THE COUPLE AT THE TABLE | Sophie Hannah
11.01.2022 | William Morrow
Rating: 4/5 stars
Jane and William are enjoying their honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort…
…until Jane receives a chilling note warning her 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 farther away than any of the others. It’s almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless–but why would anyone do that?
Jane has no idea.
But someone in this dining room will be dead before breakfast, and all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could have possibly committed the crime.
I love a good crime fiction/mystery story set in an isolated location with a limited cast of characters. These types of plots always seem to draw me in and keep me guessing, which is exactly how I felt about The Couple at the Table.
From the start you know someone has died, but you aren’t sure why or how. This allows Hannah to introduce the reader to all of the characters/suspects in addition to the detective team that just so happened to be on location during the crime. Hearing each unique perspective paired with flashbacks leading up to the crime really helped to immerse me into the story. Did I suspect everyone? Absolutely!
What I didn’t realize walking into this book was that it’s the 11th title in a detective series! Rest assured, you can easily pick this up as a standalone story without feeling any strange gaps.
A fun fact you may not know about Sophie Hannah is that she’s the author behind the reboot of Agatha Christie’s famous Hercule Poirot novels. The Christie vibes are definitely present with this story in the way that clues are unveiled with red herrings and ultimately the finale. I can 100% understand why she is the perfect author for these new stories!
A huge thank you to William Morrow for my gifted copy!
What Jess Reads 