Sophie hannah has been one of my top 5 authors for over a decade now so you can't even imagine my delight to have been granted a pre release copy of the newest book. It's 3am, I have work at 9am..... and I have absolutely no regrets. As always, this book is a masterpiece!! If you like thrillers and mysteries then you will be obsessed with this book. The characters include the main suspects from previous stories, so if like me, you've been reading about them for years then they are like old friends by now. If you're new to Sophie hannah books then you won't be any further behind for not knowing the backstories since they're not really pivotal to this story. It's amazingly well written, the 1st book I've actually laughed out loud at (even more unusual to happen in a murder/ thriller). As I said, the characters do have a long backstory by this point but even the new cast are so well written and fleshed out that you really find yourself caring about what's happened and getting invested in their lives. There are no cliches or "read it a million times" storylines. If anything, it's just elevated to a completely new level in the genre and very few other domestic noir/ thrillers come close. Its such an original story line that you'll be guessing the whole way through and still be none the wiser until the final page. I love that the book has such a good pace and you really just get swept along in the tale. I didn't even stop to make dinner tonight, I just had to keep reading!! There's nothing predictable, there's no gore for shock value, it's all just masterfully put together and just so flipping intelligently written. The characters are also intelligent people which is also a nice change! Nothing is more irritating than reading a book where the mystery drags on purely because the characters are idiots lol. This is a very cleverly written story, with characters who make logical and rational attempts to solve it and as a reader, you also get caught up in trying to get ti the bottom of it. It truly has been a delight to read this and I will eagerly be awaiting the next installment. All I can say is, this book will be one of the best you read all year. And I have no problem stating that even though its only Jan, books don't get much better than this gem!! Amazingly enough, it's actually longer than a lot of other books are aswell and yet, mone of the chapters are drawn out or are just there as filler to bulk out the page numbers. Every page of this story is meaningful, relevant and goes to moving along the plot! It just has so much more depth and content and yet you still feel like the book just wasn't long enough when you finish. To be honest, even if thrillers aren't yout thing..... give this a go because as I said, it is funny and it is homest and interesting and captivating and it's just such a good plot that regardless of the genre you prefer, I'm pretty sure you'll be hooked! I could go on all day (or night) but as I said...... Its literally 3am!

This book starts out very intriguing, but I felt the suspense left quite early. Full disclosure: I didn't finish this one, and I don't think it's fair for me to give a full review or post it on other sites. The author has an impressive back list, and I hope there are plenty other readers who love this one and embrace it. It just wasn't for me.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the writing style and struggled through and gave up at 20%

I was so excited to get back to the Culver Valley and find out what was happening and this fabulous book was a welcome back to the place and characters I’ve grown to love. The crime was suitably puzzling and I found myself musing on it when not reading and as always, the solution was mind bendingly good. I loved being back with Charlie and Simon and the team, and I hope it’s not too long before we meet them again! I just want more of them.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a fairly decent attempt at a Poirot novel that in this day and age doesnt really work....

jane and william are on honeymoon, but its not long before jane falls out with everyone at her honeymoon destination, well it was never going to go well when she bumps into williams ex- wife at the same resort...

and then jane is murdered and it becomes a classic whodunnit....with the ex wife being the lead suspect

with only a limited number of ways and people this case should have been solved quickly but a year later nobody is any wiser...until......

a slow plonder of a book that will keep you reading until the murderer is uncovered...

It's a long time since I last read any of Sophie Hannah's Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer novels set in the Culver Valley and I had forgotten quite how good they are! In this episode we have a mystery that Agatha Christie would have been proud of, complete with her speciality, an awful victim!

Simon and Charlie are enjoying a stay at an exclusive resort when one of the other guest's is murdered, right under their noses. The problem is that 6 months after the murder Simon Waterhouse is no nearer finding a solution, all the guests and staff have watertight alibis. How did Jane Brinkwood's murderer manage to kill her, on her honeymoon no less, without leaving any trace?

The story is told in the third person with the exception of the parts told by Lucy who was the ex wife of Lucy's new husband, William Gleave, which has the more appropriate first person account.

A slow burn that may make your head ache trying to work out the solution and very much worth the ride!

Sorry but just an okay read for me and I didn't realise it was part of a series, if I had I wouldn't have requested it.

It was well written but I couldn't engage with the characters unfortunately and there were quite a few twists and turns.

I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have read the previous ones.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read this book

I didn’t realise this was part of a series and nowhere does it make that clear,there was back story but it would have been better to know,that said it was an intriguing read,at times a bit slow and ‘letterey’ but intriguing and am glad stuck with it

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of The Couple at the Table, which is billed as a stand-alone but features long term characters DC Simon Waterhouse and PS Charlie Zailer, set in the fictional Culver Valley region of Southern England.

