Very cleverly woven tale with so many layers to the story. It was perfectly, impressively complex, with no loose threads....and yet I was left left wondering who REALLY did it?

Kirsty and her family move to Wales,from London, to start a new life after her husband Adrian's breakdown. Opening and running a guesthouse in a small Welsh village is not quite as easy as they imagined ,even though Kirsty is Welsh the family are viewed as unwelcome incomers. Her mother ,who has gone into the business with them, doesn't help matters when she informs Kirsty that Selena, an estranged cousin ,is to be the first guest. Matters go from bad to worse when Selena is discovered dead at the bottom of the stairs shortly after the guesthouse opens. There are more twists ,turns and plot red herrings than your average Agatha Christie story, but the solution remains hidden until the end of the novel.

I Really enjoyed "Do Not Disturb" this was my second book by this particular author and out of the two this one was my hands down favourite.
I read this in one sitting: staying up late into the night to finish always a sign of a good read that in my opinion.
The concept here is simple: Kirsty and Adrain along with there two daughters and Kirstys mother make a big move to a small village in Wales to run a guest house together.
Adrian is recovering from a bout of depression after a breakdown so this is meant to be a new start for the whole family.
Not long after arriving they are descended on by various members of the extended family.
Selena: Kirstys estranged cousin along with her disabled daughter.
The brother and sister in law and a variety of paying guests.
This hodgepodge of different personalities along with strange occurrences eventually cumulates into a set of circumstances where all are pointing fingers and nobody knows who is innocent or guilty and quite who to actually trust.
Secrets abound and everybody's guilty of something.
This made for fantastic reading, there were so many red herrings thrown around I thought I was going to get whiplash with the constant back and forth motion.
So fast paced that it was impossible to put this down once started.
This had so much going on in terms of story development managing to keep me guessing till the very end.
I really enjoyed this and as an added bonus this was set in my neck of the woods: well down the road anyway, I live on the border of Wales myself.
I did chuckle to myself at the depiction of small-time living and what is perceived as outsiders: all true from my own personal experience.
All in all, this was a fast-paced read that I enjoyed immensely and am happy to recommend.
On a final note loved the finale: everything was wrapped up here so brilliantly: Bravo.
Thank you to the Publisher, Author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of "Do Not Disturb" of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I didn’t really, enjoy this book, it was quite dark and hard to get into. There were quite a lot of characters, many twists and turns and I’m sure some people will enjoy it, but it wasn’t really my type of book - I probably shouldn’t have read it. I probably shouldn’t have reviewed it either, but if you like your books dark and quite gothic then you should read it

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this from @clairedouglasauthor to read and review - thank you Claire! I have all of Claire's books so far and I was super excited for this one as it sounded so good.....
•
'Could your dream home be your worst nightmare?

After what happened in London, Kirsty needs a fresh start with her family. 
And running a guesthouse in the Welsh mountains sounds idyllic.
But then their first guest arrives.
Selena is the last person Kirsty wants to see.
It's seventeen years since she tore everything apart.
Why has she chosen now to walk back into Kirsty's life?
Is Selena running from something too?
Or is there an even darker reason for her visit?

Because Kirsty know that once you invite trouble into your home, it can be murder getting rid of it....'
•
This book was superb!!!! I loved the setting, I'm from South Wales originally so it was lovely thinking about that! I loved the characters, Kirsty and her husband make an interesting pair, her family are adorable....and her cousin Selena is crazy....there's always one in every family 😂 I thought that the storyline was so cleverly wound together, all the different elements coming together at the end....and that ending?! Not expected at all!!! I found it slightly creepy at times as well as being a crime and thriller book, elements of the story definitely gave me goosebumps. It was exciting and addictive to read and I devoured it in one afternoon as I couldn't put it down....absolutely everyone needs to read this

Anyone who starts to read this book and assumes it to be light,jolly reading. Think again .
This book may not have garnered your attention but it should, because even though it is set in beautiful Welsh mountains and is story of a family their two young daughters and mother buy an old house and want to refurbish it and open as a bed& breakfast.
When you understand why they left London to come back to her Wales you will see how people can just not always tell the truth.
Then the mums nemesis from school arrives at the bequest of her own mother, so Selina and poorly Ruby arrive and slowly life falls apart and there is a murder but who is the murderer ? then you will see how dark the book really is

An interesting story of family lives and lies. The story unfolds slowly to, for me, an unfinished end leading to a sequel?

