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.

A twisty thriller where the past has an effect on the present.

I love how as the book progresses you can start piecing together the story. The hints to what happened in the past gave enough detail to interest you, but not enough give anything away.

I was always suspicious of everyone. I couldn’t tell who was going to be the victim or who was going to be the villain. I found the characters surrounding Lena’s work untrustworthy and was surprised at the outcome from their relationships. (Very hard not to spoil anything) 😂

I enjoyed the family dynamic and it’s always easier to connect to a book where there is a focus on the MC’s home life.

Marielle & Henry’s relationship was so complex and interesting. I couldn’t call it on who was the main instigator of the trouble. I loved reading how their relationship began and the way it evolved throughout the years. They were so clever and I did admire the strength they had to stay with each other.

This was such a quick read and exactly what I needed to get me out of a slump.

A tightly woven mystery focusing on Lena’s new neighbours who may not be quite who they seem …or maybe Lena is a little paranoid. But then who is sneaking into her garden at night?

A few times I thought I had some of the mystery solved but I was blindsided by the twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book, it kept me intrigued throughout and I liked the main characters. I wouldn’t say this is my favourite book by Claire Douglas but it was still good and I’d recommend it.

Absolutely gripping as I’d expect from Claire Douglas! A mysterious read which kept me guessing and I loved how Lena’s past wormed its way into the present. Claire Douglas is an auto read author for me and The New Neighbours proved that true!

This is another twisty story from Claire Douglas!
Each time I thought I had seen through the fog of misdirection this author weaves I was thrown a curve ball of more information and be it factual to the storyline or just more misdirection, it served to show the errors in my assumptions!
This was a fascinating story which kept my interest throughout the whole length as I tried to figure out what was going on, which side stories were linked and who everyone actually was!
The characters were varied and well drawn to their rolls in this story arc which was engaging and had a very satisfying finale after an extremely twisty, didn't see that coming, style of wrap up! I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read more by this author in future!

I always look forward to a good Claire Douglas book every year and in terms of the plot, this one did not disappoint. I was hooked pretty quick and there are lots of twists to keep it fresh!

My only gripe are the characters. Nothing against them personally - they’re all well-developed - but their actions were just so unrealistic. I know this is fiction but some of the things they do just wouldn’t happen except in a book.

However, it was a still a very enjoyable and intriguing read with all the hallmarks you’d expect from a Claire Douglas novel.

Another gripping psychological thriller from the excellent Claire Douglas. The titular couple seem somewhat strange and their neighbour Lena overhears them discussing what sounds like a crime. Has she imagined it or is she in danger? Lots of twists and turns and a real page turner.

When Lena overhears a conversation between her next-door neighbours, she thinks she must have misheard.
After all, the Morgans are a kind, retired couple who have moved to a suburban street in Bristol where nothing ever happens.

I found this a difficult book to believe in. The characters are fabricated and totally unbelievable. The main character is implausible and some of things she does are ridiculous. I lost the plot quite early on and it was so far from reality it became a real slog to complete it. Not for me.

I just love Claire Douglas and I have read all her books. What a treat to be able to have the early read on her new book The New Neighbours. This again did not disappoint, after the neighbour hears what she thinks is a plot to kill someone the book turns into another exciting on the edge of the page turner as usual. Characters well written, story line good to follow and just didn’t want it to end.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to publisher Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Penguin for the early read