Last Seen Alive audiobook

Libby and her husband James exchange their flat in Bath for a beautiful house in Cornwall. It's a chance for them to heal their marriage. But the Cornish house is not the getaway they hoped for. They make odd and disturbing discoveries in the house. Libby never feels entirely alone. Is Libby being watched? Or is she just paranoid? What is her husband hiding? When the secrets and lies unfold, is the past about to catch up with them? This book is full of paranoia, tension and suspicion. We get a little of Libby's background where she saved school children from a fire that broke out in a school kitchen. She also had a miscarriage so getting asked to house swap seemed to happen at the right time. When something seems to be too good to be true, it normally is. Strange events occur. So many questions are asked but no one can answer. Libby is afraid but someone clearly is trying to cause trouble. This is an edge of your seat, gripping, fast paced, with more twist and turns that will keep you guessing till the end.I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Claire Douglas for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Libby and her husband Jamie are offered the chance at a house swap; their cozy 2 bedroom flat in Bath, for a gorgeous house in the middle of nowhere overlooking the sea in Cornwall. A holiday couldn't have come at a better time for them. Libby was caught up in a fire at the school where she teaches, and branded a hero after rescuing some kids. Although she hated all of the attention, with it bringing back some unwanted memories of a fire at a backpackers hostel in Thailand that Libby was caught up in ten years ago. Jamie has set up his own I.T consultancy firm and needs a break from the stress. On top of that Libby suffered a miscarriage a few months ago, so the pair need some time away to put some of the stress, tension and anxiety behind them and get their marriage back on track. The house swap couldn't seem to have fallen into their laps at a better time. Or does it all just seem too good to be true...Although the house is absolutely stunning and looks like it belongs in a high end interior design magazine, odd occurrences keep happening. A man seems to be following them and taking photos. Was an incidence on a cliff top really an innocent accidental shove? Is Libby suffering ptsd and overly paranoid and anxious? Is Jamie being honest with her? Are the owners of the stunning house what they seem to be? Initially I thought this was going to just be another ok so-so thriller. However, and i can't disclose why without spoiling anything, my opinion totally changed at around the 50% mark and it became more than I thought it would. I can't say much more for fear of spoiling anything! It's one one those thrillers you're best going into blind - the less you know about it the better, and the more you will enjoy it. Last Seen Alive is a speedy read; chockablock full of tension and edge of your seat moments; a gripping thriller which is well worth a read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin U.K - Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

4.5 Stars!! This book captivated me so much I finished it and a whole two days which is unheard of for me! It reminded me a little bit of several different Thrillers I read last year however it was unique and it's very own way. I own Douglass's previous two novels and cannot wait to start them next!

