Sophie Hannah
Author of The Monogram Murders
About the Author
Sophie Hannah was born in 1971 in Manchester, England. She is a bestselling, award-winning poet. Hannah went to the University of Manchester and published her first book of poems, The Hero and the Girl Next Door, at the age of 24. In 2004 she won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short show more Story Competition for her psychological suspense story, The Octopus Nest. Hannah was recently chosen by Agatha Christie's estate to resurrect her beloved detective, Hercule Poirot. Her subsequent novel, The Monogram Murders, was published in 2014. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Sophie Hannah
How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment, the Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life (2019) 86 copies, 6 reviews
The Opposite of Murder: the gripping new thriller from the million-copy international bestseller and Queen of the unguessable mystery (2024) 12 copies
The Double Best Method: Become a Decision-Making Genius and Say Goodbye Forever to Bad Choices and Regrets (2024) 2 copies
Bully the Blue Bear 1 copy
Drie verhalen 1 copy
The Dwelling 1 copy
Az utolsó halál az évben 1 copy
Associated Works
The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My (1952) — Translator, some editions — 488 copies, 7 reviews
Who Will Comfort Toffle? A Tale of Moomin Valley (1960) — Translator, some editions — 415 copies, 8 reviews
A Spot of Folly: Ten and a Quarter New Tales of Murder and Mayhem (2017) — Introduction, some editions — 70 copies, 3 reviews
The Double Clue and Other Hercule Poirot Stories (2016) — Introduction, some editions — 61 copies, 1 review
Afraid of the Christmas Lights: An Anthology of Crime Stories (2020) — Contributor — 17 copies, 1 review
Birds, Strangers and Psychos: New stories inspired by Alfred Hitchcock (2025) — Contributor — 12 copies, 1 review
Skald: The Short Story Collection: 6 Original Crime & Thriller Short Stories (2018) — Contributor — 8 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hannah, Sophie
- Birthdate
- 1971
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Beaver Road Primary School, Didsbury, England, UK
University of Manchester - Occupations
- poet
novelist - Agent
- Peter Straus (Rogers, Coleridge and White)
- Relationships
- Geras, Norman (father)
Geras, Adéle (mother) - Short biography
- Sophie Hannah is a best-selling, award-winning poet. Her latest collection, First of the Last Chances, was chosen for the Poetry Book Society's Next Generation promotion in June 2004. She regularly performs her poetry to live audiences nationwide and abroad, and recently won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her psychological suspense story The Octopus Nest. Little Face is her first psychological crime novel. Sophie lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and two children.
From Fantastic Fiction - Nationality
- England
UK - Birthplace
- Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Manchester, England, UK
West Yorkshire, England, UK
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK - Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
Sophie Hannah writes a mystery series featuring two very messed up detectives. Charlie is prone to shooting her mouth off and behaving impulsively while Simon is so repressed and angry he can barely speak. Strangely, these two work well together, although their relationship is a bit volatile. In this third installment, they aren't even working together, Charlie having transferred to another department.
A woman and her child have been found dead by the husband. It appears to be a show more murder-suicide, but questions remain. Well, while the others are eager to wrap things up, Simon has doubts. Meanwhile, another woman has had an argument with her babysitter, culminating when someone pushes her into the path of an oncoming bus. She manages to get away with only a few scrapes, but she's shaken by the encounter. She's further upset when she sees on the news the story of the murder-suicide and recognizes the name of the members of the family, but the grieving father is not the man she knew by that name. Sally Thorning is works full time and has two very small children. She's tired all the time and a bit cranky with it. She's determined to find out what's going on, but she can't tell anyone. The man claiming to be Mark Breckenridge is not the man she knew by that name and with whom she had a brief fling not that long ago.
Hannah doesn't fetishize motherhood. Her young mothers are cranky and impatient and dream of a quiet night alone. She writes somewhat like Ruth Rendell, with that dark edge, although Rendell's cops were never quite as messed up as any of the detectives here. show less
A woman and her child have been found dead by the husband. It appears to be a show more murder-suicide, but questions remain. Well, while the others are eager to wrap things up, Simon has doubts. Meanwhile, another woman has had an argument with her babysitter, culminating when someone pushes her into the path of an oncoming bus. She manages to get away with only a few scrapes, but she's shaken by the encounter. She's further upset when she sees on the news the story of the murder-suicide and recognizes the name of the members of the family, but the grieving father is not the man she knew by that name. Sally Thorning is works full time and has two very small children. She's tired all the time and a bit cranky with it. She's determined to find out what's going on, but she can't tell anyone. The man claiming to be Mark Breckenridge is not the man she knew by that name and with whom she had a brief fling not that long ago.
