Married police officers Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer are supposed to be taking a holiday at a luxurious resort not far from where they live. However, as is often the case with rea or fictional detectives, trouble seems to follow them, so it isn’t long after their arrival that one of the guests, Jane Brinkwood, daughter of the aristocratic owner, is found stabbed in the back.... deader than the proverbial doornail. The irony is that Jane herself thought nothing of stabbing others in the back, metaphorically speaking, when she was alive. Indeed, one of her fellow guests is Lucy Dean, whose ex-husband, William, left her for Jane. They’d been having an affair for 18 months behind Lucy’s back, and Lucy had even worked as a trained medical companion for Jane during her pregnancy. Jane had also managed to upset everybody else at the resort, so there are plenty of suspects for Waterhouse and Zailer to investigate, although as everyone has an alibi, getting to the bottom of the matter proves rather difficult indeed. Actually, The Couple at the Table comes across feeling somewhat like something that Agatha Christie could well have dreamed up. We have all the protagonists gathered at the scene of the crime, during which the detective sums up exactly what happened before revealing the killer. I was interested and invested in the crime during the first 200 or so pages, but then the last section was somewhat of a let-down. There’s an awful lot of explaining to be done, and some of it just seemed to be too preposterous. I’d love to be able to explain that better, but I’d be giving away spoilers and I wouldn’t want to ruin it for anyone still planning to read the book. Not at all a bad story and it is well worth reading and the 3.5 star rating. ( )

Sophie Hannah's suspenseful THE COUPLE AT THE TABLE
A threat, a murder and a closed circle of suspects - but everyone has an alibi. Six months after the murder and the lead detective won't give up. Great mystery in the classic tradition. But you have to pay attention to the clues. Pace is a bit slow at tge beginning. ( )

Hallelujah, DC Simon Waterhouse and Sgt Charlie Zailer ARE BACK! Being the investigators in eleven previous mysteries, brilliant Brit author Sophie Hannah has brought them along from working together in the Culver Valley Police Department through dating and to marriage, despite Simon's "issues" with all other human life forms. This time, they are at a local resort where a murder takes place in true Agatha Christie style: within a small group of vacationers, when no one appears to be missing when Jane Brinkwood, doula and husband-stealer, is killed during her honeymoon. Although Simon and Charlie are on site as guests, and find the body, there's a devilish amount of unraveling that needs to be accomplished, and everyone except themselves are highly suspicious liars. Chief among them is Lucy, one of the narrators, whose husband William runs off with Jane two weeks after their child is born. The usual police gang is back, and previously work-obsessed Simon's rising doubts about his desire to remain on the job is the most startling plot point to those familiar with the doggedness of the quirky eccentric. The fact that author Hannah has been officially designated as the Agatha Christie heir by her executors, and has written four Poirot mysteries, is in evidence here, where there are many resemblances to "Death on the Nile" and the like. Thoroughly enjoyable - and if you haven't read the other books in the Zailer-Waterhouse pantheon, start with 2006's Little Face. ( )

The Couple at the Table is a suspenseful book that reads like a "Murder, She Wrote" episode. Well-written, good character development and kept me guessing till the end! Highly recommend! ( )

Sophie Hannah's latest book, The Couple at the Table, is a 'locked room' mystery - one of my absolute favorite premises.

Five couples are enjoying their their getaway at a small, luxury resort. It's all wonderful - right up to the moment when of the guests turns up dead. Ten guests and limited staff are on site. Only eight of those guest are suspect though. It turns out that one couple - Simon and Charlie - are police officers. The investigation begins immediately. You'd think it would be easy to suss out the culprit with such a limited pool of suspects - but you'd be wrong.

Hannah is a master at this style of tale. Things start to unfold and the listener might feel they've got a handle on the whodunit....only to be proven wrong, over and over again. Hannah is a clever, clever writer. If you love a twisty, turny narrative, this one's for you. Although all is explained by the final pages, if you like to try and solve the case before the end, you'll have to pay close attention. You can't trust any of players!

Simon and Charlie are part of a series, but this could absolutely be listened to as a standalone. The two play off each other well, with two differing mindsets and skill sets.

I chose to listen to The Couple at the Table. The reader was Julie Maisey and she did a terrific job. Her voice is pleasing, her accent lovely and the speed of reading is just right. She speaks clearly. Maisey has movement to her voice, easily capturing the emotions of the characters and the actions of Hannah's plot. It was easy to know who was speaking. I often find I become more in a book when I listen and that was definitely the case with The Couple at the Table. ( )