The couple at Number 9 : a novel / Claire Douglas.

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Title:

Author:

Douglas, Claire (Journalist), author.

ISBN:

9780063246324

9780063138148

Uniform Title:

Couple at No. 9

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Physical Description:

385 pages ; 24 cm

General Note:

"Originally published as The Couple at No. 9 in Great Britain in 2021 by Penguin Random House UK." -- Verso.

Abstract:

When, while renovating her grandmother Rose's cottage, she uncovers the remains of two bodies, pregnant Saffron Cutler must protect Rose who suffers from Alzheimer's from a murder inquiry, plunging her life in danger as she tries to piece together what Rose knows.

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 of two bodies. Forensics indicate the bodies have been buried at least thirty years. The police launch a murder inquiry and ask to speak to the cottage's former owner-- Saffy's grandmother, Rose. In a nursing home, with Alzheimer's, Rose can't help the police-- but it is clear she remembers something. What happened thirty years ago? Why did no one miss the victims? And is Saffy now in danger? -- adapted from jacket

Subject Term:

Alzheimer's disease -- Patients -- Fiction.

Pregnant women -- Fiction.

Family secrets -- Fiction.

Lesbians -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Genre:

Thrillers (Fiction)

Lesbian fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Novels.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Adult Fiction Book Hardback	120791002983934	F DOU	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"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?

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Aug.)

Booklist Review

Every house has its secrets, but not every house has skeletons in its yard. When pregnant Saffron Cutler is gifted a cottage that belonged to her grandmother, she is happy to be out of the city and in a quaint village in the Cotswolds. She and her partner, Tom, have begun an expansion of the kitchen, but the excavation comes to a stop when two sets of human remains are found. What happened there 30 years ago? Was her grandmother Rose involved? Rose's memory has been addled by Alzheimer's, but her ramblings lead the police to believe she was. Who was the menacing Victor she mentions? Who was Jean? Who was Sheila? Saffy's mother, Lorna, arrives and tries to piece together her memories of the toddler years she spent there. The stories of the three women play out in a shadowy narrative that is tense and compelling and often touching until the horrifying truth is revealed. This mindbender from the best-selling Douglas (Then She Vanishes, 2021) will hit the spot with fans of Fiona Barton and Paula Hawkins.