3.5 stars

This book is a slow starter. The tension builds chapter by chapter, but not a lot happens. Until suddenly everything happens, and then the book becomes a lot more gripping.

I wasn’t overly attached to the characters, so I think that’s why I was slow to really get into the book. I can’t put my finger on why, they were complex and felt realistic, but something just stopped me from overly caring for about half the book.

However once I got half way through, I hit my sweet spot, and suddenly wanted to know what exactly was happening in this multi-generation family run B&B.

I loved the ending and thought everything was wrapped up very satisfyingly. So while I’m not jumping up and down saying read this asap, I do think it’s worth the read.

Thanks to the Penguin UK and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

A complex involving book set in Wales.
Members of a family stayed at a new guesthouse , who hadn't seen each other for years.It disclosed alot of secrets including murder. A good read but didn't merit 5 stars.

This book is definitely worth a read. I enjoyed the story line and the secrets that were obviously lurking beneath the surface. Thoroughly enjoyable.

A slow burner but definitely worth a read. It did take a while for me to get into to but once the story takes its first twist i was hooked and didn't know which way the story was going to go. Very enjoyable!

The start of this book really drew me in and got me intrigued. It’s a dark thriller that I read in one sitting. My main negative is that the characters aren’t hugely likeable and didn’t engage me. This meant that I didn’t enjoy the ending as much as I would have liked.

I liked the premise of this book, and the first chapter really grabbed me – I was sure I was in for a wonderful read. The book starts with a scream, and a dead (?) body - the Incident. Then we are taken back two months to explain how we got there. The end of the book was five months after the Incident, showing how people had moved on. All is narrated by the main character Kirsty: mother; wife; cousin; daughter; B & B owner – and self-righteous busy-body.
I really did not like Kirsty, and that biased my feelings towards the whole book. She complains about her own mother being bossy, but is stiflingly over-protective of her own daughters and husband, is constantly suspicious of others, without good reason, and holds grudges for decades. Throughout her life she has made wrong decisions, for the Right reasons (she is always Right). Now, she feels that being a Mother justifies any and all her actions. Actually, I liked very few of the characters though did feel sorry for some of the children.
The story could have been great. There was tension throughout, and several major twists (some guessable, others not), but I did not find the plotting believable. There were also a number of instances in the book that really annoyed me personally, but probably will not be a problem for others. Not wanting to include spoilers, I cannot go further into this.
The book was good enough that I had to read it to the end – hence 3 stars rather than a lower rating which my very personal antipathy might dictate.

Chilling in places, mysterious, dark and disturbing. Utterly engrossing. Cleverly told from before and after events.
Estranged family members brought together and long buried secrets are revealed. Horrific secrets and sickness of the mind ultimately end in murder.
Is the identify of the murderer obvious or should you prepare to be shocked?

A wonderfully twisty tale of deceit and dysfunction. I really enjoyed this book. Well written and in a style that is very easy to read. The characters were are all flawed in some way making the story more believable.

A good mystery with plenty of twists. I did struggle to get into it at the beginning but I'm glad I stuck with it as the plot got deeper with more twists and turns as the story unravelled.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this book. I found the characters not particularly convincing or likable.and, the plot all a little too convenient.

Do not Disturb is an intriguing, multiple-layered psychological thriller about a family who move to Wales to start a new life running a bed and breakfast. Interesting characters and plot made this a compelling read.

Kirsty and Adrian are a family in recovery after the incident. They move to Wales and open a guesthouse with their daughters; Amelia and Evie. Shortly after opening, spooky events occur. Then her mum arranges a family reunion where one of them ends up dead. Who is the culprit and how many secrets does this family have?

It is not long into this read before we know one of them dies, the question is who and why. Douglas does a great job at portraying Kirsty and Adrian's family and the trouble they have had. Douglas also does a great job at introducing the extended members of the family and it is clear that there are many secrets waiting to come out. The revelations come thick and fast and some of them are very shocking and really threw me. The twists make this read and at least one will prove shocking, if not more.

