I do love a ‘Who dunnit?!’ and this did not disappoint, I requested to read and review this from NetGalley as I have read one other of Sophie Hannah’s book ‘Haven’t They Grown’ and I really enjoyed it and this one sounded like something I would also enjoy and I sure did! This a story of a murder mystery with a closed circle of potential suspects all at the same couples only resort, only a few of the guests have a direct connection but it seems like everyone at the resorts had a bad experience with Jane Brinkwood but is it bad enough for someone to go and murder her? I was suspecting a few people throughout one of which did end up being correct but this story did have me guessing and the last 30% of the story I struggled to put down as the conclusion was fast paced and exciting, very well written. The only reason it didn’t get a 5 star from me was that the killer and the reason seemed a little ‘meh?’ for me and I feel that this could have had a little more reasoning behind the murder. Overall though a great murder mystery story and a strong book from Sophie Hannah, I will be looking to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. And thanks also to @HodderBooks and @HodderPublicity

I read Perfect Little Children back in 2020 and seriously couldn't put it down!
When I seen another Sophie Hannah book I had to try and grab it!
I love this woman and her writing!

The Couple at the Table
Was a phenomenal story!
The writing is terrific, the dialogue is so realistic it felt like I was walking around inside this book!
She written another brilliantly complex and twisty plot that kept me guessing the entire time.
The amount of imagination employed to write this is phenomenal and yet it’s so believable and frightening. 
This is another roller coaster ride with lots of twists and turns with revelations surprisingly coming to light regarding some of those pesky mysteries that were always there in the background.
But, they haven't all been revealed which makes me eager and anticipating the next book in this excellent and unique
It’s a sophisticated and intelligent read from start to finish.
Hannah is a a master at storytelling and she does it so beautifully!
This book deserves all the stars IMO!

Hodder & Stoughton,
Thank You for this eARC!
I will post and tag to my platforms closer to pub day!

This was a good read with an interesting synopsis but I felt that it dragged a little and became a bit repetitive.

Someone is murdered while on holiday and receives a warning letter prior to the murder telling her to “Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours”. A confusing warning given that all the tables are the same distance apart. Also why would someone send a warning letter without telling them all the information.

I enjoy the authors writing but for me following a strong start the story lacked excitement and tedious.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for suppling a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love the Sophie Hannah Culver Valley books and this was no exception. I really couldn't figure out the ending which was fantastic. It did drag a bit in the middle but overall it was a classic whodunnit, along the lines of a Sherlock Holmes or Jonathan Creek. I would recommend this if you want an easy read or you're a fan of the Culver Valley series.

When I read the blurb I didn't realise this was part of a series to some degree. The story worked okay as a stand alone, but I think I would have enjoyed it move if I had read them in order and knew the backstory. That said that is of no fault of the author, and the writing was very good. I will be going back to read the previous books.

Jane has been murdered at a resort owned by her father. She was with William, her husband on their honeymoon. Lucy who was married to William is by chance also at the resort with her fiance, the two couples having previously got on well. This is written in two timelines- one atthe time of the murder and the other almost a year on- the murder still not having been solved. Jane had received a mysterious note “ Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours” however on the day of her murder all of he table had been rearranged so that each one had at least 2 others equidistant- and no-one knows who moved them. Jane had a very public outburst before she and William retreated back to their cottage, most of it was aimed at Lucy who remained with all of the others at the dining area. Who could have killed Jane and why?
I enjoyed this- there is just that certain something - Sophie has the skill of writing to encapsulate you and keep the pages turning and turning. I remember I felt the same about “ Haven't They Grown”. Funnily enough although Lucy grew on me a little there wasn't really a character that I could say I liked or empathised with, yet I was still truly engrossed, again to me the talent of a crafted author. A “locked room” type mystery with various twists and turns that kept me within the pages. Loved it.


(rest of links on publication)

I recently undertook a big reread-in-order of all Sophie Hannah's Charlie Zailer and Simon Waterhouse books, and very enjoyable it was too - I'd forgotten quite how good they are and how much I love Hannah's style of writing and these characters. When I requested The Couple at the Table, I hadn't initially realised it was a Charlie and Simon book - it's quite a while since there's been a new one - so it was an excellent surprise to have the opportunity to catch up with them and the rest - Liv, Gibbs, Sellers (who has an unexpected new girlfriend) etc.