Kirsty, husband Adrian and their two girls move from London to rural Wales to run a B&B with Kirsty's mother. They're hoping for new beginnings after Adrian walked out on his job and suffered a serious breakdown. He's now writing his first novel and a new start is exactly what the family needs.

On their opening day, Kirsty's cousin Selena arrives unexpectedly. They've not seen each other since a huge falling out 17 years earlier. Kirsty's 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 new nightmare?

Do Not Disturb was a thrilling read. Loaded with red herrings that I absolutely didn't see coming, I thought it was highly entertaining and very well-written. The book dealt with topics including mental illness, attempted suicide, child illness and adultery - not exactly easy reading - but the author handled them with the sensitivity they deserved.

Character development was good, although a few minor cast members did seem rather 'cartoon-ish' (a bit more 'Midsomer Murders-ish' than I would have liked). That being said, it was an excellent plot with some fantastic twists and turns. The ending was terrific and totally unpredictable. Congratulations to the author for well and truly fooling me!

Enjoyed this fast paced, tense thriller. Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

Do Not Disturb by Claire Douglas was my 21st book of 2018. I had read Last Seen Alive last year so when @netgalley had this available I quickly requested a copy.


Kirsty and Adrian and their girls have relocated to Brecon to open a guesthouse with Kirsty’s mum and for a fresh new life after a turbulent 18 months after Adrian’s illness. Their first guests include her cousin, Selena and daughter Ruby who need somewhere to stay after she has left her husband, but Selena brings with her history, drama and lies.


Do Not Disturb is a modern day who done it, in the first week of opening, the house is awoken by the sound of screams in the early morning and one of the guests is found prone and bleeding at the foot of the stairs. What follows are a series of secrets revealed. Someone in the house knows what happened, but who?


I didn’t want to go into too much detail as it would involve spoilers. Claire has once again produced a book that keeps you gripped in the story wanting to know who did it. The character are written and are all given equal reason for being suspects. You get a good feeling about all the characters and can sympathise with a great deal of what they have been through. The book is written through the voice of Kirsty and she is completely believable. Her asthma suffering through the book is quite symbolic of how you feel when you are reading the book.


I enjoyed this book as I was sure I would, I give this 4.5/5.

Loved this author's previous books and I did thoroughly enjoy "Do Not Disturb " in that page turning, how will it end way that shows you have an absorbing book on your hands.

However in all honestly it wasn't my favourite of hers which I'll come onto- but there is a lot to love here also. 

Attempting to escape a trying time for their family, Kirsty, Adrian and their daughters move to Wales to run a guesthouse, alongside Kirsty's mother. Their first guest however, much to Kirsty's dismay, is cousin Selena, who she has been estranged from for many years. Secrets and lies start emerging and Kirsty's new start looks more like becoming a rather horrific eye opening. 

There are plenty of twists and turns along the way and Claire Douglas has an excellent eye and turn of phrase towards creating divisive and engaging characters. This is true here too and is one of the huge strengths of " Do Not Disturb " as motivations and inner truths are cleverly obfuscated. 

However I did feel this fell foul of some rather innocuous plot devices and the occasional lack of flesh on the detail. Or occasionally too much. Kirsty's constant puffing on her inhaler got slightly irritating, yes we know she has asthma and is prone to over use, no need to belabour the point. I also felt a slight lack of detail when it came to youngest daughter Evie, especially considering the arc of that character. Dean too, a little too caricature and peripheral. 

