Member Reviews
Last seen alive is initially centred around Libby who is away with her husband and things aren't going well to say the least.
..the plot thickens and various twists and turns arise and going back in time to find out more about Libby....
This is a gripping read which tells the story of a likeable. Character you will to succeed. Without giving anything away, if you like gripping books which tell a decent story then this is for you!!
Libby has had a difficult few months. Hailed as a hero after saving children from a fire at the school where she works, Libby lost her baby and broke her arm and the stress on her marriage is telling. When a note drops through the door of her flat Libby jumps at the chance of a house swap and travels to Cornwall with her husband Jamie. However Libby doesn't find the break relaxing and, on their return to Bath, things seem to go from bad to worse. Is Libby's past catching up with her.
This is the sort of book that will sell by the bucketload over the summer season, it is the perfect beach read for the legions of people (usually female) who love a psychological story that doesn't involve loads of serial killers! In fact of its genre it's quite a decent example. OK so the plot has more holes in it than a fishing net, the characters are not very sympathetic and it rushes towards the end but there is quite an interesting premise to the tale. I devoured the book, reading it in a couple of hours because it is pacy, but it was empty calories really.
last Seen Alive - This one is for psychological thriller fans who like a page turner with twists right to the end. A well crafted tale where everything is not as it seems. When a couple decide to exchange properties and take a week long break in Cornwall what can go wrong? We become embroiled in Libby and Jamie's story and, because their characters are well drawn we want to know more. It's hard to say more without revealing parts of the plot but you are guaranteed surprises right to the very end.
I was sent this by net galley in exchange for a fair review.
I stormed through this book in one afternoon while off sick from work. The premise of the book had me hooked and I loved the story, right up until the last fifth of the novel. Suddenly the story fell apart for me and I found it very convoluted. It was a shame because the rest of the book had held my attention so well. However, I really liked the characters and enjoyed the pace of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for allowing me to read and review this book.
This book had me hooked from the start. I really liked Libby “The Hero” and really felt her sorrow from being the hero. You soon learn that there was a trip in her past but no details are revealed. Jamie seems to be a ruggedly handsome man who is Libby’s husband. Bring in his family, a mother who is a psychiatrist, his sisters and then of course the ex girlfriend and her son.
A getaway for our couple is definitely needed. So off they trot to Cornwall doing a house swap. I won’t give any spoilers but the twists this book gives off once they are back from their holiday is unreal!
I loved this book, the way it was written, the way Claire moved between the characters is just brilliant. This definitely kept me guessing and I always try and figure out a book as I’m reading and this one I couldn’t. I’m giving this book a 5/5 rating. It’s truly fantastic and absolutely gripping from start to finish.
I really loved this tense, eerie story of a house-swap gone wrong. The characters are great to read about, with Libby herself seeming a reliable narrator but there are points in the story where I wondered if everything she was saying was true, and the same with her husband Jamie. Everyone seems to be hiding something, but does it have anything to do with the strange occurrences at the house in Cornwall?
The novel had me feeling a bit ‘creeped out’ at times – something I don’t often feel whilst reading books - and I could imagine being in their situation and how it might make me feel, especially if my partner thought I was being a little highly strung about it. The tension builds as the story continues, and I don’t want to give too much away but there are some serious ‘Oh my god’ moments that I did NOT see coming – at all! It left me reeling and I finished the book feeling really impressed with the writing, the depth and intricacies of the storyline, and the surprises along the way!
Highly recommended.
I hovered between 4 stars and 3 stars for this book. Whilst it is an excellent book and the story kept me enthralled with the twists and turns, I cannot bear books without closure at the end. I do not want to have to make up my own mind what happens next.
Claire Douglas, please write a Kindle short story to finish this off!
An interesting concept and I did like the writing. However it did become rather unrealistic and I did not like the ending at all.
Firstly thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.
This isn't my favourite book of this genre I have read this year. I found it didn't draw me in as I would have liked. I didn't really connect with the characters and found them rather annoying in parts. The story was kind of far fetched too. Saying that I did read the whole story, it wasn't so bad I had to put it down never to pick it up again. It did pique my interest. There are several twists, a couple of which I guessed. The book itself is well written, just too far fetched for me.
Do we really truly know anyone? In this book it appears not!
Although I found it to be a slow starter once the characters were more formed I was fascinated and couldn't fail to put it down. I loved the massive twist and the overall plot.
I was a little disappointed by the ending and hope that Libby/Karen got the justice she deserved!
Excellent book, would definitely recommend, thanks for letting me read this 😀
I really enjoyed this book. It was different, readable and well paced. The unusual story hooked me in and I found it entertaining. I did feel a pang of disappointment at the end. When it was all meant to come together and be explained, but it was only a slight pang. It was a tale of identity, romance and past misdemeanours. Well worth a read.
Excellent read, plenty of twists & turns & I really couldn't put it down!!
A great psychological thriller. Quite a complicated storyline, but kept me up late reading.
This book gripped me from the first few pages, the main characters around which everything unfolds were likeable, a 'nice couple' and then as the story continues you begin to doubt and question both for very different reasons - many layers in this story in a good way - and the ending - well I did not see that final chapter coming.. A really great read.
Libby isn't keen on a lot of attention. But when she rescues her young students from a fire she becomes a national heroine. Perturbed by the attention, and struggling with memories the fire ignited she leaps at the chance of a home swap to a beautiful house in Cornwall. It's a chance for her and her husband Jamie to get away and reconnect. But a series of strange discoveries and an uneasy sense of been watched ruins their break. And then slowly, irrevocably a series of secrets begin to be revealed. Who can be trusted?
Thank you Claire Douglas for returning my reading mojo! Don't get me wrong, I've read some good books lately. But nothing that has had that "I MUST read this today" quality recently. And despite my families best efforts this did not leave my hands. Any second spare had to be dedicated to this book. A twisty turny thriller with many surprises and extremely well written. It's nice to finish July on a really great novel.
I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.
Really enjoyed it
Suspenseful and a great read
Great holiday book
A great read. Plenty of twists and turns and some really unexpected surprises.
Part set in the present day, but also looking back to our central characters travelling days in her late teens.
Some well developed characters in this page turner.
I was a little disappointed by what I found a quite abrupt ending.
Not my first Claire Douglas novel and it won't be my last. Very enjoyable - thank you Netgalley for an early copy in return for a review.
It started out good but after the prologue it was too drawn out for me and a bit none happening. I gave up at chapter 4.