Night Corridor

by Joan Hall Hovey

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.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Horror, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been very good if it had ever seen the polishing effects of editing. This felt like I was reading a rough draft. There were several thousand words that could have been cut because they were unnecessary (like Gloria's reaction when she answered the phone and it was her ex-husband -- it added nothing to the story to tell me every emotion that went through this "extra" character).

I did feel like I should have known who the bad guy was simply because nothing was ever said about him. HE didn't have any extraneous words.

Also, consistency. A dog's tail does not thump the floor when the dog is standing. You can't nail shut the window in a windowless room. You can't call a windowless room a bedroom -- that's fire code and was probably in place in 1973. And you can't steal a 1977 Ford Mustang (that changes from grey to green to grey again) in 1973. Stupid annoying errors that would have been caught -- and that is not to mention the punctuation and other spelling errors. For example, she probably didn't really want to "establish report with him" -- she wanted "rapport."

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realize this was a free book on my Kindle so I can't complain too much, but I have to say that the amount of errors in this book took it from 3 stars down to 2. It was insane!! I'm not talking about a couple of errors here and there, I'm talking about 2-3 per paragraph! Missing words, incomplete sentences, repeated words, completely wrong words. It took me out of the story every single time.

That being said, the story was decent. The characters were well thought out and the "asylum" aspect were interesting. I also questioned what time period this was meant to take place in. The main character acted like she lived in the 50's while there were references to things that I'm sure were around in the 90's. Maybe I missed the stated date somewhere (quite possible). It was fairly predictable, but still a decent read. I have another free Kindle read by this author in the wings and I'll give it a go despite my annoyance with this book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me get this out of the way first... the grammatical errors in this book are like none I've ever seen. I don't know how that happens. If 1 person proof read this book, most of them would be corrected. It was unreal.

With that said, this book caught me by surprise. I don't believe all the characters were developed to their full potential and I did find some of the brutality to a bit amateur but that's okay because the suspense just built up and built up to a gripping climax.

This psychological thriller is about a girl, Caroline, who is released from a mental institute and is stalked and kidnapped by a serial killer.

I will recommend.

[Barbara Brink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Night Corridor was a slow-building suspense story that reminded me of an Alfred Hitchcock tale. Ms. Hovey reveals her characters a bit at a time, showing their strengths and weaknesses and what makes them tick. She does a good job with pace and putting suspicion on multiple players and did a wonderful job describing the mental hospital at the beginning and the main character's mixed feelings of excitement and dread at leaving it. I enjoyed Night Corridor very much and would recommend it to lovers of mystery/suspense.
I would rate it higher but there were a couple sudden point-of-view changes, and other places where it switched from third-person to a God-like-overview to reveal something about the future that pulled me away from the story.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only made it 27% in and had to pack it up. This is the fifth book I've read by this author and in my other reviews I often complained about grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. This one sadly takes the biscuit, though, and I wasn't prepared to carry on. Such a shame as she writes really interesting stories but ALL her books are let down by a chronic lack of proper editing.
Things such as flow which should be floe and this which replaced his. Helen Reddy was spelt as Ready too. Just totally unacceptable, I'm afraid.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average thriller about a woman who is recently released from a psychiatric facility and some of the compications that go along with that. Oh, she's also being stalked.

There were plenty of grammatical mistakes which are easier to still decipher the meaning if the reader is a fluent English speaker. This book really dropped a star when I noticed the author didn't know the difference between then and than. They're not the same word and therefore cannot be used interchangeably.

I did read through the entire book (something I do not always do if the book is not enjoyable) and so I give this one 3 stars. Try it if you have nothing else to read and the public library is closed.

[Scott Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember spotting a lot of the errors mentioned in the other reviews, though I don't tend to focus on that as much as some people do. Also, it's been about a month since I actually read it, so I may have just forgotten. I did enjoy the writing. I thought the story line was fairly original and she did keep me guessing the whole time as to who the killer was. I was slightly disappointed in the ending, though I didn't dock stars for that, just a note. Decent read. I won't complain as it was free.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

After spending 9 years in a mental institution, 27 year old Caroline Hill is released and moves to a boarding house. Adjustments are many and then the realization of being stalked occurs. A page turner, quick enjoyable mystery (with several victims), it was free on my Kindle and I did enjoy it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little thriller. Didn't figure out who the killer was until it was revealed, which was nice. Good pace. Liked it a lot.

