A gripping thriller which I couldn’t put down. I loved the main character Lena as she isn’t perfect (didn’t finish her midwife training, has a tendency to jump to conclusions) but is relatable. Lena is intrigued by and quickly scared of her new neighbours when she overhears part of a conversation they are having. There are many twists, turns and red herrings, but I wasn’t able to guess the ending - always a sign of a well-crafted mystery!

This is a must read for any Claire Douglas fans. I really enjoyed this book. I flew through it. Its a real page turner, with so many twists and turns. The characters are well-described and believable. The story is told via dual timelines and multiple points of view. The chapters are short and punchy.

Thank you to Netgalley Claire Douglas and the publisher for giving me an ARC

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

A twisty and suspenseful thriller. Fans of Douglas’ work will enjoy this.

When Lena helps her teenage son record outside sounds in their back garden for a media project, she picks up more than just birdsong. What she overhears is her new neighbours plotting something illegal. But surely these two pleasant sixty-year olds aren’t really criminals? Other than their names, she knows nothing about them. Her friends try to convince her to stay out of it but she’s unable to shake the feeling something is up. After all, she herself knows that all people have a past and some have secrets.

Read if you like dual timelines, multiple points of view, short punchy chapters, plenty of twists, and plots with a domestic setting.

Thank you kindly to Penguin Random House for reaching out and asking me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my thoughts!

When recently separated mother Lena over hears her new next door neighbours discussing what sounds like them planning something illegal it sets off a chain of events that develop into a pretty decent thriller.
Once the scene is set, we are taken back over a number of years to learn about events leading up to this moment and how the main characters are inter linked without releasing it.
Enjoyable read and worthy of four stars.

‘The New Neighbour’ by Claire Douglas is a gripping read that successfully combines suspense with thought-provoking themes.
It was an engaging story which allowed me to become fully gripped to the book.
As I immersed myself in to the story, I was drawn in by the suspenseful plot.
The pacing was effective, as it built suspense. Each chapter unfolded with a sense of urgency, making it nearly impossible to resist the urge to read “just one more chapter.”

The varying timelines in the story created a tapestry of interconnected events that revealed how the past influenced the present.

Thank you to NetGalley, Claire Douglas and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

Lena's new neighbours appear to be a pleasant elderly couple but when Lena overhears their conversation her suspicions are aroused. Are they plotting a crime? The tension never flags in this fast-paced thriller set in Bristol. The characters are well-drawn and there are some awesome twists. I loved the flashbacks revealing the background to the characters and plot. Overall this is a gripping thriller and highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you’ve a Claire Douglas fan I don’t need to tell you it’s an amazing read, full of thrills, menacing characters and twists and turns. Of course there’s the innocent character (s) that’s not so innocent and a final twist at the end! Just glorious

If you’ve not read any of her books, where have you been? Dive in and find your next favourite author!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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. But it sounded like they were planning a crime.

Her family and friends tell her that she’s made a mistake. Yet Lena can’t stop thinking about it. Because what if they are about to do something terrible? What if she can prevent it?
And what if, in doing so, it might help ease her conscience about her own dark past . . .

This book was so good! The chapters are split by characters and some are also split through timelines, this was written perfectly to understand where the characters are coming from and what led them to where they are now. There was so much going on and so much intrigue it was a compelling read. I was hooked.

All the characters added to the story and had their own secrets. Charlie, Lena, Rufus, Jackson, Kit, Henry, Marielle and Simone. The links between the characters were fantastic all contributing to this massive puzzle with cliffhangers throughout.

There were so many twists, my mind was coming up with all theories that were completely wrong until the last few chapters where even then, only some of my suspicions were confirmed. What a gripping psychological thriller Claire has written. It’s an all consuming,tense read. You need to read this book, out in March go and pre order if you want a suspenseful , gripping read by the queen of thrillers.

Lena has just come out of her marriage and her son will be leaving for university soon. She also has new neighbours - new neighbours who she overhears saying suspicious things. Are they about to commit a crime? Surely not they’re well respected newly retired couple.

The book takes us through suspicions and twists and turns. We go back in time for both Lena and also Henry her neighbour to bring the story together. This is a well written book that really starts to ramp up towards the end.

Having read all of Claire Douglas books I was eager to dive right into this one and I devoured it. Lena recently separated mum to 17yr old Rufus feels lost in life. Knowing changes are coming and not sure what direction to take she’s intriguing when new neighbours the Morgans move in and she overhears a conversation in the garden.
This takes her down a path where there are multiple situations occurring on Lena’s life at the same time.
She has her ex Charlie with a new girlfriend and wanting to sell the family home pushing her to ask for more hours at work which is hampered from a client at the CAB where she works over stepping the client line resulting in another wheel turning in her life.
She has people roaming her garden in the dead of night worrying her and making her question the neighbours more. She also has Rufus and her helicopter style mothering causing her to feel Rufus drifting more towards his father and maybe him knowing more about past situations.
Alongside Lena present day you also have Lena past where she talks about her midwifery training and how she quit but maybe regrets this. The problems causing her to quit though also come into the present when she sees her old midwifery colleague on the neighbours wall. How and why do they have her photograph?
So many questions , so many people and so many moving parts.
How do all these parts come together ? Who is relevant or just a red herring to the plot line !?
Read to find out and you won’t be disappointed.
I enjoyed Lena’s character I could empathise with her feeling of what next in life and the empty nest syndrome she was going through and I’m glad she got to the closure and ending that worked for her.
Fantastic book well written and excellent plot line.

