The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah

                                                           

Hardback:  357 pages

Genre:  Contemporary Murder Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 2026

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: This is my story and no one else's. In it I am a killer.

Review Quote: An ingenious puzzle of a novel that crackles with energy and menace -- Nicci French-Author 

My Opinion: 

Although I prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers, I have read some, but by no means all of her Spilling CID series of which 'The Opposite of Murder' is. Detectives Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer are on the case again, this time investigating a murder that was confessed to before the event!  As with the previous novels in the series, this can be read as a stand alone story.

The story is set around the complicated family relationship that the female protagonist Jemma Stelling has had with her step-mother. This leads her to walk into a local Police Station and confess to a murder that she has planned but not yet committed. Most of the officers she spoke to did not take her seriously though. At the same time as Jemma is confessing a murder takes place that she would be the prime suspect for had she not already got the perfect alibi. Will Simon Waterhouse, Charlie Zailer and colleagues be able to solve this case, the twists and turns keep them and the reader guessing. The result was certainly not one I had expected.

Although I found this novel intriguing, I still prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers which I find more entertaining. If you are a crime fiction fan you will probably enjoy this one.

 

Previous Reviews:   Haven't They Grown  Little Face  Hurting Distance  Point of Rescue  

The Other Half Lives.  The Couple at the Table

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

What if the only way you could prevent a murder was by confessing to it?
5.05pm. A terrified Jemma Stelling walks into a police station and says she is about to commit a murder.
She knows that the person she hates most in the world, Marianne Cass, might soon be killed. She knows this because she is the one in danger of killing Marianne, and the urge to do so is growing stronger.
The only way to stop the struggle in her mind is to inform the authorities that Marianne is at risk - from Jemma herself. Desperate to be free of her frightening obsession, she seeks out police officer Simon Waterford and makes what she thinks of as a 'preventative confession'. 
5.05pm. Marianne Cass is murdered in her home.
But while Jemma is talking to the police, Marianne is brutally murdered. The time of death window means Jemma is unequivocally eliminated as a suspect.
The problem for Simon is that he's now positive that Jemma Stelling is a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, and possibly the most ingenious one he's ever encountered...

Author Profile:         

Sophie Hannah is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, Sophie published a new Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders, which was a bestseller in more than fifteen countries. She has since published two more Poirot novels, Closed Casket and The Mystery of Three Quarters, both of which were instant Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers.

In 2013, Sophie’s novel The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards.  She has also published two short story collections and five collections of poetry – the fifth of which, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A Level and degree level across the UK. Most recently, she has published a self-help book called How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment – The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life.

Sophie has recently helped to create a Master’s Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge, for which she is the main teacher and Course Director. She is also the founder of the DREAM AUTHOR coaching programme for writers. She lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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The Lister Sisters: Anne and Marian by Rebecca Batley

                                                 

Ebook:  240 pages      

Genre:   Non-Fiction, Biography,  Social History,                              

Publisher: 9th February 2026 - Pen and Sword

Source:  NetGalley

Setting:   Halifax, England

My Opinion: 

Although I am interested in Biographies I rarely actually ready any, though I do find them relaxing to listen to as audiobooks. Anyway I was attracted to 'The Lister Sisters' when I was given the opportunity to read and review, predominately due to my enjoyment of the portrayals of these interesting women in the recent television production 'Gentleman Jack'.

In fact for me this made the book, which is drawn mainly from Anne Lister's diaries easier to follow, as parts tend to feel rather like a list of events, times and places.

It is certainly a well written and researched biography. Recommended to those readers in general interested in social history and those with a particular interest in the sisters themselves.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers Pen and Sword for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

When Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack,’ and her infamous diaries hit the headlines a few years ago, their popularity spawned a plethora of Gentleman Jack blogs, research and books which have focused primarily on Anne Lister’s romantic relationships with (a huge) number of women, but whilst they are an integral part of the Lister story, there is another woman lurking in the pages of her diaries: The original Lister Sister, Marian.

Marian Lister was Anne’s younger sister and the two women had a complex and fascinating relationship. The evidence reveals Marian to be a complicated woman who both resented, loved and was fiercely protective of her older sister. Forced to live together for a large part of their lives Anne vehemently disapproved of Marian’s desire to escape in order to marry a “carpet maker” feeling him to be unworthy of the sister she herself derided. Marian, for her part, did not understand her elder sister's relationships with women, but she accepted them, defended her and worried about her excessively even whilst she ranted about Anne’s spending, scheming and selfishness.

When together, the two women bickered constantly with Marian, literally at times screaming in frustration at her headstrong sister. Anne, for her part, complained that Marian was “simple … good for nothing,” yet her approval meant a good deal to her.

Here, for the first time, we look at the complex relationship between the two women, how it developed, its moments of triumph and tragedy, as well as the profound influence it had on each of their lives.

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                                  

                                                      Courtesy of Amazon

Rebecca Batley is an archaeologist and historian with a particular interest in women's history. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including New Scientist, Aeon, Nautilus, Gay and Lesbian Review, American Naval History, Medieval History, Medieval Warfare, Ancient History, NILE, The Pilgrim, Mental Floss, Reverb, American History, and History Scotland. She regularly gives talks on her research and has worked for, amongst others, MOLA and Wessex Archaeology.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

NetGalley   Amazon Profile.   Goodreads Profile

Three Summers by Karen Swan

                                                            

Ebook:   454 pages      

Genre:    Historical Romantic Fiction, Thriller                                     

Publisher: Feb 2026 - Random House UK

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: The bolt of satin rolled out along the length of the cutting table, ripples catching the light like the sparkling sea that lay beyond the window.