This novel is all about the how. Obviously there is a who too, but with all the suspects ruled out for one reason or another, the big question is how it was done. I’ll come clean straightaway and admit that I read much of the novel pretty sure of the answer to both these questions and got shot down in flames in the Christie-esque denouement. And it’s not just the denouement that has shades of Agatha Christie’s plotting, the whole novel does if that is possible in a psychological thriller.

The novel is compulsive in its writing and that’s why I’ve rated rounded it up to 4* from 3.5*. The reader just wants to know what’s coming next, although what does come is close to farcical in some respects and requires a fair amount of credibility swallowing to believe. I defy any reader to guess the outcome or the shenanigans involved beforehand. It is, however, a psychological thriller, so unbelievable conduct is almost standard in the genre.

It may be unbelievable, but the author does a great job of the plotting. It builds slowly and inexorably with a lot of smoke and mirrors to a satisfying (all loose ends tied up and motives explained) conclusion. The twists and turns are plentiful and much of it hinges, in true old fashioned style, on a word here or there.

The novel is told from various points of view, but chiefly Simon and Charlie on the investigative side and Lucy on the suspect side. She is the traditional unreliable narrator with things to hide, a lot of hurt and an obsessive personality.

The Couple at the Table is compulsive reading, but I’m not sure the resolution is on a par with the writing. 3.5*

I really like the plot and the story and I have to say I was looking forward to reading this book. I was also excited when the publisher granted the ARC and I was looking forward to reading this one.

But I am having mixed feelings about this book and it's in my opinion an OK thriller so let's start with the good ones.

The plot of the story was really good and unique. There are six couples at a table in a vacation house and each of them gets a note "Beware of the Couple Next to you," then one woman, Jane Brinkwood, who is the wife of William Gleave who happened to be the ex-husband of Lucy, the main protagonist gets stabbed and murdered. Which of the couple is responsible for Jane's murder? So as I said, the plot was interesting and unique.

But as I read the story, it got a bit boring. Too much dialogue and at times it was a bit confusing. It wasn't fast paced, not much of twists and turns you would expect in a thriller and overall, the ending was nothing new. The writing was OK but nonetheless, I didn't enjoy this book as I thought I should.

Overall, I give this book as three stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Well written thriller with a good plot and satisfying ending.
When there is a murder at an upscale country resort and the only clue is a note saying beware of the couple at the table next to yours what are the police to make of the fact that all the tables are equally spaced from the victims?
With a diverse cast of characters and some interesting family dynamics this book was a definite 2022 read fo me.

If detective fiction were to be believed, police would have to be banned from taking a holiday, since whenever they do so you can guarantee their destination of choice will shortly be the scene of complicated crime. Such is the case in Sophie Hannah's latest novel, 'The Couple at the Table'. Sergeants Zailer and Waterhouse have barely arrived at a luxurious couples-only retreat before the wife in a honeymooning couple is murdered. Six months later the killing remains unsolved, a seeming impossible crime. There was no lack of motives - the new bride was a thoroughly unpleasant person and no one had more reason to hate her than one of the novel's narrators, Lucy. The victim's new husband had abandoned Lucy and their newborn baby for this woman, who had inveigled her way into their lives through her role as Lucy's doula. And through a horrible coincidence, Lucy and her new fiancé were present at the same resort. But all the evidence unequivocally ruled out everyone present and anyone who might have entered from outside.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints, although only Lucy's is in the first person. Like every good detective story, everyone seems to be a suspect - as the plot twists and turns towards the conclusion the reader forms different theories and favoured culprits. It is technically part of a series - Hannah has written multiple previous novels featuring Waterhouse and Zailer, but it is fine to read as a standalone. I'd only read one of the others, and that many years ago, and it didn't affect my enjoyment. It was easy enough to understand the relationship between the characters and the book was more focussed on the plot of the crime rather than being much about the lives of the detectives (a nice change from some modern crime books).

It's no coincidence that Hannah has made such a good job of writing new Hercule Poirot novels - her style is similar to Christie's with very intricate, baffling plots. Waterhouse even brings everyone together in a room at the end to reveal whodunnit. Is it entirely believable? Of course not. But it's permissible for the level of entertainment value you get. Real murders are not as complex and delicate, and a lot more unpleasant. But then that wouldn't be much fun to read. In real life, it seems unlikely to me that police present at the scene of a crime in a non-professional capacity - no matter how incidentally - would be allowed to be part of the subsequent investigation. Does it matter? Not to me.

Ultimately these are crime novels you read if you enjoy a good mystery, trying to guess who committed the crime, how and why. And Hannah provides exactly that - a novel that is absorbing and enjoyable and delivers just what I want from a detective story. Whilst the final solution is far fetched, it's no more so than it would need to be to provide a baffling enough plot. She does manage to avoid any plot holes as well (or at least that I could spot). Her prose is always easily readable and well observed, and often humorous, making it a pleasure to sit down with. Highly recommended to crime fans, and a good read for more general readers too.

