9️⃣Book Review 9️⃣
Title: The Couple at Number 9
Author: Claire Douglas
Publisher: Harper Perennial and Paperbacks
Publish date: 8/1/2022
Rating: ⭐⭐. 5

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper for gifting me a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Tom and Saffy have just moved into their grandmother's house at number 9 Skelton Place. With a baby on the way it seems the perfect time and renovations are going swimmingly. That is until the construction crew unearths two skeletons in the backyard.
The forensics team determines the bodies have been there for 30 years, dating back to when Saffy's grandmother Rose lived there. Did she know about the bodies?
Rose now has dementia and is living in a home, but police are determined to question her anyway. Will they unearth the killer? Or will it remain a haunting mystery?


I felt like this book had a lot of potential. The description from Netgalley really piqued my interest. Y'all know I love a good thriller. But after reading and dwelling on the book as a whole, it just didn't do it for me.
It was a VERY slow burn book and if it hadn't been for review, I may have DNF'd it.
The book switches perspectives between 4 different characters which just seemed a bit too much for me. In my opinion, two of these could have been left off entirely, or at least had much less focus time. One was meant to be a red herring but it didn't work out all that well.
The use of lesbian couple in the 70s was interesting as it was still extremely taboo then. And it was handled quite tastefully.
I didn't get super into it until about the last ten or so chapters and six chapters before the big reveal, I figured it out. The ending was lackadaisical and predictable at best. I hoped for so much more from this one.

When you think of you grandmother, do you know where she lived when she was young?
Claire Douglas looks into a family who’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s; But the police have a few questions for her
For back when she was young mother.
Come join the intrigue, murderous, heartbreaking, and coming of age story of The Couple at Number 9.
The ending is murderous!

A couple inherits a home from their grandmother. Their family is complicated. While renovating the house the couple discovers things that cause them the dig into the grandmother’s past and there’s so much to uncover.
I loved this book. I read it in about a day. I just couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with so many of the characters. Saffy, little Lolly, Rose, and Daphne. There were so many twists and the story was so creative. I felt for everyone in this story. It hit all my favorite themes. Crime, love, lgbtq+ themes, and mystery. I highly recommend this.

Thank you for the eARC.

I was SO excited for this when I read the synopsis, but that’s about as exciting as it got. This book did some dragging. I really feel like if it had been condensed more then I would have like it. It just seemed unnecessarily long. Still a good read though.

I chose to read this book based on the synopsis which seemed intriguing.
A young couple,looking to add onto their home, unearth two bodies during construction. The quest to find out how and why the bodies ended up buried in the garden @ Number 9 is the base plot of this book.
While the idea behind the plot was unique and clever the execution was hard to get behind.
I did enjoy the first several chapters but at a certain point too many story lines and characters had me frustrated. Perhaps,there was too much information creating a drawn out story that could have been abbreviated.
There is an audience out there that may enjoy this book however, I ,can not recommend this as a read due to my desires as an avid reader.
Thank,NetGalley,for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

A young couple, Saffy and Tom, are innocently renovating their new home at 9 Skelton Place when two bodies are discovered deeply buried in the back garden. The investigation into the deaths and who was involved hits a little too close to home for the couple when they discover the timeframe of the deaths and who had been living at 9 Skelton Place at that time.

This novel was a complex web but everything fit together perfectly in the end! The story provided the most satisfying mix of creepiness and intrigue, and it was presented so very well. There was even a wonderful moment when my jaw dropped open, and I said out loud, "Whhaaaatt??!?!?" I love experiencing that feeling in a good thriller!

The Couple at Number 9
by Claire Douglas
Pub Date: August 2, 2022
Harper

Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It just didn't work for me. This is my first by this author. It's a complex plot with different POV's and timelines. I was intrigued at the beginning, but with all the interchanging characters and timelines, it became a little too drawn out and long-winded.

