A solid four star read. Good premise if a little disturbing at times due to storyline. Great characterisation. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Would definitely read her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The Couple at No.9 by Claire Douglas
I give this book 4.5 stars

When pregnant Saffron Cutler and her boyfriend Tom move into 9 Skelton Place, they didn't expect to find 2 bodies, buried under the patio over thirty years ago.
When the police launch a murder investigation, they ask to speak to the cottage's former owner - Saffy's grandmother, Rose, whose Alzheimer's clouds her memory.
What happened thirty years ago?
What part did her grandmother play?
And is Saffy now in danger? . . .

A cleverly plotted book that had me gripped from the start,racing through it unable and unwilling to put it down. A totally engaging read about betrayal and secrets,3 generations of 1 family,the past is told by Rose and the present by Saffy and Lorna.The story intertwined and the suspense kept building,the mystery flowed and the twists kept coming. Highly recommended read go grab your copy!
With thanks to Netgalley,Claire Douglas and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for my chance to read and review this book

An intriguing mystery right until the end of the book. Would never have guessed the eventual outcome. A story of 3 generations. Two bodies are found in the Grandmother's garden as the Granddaughter is having an extension built onto the kitchen. From there it is a twisty, turney journey to find the truth. With heartbreak and uncomfortable truths being found out eventually. But the story is not depressing and the family is drawn together in the end.

From the very first chapter this book had me hooked. I really struggled to put it down. It was such an intriguing story with characters that were so easy to like. I loved the way that the 2 timelines in the story blended together.

Even when I realised that I'd guessed the main twist I wasn't disappointed. It was such a great book.

I save 5 star ratings for books that I feel are really special and this is definitely one of those. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen.

This was great! I demolished it in two days! A proper page turning thriller. I had worked out what was going on quite early on but enjoyed all the twists and turns! The perfect recommendation for those who love a domestic thriller and all the characters were wonderfully like-able. Will definitely be handselling this one to my customers!

I loved this novel and didn't want it to end, but I wanted to know the ending, if you know what I mean!

This is my first introduction to Claire Douglas and it was enjoyable. I connected immediately with all the characters whether I liked or disliked them.. The story and the ending was so good. My review will not be about the blurb or storyline, that is for you to find out yourselves.....READ THE BOOK!

It was an entertaining, twisting turning story. The chapters were well organised and keeps your interested all the way through the book. The writing was sharp with snappy dialogue between characters which I loved.

I give a 5 star rating, as I really enjoyed the book

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Claire Douglas has done it again. Fantastic read.

Saffy and Tom move into a house she has inherited from her grandmother. Saffy is pregnant and they have started work renovating their home. While workmen are digging in the garden the find skeletal remains. There's 2 bodies buried under the patio. Who are they and how did they end up there.
Rose, saffys gran is in a care home and has dementia. Saffy and her mum lorna try to find out what has happened in the past. Are they now in danger?
Did not see the twist coming! Was excellent!! Definitely recommend this book.
Thank you to netgalley for the copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Saffy and Tom were lucky to be gifted a cottage in the Cotswolds by Saffy's mother Lorna. The Cottage was originally belonged to Rose, Saffy's Grandmother. During renovation's of the garden two bodies are discovered.
Rose is now in a care home suffering from dementia, so it's difficult to ascertain if she lived in the cottage at the time the bodies were buried.
It took me a while to get into this book, it was a bit slow to start with. I am really good I persevered.

I love books by Claire Douglas so I was very excited to be approved to read this on netgalley. Well, it didn’t disappoint! I would categorise it as more of a domestic thriller in the vein of Louise Candlish rather than the faster paced psychological thrillers but this is no bad thing. The mystery certainly builds right from the start when two bodies are found under the patio during Saffy and Tom’s home renovation project. Who do the bodies belong to? Does it have anything to do with Saffy’s gran, who they have inherited the cottage from? These are just the start of the questions in this book. I loved the multi POV and the way the book flicked between present day and the 1980s when Saffy’s gran lived in the cottage. Plus, I did NOT see the twist coming!!! I highly recommend this book if thrillers are your jam.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)