[Carol Balawyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

“One didn’t have to be a psychiatrist to know that she was terrified. The fear was in her eyes. She knew what was happening to her.”
Night Corridor is about small-town characters: A couple of detectives, Caroline, the protagonist works in a restaurant, the owner of the eloquent dress shop, the men at the rooming house Caroline lives in, the murderer, the nurse from the mental institution.
There’s a clever boldness to Joan Hall Hovey’s writing. She cuts through conventional boundaries and fiction and finds herself, in my opinion, amongst some of my favorites: Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Vera Caspary.
Her writing is pleasant to read as she effortlessly slips from present tense to past tense. Her characters are well drawn especially her protagonist whose will to survive makes her a strong character.
Yes, the novel does have a problems with punctuation and sentence structure as is mentioned in several comments on Goodreads. This is unfortunate because this could have easily been avoided by a good edit. These linguistic mishaps disturb the natural rhythm of the story and momentarily take the reader away from the story.
However, the strength of the novel’s foundation (plot, character, mood) far outweighs the grammatical errors. Joan Hill Hovey knows how to stretch suspense so as to keep layering the intrigue of the plot and to keep the reader turning the pages.

[Shanda Kerschner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book had a decent storyline. However the grammar was very poor. I feel as if some of the characters could've been developed more, especially Caroline. Yes, I understand that her baby was taken away from her and caused a mental breakdown. Yet, the story does not go into to much depth regarding the subject. It is my personal belief that the subject should have been explored more, give the readers a sense of what Caroline suffered. As the story is now it leaves the reader wondering why she was in an institution for as long as she was. I realize mental health can be a difficult issue but nine years is a very long time for an issue that could most likely have been taken care of in less than a year time.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to read Night Corridor after downloading it as a free e-book. Having not read any of the Author's work before I was unsure what to expect, but I have been pleasantly surprised by this novel.

Aside from a few Typo's and an error that gave the game away (although I ignored it) the story flows well. Caroline is a sympathetic protagonist, and I found myself feeling her fear and anxiety throughout. The suspense grows quite satisfactorily towards the end, and I found myself needing to keep reading.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye open for other novels by the author to see if they are as gripping!

Five Stars.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow

Slow and drawn out. For being NEWLY REVISED AND EDITED in 2020, the editors and proof readers should be ashamed of themselves. Riddled with punctuation and other errors on almost every other page it was quite irritating to say the least. One time the characters were even mixed up. No break between characters and scenes. You are reading about one character and then the next paragraph you’re reading about another with no break to tell you otherwise.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Exceptional Book!

I loved this book. The story was moving and exciting. I felt the emotions of the main character. I felt like I was living her nightmare and felt so proud of her accomplishments. I am now following this author and will be looking. Into her writings. This is a five plus novel.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canadian crime/psychological thriller whose main character is a young woman recovering from psychiatric disorder.

[Marla Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story kept me reading to the end, but missing words, poor punctuation, and formatting made it hard to follow. Can't recommend this one.

[Sheila Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story wasn't bad but the writing wasn't great.

[Melissa Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read!

[Tammy Morrellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this!

[Mila Komarnisky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent novel by Joan Hall Hovey

I read the novel "Night Corridor" by Joan Hall Hovey with a great satisfaction. As her previous award winning novels, "Night Corridor" is a psychological mystery with skillfully developed major and minor characters. From the sinister beginning to the heated climax, the novel engages the reader's mind into an adventurous journey from the first pages to the very end.

Caroline, the main character who was released from the mental hospital, adjusts her life to a new environment. Intertwined with her new beginning is a serial killer on the loose in the town. As the plot unravels, Joan introduces us into the past life of Caroline and the mysterious serial killer. They have some common problems; however, their lives took different directions. With her enhanced emotions of fear, Caroline senses a danger. Looking for a perfect female match and cannot find her, the killer in rage and goes on a killing rampage. Finally, he found Caroline. Night corridor is an exit from the darkness to the light and revelation for both Caroline and her dangerous stalker.

I could not put the novel down. I wanted to know who this serial killer was.

The novel is elegantly written and reads with ease. Exquisite descriptions bring images to life.

