Review: Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas

Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After receiving a leaflet through their door and needing some time to themselves after a traumatic event Libby and Jamie Hall jump at the chance to swap their tiny city flat for a beautiful house by the sea.But as soon as they arrive at the Hideaway Libby starts to get jittery and becomes convinced that someone is watching them.After their dog Ziggy digs up an unnerving object they decide to return home to Bath.

But they are sadly mistaken in thinking that they could pick up their lives so easily.Because it seems this isn't just a casual house swap.This is something far more sinister.

This gripping,intense thriller is split into three parts.The first part covers events that happen at the beautiful Hideaway on the cliffs of Cornwall.The second part covers when Libby met Karen Fisher while they were both backpacking across Thailand.The third part covers what happened after Libby and Jamie returned home after the house swap

Most of the story is voiced from Libby`s point of view but later in the book the chapters start to alternate between Libby and another woman called Beth.All of the characters in this twisted tale are complex and well developed but I didn't find any of them very likeable apart from Ziggy the dog and Libby and Jamie's neighbour Evelyn.

It's a fast paced,roller coaster that has all the elements that you want a thriller to contain,danger,plenty of twists,lies,secrets and manipulation.Although the chapters are quite long there is just enough description to set the scene and no parts of the story come across as padding.It's a gripping page turner that had me hooked from the shocking prologue right to the unexpected epilogue.I enjoyed this book just as much as I did The Sisters and Local Girl Missing.Claire Douglas writes well written,engrossing thrillers and unfortunately now I have to endure the long wait for her next book.

Many thanks to penguin uk / Michael Joseph for an arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review