✔️I really enjoyed this story and how it unfolded. Definitely a lot of surprises and unexpected turn of events
✔️ Lorna was my favourite of the narrators ; Saffron prob the least . Their relationship was different then I expected at the beginning with Lorna having been a teenage mother .
✔️The story actually avoided a lot of the pitfalls I find can be annoying in mystery and thrillers ( like the keeping secrets from everyone and I’m like why can’t you all talk to each other 🤣)

I received both the audio and eBook version of this title for review. Often it is extremely helpful to be able to hear and see a book - that was very helpful in this case.

Book is well written, full of interesting characters, twists, turns, and so forth. Without doing a spoiler, I'll just say there are a lot of surprises! Highly recommended.

Whatever you do, don't stop until the end!

Whew. This story was…a lot. While I liked the actual story itself, I found it to ramble. A lot of the details and emotions were often repeated leaving me feeling like “okay let’s get to the point”.
However, I loved Saffy and Lorna. I loved that their relationship grew as the twisted story went on & how they could bond over what happened with “gran”. While I loved Theo, I thought his character could have come in later in the story for more of a “twist”. Daphne, however, I despised from the beginning. What a twisted woman, ew. I just wish there was justice for the real Rose. Overall a good, complex story!

What do you do when you need clarification about events that happened 30 years ago, but the only person with a memory of what happened is in a care home for dementia?

This book rings so true for the descriptions of what it is like to wish you could go back in time and ask the burning questions that the discovery of two bodies in Saffy and Tom's yard bring. Could Saffy's grandmother hold the secret to their identities?

I had a hard time placing Rose and Daphne in the 80's because the only descriptions that placed them in that era were the clothes they wore and their stance on feminism. The description of the cottage gave the book setting a more gothic tone. However, this is a great story about three generations of women and the secrets that have followed two of them through the decades. One thing was certain - they each in turn loved and were fiercely protective of their daughters. I really appreciated the way the author handled the police questioning of Rose, how her granddaughter Saffy prepared her for the police interviews, and grounded her with stories about their time together.

I loved the family dynamics, the multiple points of view, and the twists and turns that were spread out over the story. I will definitely be checking out other books by Claire Douglas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advance reader's copy.

Imagine you move into your dream home, baby on the way, you start to renovate to expand for your growing family, everything is perfect, until… you discover two bodies buried in your garden… and the last person to own your house? Your grandmother!

This book is a wild ride with twists and turns you will not expect! If I could give this book a million stars I would, I truly loved it! Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good thriller!

🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠

First read by this author. I enjoyed the multiple POV storyline in this intriguing mystery. Found myself wanting to read more to learn more about each storyline. Enjoyed this Claire Douglas mystery and look forward to reading more of her books. Great summer read.

Two bodies buried in the back yard of Gran's cottage?

How and when did they get there?

Saffy and Tom just moved into Gran's cottage and were having renovations done when the builders came across two skeletons.

Gran is in a nursing home with dementia and only remembers bits and pieces of the past.

Saffy and her mother try to piece together what Gran is saying to hopefully help the police find out who could have been the murderer and if Gran had anything to do with it.

They find photos of a woman who might be one of the victims and who lived with Gran in the cottage, but no one can find out any information.

We then meet Theo and his father who has underlined Saffy's name with a note that says: FIND HER.

THE COUPLE AT NO. 9 was a bit confusing with two story lines going on and so many characters, but when things pulled together, you won’t want to put the book down.

It is filled with twists and surprises that are so good you will wonder how authors think of these things.

The tension will also have you on the edge of your seat as all the secrets are revealed.

My first book by this author was a good one to start with. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

✨ Saffy and Tom move into Saffy's grandmother's cottage and find 2 bodies buried in the garden.

💥Whew!!! This book was an amazing trip. The twists are not as shocking as you might think, but still have an impact. I love how Claire Douglas crafts the journey, with clues and characters to make a book un-putt-downable. I don't hear a ton of people talking about this author and I highly recommend them!

My face at the end: 🤪

🍪 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to @netgalley and Harper Paperbacks for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or listen to our podcast, Elated Geek, wherever you subscribe.

