#TheNewNeighbours #NetGalley
Lena enjoys a quiet life in suburban Bristol until she overhears her elderly neighbours, the Morgans, discussing what sounds like a crime. At first, she assumes she misheard. After all, they seem like the perfect, kind-hearted retirees. But as she digs deeper, the Morgans’ past starts to seem unsettlingly dark.
Despite warnings from family and friends that she’s being paranoid, Lena can’t shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. And when she starts to suspect a connection to a secret from her own past, she realizes that if her instincts are correct, she might be the one in danger.
Overall, The New Neighbours is a brilliantly crafted psychological thriller that plays on our fears of the unknown. If you love stories that mix paranoia, secrets, and jaw-dropping twists, this one is a must-read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.

I’m a big fan of Claire Douglas books and this is another brilliant suspenseful read, once I started The New Neighbours it was really difficult to put it down, I highly recommend reading you will not be disappointed.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc of The New Neighbours by Claire Douglas in return for my honest review.

I was hooked from the start! This is a gripping read filled with mystery suspense and ole ty of twists and turns. A great read

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this eCopy to review

I just finished reading The New Neighbours by Claire Douglas, and I found it to be an engrossing and atmospheric domestic thriller. The story centres on Lena, a determined woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when she helps her teenage son, Rufus, with a media studies project. While they’re out gathering sound recordings for his school assignment, his boom microphone picks up a hushed, mysterious conversation coming from their new neighbours—the seemingly perfect and respected Morgans.

As the plot unfolds, Lena grows increasingly suspicious about the nature of the conversation, convinced that something sinister is afoot. Despite her family and friends dismissing her concerns as mere paranoia, Lena feels compelled to unravel the mystery. Her own dark past further fuels her determination, and soon her protective instincts kick in—not only for herself but also to safeguard Rufus from any potential danger. The narrative expertly blurs the line between reality and paranoia, keeping me on edge and questioning whether Lena’s suspicions are justified or just the result of her troubled history.

What I really appreciated was Douglas’s ability to create a claustrophobic sense of tension and unease right in the heart of suburbia. The subtle interplay between Lena’s internal struggles and the external mysteries of the Morgans adds a rich, psychological depth to the story.

Overall, The New Neighbours stands out as a smart, suspenseful read that explores themes of privacy, trust, and the hidden secrets within the ordinary. It’s a compelling page-turner that left me both satisfied and eager for more—from its chilling mystery to the heartfelt portrayal of a mother’s fierce love for her son.

A gripping read. Lena is a recently single mother of 17 year old Rufus. New neighbours Marielle and Henry move in next door and seem very pleasant. When Lena overhears a srange conversation she becomes suspicious and begins looking into them. Things take a dark turn- nobody is who they seem. Gripping!! #netgalley #thenewneighbours

Claire Douglas has written some great book and this one does not disappoint.
A dark, twisted tale in the world of suburbia.
Neighbours, secrets and misunderstandings are the basis of this story.
Overall a solid psychological thriller I would highly recommend.

I always love Claire Douglas’ books and this one is no exception!! She tells the story in her classic style, keeping me hooked from the first page.
Love a book with some good twists and can’t wait to read more by her in the future!!

This was a great book, I loved it! Suburban noir at its best! Loved how we find out the back story slowly and all the threads are brought together. Plenty of red herrings and twists. A real page turner.

I loved The Girls Who Disappeared so I was excited to have an early read of The New Neighbours—and this was another winner from Claire Douglas that I raced through in a couple of days.

When Lena first meets the new couple who’ve moved in next door, Henry and Marielle seem like the perfect neighbours. Then she overhears a conversation that makes her suspect they could be plotting a crime. But could this friendly, elegant, middle-class couple in their sixties really be hiding dark secrets? Other things about the Morgans don’t add up either so Lena sets out to investigate…

Lena’s teenage son is a media studies student and movie buff so there are references to films like Rear Window and Disturbia throughout, and there was definitely a ‘dark suburbia’ feel to the book too, just like those movies.

The New Neighbours is twisty, tension-filled and addictive, with a likeable main character and plenty of surprising reveals. Set aside some time to read it because once you start, you won’t be able to put it down!

The New Neighbours by Claire Douglas is another excellent psychological thriller by the author. In this book the new neighbours the Morgan’s are not what they appear. Lena records some conversation that she picked up when recording outdoor sounds for her son’s college project and is convinced that the Morgan’s are not the respectable couple that they appear, but her friends and family do not want Lena to get involved with proving they are up to no good.
A storyline full of twists and turns and earlier events that Lena had tried to forget all play a part in this twisted tale.
Highly recommended

One night Lena inadvertently records her new neighbours’ conversation. They are a retired stylish middle-class couple in their early 60s, who have moved into the swanky renovated house next door. She becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea that they are planning something illegal and puts her personal safety in danger trying to find out what. Or does she? Has she got the wrong end of the stick? Lena has her own past experiences of being caught up in something shady, and may be trying to ease her own conscience by preventing something happening.