TCatT has a definite Agatha Christie vibe about it - the whole country-house-murder-limited-pool-of-suspects thing, though the "country house" here is actually an expensive resort, where Charlie and Simon spend a few days (Charlie's idea obv) which inevitably coincide with a murder; in this instance, of the awful Jane. There's even a Poirot-esque denouement where all the suspects are gathered together by Simon to reveal whodunnit.

Fantastic read, as always, which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

Anyway, I can't end this review without mentioning the following utterly delightful description of DI Proust, which made me cackle loudly: "an older, bald man with chalky-pale skin and a piercing stare who looks like a malicious frozen lollipop in human form". Kudos, Sophie Hannah. There can be no more perfect description of the man.

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (there are usually plenty of reviews like that around, if that's what you're after!).

I've enjoyed Sophie Hannah's "Poirot" novels, so was looking forward to reading this.

However, this book was a bit of a strange read for me - largely as I did not realise that the detectives - Simon and Charlie - have actually featured in other novels so it's part of a series in effect. I guess it works OK as a standalone, but perhaps I've missed out on some background information about the detectives that might have made me warm to them a little more.

Like several other books I've read this year, I did not actually like any of the characters; indeed I'd have to say that disliked most of them if I'm being honest! The behaviour of some people was absolutely bizarre too, but I guess that's true in real life! However the plot was intriguing enough for me to want to read on...I ended up staying up late to finish it, and was pleased to find that my chief suspect(s) were not the culprits (just to explain - I was pleased because I read a lot of crime novels and often figure out "whodunnit", so it's the sign of a good plot if I don't manage to!)

So, on the whole I'd say I enjoyed this - and I will probably go back and read the previous books featuring "Simon and Charlie".

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own,

I am afraid that I really struggled with this book. I put it to one side and tried again on another day and I still struggled. For me reading shouldn't be hard work, it should be enjoyable and fun, or thought provoking, unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. Sorry.

The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah

This is a strange book. It's compelling and I didn't want to abandon it - I was desperate to find out who did it and I didn't work it out. But the journey to the discovery is slow, muddled and completely bonkers. I think there are reasons why I don't read many psychological thrillers and this contains all of them, primarily making the conclusion as daft as possible just so it can't be guessed. The detective is also an absolute pain and his marriage to Charlie is unconvincing. I was puzzled by the resort where events take place. We're told it's exclusive, posh, expensive etc but it just felt like a pub inn. Where were the staff? And that ending.....

A very differnet style of murder mystery - at least in my reading behaviour. Gripping. Sort of a locked room murder in that no-one could have done it. Most of the people who were there were together, blood splatter shows that the person with the victim couldn't have done it and CCTV shows that there was no-one else around. So did they all do it together - a bit like Julius Caesar's death?

Loved it - well worth the read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and muy own opinion.

Barely 3! Almost gave up halfway through the opening letter - all a bit tedious and wordy! So many names to remember, more than there are characters in the book. All rather confusing. The whole plot seemed rather ludicrous and the denouement made it more so. I felt like this story had been cobbled together from Agatha Christie's waste bin, a sort of mishmash of old familiar plots that didn't quite work. several of the main characters seemed to behave in a completely unbelievable way and the motive at the end was a bit feeble. Thanks to Netgalley.

BEWARE OF THE COUPLE AT THE NEXT TABLE NEAREST YOU.
The note is meaningless as no tables are together,the gap between them is the same and there are five other couples present.
You don't know your going to be murdered and all evidence suggests no-one there could have done it.
Who can commit the perfect impossible murder?
A welcome return to Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer.
I did enjoy but there were parts I wanted to skip but overall a good read.

I’ve been a Sophie Hannah fan for at least ten years. So much that my kids bought her latest book for Mother’s Day when they were about eight and ten years old (now sixteen and eighteen). Later, the bookseller told me that my kids were so cute, bickering whether they should buy the Dutch or English version.

So, when I had the chance to read her newest story early, I was really excited. I had been waiting for the next Charlie and Simon for years, but I think I've waited too long. The magic I always felt between those two people waned in the meantime. And while I still love a lot of things like the writing, the dual timelines, the mystery, and of course Charlie and Simon’s interactions, the story just didn’t come up to my expectations. This doesn’t mean The Couple at the Table is a bad book. On the contrary! It just means I’ve grown out of this series.

I received an ARC from Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.

"Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours." A warning note given to Jane on her honeymoon at a couple's retreat, before she is murdered. The note doesn't make sense as all of the tables were an equal distance from Jane's, so why the meaningless note? Lucy, one of the guests, wonders who could have committed the murder, especially when it doesn't look like anybody there had the opportunity to. A thrilling mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Overall I would say I enjoyed this. It took me a while to get used to the writing style - I'm all for characters with personality but every single character in this book seemed to be eccentric bordering on manic and it made for quite a hectic read. Once I managed to get past that, I was really interested in the plot and enjoyed trying to solve the puzzle of what happened to Jane alongside the detectives.

I would recommend this as a fun mystery which kept me guessing.

It really needs to be made clear that this past of a series of books. I much prefer stand alone novels and was disappointed when I found out that this wasn’t. Nonetheless, this is a good book overall.

The Tevendon Estate in the Culver Valley is an exclusive couples only resort and it’s where Jane Brinkwood honeymoons with husband William Gleave. She receives notes including one which warns her to beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours which makes no sense at all as all the tables are in a circle and equidistant. After a very dramatic evenings events Jane is stabbed to death in her cottage. Who warned her or were they threats? Who killed her? DC Simon Waterhouse and Sergeant Charlie Zailer amongst others investigate what seems to be the “perfect crime”. Which couple at which table? Your suspicious detective eyes fall on all present at one stage or another.

The book starts out really strongly with guest Lucy‘s perspective being extremely lively and entertaining as she has internal debates with herself and on occasions she is extremely funny. The writing is engaging with several interesting images of the couples at the tables giving you plenty of food for thought. Some of the characters are really good, some are really annoying such as pedantic Simon and of some don’t really feature much. The dynamics are really good as the bunch at Tevendon are certainly an odd disparate bunch and there’s plenty to cast your eye of suspicion over especially as an abundance of lies eventually emerge. So there are plenty of positives.

However, then in my opinion we stray into bonkers land, now sometimes I like that but this becomes too long and convoluted as we analyse the bejesus of everything as we wander around and around from one guest to another and I glaze over. Some of the revelations are good, some are plain silly in my view and some of the discoveries make my head spin with a certain amount of incredulous disbelief. A few have no explanation at all. When the perpetrator is revealed it just had to be but the reasons are spurious. The ultimate ending is well, odd.

Overall, it’s very mixed bag for me some parts are fantastic and others are just let’s board the train to Crazy Town. It’s a shame because I usually really enjoy Sophie Hannah’s books but this one wasn’t her best

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Have you ever read Sophie Hannah? If not, let me introduce you to how this works.

Synopsis: Sophie introduces you to a situation which can't possibly be true. For example, in Little Face a woman goes out for the first time after giving birth, comes back home and tells everyone that the baby in the cot is not hers despite her husbands insistence that it is.

In Perfect Little Children (published as Haven't They Grown in the UK), a woman drives by a woman and her children who she hasn't seen in 12 years. The woman has aged but the children are still the same age they were 12 years ago???

In The Couple at the Table, a woman is murdered at a couple's only retreat. She was sent to warning letters prior to the murder, one saying "Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours" but all the tables were as close to one table as they are to another. Why would you send someone a warning letter that does not assist them?

Next, Sophie takes you through the case which is being investigated by DC Simon Waterhouse (the best detective in crime writing IMO). Simon is not a charismatic, loveable, rogue detective. He is miserable, introverted and dislikes people in general, but more than anything he does not let anything go as we can see when this murder is still unsolved after six months.

What I love most about Sophie Hannah is that she takes an outrageous premise and lures you in with it as you NEED to know how it pans out. She then slowly and without fanfare teases the story out, leaving clues and red herrings aplenty and then delivers an ending which you will rarely see coming but gives you great satisfaction.

One of, if not my favourite crime writer at the moment.

This book publishes on 27th January 2022 and I would encourage everyone to look out for it. It features the same detectives as her previous novels so there is some backstory it would be useful to know however it can be read as a standalone without reading the previous books. If you haven't read her previous books then I am very jealous of you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Couple At the Table by Sophie Hannah

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.
A brilliant book by this marvellous author . I didn't realise this was a novel part of a occasional series by Sophie , up to now I've only read her stand alones . However , it's full of intense intrigue with lots of twists to keep you guessing right until the end . A great plot with well thought out characters.