The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas

 

                                              

Audio: 8hrs  58m

Narrator:  Eleanor Tomlinson

Genre:   Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Audible, Audiobook,

Publisher: Penguin Audio 2024

Source:  Purchased from Audible

First Sentence:  I've been watching you for a while now.    

Review Quote: 'Outstanding. A terrific family drama' Sunday Times

Literary awards:  British Book Award Nominee for Crime and Thriller (2025)

My Opinion:  

As an introduction to Claire Douglas I decided to listen to 'The Wrong Sister' by Clare Douglas via my Audible Subscription.

Two sisters, Tasha and Alice who lead very different lifestyles. Tasha is married to Aaron and they have young twin daughters, in contrast her sister is a career girl with no children and a luxury lifestyle. Tasha and Aaron swap places with Alice and her husband Kyle, holidaying in the couples Venice apartment while they move into the family home to care for the twins. The unthinkable happens when Kyle is attacked and murdered in Tasha and Aaron's home. Is this tragic event connected to another one, involving the family thirty years ago though?

Well worth reading or listening to as the narrator, Eleanor Tomlinson, successfully brings the characters to life in this fast paced story.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A heart-stopping story of family, trust and betrayal.

You’ve known her all your life . . .

Or have you?

Tasha and sister Alice look alike, but couldn’t be more different.

Yet each trusts the other with her life.

So when Tasha is in need of a holiday, Alice offers to stay at home with the kids.

Tasha knows they’re in safe hands.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

The phone call from home is unexpected.

Alice and her husband, Kyle, have been attacked. Alice is in intensive care. Kyle is dead.

Then the note arrives, addressed to Tasha:

Author Profile

                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                             

Courtesy of  Amazon

Claire Douglas is the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of eight stand alone novels: The Sisters (2015), Local Girl Missing (2016), Last Seen Alive (2017), Do Not Disturb (2018), Then She Vanishes (2019) and Just Like The Other Girls (2020). Her seventh, The Couple At No 9 (2021) was an Amazon number one bestseller, a number three Sunday Times bestseller and most recently hit number one on Germany's Der Spiegel paperback bestsellers chart. The Girls Who Disappeared was a Richard and Judy book club pick for Autumn 2022 and was an instant number one Sunday Times bestseller. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK and have been published worldwide. 

Her most recent, before this one, The Woman Who Lied was published in 2023.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Profile.  Goodreads Profile.  Instagram Profile.  Facebook Profile

The Stepmother by Shelia Bugler

                                                   

Ebook:  325 pages      

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Thriller     ,                                  

Publisher:  Hodder and Stoughton, September 24th 2026

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: Prologue: Before: She shut the lid on the suitcase and zipped it up.

Review Quote: ‘'Gripping, emotionally charged thriller that hooks you from the very first page and refuses to let go... The pacing is sharp and addictive, with short, tense chapters that make it almost impossible to put down. Just when you think you have a grasp on what's happening, another twist pulls you deeper into the mystery' Reader Review 

My Opinion: 

Prior to reading this novel I had never heard of Shelia Bugler. It seems she is a fairly prolific writer within the crime genre, not a favourite genre of mine but I was drawn to it as it is more of a psychological thriller.

Sarah and Mike appear to be a happy enough couple with everything going for them. Until one day without warning Mike just disappears with the children into thin air. The police are unable to help as the couple are not married, as the children are not hers she has no rights. Sarah had never felt the need to make it official by adopting them during the last six years she had cared for them as her own. She now has to search for them herself and in her quest for the truth makes some surprising discoveries.

This story grabbed me from the start and it is a quick page turning read, with plenty of twists and turns. A novel in this genre with a good stepmother instead of a wicked one, is also a different angle for a change. An engaging read with interesting protagonists.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

It is a day like any other when Sarah arrives at the school gate to pick up her two stepchildren, Izzy and Patrick.

But when the twins don't run out to meet her like normal, Sarah knows something must be wrong.

Sarah can't believe what she's hearing when the teacher informs her that their father, Mike, removed them from school earlier in the day. All of Sarah's calls to Mike go to voicemail.

Worse is to come when Sarah is told by police that as she and Mike are not legally married, and he is the children's father, there is nothing they or Sarah can do.

Then she receives a text message from Don't go home. It's not safe.

What has Mike been hiding? Where are their children? How can Sarah get her family back? Before it's too late... 

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Amazon 

In her own words:

Hello. I'm an Irish crime writer who lives in the UK. I have written eleven novels so far. My twelfth book is a psychological thriller called The Wife, published by Hodder and Stoughton. It's out on 25 March 2027 and is available to pre-order now. I really hope you enjoy it!

