Title: The Couple at No 9
Author: Claire Douglas
Publisher: Century
Synopsis:
BODIES FOUND UNDER PATIO
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. Two bodies, in fact.
POLICE INVESTIGATE
Forensics indicate the bodies have been buried at least thirty years, which leads the police to question the cottage’s former owner – Saffy’s grandmother, Rose.
OWNER QUESTIONED
Rose’s Alzheimer’s means her memory is increasingly confused. She can’t help the police – but it is clear she remembers something.
A KILLER AT LARGE?
As Rose’s fragmented memories resurface, and the police dig ever deeper, Saffy fears she and the cottage are being watched . . .
What happened thirty years ago?
What part did her grandmother play?
And is Saffy now in danger? . . .
My review:
The Couple at No.9 is a gripping, tense read from the brilliant Claire Douglas!
We’re thrown straight into the plot, with two bodies discovered in Saffy and Tom’s garden as they’re landscaping. Long before Saffy inherited their house, her grandma lived there – could she be something to do with the bodies? Surely not… Plus she’s now in a nursing home with advanced Alzheimer’s.
What follows is a tense, intriguing and riveting read – the plot is brilliantly crafted and thought out, and there are plenty of twists and turns throughout. I was really rooting for these characters, and loved the dual timelines as we switch between the perspective of Saffy’s grandmother Rose and back to Saffy herself in the present day. As the reader you’re slowly piecing together what happened along with Saffy, and there’s a great ending as well – very satisfying!
I won’t say much more as I don’t want to give anything away but I was completely engrossed in this brilliant read. You can’t go wrong with a Claire Douglas read and this is no exception!
rating: 5/5
Thanks to the publisher, Penguin, for providing a copy of this novel on which I wrote an honest review.