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.comClaire Douglas first came to my attention when I read and thoroughly endorsed her book, Sisters. Since then, I have also read Local Girl Missing, which I recall as being one of my favourite psychological thrillers of last year. Douglas is back with another jam packed twisty thriller, Last Seen Alive. This time around, Douglas presents the reader with a house swap situation gone terribly wrong.Libby Hall is a teacher, who recently hit headlines after she saved a student from a fire that engulfed the school where she works. Libby is happily married to husband Jamie, but with the fire, a recent miscarriage and pressures from Jamie’s loved ones, the need to escape everyday life seems like the perfect idea. When a timely request for a house swap comes through Libby and Jamie’s mailbox, they are quick to take up this offer. Exchanging their claustrophobic little flat in Bath, for a sprawling Cornish country retreat, the couple seem happy and ready to heal. However, the idyllic house has many shocking secrets to reveal, which shakes this already fragile couple to their core. When Jamie is hospitalised for food poisoning, Libby is left alone in the house. The experience unnerves her and she constantly feels like she is being watched by someone. Then thoughts of the past begin to return, of a tragic event that Libby has been unable to shake. When paranoia begins to plague Libby she doesn’t know who to trust, even her husband.Last Seen Alive really begins with a bang. The prologue offers the reader a shocking interlude into what is ultimately to come. It certainly worked to hook me into this novel from the very beginning. Douglas has the perfect formula at her disposal when it comes to delivering quality psychological thrillers and Last Seen Alive is a book that engaged me from start to finish.Douglas takes on the idea of a house swap, or an air b&b gone wrong in her latest novel. Air b&b’s aren’t really the rage here in Australia, but it was a different concept to explore. Although I did feel like Libby and Jamie grabbed a hold of this opportunity passing through their mail a little too blindly. I’m not quite sure I would be quite as naive as this couple. Mind you, the recent stresses on their marriage may help to explain their desperation and willingness to take up this offer so readily. As soon as the action moved from Bath to Cornwall, I felt a quick breath of fresh air and I hoped that this experience would invigorate to troubled young couple. However, the direction soon took a sinister turn, as the picturesque Cornish property offers up some shocks and secrets. Douglas uses this early section of the novel to highlight a strong sense of place. Although I have visited Cornwall in the past, I wasn’t familiar with the Roseland Peninsula. Through the descriptions of this area Douglas offers the reader, I had a solid picture in my mind of this stunning British coastal locale, it seemed a shame when things turned nasty at the lovely Cornish abode! Likewise, when the book moves to Bath, an area I feel fortunate to have visited in the past, I felt like Douglas knew this area inside out.Claire Douglas really serves up some complex and fascinating characters in this novel. Each character has their own secrets, along with questionable pasts and we are never quite sure who to trust. Last Seen Alive takes the unreliable narrator scenario to the next level, as I actually wasn’t sure if I could trust any of the characters that appeared in this novel. I initially liked Libby, being in the same profession as her, I could sympathise with her quite easily. However, the novel took an almighty shift around the half way point, which worked to change my opinion of Libby. Jamie, Libby’s husband, is a well drawn protagonist. I alternated my feelings and trust towards this man as the novel went on. I was very suspicious of Jamie in his relationship with family friend Hannah and when the kindly old neighbour Evelyn hinted that Jamie might have been keeping secrets from Libby, I did begin to doubt him. The entry of two figures from Libby’s past ramps the narrative up significantly. It leaves the reader reeling, trying to untangle the web of lies and deceit that has become entrenched over a ten year period.Last Seen Alive is structured into three main components. The first tells of Libby and Jamie in the current day, as they take their house swap vacation, which turns sour in Cornwall. The narrative then travels in the past to Thailand, ten years ago. This follows Libby’s backpacking adventures with Beth, another young woman who Libby befriends, but we learn sadly perished in a backpacker hostel fire. The experience haunts Libby for years to come. The third and final segment of the novel takes the action back to Bath, as Libby and Jamie deal with the after effects of their brief but unnerving stay in Cornwall. When we finally reach the epilogue, a final and unexpected blow is delivered, leaving the reader shaking their head in utter disbelief!I guarantee Last Seen Alive will make you woozy with the amount and calibre of twists it delivers, all within one shocking tale. Expect to be thrilled, chilled and to experience that deep in the pit of your stomach style of dread that comes with reading a solid thriller. Last Seen Alive is a plot driven novel that comes with some clouded characters and plenty of paranoia. I enjoyed this novel immensely and I now have to contend with a significant wait for the next Claire Douglas novel to be released!

