Much better than I anticipated, particularly considering I think that I originally got this book as a freebie. The characters aren't necessarily as well-developed as I like, but the plot and the atmosphere was a banger! Compelling read. ( )

I picked this up after reading her book, The Ninth Floor, and I must say, I really enjoyed it. I think the author must have updated the book because I did not notice the errors that some of the other reviewers mentioned, particularly the continuity errors. So I'm thinking that if you are interested in the book and the only thing causing you to hesitate is a concern about that, then I would dismiss it. (I'm not sure it is perfect, but it was close enough not to cause me to grimace about the editing.)

Enough about that. :) I'm a big fan of Barbara Michaels and Kay Hooper paranormal mysteries, so this was a very welcomed new find for me. The pace is very brisk and it moves swiftly. The heroine, Ella, is so tragically flawed and yet overcomes her problems, including alcoholism to try to discover who, or what, killed her husband. While I was not totally surprised at the ending, I was completely satisfied, enough so that I bought the next book in the series and am hoping that more Ella Reynolds books will be forthcoming. You really sink into Ella's head in a way that reminds me a great deal of Stephen King's writing, and I appreciate the deep insights. Ella is a difficult person and one that might have come off less likable if we hadn't been "let into her head" to such a an extent. As it was, I truly felt for her and rooted for her to find out the truth about what is going on in her house and what happened to her husband.

Looking forward to more. :) ( )

At first I really did not get into this book, it was hard for me to concentrate or really sink into it. I really don't know why, maybe it's the way she writes that isn't familiar to me.
But whatever it was, it took me at least 4 chapters for me before I got into the book and really started to feel this story. But I'm glad I stuck with it because once I started to get into it I was more able to follow the book. I won,t say that it's a classic but it's quite readable.
IT keeps you guessing all along, and the plot is not so bad, I think it could be a bit better, The story hold itself well but lacks some convincing at some point in the story. I think she could have develop this story a lot more and make it more suspenseful for us the readers. I was left on my appetite all along, it never really gripped me, which is why I say it is a light read.
I,m used to reading horror and heavy thrillers, so this was quite the light suspense for me.

It's the story of a newly married couple that moves into the husband house that he inherited from his side of the family. But Ela a horror book author, the wife, finds the house quite cold and uninviting. From the start she hears strange noises, lights flickering, things disappearing, doors closing and widows shutting on their own.
Her husband doesn't witness any of those things, so he laughs at her and makes fun of her in front of their friends. Until one day, their dog dies from mysterious causes and she falls from the stairs and they all think including the shrink that she tried to commit suicide and in this accident she loses their baby.
Then afterwards she goes on a book signing tour and when she comes back, she finds her husband murdered in her kitchen. Naturally everyone thinks she did it, including her best friend.
But there is one cop, Gabriel who believes she is innocent he starts to help her out to prove her innocence. She is certain that a ghost is haunting her house and that it killed her husband, but everyone is calling her insane, but Gabriel is not calling her insane. He listens to her, and believes her.
So together they will search the house and look for proof for this ghost.
You'll be surprised at the twisted ending of this book.
I'm telling you this book is worth reading, it's just that it could be a bit stronger for me, suspense wise.

I give it 3/5 ( )

I devoured horror stories growing up, with my favorite authors being Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allan Poe. There is just something about the old classic scary stories - hair raising, creepy without the gore. I have been craving those types of stories, but had figured they were gone with the times. Then along came Liz Shulte with her novel "Dark Corners" and finally - finally, a hair raising, creepy story that actually kept me guessing throughout the whole novel!

This story takes place in an old, old home that had been handed down through Ella's husband's family for generations. Her husband was the last of the bloodline to inherit the home. From the time they moved in, weird things started happening inside the house, but it seemed Ella was the one who could see or hear them. Then, when she came home from a business trip, Ella found her husband murdered and was sure it had something to do with the house. The police and neighbors have another theory - that Ella killed her husband.

So sets the stage of this paranormal thriller. Ella was a realistic character with enough pain and confusion about her husband's death that she self-medicates with alcohol and prescriptions that her psychiatrist gives her. One wonders if it is her imagination that is creating these events, but at other times, they are so real - so believable, that you can't help but think that they are true. I flip-flopped throughout the whole novel trying to figure out who, what, where, and why this was all going on. With all the twists, I hadn't a clue what was going on until pretty much the very end of the story and then by a lucky guess, figured it out! Move over Agatha Christie, Liz Shulte will give you a real run for your money with this story!

Liz is an exceptionally captivating writer and I must say, after reading this, I CAN'T WAIT for her next novel to come out. This is definitely one author to keep an eye on! This book comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ( )

Edgy, creepy paranormal thriller.

Dark Corners is a mix of suspense, thrill, and ghostly expectations all wrapped up into a little bundle. It left me feeling utterly spooked, wondering what was going to happen next, and even had me checking the dark corners in my own home. The main character, Ella, seems to be reserved when it comes to acquaintances and friendships, and moving into a small town has left her feeling exceptionally lonely. But now more than ever, after her husband was brutally murdered in their lovely home. A home that never felt quite right to Ella from the first day when she set foot in the beautiful old Victorian mansion. A home that has been in her husband's family for generations, in a quaint small town, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Ella is now left with an empty home and a longing of wanting to find out who truly murdered her husband. But her home is not totally empty, as Ella is convinced the ghost who haunts her home, has taken the life of the man she married. That changes when Detective Gabriel tries to convince her otherwise. Detective Gabriel who had been assigned to the case of her husbands murder, seems to somehow wiggle his way back into Ella's life a year later and she finds comfort and friendship in his mannerisms. But Ella has convinced herself that Gabriel is only helping her solve her husbands murder, while also watching out for her, as her home continues to mysteriously have a life of its own. As Ella races from room to room, doors open and close, unlock and re-lock and the food disappears from her refrigerator. The story leaves you at first fully convinced the ghost that lurks in her home has taken the life of her husband. But ghosts don't necessary kill people, not in the way her husband was murdered, at least this is what Gabriel has told her. This keeps you on the edge of your seat as other characters present themselves throughout the book. You find yourself wondering if it was someone human instead. But what about all the ghostly happenings in Ella's home? How does one just brush that aside? Could it be her creepy neighbor that did it? How about Gabriel himself that seems to find Ella interesting and attractive? This book is one I did not want to stop reading as it always felt like I would miss something that was going to happen soon. Dark Corners really kept my feelings of anticipation running and the ending itself was quite a surprise. The writing style of Schutle runs smooth and is easy to read, even in the middle of the night. I loved reading this book as it contains the perfect balance of paranormal without any gore, scary enough to make me paranoid of the noises in my own home, yet not give me bad dreams. A combination of paranormal and suspenseful, who-dun-it. ( )