Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy this book. I found it rather boring and slightly predictable. I probably would not recommend it

I thought I was going to be reading a crime novel/thriller, but the first 50% of the book was more like a family saga, with many characters introduced , like Cousin Selena and her Daughter Ruby, Kirsty's Brother Nathan and his Wife Julia. Plus there's the guests in the Bed and Breakfast too. I enjoyed all the family dynamics of this mixed up family. There were many strong characters in the book. The only person I really warmed to was Kirsty, who seemed strong and all things to everybody.

I didn't enjoy the way the chapters were written, with some going backwards and forwards by a week or a month or six days. I didn't see the need for this as it didn't add anything to the story.

The death I was waiting for finally comes at 51% of the book (I was reading it on my kindle), and the book moves from family saga to crime novel. It did blend between the two "genres" quite well though. The "whodunnit" suspect, kept changing as I read on. There must have been at least 7 suspects. The author delivers the culprit right and the end. One you don't see coming.

The book deals with many sensitive issues such as suicide, mental illness, marital issues and many other subjects, without spoiling it.

I did enjoy the book but I found it took a while to get going. I would certainly read more by this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher Penguin UK, for allowing me to read and review this novel

This was a very interesting read. Full of upsets, tragedy, and secrets. All while Kirsty, Adrian, and Kirsty’s mother are trying to get their guesthouse they’ve started together up and running. They left London to start afresh in this quaint Welsh town with big hopes and dreams. Adrian could finally write that book he’s been wanting to for years, now that’s he no longer working long and demanding hours as a lawyer. Kirsty and her Mum can focus on the guests, and making sure everything is in tip top shape. They know it won’t be easy but they’re looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead.

Their first week open brought a few guests, some not so welcome, and a fair bit of drama and mayhem. Not the opening week they thought, or hoped it would be. But, I suppose, that’s what you get when you buy and renovate an old building overlooking the cemetery. Surely they’d have known it would bring the gossipers spouting rumours about ghosts and it being haunted? I guess they didn’t expect a murder though. Right there in the guesthouse.

Kirsty often wonders who did it? Was it someone staying there or had someone broken in? There’s no signs of a break-in but that doesn’t mean someone hadn’t...surely?

Do Not Disturb was a thrilling, chilling read abound with red herrings!
When Adrian walks out of his job the family ups-sticks from London to Wales with Kirsty's mum financing it to run a rural B&B where Adrian can focus on writing a novel.
Opening day soon arrives with a hint of nerves, anxiety and excitement and accompanying paying guests in swoops various estranged members of Kirsty's family including her cousin and her disabled daughter. It appears there was a massive falling out nearly two decades ago in the family so why has her Mum invited them all to stay? Kirsty is immediately suspicious of Selena's intentions.
When tragedy strikes, Kirsty's world is plunged into fear and uncertainty once more. Can the family and their business survive this fresh nightmare? Who is trustworthy? Was it an accident or murder? It seems many people have their own secrets.
Although I could not relate to (or like) many of the characters I felt this was done intentionally by the author who deals brilliantly with portraying many difficult and sensitive topics such as child illness, adultery, suicide & mental illness.
A very strong 4 stars

Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph ofr access to this book in exchange for a review, recommendations & shares.

Claire never fails to amaze me. Her novels always have the perfect setting for a twisty tale. This is a classic whodunnit where your heart stops multiple times along the way. I loved it.

An enjoyable thriller. It isn't the best thriller I have read as there was a lot that didn't fully connect for me and seemed a bit far fetched however I did enjoy it overall.

I picked up this book to break to my current reads with something different. This book definitely has an underlying creepy factor all the way through that kept me reading. However I didn’t like how it ending. Without giving any spoilers I would have preferred someone else being the killer. This ending felt as though it was put there to solve the problem. I would give this author another go through as it did creepy me out.

I am new to Claire Douglas but will now seek out her other novels....I read this book in one day, it is a perfect beach read (or lockdown in your garden, in my case, read). A modern day whodunnit which did actually keep me guessing until the end.

A relatable and familiar background, with a family escaping to the country to start a new life by setting up a guesthouse in the Brecons following the husband’s burnout/breakdown. Douglas faces the trials of being the newcomers in a small community but twists that thread to become one of the sinister plots running through this story. Kirsty and Adrian team up with her mother to renovate the property which has stood empty for sometime and go into business together. The relationship is taught and as the story unfurls we begin to understand some of the burdens that Kirsty’s mother carries on her shoulders.

Their opening weekend sees a long lost school friend/cousin arrive with her sickly daughter, shortly followed by an ex boyfriend, brother and sister in law along with a few other interesting guests. The central plot, a murder, ensues and in classic Christie style we are left to work out whodunnit from amongst the people under the roof at the time. Other themes are explored - abuse, adoption, parenthood, relationships, local historyand mental health in the course of the mystery being solved and in the end the reader is left with a tangle of lies and coverups and a big question - how far would you go to protect your own family?

Perhaps not perfect but a good, enjoyable read nonetheless.

Hmmm. Not the best thriller I have read. I know we have to suspend reality for most thrillers but this one expects quite a lot of us. It was ok, lots of twists and turns, nice Welsh countryside but not for me.

For most of the time I spent reading this book, I had only expected to give it four stars, but it really ramped up the action and the twists later, so I am happy to give it five stars. Plenty of twists, kept my attention, a few red herrings and a great story.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This book really takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride, just as soon as you think you've figured something out, whoops, you get surprised again. This was a good read and I can't wait to read some more by this very talented author! Recommended.

