Although I am a fan of Sophie Hannah, I found her latest book The Couple at the Table quite disappointing. It was her usual locked room mystery with a twist, where, to start with, none of the participants seemed to have the opportunity to commit the crime. However, the whole premise was implausible from the beginning and the story delivered through constant repetition of the same facts. The characters weren’t realistic, the final reveal and the killer’s motive were on the verge of ridiculous. To be honest, the whole thing seemed to be a parody on Sophie Hannah’s books and not her own work.

This is a better return to form for these detectives 🕵️‍♀️
I love Sophie’s early work and poirot and this is more aligned with earlier work though still struggles abit with being sometimes a bit too convulted
I did t quite get the table thing ,I mean yes the wording but still couldn’t quite understand it and therefore felt I missed a moment so was baffled and a bit confused
However did enjoy the misunderstanding with the note ,the plan and the scene setting
I love so hope hannah ,will always read her novels and side note she does Agatha Christie proud in her poirot season
Ty netgalley n publishers . Always a pleasure to read

It’s great to be back in the world of Simon Waterhouse, and another twisty, addictive case.

I always hugely look forward to a new Sophie Hannah book, and the premise of this book intrigued me. The ‘locked room’-style instantly made me want to read it – we know one of the fairly small group of people staying at the luxury holiday resort must have murdered fellow guests Jayne, but even 6 months later the thoroughly entertaining Simon hasn’t worked it out. Oh, and I should mention – Simon and Charlie happened to be staying in the same resort at the time of the murder!

We see a lot of this novel from Lucy’s point of view. She’s the ex-wife of William, who is married to Jayne, the murder victim, and she happened to be staying at the resort at the time of the murder too! Since her and William’s marriage ended on very bad terms, you’d think she was suspect number 1. And yet, we soon find out there are a LOT of people at that resort who disliked – perhaps even hated – Jayne, making it much harder for Simon (and Charlie) to work out what on earth really happened.

This is a puzzling but very fun murder mystery, and in the inimitable style of Sophie Hannah, you’re kept guessing right up until the end. I had no clue about what had happened and couldn’t have guessed it at all before the end but, as expected, I loved the journey to get there!

Simon is his usual brilliant but frustrating self, and Charlie’s exasperation with him is as entertaining as ever! We switch between Simon and Charlie’s perspectives, that of the other guests (mainly Lucy’s), and also staff member Anita. I loved the switch between characters and, although I felt this book moved at a slower pace than others in the series, I honestly didn’t want it to end and enjoyed every page.

There’s humour, surprises and plenty of intrigue from the first page to last. Sophie Hannah is still, without a doubt, the master of bonkers mysteries, and she is one of my favourite authors full stop.

I have read one other novel in Sophie Hannah's Spilling CID series; it was book 10, The Next to Die. In The Couple at the Table, Jane Brinkwood is on honeymoon with her husband William Gleave. They are at the Tevendon Estate in the Culver Valley, an exclusive couples-only resort. Jane starts receiving threatening notes, then she’s dead and it looks like the perfect murder has been committed.

Between a timeline of July '19 and January '20, the author leads the reader on a dance of suspicion and secrets. The police officers are DC Simon Waterhouse and his wife, Sergeant Charlie Zailer who are at the resort at the time of the murder, on annual leave. The story switches between Simon and Charlie’s perspectives, that of the other guests (mostly Lucy’s, who was married to William) and also resort employee, Anita, the deputy manager.

There’s humour, surprises and plenty of intrigue from the first page. I didn’t want The Couple at the Table to end and enjoyed every chapter. Sophie Hannah is a fantastic writer and I must get around to reading more from her.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Dr. Lucy Dean, 38, mother to Evin, 2, and is engaged to Pete Shabani. Lucy is the founder of a medical start-up. She is divorced from William Gleave who left her for Jane Brinkwood.

Lucy and Pete have decided to take a holiday at the Tavendon Estate Resort not knowing that Jane and William are booked there at the same time for their honeymoon. Jane’s father is Lord Brinkwood of Tevendon and the owner of the resort.

One evening, Jane receives a note saying “Beware of the couple at the table nearest you.” Since all of the tables are an equal distance away, it’s difficult to say which couple that could be. However, later that night, Jane is stabbed to death in her room.

One of the couples at the resort are a vacationing Detective and his policewoman wife. Since the murder, they are still investigating the murder six months later.

