The Other Couple

by Claire McGowan

A relationship on the rocks. A body on the beach. A secret they can't escape.

For Beth and Vince, on the brink of a break-up, their island getaway was a last-ditch attempt to save their crumbling marriage. Instead, it’s left them with a haunting the discovery of a young woman’s body on the beach, and Vince’s arrest by suspicious local police. Now back in London after an alibi freed him, they’re desperate to move on—until a familiar face from that terrible night reappears on their street. One they hoped never to see again.

Detective Alison Hegarty was on the scene too, drawn into the case during what was meant to be a relaxing babymoon. Now she’s also back in London, heavily pregnant but in a race against impending maternity leave. Can she unravel the lies that connect the holiday murder, a long-ago crime and a new suspicious fall?

As Beth and Vince are forced to face up to the choices they made that night—and the lies they’ve told one another—one thing seems you can run away from your secrets, but the truth will always find you.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Psychological

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 24, 2026

About the author

Claire McGowan grew up in a small village in Northern Ireland. After a degree in English and French from Oxford University she moved to London and worked in the charity sector. THE FALL is her first novel, which is followed by a series starring forensic psychologist Paula Maguire. She also writes as Eva Woods.

Reviews

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun popcorn thriller. I loved the island setting. Three couples on vacation, when a murder happens. One of them is a suspect, then released. When they go back to London, they reconnect. But they are being investigated about what went down. I loved the detective's POV. This was twisty and kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh! I feel horrible giving a below-par review, but this book was a huge miss for me. The story was extremely slow and dragged to the point of boredom. I had to keep putting it down due to lack of interest. It took me about four days to finish it, which is highly unusual for me. Somewhere around the halfway point, Beth's 'then' POV started all over again, repeating everything from the beginning but with a few more details that were purposely left out. These many chapters could have been summed up into one or two instead of dragging the story out with unnecessary filler. And since I could not relate to her overly weak character at all, this was very painful for me. I also didn't understand why the author provided us with the POV of Him. Yes, it was a mysterious addition to the plot, but it immediately called out the guilty party for not being any of the characters that were under suspicion. This completely ruined the element of surprise for me. I did like DI Hegarty's role, as always, and will continue to be a fan. Overall, the first half of this book held promise with the exception of Him, but the second half was a total letdown. Some other readers seemed to have really enjoyed it, so I would recommend only to form your own opinions. I'm hoping that the author's next book hits the mark for me.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

[Stacey (Bookalorian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review - Fiction - ALC Audiobook - Psychological thriller - crime fiction

Title: The Other Couple by Claire McGowan

⭐ Star Rating: 3.75 🎯 Vibe Check: PASS

This book felt like… a beach read had a baby with a thriller.

I was hooked… when the vacation noir themes came to light!! Me loves a good noir read.

Did I care about the characters? I liked Alison and the fact she was pregnant made her softer to me. The rest of them…. NOOOOOOO


Tropes included: Relationship on the rocks, unreliable narrators, perfect couple facade, vacation nightmare.

Did they deliver? Yeah they were definitely there. I didn’t find the perfect couple lies came across as well as it should have because the cracks were always there even in the lie.

Narration star rating and feelings.. 4 stars well narrated!

It is a quick and satisfying paced thriller.

This book made me feel: tense… kept on my toes…

This book might make you: binge it… Its got the pace going for it.

What Worked: The twists were solid! I was impressed with how well they were executed. It was easy to read, almost a popcorn thriller with a bit more depth.

What didn’t work: The pacing in the flashbacks… It was supposed to bring us down, it is a normal thriller tactic but it didn’t work for me. Too many red herrings.

Perfect for readers who love….. Lisa Jewell, Louise Candlish and Freida McFadden… If you love books set in a resort.. This is a win.

🚫 Not for readers who dislike… The pregnacy subplot was a bit much so if you don’t like that… SKIP Or books that don’t give you clues towards the reveal.

😈 Petty Complaint… I could have used a more linear timeline. BIt messy in spots.

All in all decent!
Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy.
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[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve tried picking up a few of Claire McGowan’s books over the years, but never managed to get past the first handful of chapters. After finally finishing The Other Couple, I think I’ve come to accept that McGowan’s writing style and my reading style just don’t quite mesh.

That said, the premise itself really intrigued me. The idea of a couple trying to move on from a dark vacation incident while the past slowly creeps back into their lives had a lot of potential. This one definitely leans into the slow-burn mystery side of crime fiction, with the story gradually unfolding through multiple perspectives and timelines.

I ended up listening to the audiobook, which helped me get through the story. If I had been reading a physical copy, I’m not sure I would have stuck with it all the way to the end. While this one ultimately wasn’t the best fit for me, I can easily see it working better for readers who enjoy slower-paced, methodical crime mysteries.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Other Couple by Claire McGowan is a psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of fast-paced, short-chapter reads. Told through the alternating perspectives of Beth, Alison, and an unnamed male character (“Him”), the narrative keeps the reader guessing as secrets unravel between two couples brought together by circumstance.

The multiple POVs offer a layered view of the story, and the short chapters make it easy to fly through the book. For readers who enjoy switching perspectives and keeping track of different voices, this format is a definite plus.