I highly recommend "Night Corridor" not only for those who likes gripping mystery, but also for those who enjoys excellent writing.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I have to say is "Who the f**k is this woman's editor"???? This is NUTS! I have never seen more grammatical, AND factual errors in a book before! This is the second book of hers that I have read, and I thought the grammatical errors in the other book were just a formatting fluke with the Kindle. Apparently NOT! The very first words at the top of the first chapter say, "October 1973", yet within a few chapters, the mention John Lennon as "the murdered musician", and later on in the book, they are looking for a 1977 Mustang. WTF. The story wasn't bad, and I would have given it more stars if not for all the egregious and inexcusable errors present. Supposedly the author is marketed as, "The Queen of Suspense" in Canada, akin to Stephen King?!?!? Not even CLOSE. Their names should never be mentioned in the same book let alone the same sentence. The timeline in this book made no sense- it started in October, but then it was summer, and then it was Christmas? This author has some potential if she can have someone fact-checking her writing and her grammar, but until then, I'll stick with Stephen King!!!

[Rebecca Graf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange murders are happening around a neighborhood. What is going on and why? One woman just released from a mental institution is trying to make her own way in the scary world around her. How can she continue with the threat of death around her?
I found this a very interesting read. The mystery was well done as I couldn’t quite pinpoint the guilty party until right before it was revealed. I usually can get it within the first few pages after I meet the person. There were quite a few suspects that the author could easily have used as the murderer.
The characters were unique. I found myself drawn to several and revolted by others which I feel sure was the author’s intent. I wanted to help the main character so much as she struggled to feel comfortable in the real world.
A great mystery with suspense to keep you turning the page.
Note: I purchased this book with my funds with no expectation of a positive review.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young woman becomes pregnant at 17 and her parents force her to give up the baby. She has a breakdown afterwards and spends the next eight years institutionalized. Finally, the mental hospital is closing down and she is discharged. Her parents have long since passed away and she moves into a boarding house and her first job as dishwasher in a local cafe. Unfortunately the town in which she lives (the one she came from) is also the 'home' to a man who is killing women who resemble her. To say much more would be a spoiler and any regular reader knows what happens next, but the suspense does build up as does the situations that challenge her narrow control on her sanity. All in all, a good read.

[Joan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroine of Night Corridor, Caroline, is a young woman who has suffered such mental trauma that she's experienced a breakdown and has been hospitalized. Upon her release, she is faced with a new terror, a threat in her own neighborhood that may be targeting her. Not only is the plot believable, but as a person who has a friend very much like Caroline. I know that the ways Caroline talks to herself to bolster her confidence, and her reactions to things people say and do are right on target. The inner tension of Caroline's anxieties and the external tension of the plot are well done. (The version I got has quite a few typos and minor errors, which the author is as annoyed by as anyone, but she can't fix them now. You'll have to just read around them.)

[Sally Malkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant read about a young woman released from a mental facility after many youthful years, and her journey to adjust to society. Because those who interact with her on a regular basis know her history, her success ratio suffers many challenges, including abduction by another former inmate. This is a prime example of how a determined individual is able to put the past behind her by using the tools given her by professionals to rebuild her life. Not suggested for those who experience mental illness within their inner circle.

[John Hanson · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing that impressed me was the sense of story. The structure of a decent thriller is there, but the rest isn't. There are spelling errors, grammar errors, an overabundance of copulas and filtering verbs, logic errors, the writing is weak and uninteresting with very little sense of tension. On page 163 she makes the mistake of using the killer's real name instead of his self-assumed nickname, a faux-pas beyond imagination. This is a first draft that should not have been published, and if it was edited, the editor should never be used again.

[Sally Beaudean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Night Corridor is about a young woman who has spent nine years in a mental institution where she had been living since she was a teenager. I found the story of her recovery and transition to life outside the institution to be heartwarming. The woman's new life is threatened by the intrusion of a serial killer. This aspect of the story is perhaps too predictable. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to a reader that enjoys a quick read.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads. I really did enjoy this book despite the many errors mentioned in previous reviews. Especially liked Caroline, the main character, and the way she developed after leaving the mental institution where she'd been for nine years. Then the next to the last sentence almost ruined it for me. A 10-11 year old reading Clan of the Cave Bear? Really?

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very good read if you can get past all of the errors. It had transposed words, misspelled words, words that were missing altogether, and some interesting sentence structures. It must not have been edited at all. But with that said, it was an interesting and suspenseful tale that lets you really get to know and feel for the main character. Definitely worth reading.

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman leaves a psychiatric hospital after nine years and has to learn to live on her own. A serial killer is on the loose killing women. As the woman learns how to adjust to the world at large, someone stalks her . . .

The book is pretty good. Some of the info I found to be extraneous, but the story overall is intriguing.