is another brilliantly crafted and well-written standalone psychological thriller in which..." Read more

33 customers mention ‘Writing quality’30 positive3 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as a masterpiece and brilliant work by Elizabeth Haynes.

"...Overall Never Alone is a solid read with great characters and plenty of tension. Enjoy!" Read more

"...Never Alone, is another brilliantly crafted and well-written standalone psychological thriller in which Haynes explores human relationships and..." Read more

"...but is done so brilliantly and really fit the character of Aiden...." Read more

"...Well, that was how I read this book. I expected a great read from Elizabeth Haynes, having read and loved all her previous books...." Read more

28 customers mention ‘Pacing’10 positive18 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it fast-paced while others describe it as dull drivel.

"...is much weaker - the protagonist in this is weak and uninteresting. A shame." Read more

"...Not only that, it has overtaken Into The Darkest Corner as my newest favourite Elizabeth Haynes novel!..." Read more

"...The story is slow to start but gets better after a while but even so, I really didn’t like this book...." Read more

"...Some of the most beautiful settings make for the scariest stories. That is the case here...." Read more

18 customers mention ‘Character development’12 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book, with some finding them great while others describe them as one-dimensional and boring.

"...Elizabeth Haynes just has a natural knack of writing realistic characters in settings that the majority of us can relate to...." Read more

"...The characterisation is much weaker - the protagonist in this is weak and uninteresting. A shame." Read more

"...The book really builds the tension and I loved the characters of Sarah’s two dogs, each of them had their own characteristics and became part of the..." Read more

"...but is done so brilliantly and really fit the character of Aiden...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Jojomaman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just BRILLIANT!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Having been a huge fan of Elizabeth Haynes since her first book Into the Darkest Corner, I was hugely excited to discover that Never Alone was going to be a new standalone novel. Although I have enjoyed her DI Louisa Smith novels, I much prefer the darker depths that she plunges whilst exploring those human desires and the deviance that cut across the normality of relationships. So even though I have a TBR list as long as the journey to the sun (and back again!!) I bought myself a copy to take on my summer holidays. Praise indeed so far as I only tend to take authors I really trust on holiday with me (please all form an orderly queue for the Canaries early next year!) So I am pleased to be able to tell you that this is pretty much one of my top 10 books for 2016! Not only that, it has overtaken Into The Darkest Corner as my newest favourite Elizabeth Haynes novel!

    Told in alternate points of view by Sarah, a widow living in an isolated farmhouse in North Yorkshire and Aiden, her old university friend who is renting the adjacent cottage and who has only recently returned from working abroad. It isn't long before their previous history spills over into their current situation and concerns Sarah's friend, Sophie, and family friend, Will. Sarah also has adult children Louis and Kitty but there is a breakdown in communication between mother and son. The tension is built up slowly and surely and the isolation of Sarah's home combined with the onset of wintery weather conditions really has a stomach clenching effect as it builds up to a stormy crescendo. And there are dogs!!!!! Putting them into the mix meant I was a nervous wreck from the very first page! Further more, adding an anonymous narrator at break points throughout also added a malevolent tension to the plot development so that I was pretty much on the edge of my seat (sunlounger!) for the majority of this book.

    Elizabeth Haynes just has a natural knack of writing realistic characters in settings that the majority of us can relate to. I had such a clear visual image of Four Winds Farm in my head and that local village could be any that we pass through day after day. Sarah and Sophie felt as real to me as my own friends are and I lived through every emotion with them.

    I feel it's fair to warn that there are some quite erotic and sexually charged scenes here which are pretty relevant to the story and really rather intriguing as well considering the nature of them. I actually felt quite voyeuristic during some of them but felt that they also gave me a further insight into characteristics that were evolving and a surprising affinity for them too.

    I just loved this-it was psychological suspense perfection and a 5* page turner from beginning to end. Buy it now!!!!
    23 people found this helpful
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  • If Only I Could Read Faster
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great psychological thriller.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2017
    Verified Purchase
    One of my all time favourite books is Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, it is an incredibly written psychological thriller. It was the first book that I had read by Elizabeth Haynes and set the bar very high. While I’ve enjoyed subsequent books by the author, none have come anywhere near to emulating her first book.

    Never Alone tells the story of Sarah, a widow who lives alone in an isolated farmhouse in Yorkshire. An old flame comes back into her life after years of no contact, he rents a small cottage on Sarah’s land, but it is quickly clear that Aiden has secrets. When things start happening that spook Sarah the reader isn’t sure whether Aiden is responsible, or perhaps it is Will, a young man who has recently returned to the area. Or is Sarah just imagining things?

    When Sarah’s best friend disappears and no one can find her things get complicated when heavy snow falls. The book becomes a tense read at this point, with the reader unsure who to trust, I really don’t want to give too much away as I’ll only ruin it for you but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

    While Never Alone doesn’t match Into the Darkest Corner it is still a very good psychological thriller and one that I enjoyed reading very much. I’d definitely recommend it to all fans of this genre.