I think I enjoyed the synopsis more than the book. At 400 pages, I was ready for it to end. I hope other readers find it more enjoyable.
3 stars

This book had a very captivating plot! I found myself staying up later than I intended during this book, because I couldn’t put it down! In this book, a couple moves into a house that originally belonged to the female lead’s grandmother. While they are doing renovations, two bodies are found. This book then unfolds to find out what the grandmothers involvement was and if the main characters are now in danger. This book was a perfect mix of creepy and suspenseful.

I loved this twisty thriller!!! And look at that cover ❤ Claire Douglas well-plots her books with the perfect intrigue and surprise elements that are sure to leave you anxious and tense. This domestic thriller is full of lies and deceit with some emotional, gripping scenes.
Introducing the residents, The Couple at No 9, is Saffy and Tom expecting their first baby. There is so much excitement having a cottage gifted to them from her mother Lorna, who also inherited it. Lorna never knew it existed until her mother, Rose, was placed into a nursing home with Alzheimer's. The excitement turns to uncertainty when 2 bodies are found during an excavation of the garden. Autopsies reveal they died 30 years ago. When detectives question Rose, her memory comes in fragments due to this cruel disease of the mind. This makes the story intriguing with each visit as bits of history are displayed. There are a lot of characters introduced but necessary to rebuild the past keeping you on the edge of your seat.
As new people make an entrance, be aware they are not all kind, leaving trust an issue and a trail of crime scenes. Some secrets are better left untold. A shocking ending and a devastating blow to some of the kindest people undeserving of their pain and just looking for answers.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for her next book to surface!!!

The Couple at Number 9 is a suspenseful page-turner, and I was hooked from the very beginning. Lots of interesting characters, strong POV storytelling, and plenty of unsavory people telling lies and keeping secrets. I thought the pacing was just right, and I loved the clever twists and turns throughout. There is a main character with dementia; I thought her memory loss and lapses were very well written and accurately portrayed. All in all, this was a clever and twisty ride, and I will definitely be reading more by Claire Douglas.

My only criticism is that there are ALOT of characters to keep track of, in different periods of time.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You. Will. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. Yes, The Couple at Number 9 is an enthralling thriller of the highest order. It grabs you from the start and propels you towards a most satisfying conclusion. Twists? Turns? You bet! Douglas deftly uses several characters to tell the story. It's a tale enveloped by several mysteries which she ties together beautifully. Sometimes there simply aren't enough words to do justice to a book as entertaining as this one. Brava! Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy! #TheCoupleatNumber9 #NetGalley

I genuinely did not see all the twists in this one coming, as many times as I thought I’d figured it out. This was a nice and breezy “thriller” - intriguing and unpredictable without being gory or frantic!

When Saffy and her partner Tom move into their cozy little cottage, they’re set to renovate and redecorate before the birth of their first child. But when the builders begin digging for the expansion and come across two bodies buried beneath the garden, Saffy’s entire life is changed. Because this isn’t just any old house. It has been in the family since before the bodies were buried.

Saffy’s grandmother, Rose, May have had the answers - but she’s in a care home with Alzheimer’s and grows aggravated and confused by the police questioning. One of the bodies is identified, but the other is proving more difficult. And as Rose’s failing memory unveils more and more hints, it turns out there’s someone else who would do just about anything to keep the truth from getting out.

What a very, very clever storyline. The Couple at Number 9 is sure to keep you intrigued and enthralled throughout. I like to pride myself on solving mysteries way before the plot twist happens, but I didn’t even come close this time.

Saffron Cutler and her boyfriend, Tom, were gifted a cottage by her mother, Lorna. Saffy is pregnant and they are renovating the cottage before baby comes. No home renovation goes as planned, but few have dead bodies in their garden. While the authorities are investigating who the dead folks are and how they got there, Saffy is wondering what her grandmother knows as she’s the previous owner. Unfortunately, her gran is in a care home suffering from dementia, so she isn’t much help at all. Lorna comes for a visit and they put their sleuthing skills to work. Danger abounds as secrets are revealed and nobody feels safe at 9 Skelton Place.

