The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah

*minor spoilers ahead*

Sophie Hannah’s The Couple at the Table promises a classic locked-room style mystery with a modern, psychological twist. Set in an exclusive luxury resort, the novel brings together six couples where one gruesome murder takes place. A cryptic warning sets the scene as one couple receives the note: “Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours.” It’s an enticing premise, but unfortunately, one that doesn’t quite deliver.

The story centres around Lucy Dean, a woman whose ex-husband left her for Jane Brinkwood, the very woman who ends up murdered during a honeymoon trip at the high-end resort. Jane is found stabbed twice in the back, and everyone staying at the resort quickly becomes a suspect.

Although this book is part of Hannah’s Spilling CID series, featuring detectives Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer, it can easily be read as a standalone. However, I did find Charlie’s actions in this book out of character. Her repeated one-on-one meetings with Lucy, discussing sensitive details of the case, felt unrealistic and unprofessional.

One of the major issues with the novel is the structure, as the chapters are often lengthy and feel weighed down by repetition. The same scenes and conversations are rehashed several times, which undermines the pacing. While some repetition can be useful in crime fiction to build suspense or mislead the reader, it did feel excessive.

Additionally, the number of characters became overwhelming. With six couples all in close proximity, it’s difficult to keep track of who’s who, especially as names are constantly thrown around. This confusion then didn’t feel justified as many of the characters were underdeveloped, serving more as plot devices than real people.

Plot-wise, Hannah does weave in her trademark layers of secrets and lies, and everything does come together in the final chapters. But while the explanations are thorough, they lack impact. Much of the reveal felt overly dramatic, and a lot of the reasoning I personally found a bit too silly. The major twist I also found predictable, even though the motivations behind the actions were nonsensical. The final chapter, told from a new and unexpected perspective, felt jarring and misplaced, detracting from any emotional weight the resolution might have carried.

As someone who’s enjoyed Hannah’s previous works like Little Face and Haven’t They Grown, this one was a letdown. I am glad I saw it through to the final page so I could get closure and know the ending, but unfortunately, this book wasn’t the gripping thriller I’d hoped for. If you’re new to Sophie Hannah, I’d recommend starting with her earlier novels instead, as this one, whilst having a promising plot, fell flat.

2/5 stars