I have read a couple of claire douglas' books previously and really enjoyed her writting style so i jumped at the chance to read this when i seen it. I wouldnt say this is my favourite of her books. The concept is unique in that the family have moved to wales and bought a bnb to run then you get the picture theres mental health and family issues going on but i just found it didnt grab my attention. I gave up nearly half way through. Just not one for me

"Absorbing and chilling...." reads the blurb, and "....thrilling finale". Oh good, I thought, a chilling, thrilling read.....

Something Bad happened to Adrian when he and Kirsty and their two girls lived in London, so never having run a business before, they decide to buy an almost derelict property in Wales and, once refurbished, open it as a B&B. Why? Because Kirsty is Welsh and loves Wales. What better reason could there be. So this is Mistake Number One. Asking Kirsty's domineering and controlling mother for a loan is Mistake Number Two, thus allowing her to move in and be a not-so-silent partner. Mistake Number Three is letting Kirsty''s cousin Selena, a woman she hates and hasn't spoken to for seventeen years, to come and stay.

Kirsty whinges and whines her way through the part of the book I've managed to read. Her teenage daughter sulks, the little one sleepwalks, Her mother is controlling but often leaves her to do all the work. Selena arrives and Adrian obviously has more than one eye on her. Will it never end? Oh, and then there's the fact that this house cannot ever be their own because - it's a Bed and Breakfast, silly, with strangers wandering in and out, and sleeping in the bedrooms which have all been named, nauseatingly after flowers. She can't even watch Strictly Come Prancing because the telly's in the living room which is occupied by the guests. Oh, heaven for fend. Could things get any worse? Well yes, actually, because the first guest, Janice, detects some sort of "unrest" within the house. And Selena's daughter is taken ill.....

I can't go on. Really I can't. Between Kirsty and her whingeing, and the oh so poor writing, and the author treating me like a child and explaining every little detail, such as why Insect day becomes a standing joke for the school's Inset Day. And this:

"..........It has two beds that can either be zipped together to make a double, or separated to make two singles......" Really? Is that how those beds work?

I'm a grown-up - I don't need this sort of explanation.

The structure is confusing as within Part One the timeline hops back and forth, the dialogue is cheesy and the characters are the usual flat, predictable cardboard cutouts, with thumping hearts, and gasping breaths.

Mistake Number Four? My attempt to read yet another of Ms Douglas's novels. Well, I do like to give the benefit of the doubt, but that's it - no more. I've almost reached mu one third place and I give up as this is truly, truly awful

Having just moved from the south east of England to a small village in West Wales, I was intrigued to read this book.
It’s a great idea, with lots of different strands that are really interesting and that do keep you turning the pages to see what’s at the bottom of all these weird events.
I liked Kirsty and sympathised with her, particularly the situation she was in with her mum, grateful for the help, but irritated by her behaviour, and not able to say anything because of the gratitude! A horrible situation to be in.
But – there were so many strands here that it didn’t feel as if enough time was given to any of them. There was such a lot that could have made this into a much more satisfying novel, particularly the story around Selena and Ruby, and the resentment Kirsty felt towards her husband.
One of the ‘red herrings’ was dealt with so quickly and with no real depth whatsoever which was hugely disappointing.
And, as someone who has moved to Wales, I found the idea of the locals resenting the ‘incomers’ a bit of a tired old stereotype.
The ending too felt a bit odd and definitely needed to be developed further. The implications of the ending are absolutely huge and could be so interesting. But again, there was no real depth.
A real shame, because this could have been so good. There was a lot I really liked, but I wish it had been better.
Three and a half stars

4☆ A deliciously dark and twisty thriller, that had me enthralled to the very end!

Do Not Disturb is a deliciously dark and twisty thriller, that had me enthralled to the very end!

Kristy, her hubby Adrian and their children head to Wales to start a b&b guesthouse business, with the help of Kristy's Mother Carol. After a taut period for the family, Kristy believes the guesthouse is exactly what they all need.

Unfortunately for Kristy things are not going to go smoothly when in walks her estranged cousin Selena and her daughter Ruby
Kristy and Selena have bad blood between them and she's the last person Kristy wants under her roof.
They say times a healer, but will this be the case for the two of them?
This is What happens when you open your doors and in walks guests determined to shake things up!!
Was opening the guesthouse the best idea after all?

Do Not Disturb is a taut and pacy thriller, that's full of intrigue, Suspense and perfectly plotted twists.
It's full of secrets, deception, lies and manipulation which makes for a completely absorbing read!
The Characters are Complex, full of intrigue and very well developed.
I loved how the tension ramps up towards the end, and really did keep me guessing which I appreciate.

If you love your thrillers to be pacy, dark, full of intrigue and deception, with juicy twists, then Do Not Disturb is the book for you!

This is the first book that I have read by Claire Douglas. I read it pretty quickly; I was intrigued as to how the event (no spoilers) came about but for me there was far too much going on. Lies, affairs, mental health, village gossip, family woes. The guest house was a boiling pot of secrets! Actual rating 3.5

This was such a brilliant chiller-thriller! Sleepless nights even after you've finished - this is great with twists, turns and underlying devestating secrets.

Not a bad read. A bit slow to start with but then warmed up to a satisfying climax. I enjoyed the story going from past to present to explain the relationship between some of the characters.

I’ve read a couple of Claire Douglas books this year and I really do love her writing. Do Not Disturb follows a family who have bought a run down guest house in Wales and decide to do it up and re-open. The locals aren’t happy and there is a sense that something bad happened in the house years before. The tension is there from the very start of this novel as the opening scene is shocking and then we go back a few weeks to find out what led up to it. In amongst all the stress of renovating Kirsty’s estranged cousin turns up with her daughter and it’s clear from the off that something has happened and that once they were close but not anymore. Whilst this isn’t my favourite novel by the author, it was still such an engrossing and fast-paced read that I just didn’t want to put down! I definitely recommend it!