I'm trying to figure out what to say about this book because I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! But articulating what is it that made me enjoy this book more than the umpteen other mysteries I read every month is proving difficult. The story opens in a Cotswold style village in England. Point one in its favor, although the setting doesn't play much of a part in the story. I think it was the puzzle aspect of the story that was so appealing. There were so many seemingly odd pieces that somehow fit together in the end.

Saffron and Tom are reoccupying her Grandmother's house which has been rented for years. In the course of some remodeling, two bodies are unearthed in the garden. This brings the building to a fast halt and presents a complex world of problems for the young couple. Her Grandmother, Ruth, is in an elderly home suffering from dementia, so she is unable to help unravel the mystery of who is buried there. Sully's young and vivacious Mother, Lorna, comes from Spain to offer support to the young couple, and also becomes embroiled in solving the mystery of the two bodies.

Meanwhile in another town a young man is discovering that his father may have a mysterious past, but their relationship is not good and his mother died in an accident. There is no one who can help him fill in the missing pieces until he stumbles across a clue in his father's study.

These two different people in different towns seemingly have nothing to connect their stories. I don't want to say more because I so enjoyed watching the threads of this multi-layered story unravel to a satisfying conclusion . This was my first Claire Douglas book, but I'm eager to read some of her earlier works and see if they live up to this one in enjoyment value,.

THE COUPLE AT NUMBER 9
Claire Douglas
Mystery/Thriller

Saffy and her boyfriend have recently started to remodel her grandmother’s cottage; then a shocking and disturbing event happens. Two bodies that have lain dead and undisturbed for over 30 years are found.

This book is told by three different viewpoints. After you get the hang of jumping character’s every chapter, not to mention one set in a different time period, you will be hooked. I usually see a twist coming, but the one near the end came from left field for me. I would give it a solid 4 stars.

While I must admit this is a well-written book, I didn't find the story or the characters particularly interesting. The POVs and timelines switched often and kind of screwed with the flow of this whodunit mystery.

It's also unfortunate just how predictable the ending was. I'm not one to enjoying guessing ahead in a mystery novel, but despite my reluctance I figured out the big twist very early on. I suspect you will (or have) too. Is this a spoiler? I don't think so, but I suppose having someone confirm your suspicions would be enough for you to think "oh...that really?...well, darn it".

I haven't read any of Claire Douglas's books, and after this, I'm not sure I'll seek out any others.

This was a pretty good mystery, which begins with a couple of bodies being discovered buried beneath a garden during a home renovation. The search is on for the identity of the bodies, as well as who put them six feet under. The search will produce more questions than answers and permanently alter more than one family.
The climax wasn’t terribly surprising, but also not ridiculously obvious, and I appreciated that the author didn’t feel the need to throw in all the “twists” that are so prevalent these days.
Thanks to #netgalley and #penguinpaperbacks for this #arc of #thecoupleatno9 in exchange for an honest review.

This book has multiple timelines and characters that meld stories from the past and present. It was intriguing and clever and kept me wondering until the very end.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy if this book. Honestly I thought this was just gonna be a basic mystery thriller novel but it was so far from basic.read this!!

3.5 ⭐️ Rounded Up ⬆️

Synopsis : Claire Douglas explores the nightmare scenario of what happens when building work unearths human remains in the back garden of a young couple's new home. When pregnant Saffron Cutler moves into 9 Skelton Place with boyfriend Tom and sets about renovations, the last thing she expects is builders uncovering a body.

My Thoughts : This was a fun & easy read! I am glad I read it and would recommend to others. However, I am sad how it got boring in the middle where I wanted to skip ahead at times to get to the good stuff. I did like the story overall and the twists, even with me guessing some, so I will round up to a 4!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Claire Douglas and Harper for my arc copy in return for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, my first read from Claire Douglas, there were SO MANY really amazing plot twists and the concept of finding bodies in your backyard of a house owned by family for generations was a really fun thriller experience

Two things right off the bat: one, I couldn't put this book down and two, I never expected the ending. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the author snapped me back into reality and I honestly never saw the end coming.

The story is told by several characters. Saffy speaks in the first person and she's the very first character we meet. She's young, pregnant, full of hormones, and on top of it all, in the hole over which her future kitchen will be, a skeleton has just been found. The other characters narrate the book in the third person, and cross different timelines. There's a lot going on in the book. If you don't like busy books, this might not be the right one for you. It's easy to read and holds your interest the entire time.

This is my first book by this author, and if the rest are like this, I'm going to be busy reading for awhile. I look forward to her next book!

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and freely expressed.

4.5 stars rounding up here on NetGalley

I loved this so much! The setting was so great, and I loved the characters. The alternating timelines kept me turning the pages and set up the story so well. I loved the family secrets and the dynamics. The end was SHOCKING. I will definitely be reading this author again!

Ohhhhh my my my. The twists and turns!!! If life wasn’t so chaotic I’d have finished this beauty in a few days easily. This was fast paced and told from multiple perspectives with no questions at the end! I had to tell myself to stop reading at the end of chapters purely so I wouldn’t stay up too late. Highly recommend for any fan of thrillers! 4.5 stars rounded up.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Just Like the Other Girls, which I found to be a decent read, my expectations were fairly average going into this one, but I sure did like the description. I'm happy to report that it exceeded my those moderate expectations and found this to be an all around engaging thriller. Interesting characters, good use of the back and forth in time that were clearly delineated, and most notably (and personally important to me as a lover of great thrillers) lots of twists, including a few that aren't necessarily as intuitive as one might think. 4 stars.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a twisty-turning book this was. This is my first book by this author - will not be my last.