    The book really builds the tension and I loved the characters of Sarah’s two dogs, each of them had their own characteristics and became part of the story (and if you’re a dog lover, the tension).

    Overall Never Alone is a solid read with great characters and plenty of tension. Enjoy!
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Joanna James
    3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing like as good as Revenge of the Tide
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 December 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This was ok but I would struggle tor cognise it as the work of the author who wrote Revenge of the Tide or Into the Darkest Corner. The characterisation is much weaker - the protagonist in this is weak and uninteresting. A shame.
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  • djeffrey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Never Alone - a must read for summer 2016
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2016
    Verified Purchase
    After Into the Darkest Corner, which has stayed in every reader's mind from its publication in 2011, Elizabeth Haynes's latest novel, Never Alone, is another brilliantly crafted and well-written standalone psychological thriller in which Haynes explores human relationships and their dysfunctions.

    The chapters alternate between the points of view of Sarah Carpenter, a widow whose children have grown up and left home, and Aiden, an old friend of hers who has been away for a long time and who becomes her tenant. The chapters are punctuated with the interior thoughts of a rather dangerous individual, who, for several pages into the novel, could feasibly be any one of the male characters.

    Both of the main characters, Sarah and Aiden, as well as many of the secondary ones, have secrets or hidden agendas which will keep the reader guessing as to what exactly is going on and why. Sarah is a strong woman who has had to deal with her husband's tragic death, copes with financial worries without calling in any favours, and never gives up on her difficult relationship with her son, Louis. But she is kind and it is easy to take advantage of her. Furthermore, she has made mistakes in the not so distant past, and she will pay for them.
    Aiden is an attractive man, but where has he been for the last few years and what exactly does he do for a living?
    Even Sophie, Sarah's best friend, is not completely open with her - or her husband for that matter - about everything.

    Sarah should have nothing to fear in her home with her two dogs to protect her. Indeed, she feels so safe that she never even locks the front door. But as the weather gets worse and Sarah finds herself snowed in, she realises she is in real danger with nowhere to run and no one to turn to.

    Some of the most beautiful settings make for the scariest stories. That is the case here. This terrifying, suspenseful psychological thriller, set in a remote village on the Yorkshire moors, will have you turning pages and shivering with fear way into the night.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Clelia M. V. Romano
    3.0 out of 5 stars Não foi um livro marcante
    Reviewed in Brazil on 25 August 2017
    Verified Purchase
    O livro começa bem e espera-se um grande suspense, mas depois a historia se torna confusa e um tanto quanto inverossímil.
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  • Snapdragon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
    Reviewed in Australia on 19 February 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Elizabeth Haynes does it again with a book you can't put down. There are alternating chapters: Sarah's are written in the third person, describing Sarah's life in an old farmhouse high on the hills in North England. She creates children's books which initially sold well. Aidan's are written in the second person. He was Sarah's lover in their uni days 20 years ago, but left. Sarah married his best mate Jim. The story begins about 4 years after Jim's death in a car accident. Then there are chapters written in italics by an obviously disturbed person who thinks he understands the people he observes, that he knows all their secrets.

    Sarah has 2 children. Louis blames her for his father's death and thinks she has spent all his father's money. He doesn't know about Jim's debts and losses. He refuses to engage with Sarah. Kitty has just started uni and has a great relationship with her mother. Their friend Will turns up. He and Sarah had a one time fling at Louis' 21st, after Jim's death, another thing Louis cannot forgive. Will starts an affair with vivid Sophie, Sarah's best friend and the wife of George, an MP who's a bit of an arse. And it all goes downhill from there. Aiden comes back from overseas and rents the cottage on Sarah's property. The old flame is rekindled, but what exactly is it that Aiden does for a living? Should we suspect his motives? Will keeps turning up at Sarah's farm unasked, despite being told not to. He's had a difficult home life and we feel sorry for him ... at first. Haynes is brilliant at ratcheting up the tension as Sarah and Kitty fear for their lives, and two murders almost occur. Gripping stuff, very well-handled. The dogs Basil and Tess are great characters too. One of them almost dies as well. Final comment: Haynes does sex very well. Explicit without being the least bit tawdry or schlocky. Oh that we all had lovers that good!
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  • Sue D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely thrilling!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is the first book by Elizabeth Haynes that I have read and it was a terrific read. I love the twists and turns
    and the never-ending suspense. I will definitely be reading more of Elizabeth's books. The story was so compelling that I could not stop reading.

    I am a huge Rachel Abbott fan and she recommended this book and she was she absolutely right!!

    For anyone that likes suspenseful thrillers you need to read this book!!
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  • Cliente Amazon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
    Reviewed in Italy on 3 January 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Strong believable characters.
    Detailed descriptions take you into the bleak Yorkshire landscape.
    Not knowing who to trust, increases tension and suspense.
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  • jo-lee
    5.0 out of 5 stars kept you on the edge of your seat right to the end! Loved it!
    Reviewed in Australia on 12 November 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This author never disappoints. This book kept you guessing right to the end. A truly gripping read. Couldn't put it down.
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