An absolute whirlwind of a psychological thriller which effectively draws on suspicion and paranoia.We learn pretty early on why Libby and Husband Jamie opt for a house swap in a luxurious house in Cornwall, the new surroundings will help heal their fragile marriage.Whilst the deal seems to good to be true (spoilers - it was) the reasons suited both parties as a flyer dropped through their small Bath flat was from desperate couple needing to near the hospital that's currently treating their sick child.The unease of staying in another person's house is effectively drawn out not least with the owners tendency for taxidermy!The novel not only plays with the idea of being isolated and alone in a strange environment, but who have you let into your own house as Libby and Jamie are soon to find out.So many plot twists are thrown into this thriller which works surprisingly well, there's also the hidden secret of our main protagonist that is explored during the middle section of the novel.Not quite the strongest by this author but still a gripping page turner that kept me hooked.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.Twisty-turny plot, handled masterfully to create a compelling book that gets readers guessing.Again, this was one of those books that I had no prior knowledge of, and the only clue was the menacing title, combined with a slightly eerie front cover. It's always fun to dive into these sorts of novels, and even greater fun when they turn out to be highly readable! The story is about Libby, who we soon learn is a teacher who's broken her arm, saving some kids from a fire at school. She and her dishy husband do a house-swap, spending the week on the remote Cornwall coastline, only to find that the house is a whole lot more sinister than they'd anticipated. However, the creepy-factor doesn't end there. In fact, it's only just got started...They return to their flat in Bath, only to find that the weirdness just keeps on coming. Random items ordered from catalogues, bank accounts mysteriously drained - then worst of all, a body in the garden. It's all related to Libby's past, which becomes apparent as the book goes on.Without giving away too much, it's a cracking plot-line, and there were several moments where (very gratifyingly) I felt myself being genuinely surprised. Whilst a couple of the revelations were a bit 'way out there', the writing is of such a high quality that you don't really mind suspending your disbelief. A very clever concept, and nicely rounded up at the end. Spot on, Claire Douglas!

This was an intense psychological thriller. I loved the first part, where something new happened regularly. I had a problem with some things though; Why was Libby acting as if what happened to her and her husband couldn’t be about her? Why did it seem like she was paranoid and suffering from PTSD in the beginning, but not in the second part? But the ending was surprising and memorable. So overall I really liked this novel.

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm https://www.beckiebookworm.com 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 StarsOh wow!!! What a read, Loved Loved Loved Last Seen Alive By Claire Douglas, now I've got to describe this while giving nothing away as trust me that would really spoil this for you.Mmmm, where to start,So here goes, we have Libby Hall School-teacher, just wants to live a quiet life that is until she makes the news after saving the children in her care from a fire.The blaze itself brings back flashbacks of losing her bestie in a fire nine years previous and then also hating the attention that comes along with the hero status, Libby and her husband Jamie are really just starting to feel the pressure pile on.So when an intriguing leaflet lands on the Hall's doormat offering a house swap for a week it seems like a godsend, swapping their flat in Bath for a week in the beautifully secluded Cornish countryside, it seems too good to be true. The Hideaway is their new home for the week but it's far from being the relaxing break that Libby imagined.It's isolated and though stunningly decorated and a luxurious home its strangely spooky and Libby feels increasingly paranoid while staying here.Is it paranoia or is there something going on beneath the surface and who can Libby trust.This was such a page turner and was full of the most unexpected twists and turns that I really didn't see coming.Just when you thought you knew where you were going everything would change.Last Seen Alive definitely kept you on your toes throughout.I loved how the characters seemed so human with faults and all, there was no perfection here, only real people making mistakes and trying to redeem themselves to the people they cared about.Loved Libby, I really took to her, could even get the paranoia to an extent, especially after reading the back-story it explained a lot and certain actions she took then made sense to me, Libby was far from perfect, though she tried to portray perfection as much as possible and I think this was her main fault, the wall she has built to exclude others from getting too close. Jamie, well he was a typical bloke, but he really did come across as one of the good guys, I think he does need to open his eyes a bit in regards to Hannah the ex-taking the mick, but aside from that, he seemed like, what you see is what you get, at least that's the impression I got.This book was so well written and was very easy to get lost in.I would definitely recommend this as it was a really enthralling read that easily kept my attention.The only reason I knocked off half a star was that I hated the epilogue like detested it big style it really annoyed me so in true diva mode I removed half because I was so pissed and because I can!! But aside from that which is a personal reason, this was one hell of a ride that once you embarked on you were compelled to stay for the whole journey.Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an arc of Last Seen Alive By Claire Douglas.This is my own honest and unbiased opinion. Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm https://www.beckiebookworm.com/https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/

