My first dive into the author's writing and it was just a really good experience. Claire Douglas weaves a story that keeps you compelled, hooked, and on the edge of your seat way past the hours.

I found that I could not put this book down. I enjoyed the story, the setting of the guesthouse, the writing, and the twists and turns this mystery took.

Ultimately, I will be looking more from this author and interested in the rest of the books she has written.

As always Claire Douglas had me glued to this book. I loved the red herrings along the way and even though I knew there was a big twist going to happen it still surprised me! Claire Douglas never disappoints and I cannot wait for her next book!

This one certainly kept me on my toes. I guessed some of the twists, but not all of them. Just when there was a lull, bam, something would happen. I expect nothing less from Claire Douglas. She is becoming a favorite.

One thing to note.... rabbits are very intelligent, sociable beings and should not be kept in a cage. There I've said my only criticism of the book.

Claire Douglas has created another fast, fun, entertaining read with an abundance of suspense and twists aplenty. I especially loved the boardinghouse setting with all the different characters coming and going.

I have always been a huge fan of Claire Douglas, so I was THRILLED to get an ARC of her book Do Not Disturb.

The book starts with Kirsty Woodhouse and her family packing up their lives in London and moving to a remote area in Wales to run a guesthouse with her mother. As they put the finishing touches on the guesthouse and prepare for the first guests, Kirsty's estranged cousin Selena and her daughter arrive, dredging up years of drama. Why has Selena come? Kristy cannot tell if she's being paranoid or she truly should fear for her life and also the safety of her daughters.

Another home run for Claire Douglas -- from the setting to the characters to the plot, this was fantastic!

My first thriller of the year and my first venture into a Claire Douglas book. In DO NOT DISTURB we follow Kirsty as she decides to pick up her family and relocate after a traumatic event involving her husband. They all need a fresh start and what better way than to purchase an old house and turn it into a guesthouse. Everything seems to be running smoothly when an unexpected visitor shows up, her cousin. Kirsty and her cousin have been estranged for years. Last they left off Selena, Kirsty’s cousin, said some really mean and hurtful things and since then they have not spoken. But there are many lies that follow Selena and something is just not adding up.

While I did enjoy the story and its atmosphere there were things that didn’t work for me. Kirsty is a woe-is-me kind of character. You know the one that has you rolling your eyes saying “yes yes I get, it was traumatic, NOW LET’S MOVE ON”. Her constant flashbacks are kind of overbearing but the story and premise kept me going. I needed to find out what was going on. I will admit that when one of the “big reveals” came I was a little underwhelmed. Maybe it’s because I don’t like this kind of trope, which I won’t spoil for you. So, the trope was a big turn off but I still needed to know how it ended. So I continued trucking along and the final reveal came and EH. It left much to be desired, in my opinion.

Overall, Do Not Disturb is very well written and is an interesting story just not one that appeals to me very much, that’s why I’m giving it 3 stars.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins and to NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A tense and twisted domestic thriller. Kirstie and Adrian move the family back to Wales after Adrian suffers a breakdown. The plan is to live a quieter les complicated life running a B&B with Kirsty‘s mom. BUT then long lost cousin Selena shows up throwing a wrench into their new quiet existence. This was a thriller that kept me glued to the pages. There were so many layers and as they kept getting peeled away the more absorbed in the story I became. this was a complicated story filled with loads of family drama. I knew there was something not quite right going on, I just couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. The ending was surprising and satisfying. This was a well done thriller that definitely kept me engaged throughout.

*** Big thank you to William Morrow for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

Working chronologically through an evening marked by middle-of-the-night screams and a woman kneeling over a bloodied body, Claire Douglas's Do Not Disturb is a twisting tale of secrets that threaten to implode a family's fresh start. Kirsty and Adrian Whitehouse leave London with their young daughters for her native Wales to escape a rough 18 months. Adrian's problems are hinted at, but Kirsty is also fulfilling a dream by purchasing a guesthouse with the help of her emotionally distant mother.

