It is a gorgeous sunny morning in Dubai, but readers know there is always darkness lurking beneath the surface. In this episode the Emirates Literature Foundation team talk about sneaky, manipulative, and secretive behaviours.

Andrea and Annabelle are joined by Maham for a quick book recommendation, before internationally bestselling writer of crime fiction, Sophie Hannah, comes on to talk about her latest book, her characters, and her love of luxury spas.

Books and authors:

Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeny

Twisty enough to make your head spin, nothing is what it seems in this domestic noir. read it now before the TV show starring Sarah Michelle Gellar comes out.

The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy

A family drama or a textbook of morality? Maham recommends a favourite read where each of the characters have secrets to hide.

The Couple at the Table, by Sophie Hannah

Six couples. One luxury resort. And the perfect murder.

A woman on her honeymoon receives a note warning her about the couple at the table next to hers, but all the tables are the same distance from each other. Who would write this note, and what does it mean?

Sophie Hannah is the master of outlandish and impossible mysteries, and in this podcast she explains how she plots her novels, and how she found inspiration in the works of Agatha Christie, even before she began writing Poirot novels.