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The Couple at Number 9

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"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?

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 6, 2022
      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. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from June 1, 2022

      Douglas (Just Like the Other Girls) returns with a page-turner that flips between the past and present from multiple viewpoints that are all connected by a gruesome discovery. Saffron Cutler and her boyfriend Tom have just moved into the cottage once owned by her grandmother Rose. What was supposed to be the beginning of their lives together ends up being the beginning of an ordeal as two bodies are discovered in the garden. Rose, who has dementia, is unable to explain why they are there, leaving Saffron and her mother Lorna to piece together what happened. As the narrative takes its necessary twists and turns, Douglas leaves just enough bread crumbs for listeners to follow while keeping them hungry for more. VERDICT Narrator Nathalie Buscombe brings many of the book's women to life while Kenton Thomas brings a distinct voice and personality to Theo, whose connection to the three women becomes part of the larger mystery. All this and a mind-blowing plot twist that completely changes the whole complexion of the novel come together to create a mystery that gives listeners a punch in their collective gut and a tug on their heartstrings.--James Gardner

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The two fine narrators of this compelling and intricate puzzle voice characters who don't know each other, and certainly don't know that they are caught in a single conundrum. Nathalie Buscombe's Saffron is overseeing a remodeling project at her beloved granny's Cotswold cottage when the contractors discover a pair of bodies buried under the patio. Elsewhere, likable, anxious Theo is estranged from his overbearing doctor father and increasingly troubled by some of his father's behavior. But what does Theo have to do with the long-buried bodies, and who are they anyway? Buscombe's portrayal of Lorna, Saffy's feckless bolter of a mother, is particularly winning. Kenton Thomas gives Theo a strong country accent, nicely illustrating how little he and Saffy have in common. And yet. B.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

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