The Couple at Number 9
A Novel
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4.4 • 31 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Tense, twisty, fraught with emotion and packed with secrets, The Couple at Number 9 is Claire’s best thriller yet.”—Gilly MacMillan, bestselling author of What She Knew
The internationally bestselling author of Do Not Disturb and Just Like the Other Girls delivers a heart-pounding psychological thriller about a couple who inherit what seems to be their dream home, until they make a horrifying discovery—and the danger begins.
The Victims . . .
When pregnant Saffron Cutler moves into 9 Skelton Place with boyfriend Tom and sets about renovations, the last thing she expects is builders uncovering human remains. The remains of two bodies, in fact.
The Investigation . . .
Forensics indicate the bodies have been buried at least thirty years. Saffy has nothing to worry about—until the police launch a murder inquiry and ask to speak to the cottage’s former owner. Her grandmother, Rose.
The Witness . . .
Rose is in a nursing home and Alzheimer’s means her memory is increasingly confused. She can’t help the police, but its’ clear she remembers something.
The Killer . . .
As Rose’s fragmented memories resurface, and the police dig ever deeper, Saffy fears she and the cottage are being watched.
The Truth . . .
What happened thirty years ago? Why did no one miss the victims? What part did her grandmother play? And is Saffy now in danger?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A home renovation reveals mysteries, lies, and danger. This twisty thriller opens with expectant couple Saffy and Tom unearthing two skeletons in the garden of their picturesque cottage during a routine kitchen expansion, throwing their calm life in a pastoral English village for a loop. The police investigation indicates that Saffy’s grandmother—who is now living with dementia—may have been involved in the deaths…and the secrets she’s been keeping for more than 30 years start to unravel. Claire Douglas presents this gripping story from multiple perspectives, tying them together with crisp prose that keeps you turning pages. With lovely descriptions of the hilly Cotswolds countryside and tons of mystery, The Couple at Number 9 is a thrilling journey through one family’s enigmatic past.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 2018, Saffron Cutler, one of the narrators of this intricately plotted puzzle from British author Douglas (Do Not Disturb), and her partner are enlarging the kitchen of their cottage in Beggars Nook, a quaint Cotswold village, when builders discover a human skeleton in their back garden. Further digging uncovers yet another body. Forensic evidence indicates that the two—a man and a woman—were killed sometime between 1970 and 1990, years that overlap with the period that Saffron's grandmother, Rose Grey, occupied the house. Rose, now suffering from dementia, lives in a nursing facility. Her occasional flashes of lucidity seem to offer clues to what might have happened all those years ago. But danger isn't confined to the past. The discovery of the bodies awakens the interest of a murderer who will do anything to protect his secrets. Tension builds as the characters' backstories unfold through multiple perspectives, including that of one person whose relationship to the others isn't immediately apparent. Douglas does a fine job fairly misdirecting the reader. This gripping tale is sure to garner her new fans.