When Saffy moves in a begins renovations with her boyfriend Tom on her grandmothers old house, she find more than she ever could have expected. Two bodies that were buried over 30 years ago raise many questions, and the only one who may be able to give them the answers they are looking for is Grandma Rose, who is in a care home with dementia. This mystery is told from four different characters perspectives, all contributing to figure out these questions, who do these bodies belong to? Who killed them and put their bodies in the backyard? Did Grandma have anything to do with this?

I really enjoyed this suspense novel. The story was told well with many twists and turns throughout the story, including one pretty big surprise at the end.

I tried to read this one, I tried to listen to it and each time I only got to 20%. I wish the pacing was faster. It seems like some excitement happened at the beginning with the dead bodies and then there was some character development which I usually like but the suspense was lacking and the constant mention of who is Victor wasn't keeping it going for me.

This was a nice creepy dark story! I really enjoyed every bit of it. Such struggles and trials. The characters were so well developed and made me feel like a part of their story. Great tension and reveals. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Saffron (Saffy) and her husband Tom have recently moved into and started renovating a cottage in the country that was owned by Saffy’s beloved Gran, who is now in a care home suffered from dementia. In the process, the builders discover two bodies buried in the garden that appear to have been there for a long time, as in back when Saffy’s Gran, Rose, lived there with her daughter, Saffy’s mom, Lorna. While they police try and uncover who the bodies are, Saffy and Lorna are left trying to figure out what Rose remembers when she has bouts of clarity.
There are lots of characters to keep up with and each chapter is told from a different POV, which normally I am fine with, but in this case the POV changed tenses so often that it was off-putting. It took me out of the story. None of the characters were exceptionally likable either. I’m rounding up from 2.5 star because I overall liked the story but it could use a few tweaks and about 50ish pages less.
Thanks to Harper Paperbacks and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This book got me straight from chapter one, I was immediately into the storyline. It unfolded pretty slowly but I thought it was a great pace for what was happening. Everything unfolded in a way where I was blindsided by the twists.

I always enjoy books told in multiple points of view. I wasn't a huge fan of Lorna's chapters, mainly because she annoyed me as a character. Of course, I feel like that was the author's intention. The layout of mother/daughter/grandmother was done in a wonderful way that made you get to know their dynamics so well.

Overall this was a book full of twists and turns I had no idea were coming. Up until the very end I was on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book.

Now this was something. I love some of the characters and the plot was very entertaining to read.

I would definitely be willing to read more of her novels. I found this one very riveting.

The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Saffron (Saffy) Cutler and her boyfriend Tom are thrilled to inherit a home at 9 Skelton Place and start renovations immediately. When the builders uncover human remains, the police are called in and the investigation reveals that there are two bodies buried in their back garden. It seems that they have been buried there for at least thirty years. The investigation turns to Saffy's grandmother Rose Grey who owns the cottage and lived there during the time period that the bodies were likely buried. The problem is that Rose has been diagnosed with dementia and lives in a nursing facility.

What seems to be a horrifying discovery, but one that is removed from the current residents picks up the pace when it seems that not everyone who knows what happened thirty years ago is content to stand by and do nothing. And then Rose, whose memory seems to come and go, is being questioned by the police. She remembers something, but what exactly is unclear.

The plot unfolds through multiple points-of-view and in multiple timelines. The tension builds up as more information and background is revealed in both timelines. The interest is in how the stories from the past and present are going to explain the bodies and in the identity of the person who is trying to stop any information from being released.

Several interesting characters are presented and depicted as realistic individuals in the plot through their individual points-of-view. There are plenty of secrets among the characters and some of them pertain to the murders. This helps keep interest high and increases the tension in solving the mystery and discovering the identity of the killer.

I was totally engrossed until the narrative took a convenient turn and then a twist occurred that felt a bit too contrived. The pacing does seem a little slow at times, but it still held my attention and I kept reading. Basically this is an enjoyable, compelling psychological thriller. The multiple points-of-view work well in The Couple at Number 9 and keep the tension going right to the end.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

Saffy’s always been close to her Gran. She and her mother, Lorna, have had a difficult relationship over the years. When Saffy and her husband, Tom, move into Gran’s cottage things take a turn. Two bodies are discovered in the garden when builders are digging for a kitchen expansion. This discovery takes the family down a road of secrets and mystery. Gran’s dementia makes it difficult to know truths. Saffy and Lorna suddenly question everything they thought they knew about their family.

