Review: The Couple at Number 9

The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book. 4.5 stars!
I really really really enjoyed this book! Saffy, a young expectant mother, lives in the cozy cottage she inherited from her doting grandmother Rose. Saffy and her boyfriend Tom are in the midst of renovating their new home when contractors uncover two skeletons buried in the garden. Needless to say, Saffy is shocked, especially when it looks as though her grandmother could have some knowledge of how two bodies came to be buried at her old home. Rose suffers from dementia, however, and even when Saffy's capricious mother Lorna comes to help, everyone wonders if the real truth will ever come out. The stakes are raised when a mysterious man shows up looking for "evidence" and threatening the residents of the cottage. What exactly happened 30 years ago to cause Rose to abandon her home with her small child, and does it have anything to do with the deaths of two people?
Pretty much everything about this book was great. The characters really drew me in from the beginning and made me want to know what had happened in the past at the seemingly idyllic cottage, and how those in the present would get to the truth. The pacing was very well-done, too. It was slow enough to reveal nuances and yet fast enough to keep me interested and turning the pages as quickly as I could. I never got bored and wanted to skim anything. At about 2/3 of the way through I thought, "Wait a minute...what if...??!!" I had figured out the big twist, but I had to sit for a bit, staring off into space, trying to figure it all out in my head and see if it all fit into place. I thought, "I think THIS could be what's going on...! Wow!" And that's what really sealed the deal for me with the book. Sometimes when you figure out a twist it just seems too obvious, or you think," Of course this is what's happening. You are being too heavy-handed, author!" and roll your eyes. But in this case I thought it was very well-done, and the fall-out from revealing the twist really gave it serious impact. The ending was great, too. I have to admit I teared up at the last page. My only real issue was with Saffy. She was supposed to be an important character but she came across as whiny, petulant, and pouty to me--but she did redeem herself a bit at the very end. I really liked Lorna, Rose, and Theo much more than Saffy.
This book is full of tension, old mysteries, motherly love, and secrets that people will kill to keep hidden.
If you are looking for a great mystery, I would absolutely recommend this book.

View all my reviews