Having said all of that there is far more good than bad here, it is a cleverly woven tale and one that is very immersive. Certainly Claire Douglas writes great psychological thrillers definitely heads above a lot of the banged out generic ones you come across. She's also a beautifully descriptive writer and whilst this wasn't a favourite, subjectively speaking, it was still a good read and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Kirsty, her husband, mother and two daughters move from London to the Brecon Beacons to start a new life running a B&B. It turns out to be harder work than they thought and then Kirsty's estranged cousin, Selina cones to stay and is found in a pool if blood at the bottom of the stairs. Did she fall or was she pushed.
Mysterious things start to happen and we wonder if the house is haunted. Family and guests are under suspicion but I really was surprised by the ending.

A good read with good characters. A little bit predictable but still an enjoyable read with plenty of twists! Great!

I'm not fully satisfied with the book but at same time it isn't that bad. It depends really (considering I have a pretty dark mind so I was kinda expecting more) I mean it's not boring as I read this in one sitting and gave it 4 stars.
Anyway, the story's pretty good. A woman moves to Wales with her two daughters and a husband, and her annoying ass mama, for a fresh start but a lot of spooky shit starts happening when her (idiot of a ) cousin shows up after 17 years with her daughter.

I found this book a bit obvious - from the creepy china doll, to the unfriendly neighbours. I took a while reading it, as it didn’t keep me gripped.
It was all a bit melodramatic for my tastes, sorry.

This was a good read with great pace and, on the whole, interesting characters. But if you're a regular reader of this genre you'll probably have it all worked out before the end. The setting is well-evoked and the set-up of the plot is good. But then the cliched 'resentful locals' start appearing and the 'disgruntled ex' who may or may not have committed the crime is too predictable. I admire authors who can put together these well-plotted thrillers and this kept me reading well into the night, but an assertive editor would have tightened it up a bit and it could easily have been a 4 or 5 start read.

Another gripping read from Claire Douglas. Well described characters and lots of twists. Well worth reading

Having enjoyed the author's previous books, I was delighted to have this latest novel to review - and I wasn't disappointed!

Kirsty and her family need a fresh start after her husband suffers depression and quits his stressful London job. They decide to renovate and run a guesthouse in the Welsh mountains with her mother, which sounds idyllic, but turns out to be anything but.

Her mother invited her cousin, Selena, and her wheelchair bound daughter, Ruby, to stay. Her brother and his wife also appear, along with a maverick collection of other guests for the opening of the B & B plus a new cleaner is hired. Kirsty and Selena seem to have some history and have not spoken in years and she is not pleased with her mother. Her brother and his wife are also obviously having issues.

The novel gets off to a chilling start - Kirsty hears a noise and finds her mother sitting on the stairs beside a body. And so begins the back story with turns and twists that leave the reader doubting all the characters at some point - it was difficult to see whose narration was reliable and the final twist was totally unexpected.

An absorbing and clever novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Beautiful descriptions of Wales and the dark landscape contributed to the mystery of this book where every one has secrets and no one is innocent.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved Last Seen Alive, so was excited to read Claire Douglas’s new psychological thriller, Do Not Disturb.
This starts with Kirsty waking up and finding a dead body sprawled on the floor, and her mother standing by with bloody hands. Then we go back in time and follow Kirsty leaving London and moving to Wales with her husband, Aiden, and their two daughters, following a trauma. With her mother Kirsty has a brought a B&B. A new change is just what they need, until her mother invites her niece, Selena, to stay in their home with her disabled daughter, Ruby. Kirsty hasn’t spoken to Selena since they were 18-years old and had a massive row. Soon her reappearance in Kirsty’s life brings to surface unresolved issues and someone’s death...
This was a fast read. The entire story was set in the B&B which gave it a very claustrophobic atmosphere, in this quiet and isolated Welsh town. I particularly loved the complicated family dynamics, especially between Kirsty, her mother and Selena. I did, however, find it lacking in suspense and a major plot point in the second half was very predictable, hence the 4*s. Overall an enjoyable read.