I liked The Sisters, I loved Local Girl Missing but Last Seen Alive is absolutely my favourite Claire Douglas book so far! She is now one of the few authors that I trust enough to preorder her books without even reading the blurb.When Libby and Jamie have a note through their door from a family looking for a potential house swap, it couldn’t have been a better timed opportunity for them. Poor Libby is still in plaster after an incident at the school she teaches at but she is also hiding a deeper tragedy so getting away from it all seems ideal, especially when they arrive at the beautiful home they have swapped with! Now, since the recent rise of AirBnb has made staying in other people’s houses much more acceptable as a cheap place to stay, I was incredibly suspicious right from the start as to why a flyer would be put through a door like it was. And of course I was right as some very strange things started happening once they were in Cornwall. In their dark, atmospheric but luxurious surroundings Libby starts to get paranoid, slowly developing a feeling that something isn’t quite right and that they are being watched but Jamie doesn’t agree, making her feeling of paranoia more pronounced. It soon becomes obvious one of them is holding onto secrets from the past but which one and why?What really sucked me into this book was the relationship between Libby and Jamie! I was getting so frustrated with them both, especially Libby who seemed to have severe trust issues that weren’t help by Jamie’s dismissive behaviour which just seemed to wind up Libby even more! Although to be fair, I was feeling a fair few trust issues myself the more I delved into the plot! I felt sad that there seemed to be so many niggles between them that shouldn’t have been there especially for a couple who had gone through their recent difficulties! I kept thinking “Is it because Jamie is a man and they see and handle things slightly differently?” but my God, he was pushing MY buttons all the way through this book! He made some very questionable decisions and I didn’t trust him one iota!! And because of that I thought I would have had more empathy with Libby so was surprised that I didn’t, even when things came to a head further into the storyline.The first few pages of Last Seen Alive throw you into a shocking scenario and the tension continues to mount throughout the first part of the narrative as you try to work out what the hell is going on and how it connects up. There are plenty of twists to shock you here and I found myself not trusting anyone even up until those final few pages. And while we are on that subject, what about that ending!! What are you trying to do to me Claire Douglas?! Although I have to admit I thought it finished off the book perfectly.I found myself holding my breath at times through this intensely gripping and thrilling book. And it raised some very scary current issues that made me look at certain things very differently! I know that sounds a bit cryptic but I don’t want to spoil the brilliant surprises that lie in wait for you here! Definitely her best book so far so highly recommended by me.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from netgalleyI was also recommended this book by a friend. And it didn't disappoint!I absolutely didn't see the twists coming in this book. And found myself re-reading sections to understand what was going on as the twists were so huge!! Well worth a read!

4.5* --> 5*Libby and her husband Jamie have had a rough couple of months. So when a leaflet drops into their letter box offering a house swap, they jump at the chance to swap their flat in Bath for a house by the sea in Cornwall. But things don’t quite turn out as expected and even upon their return home, it’s obvious there’s something sinister going on.First, let me say I’m incredibly wary of the whole house swapping thing that’s been going on the past few years and I would never even consider the thought of having a bunch of strangers loose in my home. And most definitely not based on a flyer in my letter box! You’d think Libby and Jamie would consider that just a liiiiitle bit suspicious. But no, they’re all for it.Libby has some issues and I really enjoyed trying to figure out if she was a reliable narrator or not. Is she imagining things and terribly paranoid? Or not? Her husband Jamie got on my nerves like whoa and I became increasingly suspicious about his behaviour. With lies and secrets seemingly around every corner, this will keep you guessing all the way. As often happens in this genre, things aren’t what they seem and this brilliantly crafted and gripping plot has some fantastic twists. If you think those will leave you spinning, just wait until you get to the end which is positively fabulous!This is the third novel I’ve read by Claire Douglas and I think this is her best one yet! I may even go as far as to say I’m adding her to my list of go-to authors.

