 The Couple at Number 9 is Claire Douglas’ best work yet!!
This captivating thriller is the story of two generations: Rose and her daughter Lolly, and Lorna and her daughter Saffy. When Rose went to a care home due to her dementia, her daughter Lorna (aka Lolly) and granddaughter Saffy found out that she owns a cottage in the countryside that she has leased out for years. Saffy decides to move there with her boyfriend to start their family. While they are renovating, 2 bodies are uncovered. Piecing together what happened isn’t easy, as there were multiple tenants, and the timeline of the deaths as well as the identities of the deceased aren’t initially clear. As the police investigate, they have many questions for Rose, but she struggles to answer them with any clarity through the fog of dementia. Lorna Ajax Saffy tentatively mount their own investigation. After following up on a potential lead, Lorna is attacked on her way home. At this point, Lorna and Saffy realize that somebody besides Gran Rose has a vested interest in covering up the circumstances around the double homicide. Who was buried in the garden? Who else would want to keep these murders and the circumstances around them hidden? The Couple at Number 9 is written from 4 viewpoints; primarily, from the viewpoints of Saffy, Lorna, and Rose. Theo is the fourth viewpoint, and initially I didn’t see how he fit in. However, Claire Douglas gives a few clues and I began to have my suspicious before the connection in the storylines is revealed. Each character is very much their own personality, and I appreciated how the character of Lorna developed throughout the book and how her relationship with her daughter improved. The unfortunate circumstances brought them closer together. Thank you to Harper Publishing and Claire Douglas for the early copy! Coming to a bookstore near you in August - preorder using the link below!
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 The Way We Weren’t is a poignant novel about the compounding effect that one event or decision can have on the path of your life, as well as the inner strength that is necessary to step back and change your path.
Marcie and Will were teenage sweethearts, married just out of high school. Their friends envy their seemingly perfect marriage, and Marcie and Will agree, they have it pretty good. Until one day, when they find they want different things in life. Marcie takes off on a mission to find herself, and makes friends along the way. The closest of these is Flint - a curmudgeonly old man. Flint finds Marcie in a bit of a predicament, and steps out of his comfort zone to help her. The banter between Marcie and Flint is entertaining, and I loved the rapport and understanding they developed for each other throughout the novel. What is Flint’s purpose on Marcie’s journey? How will Marcie and Will reconcile their differences? Will Marcie find herself and happiness? Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Phoebe Fox for the advance copy. Grab yours on Amazon using the link below!  The saying “money can’t buy happiness” has never been more true than when it comes to Layla and Graham. They have a lifestyle that is unimaginable to most - their glamorous house is built into the side of a mountain, they have staff to take care of their every need, and money to buy anything they want, but yet they are bored. Instead of seeking adrenaline in a more traditional manner by skydiving or another risky hobby, they choose to rent out the house below them and then “play games” to mess with the tenant’s life. Does their tenant have a family? No problem, they’ll stage an affair and gambling problem. Or maybe they’ll find a way to get the tenant hooked on drugs. Or maybe they’ll make the tenant so miserable that they will commit suicide. It doesn’t matter, as long as the tenant loses and Graham is entertained.
Now it’s Layla’s turn to prove herself to Graham. Can she make the new tenant miserable and destroy her life? Or will the new tenant “win”? Good Rich People is twisted, gruesome, messy, and quite the page turner! As much as I would cringe on one page, I’d need to keep reading the next to uncover the next grisly turn of events. Kudos to Eliza Jane Brazier on a thriller that was both macabre and enthralling! Thanks to Berkley Books and Eliza Jane Brazier for the advanced copy! Good Rich People is on shelves today, January 25. Be sure to check it out! |