Hannah doesn't fetishize motherhood. Her young mothers are cranky and impatient and dream of a quiet night alone. She writes somewhat like Ruth Rendell, with that dark edge, although Rendell's cops were never quite as messed up as any of the detectives here. show less
Not My Poirot
A review of the William Morrow audiobook (October 24, 2023) narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt and released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover/eBook.
This is a postcard from Outlier Island 🏝️📨📬 combined with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.
I took a chance on this entry from Sophie Hannah's continuation series of Agatha Christie's show more detective Hercule Poirot and it was a shocking disappointment. The Poirot here was almost unrecognizable, an extreme parody, frequently talking about the "little gray cells" (rarely mentioned by Christie), being rude to women (actually saying "Shut up!") and without any of the sly humour of the originals.
I dipped my toe in at the wrong end, as this is #5 in the new series, and considered the worst by many of the other 1-star reviews. It is unbelievable that this has a 4-star average rating.
The first shock for me was that Poirot's companion is a completely new character Edward Catchpool, a Scotland Yard detective. Catchpool documents Poirot's cases in a manner similar to Captain Hastings, but with none of the obtuse delight of the latter. Poirot & Catchpool are seconded by Catchpool's domineering mother who insists that they accompany her to a decaying mansion for Christmas there to solve a 3-month old cold case in the vicinity.
The case takes a long time to get going as the guests settle in and meet the various residents who are also suspects in the murder which occurred in a nearby hospital. There is a long time spent decorating Christmas trees without any apparent investigation. Various subplots are introduced to no purpose and without resolution (e.g. Mr. Hurt-his-head, the mansion falling into the sea due to erosion, etc.). Then a second murder occurs with the same method as the first. but in the mansion itself.
The only recognizable aspect was the reveal delivered to the suspects all gathered together in a room at the conclusion. But the motive uncovered at the reveal was so unrealistic and absurd that an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ is the only option.
I listened to the audiobook edition during my December travels and I must confess my attention constantly wandered. That was probably nothing to do with the narration performance of Julian Rhind-Tutt but due to the material he had to work with.
Trivia and Link
If you want a fairly detailed recounting of the faults of this book, including a spoiler for the ending, then Anna Reads Mysteries's 1-star review is quite excellent.
I would have been tempted to mementoize* this book, except that would have been difficult to do with an audiobook while driving. But if it had been on paper I would have definitely made the jump.
Footnote
* Mementoize is an invented word as follows:
A review of the William Morrow audiobook (October 24, 2023) narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt and released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover/eBook.
“Silent night,' Poirot murmured, moving closer to Arnold Laurier's desk. 'Murderous night. All is lies. All is...'
'Blight?”
This is a postcard from Outlier Island 🏝️📨📬 combined with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.
I took a chance on this entry from Sophie Hannah's continuation series of Agatha Christie's show more detective Hercule Poirot and it was a shocking disappointment. The Poirot here was almost unrecognizable, an extreme parody, frequently talking about the "little gray cells" (rarely mentioned by Christie), being rude to women (actually saying "Shut up!") and without any of the sly humour of the originals.
I dipped my toe in at the wrong end, as this is #5 in the new series, and considered the worst by many of the other 1-star reviews. It is unbelievable that this has a 4-star average rating.
The first shock for me was that Poirot's companion is a completely new character Edward Catchpool, a Scotland Yard detective. Catchpool documents Poirot's cases in a manner similar to Captain Hastings, but with none of the obtuse delight of the latter. Poirot & Catchpool are seconded by Catchpool's domineering mother who insists that they accompany her to a decaying mansion for Christmas there to solve a 3-month old cold case in the vicinity.
The case takes a long time to get going as the guests settle in and meet the various residents who are also suspects in the murder which occurred in a nearby hospital. There is a long time spent decorating Christmas trees without any apparent investigation. Various subplots are introduced to no purpose and without resolution (e.g. Mr. Hurt-his-head, the mansion falling into the sea due to erosion, etc.). Then a second murder occurs with the same method as the first. but in the mansion itself.
The only recognizable aspect was the reveal delivered to the suspects all gathered together in a room at the conclusion. But the motive uncovered at the reveal was so unrealistic and absurd that an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ is the only option.
I listened to the audiobook edition during my December travels and I must confess my attention constantly wandered. That was probably nothing to do with the narration performance of Julian Rhind-Tutt but due to the material he had to work with.
Trivia and Link
If you want a fairly detailed recounting of the faults of this book, including a spoiler for the ending, then Anna Reads Mysteries's 1-star review is quite excellent.
I would have been tempted to mementoize* this book, except that would have been difficult to do with an audiobook while driving. But if it had been on paper I would have definitely made the jump.
