The Couple at No 9 by Claire Douglas

I hadn’t read any stories by Claire Douglas but thought that The Couple at No 9 might be an interesting place to start. It certainly came after a lot of marketing hype – especially online – including soundbites that did not reflect the considerable length of the book itself.

It is the story of a young, pregnant girl - Saffron Cutler – who moves into a Cotswolds cottage with her boyfriend and begins to renovate it, including the building of an extension, until all works stop after two skeletons are found buried in the garden when its new foundations are being dug out.

The story is really about the interplay of human relationships, especially between Saffron and her rather flighty mother, Lorna, who jets in from Spain, and her grandmother Rose who very definitely harbours old secrets as deep as the new hole in the garden. Rose is suffering from dementia and the critical issue becomes one of how much can she remember, or how much is she holding back.

A second plot strand involves a chef from Yorkshire – Theo – and his search for the truth of events surrounding his mother’s death. I’m not sure I believed in the intersection of the two stories, but he was certainly a very well-drawn character, and we accompanied him sympathetically on his mission.
The author explores the value of friendships as well as familial relationships and, especially, trust – which was tested to a suspenseful limit.

The story (and mystery) unfolds in a compelling, time-shifting structure which keeps the reader involved. I did find it slightly unbelievable in places, and there was a point about two-thirds through where my interest began to wane – probably due to a bit of padding - but the pace was picked up again as we headed, a little breathlessly, towards a surprising finishing line.
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I thought the writing was easily accessible and the plotting was pretty good throughout, with no loose ends remaining; only my incredulity that I hadn’t managed to spot some of them flapping in the West Country breeze earlier.

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