I loved this book! It kept my attention from beginning to end. While there were big twists, they were well timed and were totally believable. Fantastic read!

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” -Benjamin Franklin

Saffron Cutler and Tom Perkins are the new occupants of Skelton Place cottage number 9 in the Cotswolds. When Saffron’s grandmother, Rose Grey moves into a nursing home after she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she gifts the cottage to her daughter, Lorna. However, Lorna allows her daughter to put it to good use while she is living in Spain.

Saffy agrees to start her life with her husband in the new cottage and makes plans to build out the kitchen. During the demolition, two skeletons are found buried in the garden.

Who is buried at 9 Skelton Place? Were they murdered? Does Rose know anything about them?

She can’t remember!

Told in alternating perspectives, the mystery of the dead bodies is revealed. There is a lot of questionable or non-existent work done by the police, so the investigation is left to the amateur sleuths to figure out. This part was not very believable.

However, while I initially thought for the first 50% of the book that the ending was going to be very predictable, I was pleasantly surprised by many clever twists. I am a fan of Claire Douglas and have read several of her thrillers, so I should have known better than to expect a predictable ending!

This twisty domestic thriller deals with real life issues. Themes of sexual assault, domestic abuse, and LGBTQ relationships are explored.

3.75/5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: 8/2/22

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC of The Couple at No. 9 in exchange for an honest review.

Saffy Cutler is newly pregnant and begins renovating her grandma’s cottage in country with her boyfriend. They are shocking when their renovations come to a standstill due to two bodies being found buried in the garden. Saffy is initially surprised but not worried - until the police question her ailing grandmother Rose, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s in a nursing home. Some of the secrets Rose divulges are so disturbing that Saffy’s mother Lorna travels from Spain to help untangle the mystery. Meanwhile, Theo, a chef from a nearby town, is dealing with a mystery of his own, involving his father.

This book started off slowly and I was initially confused by all the points of view telling the story. But it quickly picked up the pace and the perspectives became clearer. I admired Saffy’s devotion to her grandmother and her and Lorna’s evolving relationship too. I was able to predict one small twist to this story, but there were several others that made my jaw drop. The characters and their relationships were SO well written and their feelings described so tangibly that I found myself getting teary-eyed several times - I don’t remember that ever happening to me any time I’ve read a thriller before! Overall, a solid mystery with great, well developed characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Claire Douglas and Harper Perennial for the ARC! “The Couple at Number 9” releases August 5, 2022.

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

Holy twists @clairedouglasauthor they just kept on coming with this one! This one starts off a tad slow but once the ball starts rolling it is grooving right on down that hill. There are so many twists that I thought the plot was extremely well constructed and connects with bits of the truth a little at a time. It really helped build the tension and suspense!

I appreciated all the relationships and character development in this one. Alzheimer’s is a disease I am really well versed in. My MIL has it and we are her caretakers (my husband and I) my husband is also a Gerontologist and I felt this portion on the novel extremely well done, handled with care and plausible.

There are various POVs in this one and the timeline jumps back and forth between past and present but it really helped keep my interest and I flew through it! If you are looking for an entertaining read with some loveable characters this is it!

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

This was a great who-dun-it mystery. You are left believing one thing and end up being totally wrong. At about half way through the book I suspected the true murderer but the ending had my head spinning 😵‍💫. While I wouldn’t consider this an unputdownable mystery, it was extremely atmospheric and a suspenseful read that I had to know how it turned out. The ending totally makes this book!

I loved the dual timelines and the multiple POVs, it all really enhanced the reading experience. The characters are developed wonderfully. While the pace was relatively constant, I felt that it dragged in some areas which is likely to happen with 400 pages. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

***** Many thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Claire Douglas, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

This review will be posted to instagram (thriller_book_sisters) closer to pub date.