Saffron Cutler and her boyfriend Tom moved into a cottage that is owned by her grandmother. The cottage is quite dated so they decide to put some blood, sweat, and money into it to make it their dream home. As the excavator is digging up the backyard for the addition, a problem arises - they find a human skeleton hand. All digging comes to a halt, the police come out. Not only did they find a hand - they found 2 bodies. Forensic testing show they have been there between 30 and 40 years.

As the story unravels provided through multiple points of view - the truth comes out and no one will be the same again.

Did I already say wow??

Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to reading more by this author quick read that will keep you entertained thanks netgalley for the ARC

The Couple at Number 9 was my first read by Claire Douglas and I was so surprised by how much I loved it. Can you imagine renovating your house and finding not one but TWO dead bodies in the garden? That’s exactly what happens to Tom and Saffy, the new couple who has just moved into 9 Skeleton Place (a fitting name now that I’m writing it out). Questions arise about how the bodies got there. This question is made even harder to answer because the previous owner, Saffy’s grandma Rose, is currently in a nursing home with dementia. The answers lie within three generations, multiple perspectives, and a story that spans the course of nearly forty years.
I could not wait to see where this story was going. I figured some of it out around the halfway mark, but this did not stop my enjoyment of the novel as I still needed to figure out the whys, when’s, and how’s… and trust me, there were tons of twisted secrets throughout! Saffy was insufferable and unlikeable at times. The Couple at Number Nine is a mystery but at its heart, it is also a story about mother-daughter relations. This slow burn mystery was a delightfully good time, and I am looking forward to reading more by Claire Douglas in the future.

4.3

Absolutely enjoyed this book!

I was extremely anxious reading this book. The plot was so well constructed and executed.

Reading Between the Wines book review #74/135 for 2022:
Rating: 4 ½ 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Couple at Number 9
Author: Claire Douglas
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Wow the last 40% of this book had me so engrossed and reading any time I could sneak a few minutes here and there. Every time a new part came, a new shock came. By the time Part 4 rolled around my mouth was opened and I know I made an audible gasp. I have to admit, it took a little effort to read the first few parts because it was a really slow burn with a lot of repetition. But after Part 2, it started picking up. I really enjoyed the mystery and the twists and reveals that were under my nose the entire time. This book does not give you that “yeah right” kind of twist but one that is feasible yet still shocking. This is my first Douglas book, but I do not wish it to be my last.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @HarperPerennialAndPaperbacks for an advanced copy of @TheCoupleAtNumber9.

#TheCoupleAtNumber9 #ClaireDouglas #HarperPerennialAndPaperbacks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Thank you so much @HarperCollins & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 02 August 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Saffy & her boyfriend (Tom) move into a little cottage in a remote village that she has just inherited. She is really excited to make the place her home, but during renovations they find a buried body in the garden. Furthermore, it looks like the remains have been there for over 30 years dating back to when her grandma lived at the property.

WHAT I LIKED:
- a good couple twists that kept the story intriguing
- the pacing was excellent for the majority of the book (it dragged at the end though)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- there was a lot of over-telling & over-explaining instead of letting me figure it out throughout
- the evil monologue explaining why they did what they did & how they got away with it *yawn*
- the fact the police investigation hinged on an old woman with Alzheimers

I’m

This was a well written, fast reading, enjoyable book, that I highly recommend!

A young woman and her husband, expecting a baby, move into a charming cottage, owned her elderly grandmother. In the midst of a renovation/expansion, the builders discover the remains of two people buried deep in the yard.
Thus begins the investigation and unraveling of a twisted “ who are they” plot.
While the elderly grandmother, suffering from dementia, is unclear in her memories about the past, both her daughter and granddaughter search to find out what happened more than 30 years prior, and why two bodies are buried on the property.

As the clues are uncovered, the answers are revealed.
Although it was not hard for me to guess the outcome, the unveiling was interesting to read.
I enjoyed the book, the details and the ending.
4 1/2stars for good twists and an interesting plot!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy and opportunity to share my review.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

I enjoyed Claire Douglas’ last release, “Just Like the Other Girls” so much I knew I was going to read this latest book from the prolific writer. Sadly, it didn’t meet my expectations, but it’s still a pretty solid read, owing to how well Douglas writes female-to-female dynamics, especially when it comes to families and generations.

Part of the problem with this book, I think (when you compare it to “Just Like the Other Girls” is that there were just too many characters involved to keep the editing as tight and the characterizations as developed in this book. Plus, there were so many male characters in this book, and Douglas seems to not have the same flair for developing and writing males as she does females. The male characters in this book are less complex, if not close to stereotype cut-outs compared to the complex and rich female characters. This leaves the book feeling unbalanced, because the males are necessary for the book’s plot but their thoughts, feelings, and reactions are easy to predict.

Douglas writes a great suspense thriller, don’t get me wrong. Her prose is strong and her storylines are very entertaining. It just seems that with this book she made a misstep by not giving her male characters the development they needed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for granting me access to this title.