'Wonderfully and grimly fascinating... Human Remains could be one of the thrillers of the year.'—We Love This Book
Read an extract
Elizabeth Haynes’ chilling new psychological thriller preys on our darkest fears – and shows how easily ordinary lives can fall apart when no one is watching.
Police analyst Annabel wouldn’t describe herself as lonely. Her work keeps her busy and the needs of her ageing mother and her cat are more than enough to fill her time when she’s on her own. But Annabel is shocked when she discovers her neighbour’s decomposing body in the house next door, and appalled to think that no one, including herself, noticed her absence.
Back at work she sets out to investigate, despite her police officer colleagues’ lack of interest, and finds data showing that such cases are frighteningly common in her own home town.
Elizabeth Haynes is also the author of Into the Darkest Corner, Revenge of the Tide, Never Alone and The Murder of Harriet Monckton.
Badass Book Reviews
A deeply disturbing and powerful psychological thriller that will have you checking the locks on your doors and windows... This book is so disturbing. I hated what it did to me, how it made me think, made me question how I treat others, question my own motives, and question my relationship with my family. I hated how I was so deeply embedded in the mind of a narcissistic sociopath that I could predict his reactions. What does that say about me when I know how a sociopath is going to react (or in this case, not react)? It says nothing about me, and everything about the author and her brilliant writing. Haynes is a master at creating memorable characters in a terrifying but thought-provoking story.
View sourceBooks and Writers
It may seem a little premature to announce that I have already found one of my top ten (and very likely top five) reads of the year already, but I genuinely feel that I have. Just when you think you’ve read everything that crime fiction has to say, all the crimes it can detail and all the ways it can say it, along comes Elizabeth Haynes... The best stories, the best thrills, are when writers or directors put us in places that we’ll never feel safe again... with Human Remains, Haynes has put us in our own homes, alone, and she’s shut the door. There are few writers who could write such disturbing prose so beautifully.
View sourceSophie Hannah
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.