"Do Not Disturb"

"Do Not Disturb"
Written by Claire Douglas
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia


"Do Not Disturb" is a psychological thriller written by Claire Douglas, a name familiar to me, but her books are new to me. This novel follows main character, Kirsty, who has opened a scenic Welsh inn, in a small town, in which secrets aren't so small. Kirsty and her family are healing from her husband's mental illness and a recent breakdown. She begins to receive suspicious items, like dead flowers, letters, and nooses, which kickstarts paranoia. To top it off, her cousin, Selena, returns after many years of the two not speaking to each other. Secrets quickly come to light.

Unfortunately, although this was a fun and appealing plot, the execution fell flat. I enjoyed Kirsty, Selena, and other side characters, but the premise did not live up to my expectations. I also was very unhappy with the use of Munchausen's by Proxy Syndrome and facticious diseases. I have felt for a while that creating thrillers with characters with these types of mental illnesses is exploitative and hard to correctly write, especially if they are used for twists and plot devices.

Lastly, I was severely unimpressed by the ending. The reveals of the mysteries in this novel played out in ways that I did not appreciate.

In conclusion, I can recommend this writer, but I cannot particularly recommend this novel. Douglas's writing style and dialogue were great, but I would hope for the next novel that I read to be more unique and less derivative of better thrillers.