Beach bag feeling a little empty? Fill it with pure adrenaline – Claire Douglas’ The New Neighbours is calling. Plus, don’t miss Claire Douglas’ Q&A!

What's the book about?

When Lena helps her teenage son with his media studies project, she doesn't expect a boom-microphone to pick up a conversation between her neighbours, the Morgans. And she’s certain they are planning a crime. Her family and friends tell her that she must have misheard. After all, the Morgans are an upstanding couple in their early sixties. Yet Lena can’t stop thinking about it. Because what if she hasn’t misheard? What if she can prevent it? And in doing so, it might help ease her conscience about her own dark past… 

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About the author 

Claire Douglas worked as a journalist for fifteen years, but had dreamed of being a novelist since the age of seven. She finally got her wish after winning the Marie Claire Debut Novel Award with her first novel, The Sisters. 

She is a Sunday Times bestseller and a frequent Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Her books have sold nearly two million copies in the UK alone. Wowza!

Reviews 

‘The New Neighbours has all the trademarks of a classic Claire Douglas novel: an utterly compelling plot, a protagonist you're rooting for, and smartly plotted twists and reveals that come thick and fast. An absolute blockbuster!’ - Lucy Clarke 

‘Claire Douglas is a class act - she never, ever disappoints’ - Lisa Jewell 

Our thoughts 

“If you’re looking for a must-read this summer, you’ve just found it. I’ve read some of Claire Douglas’ other books, and The New Neighbours is another just-one-more-page hit.” Louisa Brumfield, Senior Content Executive  

Start by diving into a free extract, then grab your copy over on the Penguin Books website! 

Read on for Claire Douglas’ Q&A! 

If you could have a conversation with any literary figure, past or present, in their home country, who would it be and why?  

Ooh I think so many. One would definitely be Agatha Christie - I’d love to pick her brains and ask her questions on how she came up with such ingeniously twisty plots.   

Where do you go to recharge your batteries?  

I love a day trip or a weekend city break - in the UK and abroad. When I’m at home and I need to recharge, I love lazing on the sofa watching reality TV or a great drama.   

In what ways do you research destinations for your books, especially places you haven’t visited?  

Ideally, I will always go to the place I’m writing about. My fourth thriller Do Not Disturb is set in the Brecon Beacons so I went there with my family on holiday, which was invaluable as I could pick up on the smells, the atmosphere, the colour of the buildings etc. If I can’t get to a place, I’ll make sure that it’s somewhere I’ve already been.  

Do you prefer to write about real locations or create entirely fictional settings? Why?  

I do enjoy writing about real places - I loved writing about Venice in The Wrong Sister. But I do prefer to create entirely fictional settings because then the town/village can be exactly as I want it to be - I can pick my favourite parts of each place I’ve visited. The New Neighbours is set in a real place, Redland in Bristol, but the street is fictional. However, The Wrong Sister was set in the fictional town of Chew Norton which was an amalgamation of villages I love in the Chew Valley area.   

Which three people would make up your dream travel companions and why?  

That would definitely be my husband and two teenage children (a son and daughter!) They are the perfect travelling companions as we all enjoy doing the same things and (most of the time) love one another's company!   

Tell us something about yourself that we likely don’t know! The more obscure the better.  

When I was twenty-one, I was studying Media Studies and for work experience I performed as a runner for a British film called The Big Swap and was on screen for about twenty seconds!  

Which profession do you look at and think ‘I’d love to do that!’  

I’d love to be able to act or sing! Unfortunately, I can’t do either!   

Quick fire round! 
Beach holiday or City break?  

City break.  
What’s your favourite book, ever?  

A hard one. Maybe The Time Traveller’s Wife.  
What are you reading right now?  

Louise Candlish’s new thriller A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder which is excellent.  
What are three words to describe yourself?   

Chatty, loyal, determined.  
What is the one thing you always travel with?  

My headphones.  
Bookmark or dog-eared pages?  

Bookmark.  
Kindle or paperback while outside?  

Paperback.  
Do you like to write while away or is a holiday a holiday?  

I do still write!