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Night Corridor: 2nd Edition 2020 Kindle Edition

by Joan Hall Hovey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 248 ratings
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After nine years in Bayshore mental institution, once called the lunatic asylum, Caroline Hill is finally being released.

There will be no one to meet her. Her parents who brought her here…are dead.

They have found her a room in a rooming house, a job washing dishes in a restaurant. She will do fine, they said. But no one told that women in St. Simeon are already dying at the hands of a vicious predator. One, an actress who lived previously in her building.

And others.
And now, as Caroline struggles to survive on the outside, she realizes someone is stalking her.

But who will believe her? She's a crazy woman after all.

Then, one cold winter's night on her way home from her job, a man follows and is about to assault her when a stranger intercedes.

A stranger who hides his face and whispers her name.
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  1. Print length
    251 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    February 14, 2011
  5. File size
    2160 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review


"...Joan Hall Hovey has written yet another winner. I highly recommend it to any lover of suspense, mystery or thriller. You'll not only race through this book, but clamor for more works by this talented and polished author..."   Midwest Books Reviews

About the Author

As well as penning Award-winning suspense novels including Chill Waters, Nowhere To Hide and Listen to the Shadows, Joan Hall Hovey's articles and short stories have appeared in such diverse publications as The Reader, Atlantic Advocate, The Toronto Star, Mystery Scene, True Confessions, Home Life magazine, Seek and various other magazines and newspapers. Her short story, "Dark Reunion" was selected for the Anthology, Investigating Women, published by Simon & Pierre. Joan also tutors with Winghill Writing School and is a Voice Over pro, narrating books and scripts. She lives in New Brunswick, Canada with her husband Mel and dog, Scamp.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004NSV6TY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BWL Publishing Inc. (February 14, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 14, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2160 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 251 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 248 ratings

About the author

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Joan Hall Hovey

Joan Hall Hovey

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I've always been drawn to the dark side of the human psyche, and devoured everything from Edgar Allan Poe to Shirley Jackson growing up. Not so surprising that psychological suspense is my forte.

I like to write about ordinary women who are at a difficult time in their lives, and are suddenly faced with an external evil force. Women who are stronger than they think they are. I didn't think a whole lot about theme until I had written a couple of books, but I realized with the writing of my third novel 'Chill Waters' that my books generally have to do with betrayal and abandonment in some form, and learning to trust again. And more important, learning to trust oneself. Almost any good book will tell you something about the author herself. (Or himself.) You can't avoid it. But first and foremost I want to give readers a roller-coaster ride, one that keeps them on the edge of that proverbial seats and resonates in the imagination long after the last page is read.

In addition to my critically aclaimed and award-winning novels, my articles and short stories have appeared in any many publications including The Toronto Star, Atlantic Advocate, Seek, Home Life Magazine, Mystery Scene. My short story Dark Reunion was anthologized in investigating Women, Published by Simon & Pierre.

I've held workshops and given talks at various schools and libraries, including New Brunswick Community College, and the University of New Brunswick. I am also a tutor with Winghill School, a distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers.

I'm a member of the Writer's Federation of New Brunswick, past regional Vice-President of Crime Writers of Canada and International Thriller Writers.

~~

Note: Videos - Book trailer for Night Corridor

and The Deepest Dark

Audio - Hear an excerpt of Chill Waters which I narrated, complete with music and sound effects.

photos:

~

The photo of myself with Stephen King was taken in London, England at a writer's workshop, in 1984. Mr. King is as wonderful a speaker (well, almost) as he is a writer.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
248 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Aaron P. Lazar
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-pounding and Riveting - A New Hovey Winner!
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2011
Verified Purchase
Caroline Hill, a fragile woman who's seen more than her share of heartbreak, has just been released into the "real" world by the Bayshore Mental Institution, an aging facility recently doomed to closure. Trembling with fear after nine years of incarceration, at the age of twenty-six Caroline is armed only with a handful of memorized phrases from her psychiatrist and a small bag of hand-me-down clothing. She shows up as pre-arranged to a rooming house with a nosy landlady and her marginally challenged nephew, Harold. Once settled, Caroline makes her entrance at Frank's, a local diner in the small town of St. Simeon, Canada where a dishwashing job awaits her.

Although the Bayshore institution offered safety and familiarity, Caroline is determined not to fail. The last thing she wants is to return to the place where she shared a room with a woman who clicked imaginary knitting needles 24/7.

Caroline's timing is unfortunate, because the day she arrives in town, a serial killer has left yet another victim for police. And it so happens, the first victim--an aspiring actress on the verge of a breakthrough--lived across the hall from Caroline's new room. Police and neighbors wonder - could the killer be someone in the rooming house? How did he gain access to the facility? How did he know the first woman? And the second? Both victims were pretty young ladies with brunette hair and blue eyes, Caroline's exact appearance.

The mystery and suspense in this novel is outstanding, truly top notch, in the vein of Mary Higgins Clark, but--dare I say--even better? What really struck me as brilliant was Ms. Hovey's ability to paint the picture of an innocent, a woman who'd been raised by an institutional staff since the age of seventeen, when a horrendous event tore her heart out and separated her from reality. Caroline's inner thoughts, her hesitant and sometimes awkward speech, the turmoil she feels with each simple step toward freedom, her frail courage...each of these felt real and authentic. I grew incredibly fond of this protagonist, and with each brave step she took, I found myself cheering her on.