This book took up two days of my life that I will never get back. Very confusing at times and almost boring. I like a good mystery, but this was a struggle to get through. In being generous, I am giving it 3 stars.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and although I realize she is quite popular, I’m not sure I am interested in trying more.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You're on your honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort.
You receive a note, warning you to 'Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours'. At dinner that night, five other couples are sitting close by, but none of their tables is any nearer or further away than any of the others. It's almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless. Why would anyone do that?
You have no idea.
You also don't know that you're about to be murdered, or that once you're dead, all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could possibly have committed the crime.
So who might be trying to warn you? And who might be about to kill you, and seems certain to get away with it?

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It an interesting whodunnit style mystery. I enjoyed the writing style and there was good character development. It held my attention to the end and I enjoyed the read. I’d recommend it.

Jane is on her honeymoon at a glamourous resort when she begins to receive notes warning her to "beware" of "the couple at the table nearest yours". But someone has moved all the tables so they are equidistant from each other: which surely makes the note-writer's caution meaningless?

And then, after a tense row at dinner with another couple, Jane storms off to her cottage where, half an hour later, she is found stabbed to death. The other diners were together the whole time, while physical evidence clears her husband. So while the 'why' is simple - Jane, it turns out, was a thoroughly unpleasant person who had made multiple enemies - the 'who' remains a complete mystery. Until 6 months later when Lucy, Jane's new husband's ex-wife and the woman Jane argued with at dinner on the night she died, begins to stir things up by sending letters to all the couples who were at the resort. And one of those couples just happen to be a DC and a sergeant with Culver Valley police.

I've tended to find the Simon Waterhouse & Charlie Zailer novels a bit too heavy on their own relationship issues, but luckily The Couple At The Table was mercifully light on their interpersonal problems. It's a typical Sophie Hannah set up too - this thing is impossible and yet it happened - but for me lacked the propulsive tension that it usually a feature of her books.

EXCERPT: 'Look, here's how I see it: we've been told that William couldn't have done it, right? I don't know if that's a solid fact - you guys are the experts - but if it is? And we know we all didn't do it, the rest of us, because we were together and could see each other the whole time. And no one could have got in from outside, which is another thing we've been told . . . You see what I'm saying? If everyone's in the clear, then no one is.' Jack spread his arms, like a . . . what was that insult Sondra threw at Sellers whenever he thought he was right about something and tried to argue the point? It sounded like demi-god. Demagogue, that was it. Jack McCallion sounded like a demagogue, as he said, 'It's so simple, it's unreal. Normally when we say, "These three people, or these nine, or these twenty people can't have done X," it's meaningful. Why? Because there are another twenty, or hundred, or thousand people who could have done it. Here, though, we have a case where there are how many people who might have done it, according to you guys? Zero! Zero viable suspects. Couldn't have been an inside job, couldn't have been an outside job. Well, that doesn't work, does it? Because someone, as sure as eggs is eggs, murdered Jane Brinkwood.'

ABOUT 'THE COUPLE AT THE TABLE': You're on your honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort.

You receive a note, warning you to 'Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours'. At dinner that night, five other couples are sitting close by, but none of their tables is any nearer or further away than any of the others. It's almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless. Why would anyone do that?

You have no idea.

You also don't know that you're about to be murdered, or that once you're dead, all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could possibly have committed the crime.

So who might be trying to warn you? And who might be about to kill you, and seems certain to get away with it?

MY THOUGHTS: Lucy Dean describes her ex-husband William Gleave as 'like a computer that's only had a quarter of its software installed.' Which made me smile. At times the description could equally well have fitted DC Simon Waterhouse, a man obsessed with a crime, a murder, that appears to have no solution.

The Couple at the Table is a locked room mystery that would have been solved a lot quicker had the astutely observant Miss Marple, or the 'little grey cells' of Monsieur Poirot been employed. It is exactly their kind of mystery.

There are plenty of suspects, but not many whom we get to know well. Lucy Dean is the main player. She is the ex-wife of William, whose new wife has been murdered. Not only did she and partner Pete attend William and Jane's wedding, but they turn up at the resort where William and Jane are honeymooning. An uncomfortable situation? You'd think so. Do either couple leave? Where would be the fun in that?

All the couples at this small, exclusive resort have secrets, some major, some minor. All but one couple lie, but even they conceal things from each other. And some of them are better at lying than others.

The plot is ingenious, a little reminiscent of a famous Agatha Christie novel, but ingenious all the same. It is complex, and at times I am sure smoke billowed from my ears as the cogs in my little grey cells spun frantically as I tried to keep the characters, their movements and their possible motives straight. I did pick the killer reasonably early on, but wasn't one hundred percent sure I was right until the big reveal, which was carried out in true Christie style with everyone gathered in the dining room.

