Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it! A thriller told from different POV which I enjoyed. There were twists that I did not see coming and found this book so easy to read and engrossing from beginning to end! I will search out this author!

I really really really enjoyed this book! Saffy, a young expectant mother, lives in the cozy cottage she inherited from her doting grandmother Rose. Saffy and her boyfriend Tom are in the midst of renovating their new home when contractors uncover two skeletons buried in the garden. Needless to say, Saffy is shocked, especially when it looks as though her grandmother could have some knowledge of how two bodies came to be buried at her old home. Rose suffers from dementia, however, and even when Saffy's capricious mother Lorna comes to help, everyone wonders if the real truth will ever come out. The stakes are raised when a mysterious man shows up looking for "evidence" and threatening the residents of the cottage. What exactly happened 30 years ago to cause Rose to abandon her home with her small child, and does it have anything to do with the deaths of two people?
Pretty much everything about this book was great. The characters really drew me in from the beginning and made me want to know what had happened in the past at the seemingly idyllic cottage, and how those in the present would get to the truth. The pacing was very well-done, too. It was slow enough to reveal nuances and yet fast enough to keep me interested and turning the pages as quickly as I could. I never got bored and wanted to skim anything. At about 2/3 of the way through I thought, "Wait a minute...what if...??!!" I had figured out the big twist, but I had to sit for a bit, staring off into space, trying to figure it all out in my head and see if it all fit into place. I thought, "I think THIS could be what's going on...! Wow!" And that's what really sealed the deal for me with the book. Sometimes when you figure out a twist it just seems too obvious, or you think," Of course this is what's happening. You are being too heavy-handed, author!" and roll your eyes. But in this case I thought it was very well-done, and the fall-out from revealing the twist really gave it serious impact. The ending was great, too. I have to admit I teared up at the last page. My only real issue was with Saffy. She was supposed to be an important character but she came across as whiny, petulant, and pouty to me--but she did redeem herself a bit at the very end. I really liked Lorna, Rose, and Theo much more than Saffy.
This book is full of tension, old mysteries, motherly love, and secrets that people will kill to keep hidden.
If you are looking for a great mystery, I would absolutely recommend this book.

Wow. I was so amazed by this one, for starters the story has multi POVs, which is something I enjoy.

And the puzzle plot, the characterization, that made it a hooking, smart and intriguing book that kept me at the edge of my seat.

Overall I really really enjoyed it. This is my first book of the author and I absolutely need more works of her. A new auto-buy author for me.

This thriller snuck up on me. It started a bit slow but I was surprised at how easily the characters fit in my mind. I loved the dual POV with this and the multiple timelines. This is inherently readable and there were some genuinely shocking twists. I love to be surprised by a book and this one got me. Some of the details about Victor and that portion of the plot seemed disconnected but overall a very engrossing book.

I truly enjoyed The Couple at Number 9 while I was reading it, however it has been a few days and I will say that it has not stuck with me. The plot was unique, but it all just seemed far fetched. There is one aspect that I never got answers to, or if there were answers, it was very unclear. I enjoyed all of the twists and did not see most of them coming, but I don't think this book will be for everyone.

This was a perfectly paced domestic mystery that started with the discovery of a couple bodies buried in the garden. The different timelines and points of view all came together in an amazing twist that packed a punch! Fun & suspenseful--I just put several of Claire Douglas's older books on hold!

I'm a huge Claire Douglas fan and this book did not disappoint. Douglas brought forth an amazing plot, a wide array of characters, some likable some not. It has a great pace that keep you engaged in the story and wanting to continue

The Couple at Number 9 was ...well hang on a second (lol). The story is about Saffy and her husband Tom who inherit a home from her grandmother Rose. Right off the bat the story takes off by telling the reader that there are two bodies in the garden of the home. That was enough to blow me away right there and it was practically right there on the first page. No beating around the bush here!