I adore crime fiction and have never wanted to write anything else. I'd be delighted to share my recommendations with you and to hear yours too. If you'd like to contact me, you can do so over at my Facebook author page or on Instagram (I'm @sheilabsussex).

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile.    Instagram Profile   Facebook Profile.   Goodreads Profile

A Curious Ending by Sally Page

                                                

Ebook:  410 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Literary Fiction, Fiction, Mystery,                                        

Publisher: Harper Collins September 10th 2026

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: Lady Porter was drifting. For a moment she thought she might be in a boat at sea, rocked by the waves.

Review Quote: ‘I absolutely loved it! So different, clever, funny and charming’ Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde

My Opinion: 

A few years ago I was recommended to Sally Page's novels and she is now a favourite author of mine. This is the fifth novel of hers I have read and once again I was captivated by the story. Having always wanted to believe in ghosts I was fascinated by Sally Page's 'kindred spirit' Abigail who is a main protagonist in 'A Curious Ending' along with Lara.

Having recently moved to Dorset and opened a florists, Lara thought life would be drama free in the small village. How wrong she was, as she finds herself along with Abigail trying to solve a death in the locality. They are convinced it is murder and not a suicide as reported.

Obviously not a typical murder mystery novel but it was certainly a very readable narrative with lots of twists and turns. A lovely read that I can recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Escape into the world of Sally Page with the perfect armchair read! From the author of phenomenal bestsellers The Keeper of Stories and The Book of Beginnings comes another novel that will warm your heart.

When Lara bought a floristry and moved to North Dorset, she did so with the expectation that her life would become less eventful. But since the death of her loyal customer and good friend, Lady Porter, Lara suspects foul play…

The Hon. Abigail Rossmore knows exactly how it feels to suspect murder but not to have sufficient she’s seen it all before. She’s seen it many times, in fact, over the course of the last 190 for The Hon. Abigail Rossmore is a ghost, drawn to haunting suspicious deaths.

Despite her initial shock, Lara’s relief at having someone to share her concerns with soon develops into a steady friendship with Abigail as they investigate the circumstances behind Lady P’s death. But who is keeping her fate secret?

Previous Reviews:  The Keeper of Stories.  The Book of Beginnings  The Secrets of Flowers

Six Little Words

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Author Website

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her younger daughter is the author, Libby Page. Both are keen wild swimmers.

Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.    Author's Official Website.   Instagram Profile  Twitter Profile

Facebook - SallyPageAuthor.   Goodreads Profile

It's Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh

                                              

Hardback: 391 pages     

                                                                                           

Genre:  Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Psychological Thriller,

Publisher: Harper Collins 2026

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The lights change from green to amber. Nadeeka hesitates for a heartbeat before pressing her foot flat against the accelerator.

Review Quote: 'Madly twisty and super pacy and so so clever' LISA JEWELL

My Opinion: 

Having only just discovered Clare Mackintosh's writing I will certainly try and read more of her novels in the future. This one kept me reading until 1am to finish it, I was so riveted to the story.

To start with 'It's Not What You Think' feels like it is going to be a typical murder mystery. The female protagonist Nadeeka is convinced her partner Jamie is having an affair. Rushing home to she thinks catch him in the act, she is mortified to find him dead! Of course this results in a murder investigation, but one that takes so many twists and turns. The novel certainly lives up to its title.

The topics covered in this addictive novel are particularly relevant to current affairs. At time quite scary but I urge you to read if you enjoy a good thriller, as it may well open your eyes. Certainly gives the reader plenty of food for thought.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

He has a secret. She knows he's lying…

YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE

Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs. She's been here before.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN TRUST

When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he's lying. He's with another woman, and she's determined to catch him in the act.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS

But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can't explain himself. The house has become a crime scene…Jamie is dead.

Author Profile:

                                              

                                                             Courtesy of Goodreads

The following is just a snippet from her Goodreads Profile

I love connecting with my readers, and there are plenty of ways you can get a sneak peek at what's going on behind the scenes. My Facebook group offers reading recommendations and exclusive extras to members (just search online for 'The Clare Mackintosh Book Club'), or if it's general chit chat you're after, please do follow me on Instagram, where I go to avoid writing, and to share snippets of my life in rural Wales, complete with three spaniels and Pete the goat. I'm also on TikTok, much to the dismay of my three teenagers...

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With over three million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. She has since written seven more bestselling novels. Together, her books have been translated into 40 languages and spent more than sixty-five weeks in The Sunday Times bestseller lists.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Clare Mackintosh Official Website    Twitter Profile.   Goodreads Profile.   Facebook Profile

Instagram Profile