I really loved this tense, eerie story of a house-swap gone wrong. The characters are great to read about, with Libby herself seeming a reliable narrator but there are points in the story where I wondered if everything she was saying was true, and the same with her husband Jamie. Everyone seems to be hiding something, but does it have anything to do with the strange occurrences at the house in Cornwall? The novel had me feeling a bit ‘creeped out’ at times – something I don’t often feel whilst reading books - and I could imagine being in their situation and how it might make me feel, especially if my partner thought I was being a little highly strung about it. The tension builds as the story continues, and I don’t want to give too much away but there are some serious ‘Oh my god’ moments that I did NOT see coming – at all! It left me reeling and I finished the book feeling really impressed with the writing, the depth and intricacies of the storyline, and the surprises along the way! Highly recommended.Book reviews and more on www.snazzybooks.com Many thanks to Penguin (Michael Joseph) and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write and honest and unbiased review.

Well crap, I really liked this book, but man it is hard to review without giving away spoilers. Libby and her husband Jamie are given a proposal to do a house swap. Deciding they need a get away after a lot of issues, and Libby saving children from a fire where she works, the couple heads to Cornwall for a get away. However, very quickly things get very weird and Libby wonders if she is being paranoid or if her husband who is still friends with his evil ex Hannah, is out to get her. The story takes place in many different locations and times. Then we add in a ton of different unlikeable characters and it becomes very Fight Club. Sadly, not with all the evil chicks in this book. I honestly couldn't decide who was the craziest one, because they all were. Super creepy, majorly atmospheric, and a HUGE page turner! There is one part towards the end that made me really upset though so fair warning about that. It involves a dog.Enough said. After writing down the summary I still want to make sure I understand this correctly as far as the characters and who is who. Spoiler alert kinda! (view spoiler)[ So Karen Fisher takes Elizabeth's identity, then becomes Libby? Right? And was the REAL Elizabeth always Elizabeth (Beth)? (hide spoiler)] My brain hurt towards the end....

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.I enjoyed Claire's last book Local Girl Missing, I feel so lucky to have been given the chance to read this before the official publication date.Primary school teacher Libby Hall is off work after being in a fire at school which resulted in a miscarriage. One day Libby receives a note through the door asking to do a house swap. Philip and Tara Heywood have a sick child and want to do a house swap so they can be close to their child in hospital.Libby and her husband Jamie have been going through a bad patch in their marriage so they jump at the chance to stay in the Heywoods luxury home in Cornwall.Libby, Jamie and Ziggy the dog settle in straight away, But then strange things happen. The house is full of taxidermy and Libby is on edge when she finds the room where the animals are prepared. Jamie is rushed to hospital with food poisoning after eating food from the Heywoods fridge. Libby and Jamie finally give up on their holiday when Ziggy brings in a piece of lingerie covered in blood. Did Philip kill Tara before running away?I don't want to ruin this book by going into the plot to much. I thought I knew where the story was heading then bang, the plot changed in the space of one chapter. I loved this book, it had so many twists and turns I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I loved the dynamics of the Hall family from Sylvia the matriarch of the family, little sister Katie who dislikes Libby and Hannah who is Jamie's ex girl friend and Katie's BF.If you have never read a book by Claire Douglas I don't think you will be disappointed with this one. I look forward to Claire's next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Last seen alive. It is one of them ‘read in one sitting’ type of books. The book throughout made me feel tense, something in which I’ve not experienced with a book in a long time. I really felt the characters & what was happening around them come to life. I was really into the story and the going ons that when the twist came, I had to go back and make sure I’d read it right – I had, and up until that point I didn’t think I could feel even more tense and on the edge of my seat. I just had to know what was going to happen next. Like many people, I felt the ending could have been better. The build up prior to the ending, like I said, was tense but for that ending, it was a bit disappointing. On the whole, this is a book I can recommend to all old and new fans of Claire Douglas, fans of psychological thrillers etc…