As I said it is a complex murder mystery, and at times it became a little too convoluted and confusing. I resorted to drawing diagrams at one stage to straighten everything out in my head. But The Couple at the Table is wildly entertaining and a satisfying read.

⭐⭐⭐.6

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T: @sophiehannahCB1 @HodderBooks

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THE AUTHOR: Sophie Hannah (born 1971) is a British poet and novelist. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge and between 1999 and 2001 a junior research fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She lives with her husband and two children in Cambridge. (Wikipedia)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Shortly before Jane's death, she receives a note - 'Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours'.

Staying at an exclusive resort, five other couples are dining with her and her husband. But on the night of her death, all of the tables are moved to be equidistant from one another. Who sent the note, and why? The murderer or a would-be protector?

The majority of the book is from Lucy's perspective. Lucy used to be married to Jane's now-husband, and as such has a very obvious motive to kill her. But she's quite sure she didn't, and wants to either confront or thank the person who did.

DC Simon Waterhouse and Sergeant Charlie Zailer were one of the couples at the resort when Jane dies, and they can't figure out whodunnit either...

In other words, The Couple at the Table has quite a cool premise but it's also quite a tricky one to make work and land the ending. I definitely enjoyed the read, but Lucy isn't super likeable and the journey we go on to get the full story of what happened before Jane's death is quite winding. I keenly turned the pages to get to the big reveal, but I think some people might get frustrated along the way. It ended 'okay' for me - not a strong a finish as a beginning. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Six couples are on holiday at an exclusive couples-only resort, when one of them receives an anonymous warning note to "Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours'. The next morning, however, all the tables have been set equidistant from each other. Some of the couples know each other - there's Jane & William who are on their honeymoon, & also Lucy & Pete, Lucy was William's first wife whom he left for Jane, after Jane was doula for Lucy's first pregnancy. When Jane is murdered, Lucy has an obvious motive, but Jane had made enemies of almost everyone by that point, so any of them could have murdered her - except they were all on the terrace together when Jane was killed. So who killed Jane & why?

This sounded like a great variation on a locked room murder mystery & it started off well. The different characters moved between being sympathetic & seeming shady/nefarious, & I was hooked by about 3 chapters in. About halfway though, the pace seemed to drop & it seemed to take forever to get to what actually happened. The tone also veered between straight murder mystery & almost being played for laughs with the couple who were police officers. I stuck with it as I was invested in knowing how the murder was committed by then. I rate it a solid 3 stars as I liked the general idea, even if the execution wasn't quite right.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

The first half of this book was a bit of a struggle, it did pick up pace then and I found the ending to be well thought out and there were quite a few twists which I didn’t see coming. I think what was lacking for me in the book was the characters. There were too many to really get to know any of them which was necessitated by the story I suppose but I would have liked to have cared more who was or wasn’t the murderer. I also felt the time jumps weren’t always clear because they were only shown with dates, I’m quite a quick reader and I’ll easily skim past a date without really taking it in and then lose focus where I am in the story. I thought the mystery side was done really well and I liked how it was all laid out but a stronger first half would have made a big difference.

As usual Sophie Hannah has written a really enjoyable whodunnit. I love her writing style and the storyline was so interesting and twisty with well developed characters that were both likeable and unlikeable in equal measure.
The plot was supenseful and unpredictable with so many twists that I didnt see coming, I had no Idea who had killed Jane or why but I had to know. It was gripping and I couldnt put it down, I really enjoyed it.

My first Sophie Hannah read, I had high hopes as I know she is a well respected crime writer.

I wasn’t disappointed!

The Couple at the Table puts you right in the middle of drama from the start, even though we are actually joining 6 months after a murder.

Jane Brinkwood was on honeymoon at her father’s luxury resort in the countryside, a time that should have been full of romance and relaxation. Unfortunately that is not to be, as Jane receives notes telling her to ‘beware the couple at the table nearest to yours’.

Jane does not leave the resort alive.

However, things get really interesting when it appears that no one at the resort last night could have possibly murdered her. So who did?

I will admit, I found Hannah’s writing style both dense and intense to begin with. Chapters are a substantial length and I found them to be very wordy, heavy on both description and dialogue.

However, once I found myself invested in the story and learning more about the characters I really started to enjoy this book. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between married police officers Charlie Zaidler and Simon Waterhouse. I will definitely read more Hannah books about these two!

In terms of style, I can see why Hannah is the writer who continues Poirot mysteries. The ending in particular harks back to murder mysteries of old, gathering all possible suspects together before explaining the most improbable resolution.