Review Quote:  'The beloved master storyteller Karen Swan takes readers to sun soaked Puglia in Three Summers. Evocative, romantic and atmospheric' - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

Setting:   Puglia, Italy

My Opinion: 

Having last read a novel by Karen Swan back in 2020 during lockdown that was a beguiling love story I was expecting more of the same from ‘Three Summers’.

Set in Puglia, Italy over three summers in the late fifties and early sixties the story follows a love triangle between Rafaella Parisi, Fon Gianelli and Cosimo Franchetti who have been friends since childhood.

As an Italophile this was not really the romantic escapism I was looking for when I decided to read ‘Three Summers’.  The elements are there with wonderful descriptions  of a beautiful region and idyllic summers but the story takes a dramatic turn. Overpowered by the organised crime element and the terrible things that happen rather spoiling the novel for me.  It is well written, but don’t pick it up unless you are prepared for a somewhat disturbing and dark story.  

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy

1957: The summer of innocence

Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to Cosimo - son of the wealthy Franchetti family.

1958: The summer everything changed

After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures…

1961: The summer they met again…

And when Rafa and Cosi’s lives collide, Rafa must decide if she’s willing to risk the life she has built for the future she might have had…

Previous Review:
         The Rome Affair

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                                

                                                 Courtesy of Goodreads.

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times Top Three and international best-selling author. She has sold over five million books and is published in more than twenty five languages worldwide. She writes two books each year and her stories are known for their evocative locations, with Karen travelling widely for research. Her books feature complex love stories rooted to a central mystery and span both contemporary and historical timespans. 

Her latest book Three Summers is set in Italy's heel, Puglia, in the late '50s, early '60s, and follows the taut love triangle between three childhood friends. Sharing their summers in a tiny fishing port they are caught between class and expectation - until a freak tragedy shatters their lives and resets their futures. Told over the course of three summers, they become bound together in an increasingly-fraught struggle of passion, possession and power. 

She lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and three dogs.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile   Amazon Author Profile.   Facebook Profile

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The Weekend by T.M. Logan

                                                 

Ebook:  410 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense.                                         

Publisher: 26 Feb 2026 - Bonnier Books UK  Zaffre Publishing Group

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: We're lost. Jason won't admit it but I can always tell by the way he walks: striding ahead full of confidence as if he absolutely knows where he's going.

Review Quote: A fiendishly gripping 'What would I do?' thriller, which explores what it takes to crack apart a group of lifelong friends. This is T.M. Logan at his finest, delivering a rocketing pace, whiplash twists, and a stylish denouement. ― Lucy Clarke - Author

Setting:   Yorkshire Dales, Northern England

My Opinion: 

I first discovered the writing of T. M. Logan a couple of years ago. He is now definitely on my list of favourite thriller writers and this is the third of his novels I have read and enjoyed.

What would you do if you came across a large amount of cash, previously hidden in what must have been thought to be a safe place! This is the moral dilemma facing six friends when they come across a rucksack full of money, whilst out hiking during a weekend break together in the Yorkshire Dales. The story line is full of secrets and lies as the situation escalates, to what for me were some unexpected twists.

A fast paced gripping read that will keep surprising you. A must read if you are a thriller fan.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Six friends. Five secrets. One holiday to die for . . .

Welcome to THE WEEKEND.

When a group of friends rent a converted farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales, they have little idea that this one weekend may change the course of their lives forever.

While out on a walk, a storm descends and the friends take shelter in the mouth of an old lead mine. Inside, they discover a backpack filled with more money than they've ever seen.

Of course, they agree, they will hand the money to the police at the first opportunity. But as the storm continues and time passes, some of the party begin to think again. Because there are secrets festering at the heart of this group. Debt. Obsession. A career on the brink. Problems that could be solved instantly with an unexpected windfall.

And perhaps they don't know each other as well as thought they did.

Before long, six good friends find themselves sliding headlong into a world of deceit, treachery, betrayal and murder . . .

Previous Reviews: The Dream Home.   The Daughter

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                      

Bestselling author TM Logan was a national newspaper journalist before turning to novel-writing full time. His thrillers have sold more than two million copies in the UK and are published in translation in 22 countries around the world including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, South Korea, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Greece, Romania and the Netherlands.

He was born in Berkshire on the 19th of December 1975 and grew up in Reading, the youngest of three boys and a fully-fledged bookworm from a very young age. He read history at Westfield College, part of the University of London, and went on to do a postgrad at Cardiff University.

Wanting to write journalism seemed an obvious choice, and after five years as a reporter and then education correspondent on the Nottingham Evening Post he moved to London to work on the Daily Mail. The next move took him back to the East Midlands, where he worked for the University of Nottingham as a press officer, writing fiction in any spare time he could find. In January 2017 his first thriller was published. a few weeks later his current position as a deputy director in charge of the university’s communications team – was scrapped as part of a restructure. That was when he decided to take the plunge into writing full-time.

He lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children, and writes in a cabin in the corner of his garden.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.    Amazon Author Page   Official Author Website

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