When Caroline notices a man following her, she wants to tell someone, but what ex-mental patient wouldn't be afraid to share this news, knowing they'd probably classify her as paranoid and maybe send her back to Bayshore? She squares her shoulders and fights through the fear, soldiering on.

Against the backdrop of Caroline's painful yet courageous re-entry into society, the low growling drumbeat of violence escalates. More women die, and the pattern heats up. We are given glimpses inside the mind of a seriously sick killer, and realize his delusions stretch far into his past. When Caroline becomes embroiled in the middle of the killer's elaborate and insane plot to return to a chapter in his history where he was once happy, the action escalates and takes us on a heart-pounding rollercoaster ride to a satisfying finish.

Joan Hall Hovey has written yet another winner. I highly recommend it to any lover of suspense, mystery, romance, or thriller. You'll not only race through this book, but clamor for more works by this talented and polished author.
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Sunflower
4.0 out of 5 stars Locking my doors and checking them twice!
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
Double check the locks on your doors, make sure the phone is working, and keep something besides a nightlight shining to ensure there is nothing lurking in the darkened corners!

Caroline Hill is only 26 years old; however, she has experienced more betrayal, heartbreak, anger, fear, and abuse than most people who live to be a ripe old age, ever experience. She is being released from a mental hospital after nine long years of having others take care of her, make decisions for her and provide a safe environment for her needs. At first she appears afraid, unsure of her own capabilities; however, she soon begins to overcome the obstacles in her path. She slowly makes a few friends, is promoted from being a dishwasher to waitress in her first ever paying job, and has hopes of achieving greater aspirations for herself. She sets new goals for herself and begins to tackle them successfully.

There have been murders in her neighborhood, and she is warned to keep her door locked, and be aware of her surroundings. There is a serial killer lurking somewhere. Is he someone that Caroline has just met? Is he a stranger? What does any of this have to do with Caroline?

The story immediately grabbed my attention and held on tight. This is a good storyline, and a page turning psychological thriller. The story is a bit chilling, and I had imaginary goosebumps, and at times I could almost feel my hair standing at attention. The characters are well-developed with identifying personality traits. The pace is fairly fast, but there is a lot of detail that is not necessarily conducive to the plot. It does; however, add mental imagery that sorta' makes the reader feel that they are actually watching the events unfold. The ending seems a bit abrupt, but it was satisfying.

There were some unnecessary irritations from lack of good editing that were somewhat disruptive to my smooth reading pleasure. The misuse of words such as then instead of than, and the extra words that seemed compatible with the author changing her mind and forgetting to hit the delete key! This would have been a five star review if it were not for those nuisances. Overall, this was a rather suspenseful tale that I would recommend to mystery fans that like lots of suspense, numerous suspects, and some murders to solve without huge amounts of blood and gore oozing everywhere.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars An okay read..........
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2012
Verified Purchase
I have read about four of Hovey's books & have enjoyed them all but this definitely was not one of my favorites. It is interesting but very slow. I think that I would have had liked more of a background story on why the main character ends up in a mental institution for 9 years. I realize what was a big part of it (don't want to spoil it for someone else) but there had to be more OR why she didn't recover as fast as one would expect?

The "love" story aspect felt too rushed and just odd. I don't know but if you are looking for either a romance or a mystery I thought this book was short on both. I would definitely recommend that you read one of her other novels first & then maybe if you enjoy her work read this one.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ros Seddon
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Suspense Thriller
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
After just finishing a Thomas Hardy classic which I hadn't read since school and left me in tears I really wasn't in the mood for a contemporary thriller, however it didn't take long for Joan to get me in the mood and put me back in synch with the equally harsh world of today.

Night Corridor is a thought provoking thriller that will stir your sense of fear and your humanitarian soul. The main character, Caroline has a refreshing light side and I couldn't hide my frustration of wanting to get into the book and scream at her to call the police, which of course, she eventually does; but will it be too late? Joans work puts me in mind of some top authors ie; James Patterson, Ruth Rendell etc. She brings her characters to life and the storyline is intense and well written. Any errors others have mentioned certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment of this book which I actually couldn't put down and it kept me guessing all the way through.

A superb suspense thriller from Joan Hall Hovey. Buy it. You won't be disappointed; If you're not scared of the dark side.........
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Jane Brooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot turn the pages fast enough !!
Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2017
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This book , well you have just got to read it !
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Kay Hunter
4.0 out of 5 stars Night Corridor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
Good story with realistic, likeable characters. I had to remind myself the setting was 1973, because of course, these days, you don't get anyone driving a Corvair (unless they happen to be an enthusiast); and things like the Mary Tyler Moore show being on telly. (Then again, not so retro as to be annoying with it)

Good thriller, liked that you really can't guess (well, I couldn't) who the killer was pretty much until the end.
Recommend!
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doeraymee
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Reviewed in Canada on May 1, 2013
Verified Purchase
Keeps you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed getting to know the main character as well. Her other novels are also enjoyable.
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Ann C
3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly basic story, not well written.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
Reading this book, I thought it must be a first novel, self-published on kindle. But no, it has very good reviews at the end, to my complete astonishment. The story is okay, but not particularly imaginative and predictable in places. But the book is in dire need of a good editor: I can't understand how so many punctuation errors have slipped through the net, as well as several very basic mistakes, such as a grey car which becomes green and then becomes grey again. We never do find out exactly why the heroine has been confined to a psychiatric hospital for a full nine years, although we assume it has something to do with the fact that her baby was taken away from her. The story could have been handled much better by a more able writer.
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