Saffy and Tom inherit a cottage only to discover that two bodies lay buried under the patio. A fantastic mystery to unravel the family secrets that concealed these murders.
This was such a clever plot. It twisted and turned, and was packed with endless questions that kept you reading.
The family were likeable and realistic, meaning I was able to be totally invested in them and absorbed in the story.
The cottage being both a sanctuary and on the flip side isolated made a perfect setting for this creating both the family cosy vibe and a more sinister atmosphere.
I gasped out loud more than once as the revelations came, and found I really couldn't put it down.
I found it refreshing to the usual thriller, told from a more domestic setting and felt this worked really well for the story. Also I loved that things didn't quite come together as I was hoping, I liked that this seemed more realistic and believable.
Thankyou to netgalley and penguin for the copy, I will look out for more by this author.

An absolutely thrilling read, I was hooked from the start and the clever multiple narration and timeline gave it an added depth. So many characters and interlinking stories made it stand out from a typical who dun it .
Highly recommend. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

The premise of this novel gave me chills – Tom and Saffron, who is pregnant with their first baby, have moved into their dream home which she has inherited from her Grandmother. They’re in the middle of a renovation project when their builders find two skeletons buried in the back garden! Police begin investigating and it seems there might be a connection to Saffy’s grandma Rose. We also get chapters set in the past when Rose first moved to the cottage and slowly the two timelines build up a picture of all the people who have lived in this house and how any of them might be connected to the present day discovery. I found this novel really gripping, I loved both timelines and I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen. This novel kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed it!

What a fantastic read. The Couple at No.9 is a mystery you will battle to walk away from. This book proved to be a brilliant escape from reality. The reconnection between mother and daughter and Saffy’s loyalty and love for her grandmother makes this a heartwarming read that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling when you reach the final page.
After reading this book I am ready to pack my bags and move to Beggars Nook – Skelton Place and this little village is exactly the type of place I would love to live.
This was my first encounter with Claire Douglas, I have not read any books by her before. Clearly, I have been missing out. I love the way she tells this story, including various character’s point of view and shifting between the past and the present she unravels a complicated tale in a beautifully easy to follow manner. I loved the setting, and the characters are warm and relatable despite the harsh topic. I am looking forward to adding more of her books to my TBR.
Saffron and Tom receive a cottage as a gift from Saffron’s mother and with their first baby on the way, they are grateful and eager to turn it into the perfect family home. Life could not be better.
Then the builder’s dig up the back garden and discover the remains of two bodies. When the police start investigating, it is discovered that the unidentified bodies were buried while Rose, Saffron’s grandmother lived in the house. Rose suffers from dementia, and she cannot shed any light. However, as the police and Lorna, Saffron’s mother starts putting the puzzle pieces together a sad reality is unearthed and Saffy appears to be in danger.
Who is buried in Skelton Place’s garden? More importantly, who buried them?

The characters in this book crawled into my heart and I fell in love with all of them. Well, maybe not Victor. The bond between Rose and Saffy left me sad since I lost my own grandparent when I was too young to appreciate them.
While flipping the pages you see the relationship between Saffy and Lorna strengthening as this mother and daughter reconnects amidst all the unfolding drama of the past. This added a heart-warming touch to this rather sad mystery.
No doubt about it, I love this book. I loved the scenery and found myself longing to live in this cottage and the quint village it was located in. I loved the characters and their relationships and the secrets of the past as they were uncovered bit by bit. I could not drag myself out of this imaginary world.
Mystery fans prepare to read late into the night as you reach for this book. It has a compelling storyline that will keep you glued to your seat as you turn the pages.
This book was a recommendation from Penguin Random House South Africa, thank you – I loved every minute I spend reading this and cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s a heart-warming, sad mystery that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around a couple, Saffy and Tom, who move into their new cottage. The cottage is owned by Saffy’s mum, who was handed it by Saffy’s Grandma. Saffy’s Grandma is in a nursing home suffering with Alzheimer’s and Saffy’s mum is now living in Spain. Saffy and Tom can’t believe they own their own home, and Saffy is also pregnant so there is much to look forward to. Saffy and Tom decide to have an extension, and it’s during this building work that human remains are found, halting the extension work, and the whole area becomes a crime scene. As we move further into the story, it’s clear that Saffy could be mixed up in this whole thing without even knowing it.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and I was pleasantly surprised how well written and gripping this book was. The characters were all excellently written, Lorna especially was a favourite of mine, she was straight talking and had an energy about her. The story flowed really well and every chapter held an important part to the ending of the story. We read in two different timelines, now and back then so we see all perspectives, and we find things out as the main characters in the current time do. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and if you enjoy a psychological, domestic thriller with many twists and turns then this is the book for you!

