This book was an absolute corker! I was on the edge of my seat at times and totally enthralled in the Beth/Libby/Karen story.

The descriptions were so clear that I felt I was there - whether it was Thailand, home or The Hideaway. The holiday to The Hideaway was nail-biting and I was suffering from paranoia along with Libby! At times I felt that Jamie was not understanding enough to Libby's fears and I was not keen on him. His mother, Sylvia, was a character the likes of which I have come across in my life: loyal, stern but loving underneath her hard exterior..

This book deserves 5* or more - can't wait for this Author's next book.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough

I read & enjoyed 'Local Girl Missing' by Claire Douglas, but this latest one is even better.

Libby has never enjoyed the limelight, she would rather stay in the background, but that didn't stop her rushing into her burning classroom to rescue one of her pupils, even if the act resulted in a broken arm and the loss of her baby.

Jamie, her husband, has recently started his own business & is struggling to get it off the ground. For a couple just married nine months this is a lot of stress.

When a note comes through their door from someone looking for a house swap in Bath for a week it seems like the perfect way to get away from it all and recharge their batteries. But if something seems too good to be true it probably is...

The author is so good at creating a believable setting and characters you can't help but get involved with. It's difficult to say much more without giving away the plot of this book, which is certainly full of surprises.. I loved it and read it in a few hours. Definitely five stars! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book. I'm really looking forward to the next one by Claire Douglas.

A story of lies and deceit, LAST SEEN ALIVE started with chilling me. And I mean, not being able to read it before bed because it unnerved me. A couple swapped their small apartment for what appeared to be an isolated mansion and then..tension. I’m not one to be scared easily, I watch and enjoy horror movies for crying out loud, but the idea of being so isolated, the feeling of being watched and the helplessness that comes from not being able to make sense of it all really got to me. Being very tired by the time I went to bed aside, I couldn’t face what Libby did at night. Because it can so easily happen to anyone.

The story is told from Libby’s point of view, and from the start we know she’s telling everything but also keeping a lot to herself. All we have to do is wait until the right time comes for her to say her full piece. And in the meantime we’re left with more questions and then some more questions and by the time I was halfway through, I already came up with two or three scenarios myself as to what was going on and how things were going to be resolved.

I really liked Libby’s tone because I knew both to rely on her to tell me the story but also doubt her words. It’s the sweetest challenge to read a character you’re not sure of.

I could almost feel the desperation of the characters, their experiences seeping into my bones. What chilled me at first started unraveling in such a way that it was almost magical. Most definitely one of my favorite psychological thrillers this year, I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

I’m adding five spoonfuls of this story into my hodgepodge.

Libby Hall never really wanted to be noticed. But after she saves the children in her care from a fire, she finds herself headline news. And Horrified by the attention. It all reminds her of what happened nine years ago. The last time she saw her best friend alive.

Which Is why the house swap is such a godsend. Libby and her husband Jamie exchange their flat in Bath for a beautiful, secluded house in Cornwall. It's a chance to heal their marriage - to stop its secrets tearing them apart.

But this stylish Cornish home isn't the getaway they'd hoped for. They make odd, even disturbing, discoveries in the house. It's so isolated - yet Libby doesn't feel entirely alone. As if she's being watched.

Is Libby being paranoid?

What is her husband hiding?

As the secrets and lies come tumbling out, is the past about to catch up with them?

I don’t know what to say about this book without giving any spoilers. I will say the shocks kept on coming and I absolutely loved it. 5*

Last seen alive by Claire Douglas.
THE HERO
Libby Hall never really wanted to be noticed. But after she saves the children in her care from a fire, she finds herself headline news. And Horrified by the attention. It all reminds her of what happened nine years ago. The last time she saw her best friend alive.
THE SWAP
Which Is why the house swap is such a godsend. Libby and her husband Jamie exchange their flat in Bath for a beautiful, secluded house in Cornwall. It's a chance to heal their marriage - to stop its secrets tearing them apart.
THE HIDEAWAY
But this stylish Cornish home isn't the getaway they'd hoped for. They make odd, even disturbing, discoveries in the house. It's so isolated - yet Libby doesn't feel entirely alone. As if she's being watched.
Is Libby being paranoid?
What is her husband hiding?
As the secrets and lies come tumbling out, is the past about to catch up with them?
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. What a twister of a read. I definitely didn't see thatcoming. Wow. Just brilliant. Very cleverly written. 5*. Must read. Netgalley and penguin UK- Michael Joseph.