Although there were a lot of characters to keep track of, their individual personalities made it easy to differentiate between them. Attention to detail is also flawless, with the the tiniest of clues hidden in plain sight.

A great read, perhaps more dense than I am used to. If you enjoy a classic murder mystery but brought into the present day, you won’t want to miss this!

Argh i really wanted to like this one and went in with such high hopes, I have loved a lot of Sophie Hannah's previous writing. But the letter at the start of this to 'The Killer' felt so clunky and awkward as a way of introducing a lot of the plot line, I couldnt believe it was the same author. So I set off on the wrong foot with the book and didnt really re-gain any love for the storyline. Sorry - thanks for the chance to read it

I enjoyed this intricately plotted, well written whodunit.

The story centres around six couples holidaying in a luxury resort and is an Agatha Christie esq style locked room mystery.

I found the pace of the book fairly slow at first and must admit to finding it somewhat difficult to keep track of all the different characters, although the author's skill in bringing the story together and creating such an intriguing premise is to be greatly admired.

For me the story definitely gathered momentum the further I read and, although I did guess part of the outcome, the building fascination as to how everything was all going to come together certainly kept me reading.

I will look at reading more of Sophie Hannah's books.

Thanks to publishers Hodder and Stoughton and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Sophie Hannah for the ARC copy of this book.

This book kept me intrigued throughout, regardless of my dislike of Lucy - what an annoying main character.

I was really excited for the ‘big reveal’ after the build up, but it fell incredibly flat. I felt Simon droned on too much and then I was bored by the time the killer was revealed.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of, which was fine, but I did get confused by all the minor characters such as the police officers that had a 5 min slot with the interviewing. I feel it should have been kept to the two main detectives so it was easier to follow.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and managed to be intrigued enough to keep picking it up. I haven’t read anything by Sophie Hannah previously but will definitely dip into her other novels in the future.

Jane Brinkford is dead and prime suspects are her husband and his ex-wife. Anonymous messages and cryptic clues abound. Set at a luxury couples resort this locked room murder is ultimately unsatisfying. The pace of the investigation is incredibly slow, there are two many characters by half and far too many theories bandied around. The end is a disappointment. Unfortunately not up to her usual standard

‘Six Couples. One Honeymoon Resort. An Impossible Murder.’ cover teaser.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for a eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Couple at the Table’ by Sophie Hannah in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a big fan of the novels of Sophie Hannah including her intricately plotted Culver Valley series of police procedurals featuring D.C. Simon Waterhouse and Sgt. Charlie Zailer as well as her continuation of the Hercule Poirot Mysteries.

So I was excited about a new Simon & Charlie novel. Although a series, the Culver Valley novels have always worked well as stand-alones.

This is a closed circle mystery in the spirit of classic detective fiction. The setting is an exclusive couples only luxury resort in Culver Valley. So exclusive that there are only six couples in residence along with the resort manager.

One of the couples is on their honeymoon and are already stressed by the presence of the husband’s ex-wife and new partner. Then the bride receives a cryptic note ‘Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours'. Yet at dinner all tables have been set at equal distance. So is it a joke? Then an impossible murder takes place. …

I am going to refrain from further details as it really is a novel best read with little advance knowledge and is so twisty that no short synopsis can do it justice.

This is quite a slow burn and Hannah has clearly picked up some tropes from her time in Christie territory; including having Simon and Charlie present at the resort as guests, plenty of suspects, a basket of red herrings, and the beloved denouement in a drawing room with all suspects present for the big reveal. Poor Simon struggles a little as his 21st century suspect pool is far less pliant as those in Christie’s day.

Overall, I was again impressed by Sophie Hannah’s skill in writing such a sophisticated mystery and celebrated the return to Culver Valley and characters that I love. There is also threads of dry humour throughout and the witty banter between Simon and Charlie a delight.

Definitely a very different whodunnit; though as noted above, one infused with classic elements of the Golden Age. As my reading group enjoys complex murder mysteries, I plan to propose this novel as a selection later in the year.

The couple at the table by Sophie Hannah.
SIX COUPLES. ONE LUXURY RESORT. AND THE PERFECT MURDER . . .
You're on your honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort. You receive a note warning you to 'Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours'. At dinner that night, five other couples are present, and none of their tables is any nearer or further away than any of the others. It's as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless - but why would anyone do that? You have no idea. You also don't know that you're about to be murdered, or that once you're dead, all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could possibly have committed the crime. So who might be trying to warn you? And who might be about to commit the perfect murder?
A good read with good characters. Likeable story. 3*.