I thoroughly enjoyed this book - a chilling and clever story of murder and manipulation. I didn't see the ending coming at all but thought it was a good ending. The descriptions of Clifton in Bristol were very evocative and made me want to go and live there!! Recommended.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Having read Do Not Disturb and Then She Vanishes previous books and enjoying them a lot I couldn’t give up on the opportunity to read this one.

I was drawn into the plot from the start. It was so gripping that I wanted to get to the end as fast as I could. There were so many twists and turns that I just couldn’t get my head around what was going on (in a good way).

I really liked the writing style in this one. The story is told from multiple perspectives of the main characters, with a little extract from the perpetrator thrown in, which was great as it made me suspect nearly every character that came up. Turns out I was wrong and finding out who the real perpetrator is as at the end was a surprise that I wasn’t expecting.

The characters were very well developed. At first quite a few of them are not very likeable but as the book progress you get to know them more and they grow on you. My favourite character from the very start was Una. She was so kind hearted and so loving, even when her life was in danger she still showed her caring side. I would love to have her as a friend.

From the books I’ve read by Claire Douglas this one was by far my favourite. I can’t wait to see what Claire has instore for her readers next.

If you love a fast paced, twisty mystery that has you guessing till the end then I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers Michael Joseph (Penguin UK) for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Great story line, kept changing my mind all the way through as to who was guilty/innocent. Good characters. Not disappointed by Claire Douglas

This was a psychological thriller that takes a close look at a dysfunctional family. Not only is the family itself dysfunctional, but the individuals within it each have their own demons that drive them to irrational behaviour. Thrown into the household is the young woman, Una, who is employed as a carer for the elderly matriarch Elspeth. As she starts to realise that all is not as it seems on the surface between Elspeth and her daughter Kathryn she also becomes aware that their secrets could be far from benign, and that she might actually be in danger.

It's an interesting and gripping read, fast-paced and full of tension. However, there were a few too many discrepancies (silly things, such as the cat being male, then female. Meals that are mentioned such as a stew, turning into a quiche when the character sat down to eat etc) that left me re-reading passages which meant I didn't enjoy the book as much as I had expected. Furthermore, whilst I am more than happy to suspend disbelief in the name of entertainment, this book contained too many unbelievable coincidences for me to go along for the ride.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks netgalley and Claire Douglas for this great thriller. Started reading this book about a family with one daughter and one adopted daughter thinking it will be another disfunctional family story, but it was not.
Really got to know all the characters each of the girls who looked after Elizabeth, and how Kathryn Was so worried that her mother would leave her money to those girls, and not her daughter.
Money makes you think and do terrible things.
Well another great book from Claire Douglas while in lockdown.

I like Claire Douglas's thrillers - easy to read, with a good amount of twists and turns to keep you gripped and guessing.

Una is a young lady, and has recently taken on role as companion to Elspeth. Although Elspeth plays the frail old lady quite a lot, it isn't long before Una cottons on to the fact that she isn't at all. Una also discovers she's the third companion to Elspeth, the previous two who died...

As creepy as it sounds, well recommended.

Elspeth is an elderly lady looking for a companion and when Una applies for the position little does she know that her predecessors employment has ended suspiciously. More strange is that each girl.always seems to resemble Elspeth's estranged daughter and her adopted daughter Kathryn appears cold and welcoming to the new carer. Will Una become just like the other girls as she begins to uncover things that make her suspicious of what has really happened to them? A very dark and twisting tale that kept me guessing to the end as bit by bit things start to become a little clearer.

Fiendishly clever, dark and chilling. Impossible to put down
The plot was unpredictable throughout, all the way through to the shock ending. Twists and turns leading up blind alleys from the start, I was hooked.
The characters had unexpected and carefully thought out facets, adding to the plot beautifully.
Well worth adding to the book shelves

I can't say very much about this story because I don't want to give anything away.
I was a bit dubious when I first started reading but stick with it, just for a couple of chapters, because it reels you in and you're hooked!
The ending is such a twist. Loved it.

Una is all alone after the death of her mother and splitting up with her boyfriend. Her only friend is Courtney who she has known for years and in who she confides..
She decides to take a job as a live in carer to Elspeth in a beautiful large house. The she finds out that the two previous girls have died. Elspeth has a daughter that Una doesn't trust and then begins to fear for her own life. Can she solve the mystery of the girls and will she survive?
This book twists and turns but leaves the biggest twist to the end. Loved it.

As usual with Claire Douglas' books, you are in for a rollercoaster of a read – full of twists and turns. I thought I had the ending sussed but I was wrong, which delighted me! Some of it is slightly far-fetched, as other reviewers have mentioned, but I think you just have to accept that sometimes with a creepy thriller like this and suspend your disbelief.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Douglas is fast becoming the queen of nail biting fiction.

