The Opposite of Murder 🔪

By Sophie Hannah.

The Opposite of Murder is a brilliantly unsettling book built around one of the most chilling premises imaginable.

What if the only way to stop a murder was to confess to it?

Sophie Hannah takes this idea and turns it into a psychological puzzle that is tense, intelligent and utterly absorbing.

Jemma Stelling walks into a police station and calmly confesses to a murderous obsession with Marianne Cass, describing in detail how she plans to kill her. When Marianne is later found murdered in exactly the way Jemma described, the case becomes impossible to untangle.

Jemma could not have committed the crime, yet her confession seems to predict it perfectly. The question of whether she is innocent or a master manipulator drives the story forward with relentless intensity.

This is not a book that relies on violence for impact. Instead, it thrives on ambiguity, obsession and the discomfort of never knowing who or what to trust. Hannah’s writing is sharp and controlled, and every chapter deepens the sense of unease. The pacing is expertly handled, always keeping you just off balance enough to doubt your own assumptions.

Jemma is a fascinating central character. She is opaque, compelling and deeply unsettling, and the reader is drawn into her confession almost against their will. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and intimate, making you feel complicit in the act of listening and judging.

The Opposite of Murder is an ingenious and deeply disturbing book that explores guilt, truth and the dangerous power of obsession. Elegant, eerie and impossible to put down, it is psychological suspense at its finest.

Thank you Alainna and the team at Hodder & Stoughton for running this book-tour! The book is out now and available to purchase.

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