Saffy was really close to her grandmother, Rose, who is now, sadly, in an assisted care home suffering from dementia. Rose hadn't lived in the cottage at number 9 in decades. In fact, Saffys mother Lorna, doesn't ever remember living there either. So, either woman isn't going to be much help in telling anyone who these bodies belong to in her yard.

An investigation ensues and so does a journey into the past concerning Rose and Lorna when she was little. What could have happened back then to have not one, but two bodies in the yard? Who are they? I couldn't wait to find out.

Let me tell you, when I found out what happened my mouth dropped open and I don't mean in a bad way. I am a huge reader and sometimes I am incredulous when I get to the end of a book and think, "Is that IT?" NOT the case here. My mouth dropped open in shock. I was so thrilled with this clever unfolding of events. I had one issue in the book that seemed kind of forced, but otherwise this was a crazy ride and I mean that in a good way! It was so fun and if you want a really fast read with an ending that kept me guessing, this is for you. I really enjoyed it. This may have been my first Claire Douglas book but it won't be my last. Unfortunately, you will have to wait until late Summer 2022, but it will be worth it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to the publisher for this opportunity. No review was required

Saffron Cutler and her boyfriend Tom move into her Grandmothers cottage. They began renovating after they moved in to add onto the cottage because Saffron was pregnant. The mystery began when the contractor started digging and found two bodies from 30 years ago with no identification. Saffron’s grandmother Rose was in a nursing home suffering from Alzaheimers. Interesting mystery kept me reading and surprised as to the ending.

Thank you Harper Collins and Net Galley for this thoroughly enjoyable book. Tom and Saffron live at No 9 Skelton Place. They are doing an expansion on the back of their house and two bodies are dug up. Saff’s grandma, Rose, owns the house and actually lived there when the bodies were put in the garden. Saff calls her mother Lorna home from Spain and the investigation begins. Most things are completely believable in this book but Saffron is 24 years old, married and expecting her first child. She cannot be jumping at shadows. The publish date for this is Summer 2022 and it will be a great book for you to pack in your beach bag and enjoy!

First off thank you netgalley for providing me with an advance copy to read. I wanted to love thus title as I am an avid thriller fan. The synopsis had me hooked and the title fits perfectly. However, I really found myself struggling with this read. The story is multiple POV and also hops time periods. I found it hard to follow and the characters just weren't that easy to connect with. It did have that thriller feel to it and the writing is simple yet interesting on its own.

Thank you @netgalley and the author for letting me read this book I truly appreciate it!
And for that reason I feel the worst right now! I honestly did not like this book. It was hard for me to get into it. Many POV's, timelines to follow At the same time I feel it's a me problem at the moment. I hope when the book comes out I grab a copy and give it an other chance

This book started off nicely - you get to a big reveal right at the start and it's super intriguing. But after that, things sort of fall apart.

I thought the book rotated between too many characters. For a good third of the book I kept thinking, wait, who is this again? I had already forgotten who a character was because you spend a good chunk of time hearing from one and another gets reintroduced way later on. I did enjoy hearing from Gran during her time living at the cottage in the 1980s.

I also thought the book dragged on a little bit after that first reveal of dead bodies. We could've gotten to the point earlier without some of the back and forth. I will also add that I guessed the biggest reveal in the book, but I still enjoyed getting to that point and realizing I was right.

Most of the characters are very likable, which is a nice change in a thriller because I feel that often characters in thrillers are nearly all unlikeable. I do wish we got more about the villain of the story - more development there would've been nice.

Overall, it was an okay thriller. Some good twists and turns, but a quicker way to get there with less switching between characters would've been better for me personally.

The Couple at Number 9 starts FAST and gets right into the action. Unfortunately, after the initial huge reveal, it's a pretty slow burn to get to the resolution. Despite that, it is a good read and I enjoyed how the mystery was slowly revealed, knowing from the first few pages that it wasn't any of the main characters.

A free home isn't always the best deal. What price would you pay for a cozy cottage in the Cotswolds, perfect for you, your husband, and your soon-to-be newborn...if it meant you would be sharing the space with a few dead bodies and more family secrets than you can keep count of? I mean if we're being honest this still sounds like a great deal to me and I'm ready to move in. But I am glad that Saffy, the main character, was the one going through all this drama and not me.