Page after page is a little more telling and a little more twisted until I was so immersed in whodunnit that the ending floored me. I give this 4/5 stars and can’t wait to pick up another Claire Douglas book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book. This is my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this wonderful mystery novel!! I really enjoyed The Couple at Number Nine. Two bodies are found in the backyard of Saffy and Tom’s backyard. Very, very old bones dating back 20-40 years. Saffy hasn’t lived in the house very long, it belongs to her grandma. But her Grandmother has dementia and has no idea who could have been murdered and buried in her garden. There and many POV’s in this one and until about 40%, I didn’t know who the body’s could belong to. But then the mystery starts to unravel and the pieces fall together. I was really affected by the outcome. Having two grandparents that died from dementia, this one hit home. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery! Some twists are a little predictable, but every piece I figured out on my own, led to two more that I was surprised about.

It's a Claire Douglass book so what's not to like. I enjoyed the entire storyline and from the different perspectives (a style I really like). Enough twists and turns to keep me happy. Definitely recommend.

This review is mixed. The plot, a young woman and her partner are building an addition to the house she got from her Alzheimer-riddled grandmother, but the construction is halted when two bodies, are unearthed, is excellent. There are some very good twists. But it just didn't keep my interest. I would read a chapter and find myself half way through thinking I should check the new grocery ad. At one point, somewhere around 60% through, I decided to skip ahead. But that landed me right after a big twist, so I went back and read the whole thing.

I am not sure why I had trouble reading this. Maybe there was just too much minutia. It was good, but just didn't flow.

I really enjoyed this book! I was engaged and captivated throughout and really cared about the characters and wanted to know their stories and the outcome of the mystery.
The book begins with Tom and Saffron (Saffy), a young couple who move into a cottage owned by her grandmother Rose, now in a care home with dementia. Expecting their first child, they are excited to start family life in this quaint rural cottage. Renovation begins in the garden, with a surprising discovery of old bones and an investigation ensues which unearths stories from the past that were kept hidden for a long time.
This is a rather slow paced thriller, but it keeps you eager to read on and to find out all the secrets hidden in the past. There are multiple twists and turns along the way, and the story will satisfy those who appreciate details and complex back stories in characters.
I completely enjoyed this book and will definitely read more from this author.

📖: The Couple at No. 9
✍🏼: Claire Douglas
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️//5

🤔💭: First off, thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing me a copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my review! My oh my, I love me a good mystery and that’s what this one was. This book was told from multiple point of views and flashes back to a prior time period and the present but was never hard to follow. Saffron and her husband Tom are excited to do renovations on their new home as they await the arrival of their little one on the way. The last thing they think would happen is when their builders discover two bodies that were buried down in their garden. The police investigation reveals the bodies have been there for at least thirty years so she thinks she shouldn’t have to worry, but they need to interview the previous owners of the cottage which includes her grandmother Rose. Her grandmother is in a home with Alzheimer’s so her memories are fragmented, but it’s clear that she knows something. Saffron fears that she and the cottage are being watched and is wondering if she could be in danger. What really happened all them years ago and how was her grandmother involved?

Recommend: ✅ I really enjoyed this one and would recommend checking it out! 👍🏼

Saffron and Tom have moved into Saffron’s grandma Rose’s cottage. The young couple are expecting a baby and began renovating, construction workers found bones in the backyard! The bones belong to two bodies, but whose? Have Grandma Rose been up to no good? Well it gets tricky because she has early Alzheimer’s. This is a quick and suspenseful read! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Pregnant Saffron Cutler's grandmother suffers from dementia and is moved into a nursing home. Saffron inherits her grandmother's house and she and her boyfriend are thrilled to have a free from mortgage house and start on an addition. Unfortunately, two bodies are discovered under the patio.

Saffron and her mother Lorna want to knew who the bodies are and how they came to be buried on their family's property, along with what it had to do with their grandmother.

The story shifts from the 1970's to 2018 with hints along the way of the possible outcome. This novel is well-written with many twists and turns and I enjoyed guessing the the ending. Recommend!