Footnote
* Mementoize is an invented word as follows:
mementoizeshow less
məˈmenˌtōˈīz/
verb / neologism
Definitions:
• 1. to tell a story in reverse order, as in the film Memento (2000) by director Christopher Nolan.
“Christopher Nolan didn’t invent reverse chronology story telling, but his film title Memento is the easiest to make into a verb: mementoize."
• 2. to read a book in reverse order to finish it, especially when reading it in forward order is not very interesting or compelling.
“The book was so dull I had to mementoize it in order to get through it."
• 3. a fictitious word invented for use in book reviews by The Lone Librarian™.
I can’t resist a bargain. $10 for a paperback is a bargain to me, so I bought this copy after reading the glowing reviews for Sophie Hannah on Novel Insights. At the demise of my local Borders store, I picked up another Hannah book (why were there so many left?), thinking that if I didn’t enjoy this book, I’d give the other to my mother. No chance, I really enjoyed Hurting Distance and plan to read the entire series.
Don’t stop reading at the mention of the word ‘series’. These show more books can easily be read alone and out of sequence (like the Brock and Kolla mysteries by Barry Maitland). Although they feature the same detectives (Charlie –female- and Simon) who seem to have some on-again, off-again relationship, their relationship is only a minor part of the backstory. The focus is on the crime, and what I’ve found unique in regards to this book (and it seems, the other books in the series from a quick flick) is that they offer both the police view and the view of the victim.
Hurting Distance opens with the victim, Naomi Jenkins, reporting the disappearance of her lover Robert. As Robert’s married and only meets Naomi once a week, the police aren’t terribly interested. Naomi then tries desperately for them to recognise his disappearance by reporting a rape. Only it wasn’t Robert who raped her…or was it? The story then unfolds using alternate chapters to tell Naomi’s side of the story versus that of the police. Naomi’s not an easily likeable character and it takes the reader a while to work out what is going on in her head, but Charlie and Simon are instantly likeable.
Hannah uses both language that is lyrical and other devices (such as emails, police statements) to tell the story. In that way, she reminds me of Minette Walters but the story is original and doesn’t get bogged down the way some police procedurals do. Sure, the action does reach a crescendo as the pieces of the crime fall into place, but Hannah uses innovative details (such as Naomi being a sundial maker who once sold a font to Adobe) to make this original and very, very good.
Highly recommended! These books are also available as ebooks which I’ll probably make use of in the future.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less
Don’t stop reading at the mention of the word ‘series’. These show more books can easily be read alone and out of sequence (like the Brock and Kolla mysteries by Barry Maitland). Although they feature the same detectives (Charlie –female- and Simon) who seem to have some on-again, off-again relationship, their relationship is only a minor part of the backstory. The focus is on the crime, and what I’ve found unique in regards to this book (and it seems, the other books in the series from a quick flick) is that they offer both the police view and the view of the victim.
Hurting Distance opens with the victim, Naomi Jenkins, reporting the disappearance of her lover Robert. As Robert’s married and only meets Naomi once a week, the police aren’t terribly interested. Naomi then tries desperately for them to recognise his disappearance by reporting a rape. Only it wasn’t Robert who raped her…or was it? The story then unfolds using alternate chapters to tell Naomi’s side of the story versus that of the police. Naomi’s not an easily likeable character and it takes the reader a while to work out what is going on in her head, but Charlie and Simon are instantly likeable.
Hannah uses both language that is lyrical and other devices (such as emails, police statements) to tell the story. In that way, she reminds me of Minette Walters but the story is original and doesn’t get bogged down the way some police procedurals do. Sure, the action does reach a crescendo as the pieces of the crime fall into place, but Hannah uses innovative details (such as Naomi being a sundial maker who once sold a font to Adobe) to make this original and very, very good.
Highly recommended! These books are also available as ebooks which I’ll probably make use of in the future.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less
No one WOULD do that - except for Sally Lambert, dog mom supreme and otherwise delightful, if extremely eccentric, resident of the bucolic Cambridgeshire hamlet Swaffham Tilney, where she practices "enjollification". She has both a day praise song and a night praise song for her Welsh terrier Champ, and all is mostly well until a strange woman stands outside Sally's home, Shoe Cottage, sobbing hysterically. This leads to the Lambert family's desperate flight to save Champ, who has NOT bitten show more the sobbing woman or her daughter, Lesley and Tess Gavey, despite what the police think. With her media-savvy children Tobey and Rhee, her reluctant husband Mark, and her almost-a-billionaire friend Corrine in tow (or, in Corrine's case, towing), the depravity of the Gaveys is revealed, along with the whereabouts of the beloved deceased dog Furbert Herbert Lambert . The plot is twisty and challenging, and the subplots, especially one about a violent feud within an Agatha Christie book club, very amusing, and there's a bang-up ending. I did read it twice for full effect. show less
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