There are enough characters to keep interest and keep you guessing, but not so many that you have to keep checking back to see who they are, several side plots run alongside the main story and there a fair few red herrings. The New Neighbours is a twisty and gripping psychological thriller. I enjoyed it. If you like books by Gillian McAllister, TM Logan or Claire Macintosh you’ll enjoy The New Neighbours.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Lena helps her teenage son gather sounds for his media project when the microphone picks up a conversation from the neighbours and she is certain they are planning a crime.

Another page turner from Claire Douglas. The ending felt a little rushed but it was an easy read, kept me tense the whole time. I love her writing!

Claire Douglas is one of my fave authors and I couldn’t wait to read her new book The New Neighbours. The story follows Lena, a recently single mum of a soon to be adult son. She has new neighbours move in called The Morgan’s. A very nice old couple except something doesn’t feel right. When using her son’s college recording equipment, she hears an odd conversation between The Morgans. Are the Morgans planning to kidnap an adult or a baby- Lena sets out to find out but finds herself in a bit of a pickle when The Morgan’s dark past mingle with her own past.

There is so much going on in the story, I found it hard to figure out where the story could lead. There was so many possibilities each time I would be proven wrong. I think this has to be one of my most favourite books by Claire Douglas- it was very cleverly written.

When Lena meets her new neighbours, she thinks they seem like a respectable older couple, until she accidentally records them having an odd and possibly sinister conversation. Although her friends and family warn her against getting involved, Lena cannot help herself from trying to investigate whether they are abductors, who their baby grandchild is and why they have so many newspaper clippings, including some about her previous place of work.
This is an exciting and dark tale. While I felt Lena was silly for taking so many risks, it added to the story which came to an exciting climax. A great read.

Psychological Thriller

An eccentric, retired couple move in next door, but what are they conspiring about? Can Lena figure out before it’s too late?

I love that this story was a wild take on something many of us do in our day to day lives, just overhearing a snippet of conversation. Hearing something that can be easily be brushed away by others that haven’t heard it, but the tones and spaces left between what’s said can hold a lot of meaning. Even when her family and friends are saying let it go, Lena is still suspicious about the lives of her new neighbours and so was I. Though maybe I wouldn’t be as brazen as Lena in some of her choices it made for a good story. And the more she searched for the truth, the closer she got, I couldn’t help but theorise what the reveal could be. There were different timelines and POVs throughout and it was nice when they came together for the conclusion. The big twist was not even close to what I thought it would be when I first began reading. I enjoyed the story enough that I’ve began reading all of the other work of this author and I am enjoying them.

Thank you lots and lots to @penguinrandom house and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

This was my very first Claire Douglas book and I had high hopes! From the very beginning I knew I was going to enjoy Claire’s writing - super easy to read while still giving amazing description and detail!

I would say the book has a slow build up of tension and I loved how the mystery unfolded in layers! Claire does an excellent job of making you question everything—Lena’s perspective, the Morgans’ true intentions, and even the reliability of those around her. The multiple narrative threads weave together seamlessly, and just when I thought I had things figured out, another twist would throw me off.

Lena is an interesting protagonist—her determination to uncover the truth is admirable, but at times, her obsession with the Morgans felt a little over-the-top. There were moments where I wanted her to take a step back and consider other possibilities rather than jumping to conclusions. That said, her paranoia added to the psychological tension, making the story even more gripping.

Overall, a solid, suspenseful read that’s perfect if you love psychological thrillers with an eerie, slow-burning mystery.

Claire Douglas does it again with another fantastic and engaging thriller, that takes you on a journey full of twists and surprises.

This story follows Lena, who is helping her daughter gather soundscapes for her media project, when she picks up a conversation from the neighbours house. But it was no ordinary conversation. She is certain that they are planning a crime!

Douglas writes brilliantly and I always find her writing so engaging and suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat throughout and could not put the book down.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves a well written twist filled thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read with loads of twist and turns. Who hasn’t been suspicious about what their new neighbours are up to and this gets in deep! The author writes really well and it’s an engaging novel that keeps you guessing until the very end

What can I say. Wow.

Brilliant book, page turner from the beginning.

Well written as usual.

Everything as good as Claire other books.

I love books by this author so I couldn't wait to read this.
This is another great pacy thriller with lots of great twists.
I couldn't predict where this was going. Another great book by this author.