Beginning two months before the night of violence, Douglas (Local Girl Missing) deftly introduces family members and history that has affected their lives. As the inn opens, Kirsty is furious that her cousin Selena is coming to stay. The two were once like sisters, but Kirsty cut off Selena years ago because of her lying ways. Selena is escaping what she claims is a bad marriage, hiding out with her medically incapacitated daughter, but soon her hoodlum childhood boyfriend shows up. Then Kirsty's brother Nathan and his wife arrive, increasing the tension with their apparent personal troubles and Nathan's long-held torch for Selena.

When a body ends up at the foot of the stairs, everyone is wound so tightly the suspects are hard to narrow down. Spooky goings-on and rumors of past violence at the inn add to the unease. The subplots are numerous, and some are left hanging. Douglas's ambitious narrative makes those fairly easy to forgive as hidden truths come to light, leading to partial resolution and a stunning furtherance of deceit.

Kirsty and her family are the proud owners of an old decrepit boarding house. After renovations, the boarding house becomes a grand B&B. The first month is booked and they are ready to go. Then the first guest arrives, Kirsty's estranged cousin Selena.
The last time they talked, seventeen years ago, harsh words were exchanged. Now she is back in her life, with her daughter Ruby in tow. Selena always comes with drama and deciet, and Kristy is unprepared. Should she let the past go? Or is Selena here with a hidden agenda?

Do Not Disturb is reminiscent of the game Clue. The story is set in a creepy old building, with an array of guests. All guests have something to hide. A body is found, and we must figure out who the killer is. A classic Whodunit.
They way Douglas intertwines the characters with eachother, is great. She makes it so that you are sent down several routes to finding the killer. Everyone has motive, which makes it tricky to pinpoint the culprit. I was pleasantly surprised at the reveal, they were not on my list at all!

This story is a little ghosty with the big old boarding house and its strange past. I liked the distraction of the past with the drama of the murder. It definitely helped set the tone for a creepy mystery.
Overall I enjoyed the story and the fact that I could not predict the end.

Do Not Disturb
A Novel
by Claire Douglas
HarperCollins Publishers
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Harper Paperbacks
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 17 Nov 2020 | Archive Date 12 Jan 2021

This is my first Claire Douglas book and it looks like I will be reading more of her books. Loved it!
Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC. I will be recommending this to our readers.

4 star

A good mystery with twist and turns. I found it somewhat confusing at times.
the characters were well developed but kept me guessing. I enjoyed the setting but would have liked more description. I was surprised at the ending and never would have guessed.

Must read!!! Do Not Disturb is an edge of your seat thriller that truly stumped me until the very end! Claire Douglas combines the domestic thriller and the cozy mystery sub-genres perfectly! The storyline is perfectly paced, so much so that I never found a good stopping point because I HAD to find out the who, why, where, when, and how! I stayed up into the wee hours of the night to finish and paid for it the next day, but it was so worth it! If your in the mood for a addictive mystery/thrilling I highly recommend this 5 star read! Do Not Disturb is the first book I’ve read from Claire Douglas and I cannot wait to read more from her ASAP!

Incredibly creepy and complex, this mystery tells the story of a family's attempt at a new start after a traumatic battle with mental health issues, buying and renovating a home into an Inn in the Welsh countryside. Their opening weekend is upended when the Kirsty's mother, who is part-owner of the Inn, insists on allowing Kirsty's estranged cousin Selena and her daughter to stay with them. Reconciliations are made, although with a lot of uneasiness, as small things that Selena says and does do not add up.

Flawed but likable characters and a complex story. A mystery that's solved but also still has questions. This is a slightly disturbing and utterly chilling tale that will make you think about what you would do in similar circumstances. Compelling and definitely one I had to force myself to put down - highly recommended!

I didn’t realize I’ve already read this, but glad I got a little reminder of how chilling and unputdownable it truly was! This book is definitely one that will keep you up past bedtime, covered in chills and holding your breath! Original, realistic, fast paced, and tension filled fun! I highly, highly recommend! Promise though, clear yours schedule, as once you start you likely will have a hard time setting down! Chilling, thrilling, shocking, and unputdownable are my words to describe this phenomenal read!

I love Claire Douglas’s novels. They are the perfect atmospheric, binge reads for anyone who loves a quick and easy thriller. This may be my favorite yet.