This book gives a whole new meaning to the twisty thriller and has me craving another by this author just to get a similar thrill. The suspense is steadily built from page 1 and it's the type of book that will have you looking for excuses to read just to find out what happens next. Once the first twist comes along, there is no turning back, and it's not long before the next twist appears. In some ways, it's hard to keep track of all the turns, but it makes for a really entertaining ride.

Most of the characters in this story are very likable and you'll find yourself pausing to consider what you would do in their shoes. I do wish there was more character development of the main villain as we don't get much of an understanding of why they did what they did. All in all, this is a solid thriller that's quick to read and enjoyable to the end.

Ok mixed bag this. I really liked the set up. The characters were fairly stereotyped but it worked alright on the beginning - until layer after layer of characters were added and it all became a bit of a jumble. It was a pretty bog-standard thriller for all that, and interesting and engaging enough, but it did become a bit of a slog for me after a while.

The multiple characters, timelines, and perspectives contributed to that not i also think it was simply WAY too detailed for the story being told. At one point, as a test, I started skipping 3-4 chapters (and therefore POV) just to see if I'd even notice. 20+% of the book later the characters were still having the same conversations and an interview referenced before I started skimming still hadn't happened... The story eventually picks up the pace as revelations start coming and it held my attention - it was too over-the-top not to! - from there, but I think a tight edit would have done the storytelling a big service and would have made the sudden rush of massive twisty-ness feel more coherent and less tacked on...

I enjoyed The Couple at Number 9. The author did a great job keeping the many characters clear and not confusing. It would have been easy, I think, for the story with all its convolutions to become muddied. It didn't. I did think the story got a little long due to the overuse of details and minutia.

In spite of that I can easily give 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) because the plot and ending were phenomenal. Your interweaving of Rose's good-days-and-bad-days dementia was a perfect vehicle for building the story ... and my curiosity. The ending was totally unexpected by me. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Couple at Number 9. It was a good read.

The Couple at Number 9 was a fast-paced and fun read about a pregnant couple who finds two bodies buried into their yard while they are having their home renovated. The bodies have been there for several years, perhaps having been buried there when Saffy's grandmother was in residence.
The author did a great job at weaving the past and present together through multiple POVs. While I was able to guess the twist before it happened, it didn't keep me from enjoying the mystery!

A pregnant couple's lives are thrown into disarray when 2 bodies are discovered in their garden when they are doing renovations. As the police try to figure out who the victims are, the couple must come to terms with their family's questionable past as strange discoveries are made.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Not only is there twist upon twist, but it is all entirely plausible, unlike some books in this genre. I did not figure out what happened, which is a major coup for me. I flew through this at breakneck speed. Multiple narrators and time frames add to the abundant suspense. I recommend this for fans of Ruth Ware and Gilly Macmillan.

I binged The Couple At No. 9 right on the heels of Just Like The Other Girls, thanks to Harper Audio. I guessed the big twist fairly early on, but the story was very well-written so I enjoyed the journey anyways. There were many other small twists along the way to hold my interest, and the book moved at a good pace. I actually think I enjoyed The Couple At No. 9 a little more than Just Like The Other Girls.

The story is told in the past and the present through many different POVs, but Rose’s perspective in the past was the most interesting to me. I thought she was strong and interesting. I liked Saffy a lot, and I couldn’t wait to see how Theo’s storyline tied into the rest of them. These were all very well-rounded characters that grew throughout the storyline. Some characters that I wasn’t the biggest fan of at the beginning became my favorites at the end, which is certainly a sign of excellent character development.

I love the home renovation setting, and imagining this unfinished house was the perfect creepy backdrop to the events that unfolded for Saffy and Tom. The house also had personal meaning, as it was where Rose raised Lorna as a young girl.

I’m a big fan of Claire’s writing, and can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.