Claire is one of my favourite thriller writers, I awlays know I will be in a for a treat with one of her novel.s This is another great read. I was hooked from the start, Claire writes such relatable characters and I totally bought into the paranoia Lena felt at what her neighoburs might be up to. A fab read.

Thankyou NetGalley for this arc copy.

I really enjoyed this book in true Claire fashion she had my hooked from the start, I liked how throughout the book it kept you guessing and wanting for as another cliffhanger was dropped in each chapter. The depth of all the characters was a good touch as they all linked in a way of who Dunn it in a mysterious puzzle your trying to work out. The ending was a good touch. I would recommend

Lena is trying to get used to life without her husband when an older couple move in next door. She overhears them plotting something and sets out to try to figure out what they are up to. Her BFF Jo is a barrister and tries to get her to give this up. Meanwhile Lena’s past is coming back to her as she searches for newspaper articles she finds on the neighbors walls. Lots of twists here as to who the bad guy really is!!

Wow !

I always love a Claire Douglas book so was absolutely ecstatic to receive an email inviting me to read her latest novel.

I flew through this one, so gripping.
I find Claire's books very easy to read.
With short chapters making it easy to do the whole 'just one more chapter' thing that we all do. Different POV and dual timelines giving you an insight into the past.

I was absolutely hooked !

It’s always a bit of a nervous time when you get new neighbours. Will they turn out to be the neighbours from hell? You would think Lena would be pleased to have a retired couple moving in, no loud parties to worry about. On first appearances the Morgan’s seem like a nice respectable couple but when Lena overhears a conversation between the pair that she isn’t meant to hear, alarm bells start ringing.

Lena starts to become slightly obsessed with her new neighbours and what they could be up to. It starts to take over her life with her taking risks. Even when her son, ex and best friend all tell her to let it go, the more she sees of her neighbours, the more determined she becomes to get answers. There is no way I would ever have guessed at what this couple were up to. There is such a tangled web of lies that has you not knowing what to think. All I know is that I was as invested in this couple as Lena was although I did fear for her life more than a few times through out the story.

The New Neighbours was a tense and consuming story. I read it in one day as I had to know what the Morgan’s were up to. I particularly enjoyed the thread to do with Lena’s son, Rufus which had it’s on surprises in store. Overall this was an immensely tense read that had me on the edge of my seat as we get closer to discovering the truth with so many twists and turns towards the end. It was highly compulsive with the pacing ramping up relentlessly. Suspenseful and engrossing with every page turned, Claire Douglas is a master when it comes to gripping psychological thrillers!

Honestly, at times, I had to wonder who was the worst neighbour out of these guys.
It's not a street I'd want to move into that's for sure.
For every question that was answered, frustratingly at least one more question popped up.
Quite maddening trying to tie everything together.
When I say maddening, I mean, fast paced one sit read.
That sort of maddening.
Strangely though, everything did get answered, I finished the book and was left satisfied with all outcomes.
Typical Douglas really

This is one of those great psychological thrillers where you can’t determine how much is going on in the protagonists head and how much is real. Lena accidentally overhears snippets of a conversation between her new neighbours that leave her wondering if they’re planning something illegal and finds herself getting increasingly obsessed with them. Lena comes across as a person who can’t help getting over involved with things so it was easy to see how she found herself in this situation however it’s fair to say some elements of her neighbours would make anyone uncomfortable. I found the flashbacks to her own past interesting but not as dramatic as I anticipated and one of the key things that happened seemed to have barely registered. That said this was quite a page turner with some well drawn characters with fascinating back stories that make for a great domestic thriller.

I love Claire Douglas’ twisty compelling thrillers and The New Neighbours kept me rapidly turning the pages over the course of 24 hours. When Lena overhears a suspicious conversation between her new neighbours she becomes immediately drawn into a mystery that she is unable to step away from. What a page turner ! I loved the character of Lena who becomes drawn into a mystery as she increasingly feels lost in her own life after her marriage breaks down and her son prepares to leave for university. The reader is unsure of what is real and there are some very creepy moments. This book is the definition of ‘one more chapter’ and the author is so skilful at plotting the many twists and turns. I did feel a little disappointed with the ending which seemed rushed but overall a gripping thriller that I’d highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Not quite as powerful or nail biting as The Wrong Sister. Has an intriguing plot but the ending seemed a bit drawn out: we reached the denouement and it just petered out.
Nonetheless it kept me reading. Clare Douglas is a fine storyteller. She casts a net round the reader and hauls you in.

A great fun read. I like Claire Douglas books. They are easy to read and never boring. This does not disappoint. The characters are well-described and you don’t know quite who is up to what until the very end. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy of this.