This book had a pretty good story line but. I didn't eagerly pick this up to continue reading but I also didn't have any problem getting through it quite quickly. I thought the two shortened names for Elizabeth was very clever and enabled me to know which one I was reading about. I think a bit more detail around the trip and husband could have added value.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from netgalley

I was also recommended this book by a friend. And it didn't disappoint!

I absolutely didn't see the twists coming in this book. And found myself re-reading sections to understand what was going on as the twists were so huge!!

Well worth a read!

Libby and her husband Jamie have been having a few issues in their nine month marriage, and go on holiday in order to heal these cracks.

If I'm being honest, I found this book quite boring. I couldn't connect to the main character Libby, who repeatedly tells us that she's pulled herself from the gutter to become a teacher, but we never see this grit or determination. We only see her paranoia and inability to cope without Jamie.

Jamie is barely any better. Obviously, if your ex is accepted into your family and is treated almost like your partner, and you spent intimate and private time with her away from your wife, Libby is going to get jealous and paranoid. I found Jamie just boring, annoying and he suffers from a lack of understanding.

This was split into three separate parts, Cornwall, Thailand and Bath.

Cornwall was slow, plodding and boring. It really wasn't going anywhere other than showing that Libby was paranoid and Jamie didn't believe her. Also, when you're that paranoid, why would you just accept that this person who slipped a leaflet through your letterbox was really looking for a house swap? In that matter, why wouldn't you hide all of your important details? In the current world, it's made clear to hide your card details and your identity information yet Jamie and Libby just leave them lying around their house when somebody else lives there. It just made no sense.

Thailand was somewhat interesting. It's really where you start to understand what the actual plot is (though you have to go through at least 50% of the novel being in Cornwall first), but it's so confusing because you see it from the perspective of two people and the plot makes it incredibly hard to follow.

Bath was back to plodding and boring. It time jumped and nothing really happened. Then everything happened that was important occurred in the space of 2% of the novel and that wasn't even the ending, which was also pretty unimportant.

I had expected something really good from this book, but it was slow, laborious and boring. The characters were difficult and the plot mostly forgotten.

I loved this, gripping and enticing from the start, this is a quiet calm psychological thriller, not the dark evil but the silent creeping story that makes you look over your shoulder. ..I loved it

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 Stars
Oh wow!!! What a read, Loved Loved Loved Last Seen Alive By Claire Douglas,
now I've got to describe this while giving nothing away as trust me that would really spoil this for you.
Mmmm, where to start,
So here goes, we have Libby Hall School-teacher, just wants to live a quiet life that is until she makes the news after saving the children in her care from a fire.
The blaze itself brings back flashbacks of losing her bestie in a fire nine years previous and then also hating the attention that comes along with the hero status, Libby and her husband Jamie are really just starting to feel the pressure pile on.
So when an intriguing leaflet lands on the Hall's doormat offering a house swap for a week it seems like a godsend, swapping their flat in Bath for a week in the beautifully secluded Cornish countryside, it seems too good to be true.
The Hideaway is their new home for the week but it's far from being the relaxing break that Libby imagined.
It's isolated and though stunningly decorated and a luxurious home its strangely spooky and Libby feels increasingly paranoid while staying here.
Is it paranoia or is there something going on beneath the surface and who can Libby trust.
This was such a page turner and was full of the most unexpected twists and turns that I really didn't see coming.
Just when you thought you knew where you were going everything would change.
Last Seen Alive definitely kept you on your toes throughout.
I loved how the characters seemed so human with faults and all, there was no perfection here, only real people making mistakes and trying to redeem themselves to the people they cared about.
Loved Libby, I really took to her, could even get the paranoia to an extent, especially after reading the back-story it explained a lot and certain actions she took then made sense to me, Libby was far from perfect, though she tried to portray perfection as much as possible and I think this was her main fault, the wall she has built to exclude others from getting too close.
Jamie, well he was a typical bloke, but he really did come across as one of the good guys, I think he does need to open his eyes a bit in regards to Hannah the ex-taking the mick, but aside from that, he seemed like, what you see is what you get, at least that's the impression I got.
This book was so well written and was very easy to get lost in.
I would definitely recommend this as it was a really enthralling read that easily kept my attention.
The only reason I knocked off half a star was that I hated the epilogue like detested it big style it really annoyed me so in true diva mode I removed half because I was so pissed and because I can!!
But aside from that which is a personal reason, this was one hell of a ride that once you embarked on you were compelled to stay for the whole journey.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an arc of Last Seen Alive By Claire Douglas.
This is my own honest and unbiased opinion.