Setting this in a spooky guesthouse in Wales only adds to the intensity. The eerie house set against the rural, desolate landscape means we are waiting for something bad to happen. The characters make this as well, Kirsty and Adrian and their daughters are very likeable and human and I wanted to get to know them and the secrets they held. Their extended family are terrific too, again all people I could get on board with and I just knew they were all in possession of a delicious, plot-changing secret. In a way, this has an Agatha Christie feel to it, an estranged family meet in an eerie location, a body is found, secrets are revealed and heartbreaking revelations are made, it is all very thrilling. As well as being a thriller, Douglas explores familial relationships and the lengths people would go to, to protect family. This adds a depth and intrigue to an otherwise exciting read.

'Do Not Disturb' has the hallmarks of a gothic thriller and you will be racing through this in order to discover the truth. Along the way there is heartbreak aplenty and a plot that you do not want to miss out on. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an advance copy.

This is a dark and twisty tale. I enjoyed it and found myself reading late into the night to find out what had happened.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a nice easy read that kept me hooked throughout. There were a lot of red herrings thrown in and great characters. Would definitely recommend this book

Wow. What a read. Hands down the best book I’ve read in the psychological thriller category for a few months. Amazingly good and highly recommended reading.

This book was great and kept me gripped from the word "go". I could not foresee what was going to happen and enjoyed reading the story unravel from start to finish. I did not see any of the twists coming and would certainly recommend this book .

The editing of this book is very clever. The initial tease of the 'event' occurs and then the chapter titles remind you where you are in the timeline leading up to it and beyond - a bit like we use BC and AD in religion.
This device keeps you turning the pages and thinking back to the opening. And it certainly kept me wanting to know more about the potential suspects. Of which there are a fair few.

On reflection, the revelations are very plausible and the narrative never steers off into the incredible which is credit to the author; there's a tendency these days to embrace the melodramatic. When you get to the denouement, it's unusual enough to make you think yet the groundwork has been set up early on in the book so it doesn't come out of nowhere. If anything, it offers the chance of an intriguing sequel.

I believed in each of the characters and they each had their little idiosyncrasies which made them individual and recognisable, adding to the reality.

As a few others have remarked, I wasn't overkeen on the protagonist but again, how anxious and protective would you become if those experiences had happened to your family. It's a tricky call.

The title doesn't seem to fit with the book for me. And I think the image on the cover could have been a broken doll rather than a teddy bear as I like the idea of Selena as that broken doll and...
But I won't finish that sentence as it would be somewhat of a spoiler!

Good pace and very easy to read, I may well be reading other titles by Ms Douglas in future.

Kirsty and Adrian move back to Kirsty's home country of Wales to set up a b & b. We learn of past friendships, families intertwined and lies which start tiny and become massive. Who do you trust, should you change the past? I was literally on a knife edge, so many twists and turns. Looking forward to more from Claire, highly recommend.

I am a huge fan of Claires books, I have read them all and yet again she did not disappoint me at all. Do Not Disturb is bloody brilliant. It has a gorgeous cover too, that is bound to catch the readers eye.

This is a fast paced story with hit after hit of shocks, secrets, lies and affairs. There was always something to keep the reader hooked. A very unexpected outcome that I would never have expected at all. This story was just action packed full of suspense and everyone was a suspect! It just goes to show you don’t know who you can trust, even family. I absolutely loved this story. Devoured it.

I awarded an outstanding five stars and would highly recommend to you all. It is a cleverly written story that contains short chapters. The characters are all likeable in their own individual way except for Dean… Didn’t really like him. I look forward to Claires next book already!

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Kirsty is after a new start for herself, her husband and her two daughters. Running a guesthouse with her mother in Wales seems ideal, in reality though it’s a lot more difficult.
Their first guest is her cousin Selina who she hasn’t seen for years and her young daughter Ruby. A few days later her brother and his wife turn up to stay, followed by an old boyfriend of Selina’s. There is a lot of tension, secrets being kept and lies being told.
There are many twists and turns to the plot after Selina is found at the bottom of the stairs a morning, did she fall, did someone push her? The police are investigating.
Not my favourite book to date from Clare Douglas but well deserving of 3.5 stars.