Claire Douglas: The family friend, Michael Joseph, March 2026, hardbach and ebook

Claire Douglas is a new mystery author for me and thanks to a proof of The Family Frien, i snuggled up with this very well written mystery during a cold spell. Domestic violence is the overriding theme of this novel and the shadow it casts way beyond years when it happend. Switching between time lines and various characters,  the true story comescto light. 

Imogen, a journalist on leave, unexpectedly inherits a country house  from the artist Dorothea Roe, a woman who granted her, her mother and sister  refuge during a summer from her violent father. When they return, her mother is killed, her father accused of murder. Imogen decides to move into Dorothea's house in Bath with her boyfriend Josh where she discovers a box addressed to her igniting the investigative journalist. I will not reveal more, the book has many twist and turns,  a solid plot and i really had great fun reading The family friend.