Well written book with a great twist at the end. This is the first book I have read by this author and look forward to reading more.

Libby and her husband Jamie exchange their flat in Bath for a beautiful, secluded house in Cornwall. It's a chance to heal their marriage - to stop its secrets tearing them apart.
But this stylish Cornish home isn't the getaway they'd hoped for. They make odd, even disturbing, discoveries in the house. It's so isolated - yet Libby doesn't feel entirely alone. As if she's being watched.

I enjoy psychological thrillers and I really loved this novel! I read Local Girl Missing by the same author last year and liked that too but Last Seen Alive really engaged me and I was quickly hooked.

I have to say I did not see it coming when the story suddenly switched from Cornwall to Thailand. The story moved between present day and several years ago as Libby's past was drawn out. The tension was conveyed well and I found it a real page-turner :-)

I was surprised to see that there have been some mixed reviews but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking out for the next one from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for my honest review. I am also publishing this review on Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed Claire Douglas's previous book, Local Girl Missing, so was really looking forward to this one. It didn't disappoint.

Libby Hall has lived a quite life as a teacher with husband Jamie, their marriage a little fragile as the story starts. When she rescues the children in her care from a fire, she makes headline news and the careful layers of her life and the past she thought she had carefully hidden start to unravel.

The pair agree to a house swap after a leaflet drops through their door - a break should do both good but strange and disturbing things begin to happen and both begin to wonder what secrets the other is harbouring.

This is a great psychological thriller and a real page turner as things are slowly revealed and nothing it quite what it seemed. The author takes the reader down many twists - at one point I actually gasped! Nothing is what it seems and the ending is very clever but not unexpected after what has gone before.

I would thoroughly recommend this book! Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for an advance review copy.

A clever and well written psychological thriller with a twist I didn't see coming . After some personal sadness Libby and Janie decide to get away from it all with a weeks house swap but who is watching them and why ? I found this an easy page turner which kept my attention till the end . My thanks to netgalley and the publishers . 4.5 stars from me

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows a newly married couple Libby and Jamie as they take a much needed holiday. They receive a flyer through their door offering them a house swap. Switching their central Bath flat for an idyllic hideaway in Cornwall. Strapped for cash this presents as an ideal opportunity to recharge their batteries and rejuvenate their marriage. Libby contacts a gentleman who says his daughter is undergoing life-saving treatment at nearby Bath hospital and needs a central location to stay in, so offers his holiday home in exchange. The story follows the couple as Libby seeming becomes paranoid about a man she feels is following and watching them. Jamie thinks she is looking for danger that is not there but then Jamie becomes very sick after eating food left for them in the house and we suddenly realise that Libby may be right after all. The plot also delves into the past of "Libby" and I very much enjoyed the chapters set in Thailand. I won't go much further into the plot as I don't want to spoil the story.

What I will say is the first section of the book was great but I feel the central portion was a little slow, however the ending didn't disappoint. I didnt guess the twist until it was upon us. However I gave 3 stars as I do feel in real life this would have been a lot harder to pull off. Overall though a very enjoyable read.

A great fast paced,psychological thriller that makes you want to sleep with the light on especially in the beginning.
Libby and husband Jamie have the chance for a free holiday in a perfect house in Cornwall and in need of some peace and quiet they readily accept but things are never as they seem. Events happen which leads the reader and Libby unsure of what is happening, what is real or paranoia.
It will keep you guessing until the end.

4.5 stars

A gripping and compelling thriller - I couldn't put it down. This was an excellent read and I found myself reading it at any available opportunity. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I didn't see the twist coming about halfway through the book - one of the best thriller twists I have read in a long time. I was slightly disappointed with the ending and hope that there will be a sequel to tie this up.

Very well written - it was creepy in places. The tension builds as you progress through the book. Wonderfully intricate plot but very easy to follow.

This is the third book I have read by Claire Douglas and is easily my favourite. A great summer holiday read. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Greatly entertaining story. Kept me interested until the end.

Easy summer read. Part mystery, part thriller with the a few scary moments thrown in.
Unexpected twist in the middle that you won't see coming, which makes for an interesting end.

Another great thrilling read from Claire. Lots of twists, life isn't always what it seems to be. What goes around comes around, you can't always get away it... bloody fabulous- read it!