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:

Sophie Hannah - Official Website  Twitter - Sophie Hannah  Facebook Profile 

Goodreads - Author Profile   Amazon Author Page.   Instagram Profile

The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah

 

Hardback:  358 pages

Genre:  Contemporary Murder Mystery

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 2022

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: Dear Whoever Killed Jane Brinkwood, Dear Jane's Murderer, Which do you prefer?

Review Quote: 'A wise and witty portrait of modern marriage and murder' THE TIMES

My Opinion: 

Although I prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers, I have read some, but by no means all of her Spilling CID series which this latest 'The Couple at the Table' is number 11. Detectives Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer are on the case again and it was interesting to catch up with them and see how their relationship has developed. As with the previous novels in the series, this can be read as a stand alone story.

A murder that seems impossible to solve and is certainly taking a long time to do so, because everyone seems to have something to hide. As the mystery unravels it seems to become even more confusing with every page, I really needed to concentrate as the author keeps us guessing.

I did enjoy this and it certainly held my attention, as I think it will all fans of the genre as it is such a complex mystery with an ingenious theme.   

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

The Other Half Lives

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

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 sitting close by, but none of their tables is any nearer or further away than any of the others. It's almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless. Why would anyone do that?

You have no idea.

You also don't know that you're about to be murdered, or that once you're dead, all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could possibly have committed the crime.

So who might be trying to warn you? And who might be about to kill you, and seems certain to get away with it?

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:

Sophie Hannah - Official Website  Twitter - Sophie Hannah  Facebook Profile

Goodreads - Author Profile   Amazon Author Page

Haven't They Grown by Sophie Hannah

 

Hardback: 328 pages

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: January 23, 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Here we are in the wrong place: Wyddial Lane. It's a private road, as the sign unsubtly proclaims in letters larger than those spelling out it's name, in a village called Hemingford Abbots.

Favourite Quote: “If we never make any changes that scare us at first, we end up missing out.”

Review Quote: 'Complex and sinister' Observer

My Opinion: It has been quite a few years since I last read any of Sophie Hannah’s novels. Actually, it was this author that led me to first read the genre, psychological thrillers, one I had previously tended to avoid. Glad I picked this one up at the library recently, drawn in by the original sounding storyline, it came home with me plus her latest novel to read in a few weeks time.

The protagonist Beth has discovered that something very strange is going on in the life of an ex friend of hers. As she still cares about this person, she decides to investigate and is drawn into a web of deception.  Beth becomes obsessed and although at times it all feels a little too crazy the story is well developed and the characters all well portrayed.

A disturbing story of emotional manipulation and one to recommend to readers of thrillers.  Remember though it is fiction that you are reading for pleasure and if it seems implausible to you good, as this is not a sequence of events you would ever want to come across in real life.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.

Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn't want to see her today, or ever again.

But she can't resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House, watches from across the road as Flora and her children Thomas and Emily step out of the car. Except... There's something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. As Beth would have expected. It's the children. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then.

They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Hilary hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at all.

They are no taller, no older... Why haven't they grown?

Author Profile:         

Courtesy of Amazon Profile 

Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling crime fiction writer whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Her crime novels have been translated into 49 languages and published in 51 countries. Her psychological thriller The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the 2013 UK National Book Awards. In 2014 and 2016, Sophie published The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, the first new Hercule Poirot mysteries since Agatha Christie's death, both of which were national and international bestsellers. She went on to publish a third, The Mystery of Three Quarters in 2018 which was an instant bestseller, and her fourth Poirot novel, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill will be published in August 2020. Sophie 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 which launched in September 2019.

Sophie is also an award-winning, bestselling poet, and her poetry is studied at GCSE level across the UK. She has co-written two murder mystery musicals with composer Annette Armitage: The Mystery of Mr. E and Work Experience. She has written a self-help book called How To Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment - The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life, and hosts the How to Hold a Grudge podcast.