I absolutely love her novels and I was eagerly anticipating this new novel

This book was suspenseful. It had me hooked. A perfect book to distract me from the worries of the world right now

I wanted to fly through the book, but equally did not want it to end

The book shocked me and I loved the fast pace and the mysterious element of the book

Can not recommend enough

This story starts gently, bringing the characters of Una & Courtney to life along with a little about their backstory - enough to make you empathise and show interest. Bristol - the Clifton area is the main setting and Claire creates a very clear picture of the homes where the story happens. The mystery starts when you meet Elspeth and her adopted daughter Kathryn, two particularly interesting and unusual characters - each with their own personal stories and quirks. My mind was kept involved puzzling where this story was going.... then wham, it all changed. I paused thinking this couldn’t be happening - that was not supposed to happen! And then the real pace & intrigue sets in. The story gathers momentum and possible avenues appear by the plenty. the back stories begin to mesh together and I got so that I didn’t trust anyone. A mystery / hidden character adds suspense throughout and the end, although completing the story well, had more twists than a corkscrew - thoroughly enjoyable.

Yet another brilliant Penguin book. I thoroughly enjoyed this, with it's lovely Bristol setting near th Clifton Suspension Bridge. This part of the country is familiar to a lot of people which helps to give the book a great sense of place.
The story of various companions to a rich old lady makes for a very interesting read with a nagging sense of mystery throughout.

A great book, would heartily recommend.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

oh wow where to start...

una sees an ad for a live in helper/ companion so she goes and is invited for an interview...where upon she is given the live in job...

all is well at the start...its not a very demanding job maybe a bit boring but for the money she can save for her trip around the world she had promised her mother before she died, una has plans...

but then she starts to hear about the other two girls who had the job before her and its troubling...they have both died one from a hit and run and the other from suicide....but was it suicide...

and why does it feel as though she is being followed on her days off and as her days are becoming strained with the daughter that is always checking up on her and the strange way that elspeth is acting...she is counting the days till she can go on her planned trip with her friend....

oh my word my heart was in my mouth at times, it keeps you on your toes and i never imagined that ending...claire douglas can write a brilliant suspense novel

keep your eyes out for more of this authors works

I really enjoyed this one kept me engaged from start to finish.

A real whodunit? which sees you racing to find out whose the culprit (everyone at some point became a suspect for me)

Gripping and suspenseful throughout a well written story with a satisfying ending.

Well my goodness this was so full of twists and turned my head was spinning by the end of the book and I really did not suspect what on earth was going on at all.
This really is one extremely clever and intricate story that grips from the beginning and races at a fair old pace and I loved it.
So we start with Una who goes for a job as a live-in companion/carer for the elderly Elspeth and this is job that seems just too good to be true, beautiful house, good wages what more could Una want ... well of course things are just not quite what they seem and some Una is suspicious about the previous employees who have died in very suspicious circumstances. What follows is a thrill of a ride which left me breathless as I began to suspect just about everyone in the damn book.
This is must read of a thriller it will drive you crazy wondering just what is going to happen next and I can highly recommend it, many thanks to Claire Douglas for spinning my head in circles!!
My thanks also to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! This book just hooks you in. A real page turner. Una starts a new job as a live in companion but when she finds out her last two predecessors have died she's worried. Working for Elspbeth and Kathyrn in the big house in Clifton, she knows something isn't right but she doesn't know what. I couldn't put the book down. A real psychological thriller with family at the heart and another twist right at the end. A super gripping read. I would highly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Thank you so much to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for allowing me to review this ARC.

Una a young blonde girl starts working as a live in carer for Elspeth Mckenzie.
Things don't seem to add up when Una discovers that the two previous employees before have died.
Una sets to investigate the truth of how the girls have died and not become just like the other girls.

This thriller had me on the edge of my seat from the start. It was so twisty, full of suspense, Claire had me guessing right to the end. This read will keep you on tender hooks, all my theories were totally wrong, which is great as no one like a predictable story.

A must read and I highly recommend you pick this one up.

5 out of 5 from me.

I have read a number of books by Claire Douglas and not been disappointed. This is my favourite to date. The sign of a good thriller is when, at no point in the book do you have a clue "who dunnit?" and why. This was one of those books.

The book is told from the perspective of the main characters and to a lesser extent the killer and I must admit I like this style of writing.

Una having recently lost her mother, is at a crossroads in her life and decides to leave her low paid job in a care home in favour of a well paid job as a companion/carer to wealthy widow Elspeth who lives in a grand house in Bristol. Early on she discovers she had 2 predecessors who had died in suspicious circumstances and suspects all is not as it seems. Una is determined to get to the bottom of these deaths, even at risk to herself. It becomes clear that Elspeth is not really as in need of a carer as Una was led to believe. Still, it is well paid and will help Una put aside the money she will need fo go travelling with her friend Courthey in the future.

Elspeth's adopted daughter Kathryn figures heavily in the book and does not come across as a particularly nice person. Clearly not liking either Una or her predecessors, and there are underlying tensions and insecurities in her relationship with her mother. I like how the author keeps you thinking about what involvement, if any, she may have in these deaths.

A real page turner that kept me guessing and what a brilliant "out of the blue" ending. I love a book where I can't figure it out and this was surely one of those. Well done Claire you did it again!

I highly recommend this book and I would like go thank Netgalley UK, the author and the publishers, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for allowing me a an advanced arc copy of the book for a fair and unbiased review.