The Guilty Couple: The must-read Richard & Judy Book Club pick for 2023 from the Sunday Times million-copy crime thriller bestseller

It’s always hard to review these types of thrillers without spoiling anything, but I will try!Cally Taylor has once again produced another thriller of the highest quality. It has her usual trademarks - a small pool of charge Tera, a story told from different perspectives, a mystery to uncover and a whole lid of surprises along the wayThis time the protagonists/antagonists are a husband and wife (or ex as the case may be); a police officer who links the two both personally and professionally; and a selection of their friends, some mutual others not.The story is, as always, extremely well written and engaging. CL Taylor has a real way with words, a flair for similes and analogies that keep the pace going whilst making things relatable and adding a touch of humour. The story is perhaps more mysterious than gripping - aside from the real moments, I found it more intriguing than the normal levelOf intensity her novels have. That’s not a bad thing, but the time frame for needing a resolution for Olivia is brought in relatively late in the game, so the overall tension starts from that point.Again, not wanting to give away any spoilers, but my only small gripe would be that perhaps the peripheral characters aren’t quite as developed as in other novels and so when the twists kicked in I wasn’t quite as shocked as I felt I should be. One character also just has a really tragic arc throughout which is rather miserable!But overall it’s still superb and if you like The Lie/Strangers/Her last holiday/Sleep etc you will love this. It also has tv mini series written all over it!!

Olivia Sutherland is on trial for plotting to murder her husband, Dominic, and is awaiting the jury’s verdict. Though she maintains her innocence, she is found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. Five years later, Olivia is finally released. Her priority is rebuilding her relationship with her daughter, Grace, but she also has two other goals: prove her innocence and bring down the man who framed her - her husband. But Dominic’s lies run far deeper than Olivia ever imagined and this time she is at risk of losing more than her freedom… I’m a big fan of C. L. Taylor but it’s been a minute since I read one of her books, so I was excited to start The Guilty Couple. And what a return to her books it was! Intriguing, compelling and suspenseful, I was hooked from the first pages and flew through it in under a day. It’s been a reminder of why I love her books so much and am now pushing some of her unread backlist higher up my TBR. Adultery, conspiracy to murder, false incriminations, injustice, betrayal, and even tween angst. This book has them all. It is a messy minefield that is ripe for conflict and suspicion, which the author skillfully explores to unearth as much tension, animosity, and distrust as possible. And as if all of that wasn’t enough, there is also the sense of something underlying; something sinister burrowed deeper underground than any of us can see which adds to the sense of foreboding (I’m looking at you, Dom). The clues are drip-fed slowly to keep the reader guessing but as things spin further out of control there is a sense of urgency that makes your heart race. It was also hard to predict and I didn’t see the truth until it was right in front of me despite my many different theories and suspicions. This is multi-narrative storytelling at its best. Ms. Taylor uses the various narrators to increase the tension and keep the reader on the edge of their seats, creating that perfect balance between giving us more information than the characters and holding enough back to keep our attention. The characters are all complicated, flawed and conflicted, with some being more likeable and sympathetic than others, and the background characters are as richly drawn, captivating, and vital to the story as the narrators. Olivia is a great protagonist because she isn’t perfect. She also isn’t immune to making foolish or reckless decisions that made me want to jump into the book and shake her. But we can see that her bad decisions are driven by sheer desperation, wanting to clear her name, and to get vengeance for what was taken from her. It doesn’t make it right, but it does make it more understandable and she was easy to root for. I also loved her relationship with Smithy, her former cellmate. I had a real soft sport for this character despite her many flaws and loved the bond between the two women. When it comes to deplorable characters, there is no one more abhorrent in this book than Dominic. God, I hated that man! Alarm bells rang quickly and I didn’t trust this slippery weasel of a man. Ruthless, cunning and vindictive, he made me so angry every time he was on the page and I couldn't wait for him to get his comeuppance, especially because of how arrogant he was about everything he did. Intricately woven, enmeshed in drama, and nail-bitingly tense, The Guilty Couple is a riveting thriller you won’t be able to put down.

I love C.L. Taylor’s novels, so when her new book, The Guilty Couple dropped through my letterbox, I was desperate to open it up and read it straight away. Her latest book is a rollercoaster of a read and I was gripped from the first page. I had to get to the bottom of what was really going on with her new cast of characters.We meet Olivia Sutherland, who has just been released from prison, after serving years for a murder which her husband, Dominic helped framed her for. As well as trying to rebuild her life and her relationship with her daughter, she is out to get revenge on her husband for framing her for a crime she didn’t commit.I immediately connected to Olivia and her situation. It was so intriguing. How could her husband do this to her? I was rooting for her to get justice from page one. I really wanted to know why Dominic had Olivia framed all those years ago, and I really didn’t like him as I was reading, especially as C.L. Taylor delved more into his character, and what he has been up to since Olivia was sent to prison.You can really see how desperate Olivia is to rebuild her relationship with her daughter, and I felt sorry for her as her daughter rebuked her. I did find myself shaking my head though, at some of the reckless decisions Olivia was making, in order to try and get closer to her daughter. But this adds to the tension in the novel as you have no idea how things are going to pan out for Olivia. Will she get the justice she deserves or will she end up back in prison because of a mistake on her part? Olivia has to make some big decisions as to how far she is willing to go to get her relationship with her daughter back on track, and get justice.I really liked her friendship with her fellow inmate who has also been released from prison. I loved the scenes when it was the two of them together, and I thought the dialogue between them was done really well. There was real tension here as well, as Olivia relied on her for back up, and I felt that she was putting both of them in danger. I was glad that Olivia had her friend around as she had no one who she could trust or rely on.The Guilty Couple is an utterly addictive read. C.L. Taylor’s novels always have such a gripping quality to them, and I flew through her latest book. If you’re looking for a tense thriller with taut writing and characters who you’ll root for, then you need to pick up this book.

This is a fast moving book with lots of twists & turns! Will read another from this author, great book!

I haven't read the book yet, however, the book came in excellent condition. There was NO odor for being a used book. It arrived very fast. Thank you seller! Cheers

So boring with this drivel i binned it. Got more interesting books to read

Thank you Ms Taylor for an enjoyable escape. I really liked it. The last 80 odd pages were hard to put down.Some friends who read a lot stayed with us for a few days recently. One saw me turning the pages of this book and so went and bought this and another from the author on Kindle. He reported the next morning he'd already read 10 chapters.

I wasn't sure I'd like this, expections were quite low but boy it was gripping, fast paced and had me searching hard through names trying to work out who the mysterious person on the burner phone was. I never saw that one coming.The twists at the end just keep coming. I'll be looking at this author's other work for sure.