Hands up, I didn’t, couldn’t finish this book. I read half, albeit with great effort but chose to give up because it was just no good.

The story has been and gone all within the first two chapters. You don’t get an answer (obviously) but then what you do get is a rehash of the same story told by each and every person and if that wasn’t enough you get to read it as a letter too! In short, there was no story! It was just an empty middle of words circulating endlessly around characters that were unlikeable and unconvincing.

I’ve enjoyed Sophie Hannah books in the past but this one could well have been written by someone else. I can’t praise any of the book because it really was that bad.

Judging by others reviews I’m not alone and it turns out the big mystery is just as confused so I’m pleased that I chose to stop where I did.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review but I won’t be recommending this particular book.

I got such strong Agatha Christie vibes from this book. It is like a modern whodunnit in the remote setting, not an old manor, but a small resort with some cottages. One of the visitors - the owner's daughter, is murdered on her honeymoon. Her husband is a suspect. Anyone of the guest could have done it, or could they? No outsider could have done it.

Turns out it is an extremely complicated case, and it takes months to solve it. Not all the guests are who they claim to be. Everyone has secrets. At some point most of them are suspects. The deeper the police investigate the case, the more complicated it gets. I felt a bit lost at times due to so much happening, so many details revealed, and I felt it was not realistic.

The twists and turns are similar to what goes on in the old Christie novels, and at times it works, but too much is too much. I am not a fan of not revealing all the information to the reader when the information sees daylight. I did however enjoy the read despite it quirks.

I have enjoyed several of Sophie Hannah's books and this is no exception. She has a real talent for coming up with a seemingly impossible situation which leaves you wondering what the solution could be and creating a narrative that keeps you reading compulsively until you find out.
In this book, a woman on her honeymoon receives a note warning her, “Beware of the couple at the table next to yours,” but there are five tables with other couples all the same distance away. When the woman is murdered, all the evidence seems to show that no-one there that night could possibly have committed the crime.
The book jumps between two timelines – the days immediately leading up to the murder, and a few months later as some of the characters become increasingly unsettled that the truth has not yet been discovered.
It certainly kept me reading and kept me guessing, and I finished it in just a few days!

I love love love Sophie Hannah and I’ve been so excited to receive this and be on her blog tour. This is definitely a favourite by this author for me.

This is another book which is well-written and intriguing. I was excited just from the synopsis of this one. I have definitely been hooked from the beginning. This is a book filled with tension and dramatic events.

Hannah has created a variety of characters in this one, some are extremely likeable and others are a bit annoying. This mix makes a great read. I have been hooked on this book from the beginning and unwilling to return to reality until I’d finished the last page.

This is twisty and completely addictive novel. This anticipated gem didn’t disappoint. I have been suspicious throughout the whole duration reading this. I found myself continually trying to work out where it was going to go.

This is a book which literally has it all. I cannot find anything negative I can say about this book. It has been a gem to read and I have loved getting lost in the pages of this one. This is definitely a book I will be recommending.

First of all I will say I love Simon and Charlie and it was fabulous to see them back!
The story in itself I felt was a little convoluted and I had to reread a couple of times to get up to date with who was who. I felt the story lent itself to something more visual and I think this book would work really well onscreen. Very cleverly written and quite Agatha Christie like, I just struggled slightly with all the motivations.

Simon Waterhouse could be the new Poirot!

The couple at the table is a brilliant thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Brilliantly told over dual timelines and from multiple perspectives.

It’s hard to review without giving away any spoilers. I love the character of Simon Waterhouse, a DC who finds his unwanted holiday interrupted by a murder. Simon becomes obsessed with solving the murder, even though 6 months on his boss wants him to quit. Simon learns that everyone involved had been lying to him.

As he uncovers the lies he uncovers the truth. A dark and gruesome tale of murder.

After a year of reading mysteries with angst, I can happily say that I read and enjoyed "The Couple at the Table".

A locked room (rather a locked resort) mystery with a variety of characters that slowly spring to life, it's a cozy mystery with those classic "I know what's happened here but more on that later" moments. This also surprised me with some laughs.

It was tough to guess who the murderer was as everyone had an alibi but it was cozy mystery I'd definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stougton for the e-arc.

4.5/5

This book finally got me out of my 3 star slump! Right from the first few pages I knew this was going to be a good book.
It’s a classic who done it which I always enjoy. Essentially without giving too much away, there has been a murder at a luxury holiday resort and the whole story surrounds who did it.
The only thing I would say is that the main character Lucy can be slightly annoying at times which distracts from the rest of the clever storyline.
I think what makes this book good is the simple yet fast paced writing but the fact that the author also knows when to slow the pace down to keep you in suspense. I’m definitely looking forward to reading my next Sophie Hannah book.