This was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed it when i first began reading it I thought it was just going to be another mystery but it turned out to be so much more. So we have have two bodies buried in the the garden but who are they and what relationship if any are they to the couple at No.9 well that’s one heck of a good start to a book ! But then there is so much more going on in this mystery that turns out to be very dark and sinister and I have to say my head was spinning as more clues were revealed as the book progressed.
The book was extremely well written and the plot was very complicated which really gave the read an edge I read a lot of mystery thrillers but I couldn’t work this one out and so for me it made it a sure fire winner as I just loved the twists and surprises the story held.
A book I can highly recommend for all lovers of a good mystery this one has it all and more !
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin, Michael Joseph for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of three generations Rose, Lorna and Saffy whose lives are changed when two bodies are discovered in the garden when builders are extending a house. The house belongs to Lorna who was given it by her mother Rose. Lorna lives in Spain and has decided to give the house to her daughter Saffy and Saffy's partner Tom.. As the investigation into who the bodies are continues there are many twists to the story and one surprising one right at the end.
This is a great read easy to follow but with a darker side to it. Totally enjoyed.

Oh this was excellent!
Bodies under the patio when a young couple build a kitchen extension - surely nothing to with granny who had gifted them the house?
I loved the way the story was told through the generations with more and more information coming to light. You certainly have to pay attention as there are a lot of characters but you find they all link together very cleverly.
Shocking but quite sad, this is a fabulous book.

I very much enjoy Claire Douglas and this is no exception, very cleverly thought out and drawn out story with a twist that was totally unexpected! Thank you, would highly recommend.

So this is... kinda a cosy mystery I think? I mean, it is set at a cosy little cottage in a small village so that makes sense, right? Except it has more of a bite than you'd expect for that genre of book. I mean, the dead bodies under the patio aren't too shocking, but the story that unfolds throws a few aspects that definitely don't have that cosy feel going on. But, ultimately, I think it still falls in that genre. It may push the comfort of a few readers, but it never really plumbs the darkness it touches upon, making it almost... cheerful? It feels wrong saying that, and maybe it's more a sign of my brain than anything else, but aside from the mystery there's an interesting story about families and love. And, yes, in the end, I think it even put a smile on my face.

Okay, that's a bit scattered. Which is apt since that's the simplest way to describe the book itself. Chapters switch not just between narrated but also narrative. We have the bodies being discovered in 2018 and a backstory from 1980. And, despite being set in the West Country, there are also parts in Yorkshire, London, Kent, and, Spain... Oh, and just for a kicker, the main witness to the past is in a care home suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Just writing that all down feels slightly draining, but somehow the book didn't have that feel. It glided along smoothly. It was a nice sunny weather read. I could follow along easily even when I was exhausted and sick. It was, well, enjoyable.

I think that cosy feel helps. The village and the residents feel warm and welcoming. The familial bonds underlying the story are comforting. It all makes for a welcoming story that drew me in. Even when the mystery became obvious it encouraged me to keep reading. Knowing wasn't enough, I needed more resolution than that. And in the final pages, I realised that the resolution I sought wasn't really in the mystery of the dead bodies, it was the story of Lorna. After all, she is the bridge between Saffy and Rose. I didn't warm to her initially, but ultimately she brought something important to the story, and without realising it, I found myself invested in her.

This is a slightly unusual book really. And one I'm glad I read. It feels like one of those books I'll forget about for stretches of time, but then something will come to me and I'll myself thinking about it again. It has that strange little quality that makes me think it'll linger with me. The kind of book you just get an inexplicable urge to reread randomly.

This book gripped me from the start and I couldn’t put it down, reading well into the night to find out how it ended!

An extremely enjoyable read with twists I didn’t see coming. Characters and storylines well written with a good pace.