Sophie 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:

Amazon Author Page   Sophie Hannah Author Facebook Page  Instagram Profile

Twitter Profile   Sophie Hannah Official Author Website

A Room Swept White by Sophie Hannah

Paperback:  456 pages

Genre:  Psychological thriller

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 2010

Source: Oxfam Charity Bookshop in the UK

Review Quote: 'Tension thy name is Sophie Hannah' The Independent.

First Sentence: Part I : I am looking at numbers when Laurie phones, numbers that mean nothing to me.

My opinion: The numbers calling card was clever!

I have followed Sophie Hannah's writing for about the last four years and this is the sixth of her novels that I have read, so there is no doubt that I find her work very readable. Psychological thrillers are not my favourite genre but as her books are ones that my husband will read as well, we always pick them up if we come across them on our travels.

This is the author's fifth novel to feature Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer as part of the police team investigating the case. It does not matter though if you have not read her previous novels as apart from the reappearance of some of the characters in the police force the main theme of the story is unconnected. The only thing you will have missed out on is the changing relationship between Simon and Charlie, by the way the Charlie is female for those of you that might be wondering.

I finished reading ' a room swept white' not having solved the puzzle for myself, a good sign that the book kept me guessing all the way to the end. The numbers calling card was very clever and I was impressed without what it turned out to mean!

As in her previous novels the story unfolds in the two parallel stories, in the first person by the female protagonist Fliss Benson, a young TV producer who has been given the job of directing a documentary about women accused of killing their babies. The other story concerns the police investigation keeping the reader informed of all that is happening, the murder being investigated is of Helen Yardley one of the women due to appear in the proposed documentary. While Fliss is working on the case with the remaining women there is another murder committed and she begins to feel that maybe she is in danger herself. To find out if Fliss was right to be worried you will have to read the book for yourself.

In her usual indubitable style of writing Sophie Hannah has written yet another sometimes muddling and complicated plot, you need to concentrate, well I did anyway. The social dilemmas of 'cot death' are extremely well coped with and gave me a lot to think about. If you enjoy a novel that makes you think and can cope with the fact that the subject matter can be distressing, then I can recommend this one to you.

Author Profile

The biographical information used today is courtesy of her Official Website

Sophie Hannah is the author of six internationally bestselling psychological thrillers – Little Face, Hurting Distance, The Point of Rescue, The Other Half Lives, A Room Swept White and Lasting Damage. Her novels are published in 20 countries, with more foreign rights deals under negotiation.The Other Half Lives was short-listed for the 2010 Independent Booksellers’ Book of the Year Award and is currently short listed, under its US title The Dead Lie Down, for a Barry Award.  Little Face and Hurting Distance were both longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, and Little Face was longlisted for the IMPAC Award. The Point of Rescue, Sophie’s first thriller to be adapted for television, will be broadcast on ITV1 in May under the series title Case Sensitive.

In 2004, Sophie won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her suspense story The Octopus Nest, which is now published in her first collection of short stories The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets.

Sophie has also published five collections of poetry. Her fifth, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the 2007 TS Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the UK. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and between 1999 and 2001 she was a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She is thirty-nine and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College.

I have featured Sophie Hannah on this blog more than once and reviewed her earlier novels, although the earlier ones just on Bookcrossing as it was before I started LindyLouMac's Book Reviews .  Please click on the title links below to read my earlier reviews. 

Cordial and Corrosive  Bookcrossing review

Little Face  Bookcrossing review.

Hurting Distance  Reviewed on this blog in 2010.

Point of Rescue  Reviewed on this blog in 2010.   Now published as The Wrong Mother.

The Other Half Lives  Reviewed on this blog in 2011.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.

Sophie Hannah Official Website,  Amazon Profile,    Goodreads - Author Profile.

I have chosen to read this title as the letter R for The A - Z Book Challenge which I have decided to attempt to achieve in alphabetical order. I have a good selection of titles to choose from our bookshelves, it will be interesting to see how far I can get before I get stuck. You can follow my progress here.