The main body of the book is engaging, with some strong moments of tension and intrigue. While the plot occasionally drags in places, it mostly holds your attention and builds anticipation for the resolution.

Unfortunately, the ending is where the story falters. It feels rushed and attempts to tie up multiple loose ends too quickly, which undermines some of the suspense built throughout the novel. The final chapters could have benefited from more depth and a slower pace to do justice to the complex threads woven earlier.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the ARC

[Lauren Howells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please stop using ‘solar plexus’ - it’s too complicated a word to repeat like 15 times

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorbet.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the murder book I have been reading. I can see this turned into a film.
This is the most fabulous twisted thriller I have read in a longtime.

When you go on holiday it meant to be the most relaxing enjoyable time. Three couples are on holiday in Tenerife. One couple is Detective Alison Hegarty. Beth and Vince find a dead woman on the beach. Spanish police arrest Vince.

Back in London although detective Alison Hegarty is heavily pregnant she won't stop until she has solved the murder investigation. Beth and Vince and the other couple Joel and Corinna all have their own secrets

[Amy K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending missed the mark

This one was mediocre. It felt like the goal was to hit the "big twist." In reality the ending fell flat and the perpetrator left me feeling cheated.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Claire McGowan and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC. Unfortunately, this book was underwhelming. The characters were not relatable or likeable and the story itself was a bit far-fetched. Multiple POVs generally work well, but the frequent switch in timeline made it somewhat hard to follow at times. The ending was the most disapppinting - it felt like you were about to finish a 1000 piece puzzle and tried jamming a piece into the last section just to make it fit, when it doesn’t - at all. 2 star rating as I was able to finish the book.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 kept me hooked!

[Naomi Coupland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this dragged on a little bit and the ending was a bit of a disappointment

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This flits between POVs and time periods, and whilst I like both narrative devices, I know some people (my mother included) would struggle with it. Honestly, I did struggle more than I normally do but I did get to grips with it and from then on it was seamless.

I started reding it one evening and after about 90 minutes I was halfway through, it was so absorbing. And I devoured the second half as soon as I woke up the next day.

You have six main characters, some nicer than others, and some with bigger roles than others, but they're all well written. You're not sure who to trust and whose side you're meant to be on. Everyone becomes a suspect and you end up tying yourself in knots trying to figure it out.

It is fast-paced and tense, multi-layered with so much depth to it. There's twists and turns and surprises and it really keeps you on your toes.

I have always been notoriously terrible at working out thrillers and whodunnits, but even I was surprised by the reveal in this. I had my suspicions that kept changing throughout but I didn't see the ending coming.

The chapters are short (which I like) and snappy and fast-paced which helps add to the manic nature of the characters and the situation.

The one thing I'm not sure of is the ending. I mean, I didn't see it coming, which is good in a thriller. But it also seemed to come out of the blue and it was all done in a handful of pages, like something needed to be tied up but she didn't quite know how.. I liked it, don't get me wrong, the ending was good, I just wish it had been drip fed slightly earlier so it felt like part of the main story instead of just this added-on end.

This is my second of Claire's books I've read, the first being This Could Be Us, which is as far away from a thriller as you can get. Thrillers are my most read genre and I will definitely be putting Clare's name on my list of thriller writers to look out for.

[Tracy ann Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author's books; you can always count on a twisty, addictive read. Alison and her husband Tom, both police officers, are on holiday in Tenerife, taking a break before their baby arrives. Beth and Vince are also staying at the same hotel. One morning, Vince discovers a dead woman on the beach, and Alison gets involved in the case, much to the annoyance of the Spanish police. When they return to London, their lives become intertwined. It's a fantastic read with plenty of twists!

[Chrissie Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and very easy thriller to get through. I really enjoyed the destination setting and the sense of unease that comes from placing a group of strangers together in a holiday resort where everyone seems to be hiding something.

The story follows three couples staying in Lanzarote. Beth and Vince are there on a make or break holiday, trying to salvage a marriage that already feels like it is hanging by a thread. Alison and Tom are both police officers enjoying a babymoon before their lives change forever. Then there is Corinna and Joel, a glamorous influencer couple who seem to be living a very curated version of their lives online.

When Ana, the resort’s lounge singer, is found dead one morning, the holiday takes a much darker turn and suddenly everyone’s memories, motives and relationships come under scrutiny.

I really liked the structure of the story. The narrative shifts between Beth and Alison across different timelines, alongside chapters from a mysterious “him” whose identity slowly unfolds. Claire McGowan is very good at keeping the reader guessing and the twists and turns definitely kept me engaged.

What surprised me most was how invested I became in Beth and Vince’s failing marriage. The tension between them felt very real and I found myself more interested in the reasons behind their dynamic than the actual murder mystery. Learning more about their history and how they had reached this breaking point was genuinely compelling.

While the chapters from “him” did add an extra layer of suspense, I do think the ending let this aspect down a little and it did not land quite the way I hoped it would.

I also felt that some of the decisions made by the main characters did not always track with the personalities we had been shown earlier in the book, which pulled me out of the story at times.

Overall this was an entertaining and bingeable read with a great setting and plenty of twists. It just did not fully stick the landing for me.

[Lu thrillskillsandchills · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had such a strong setup — a couple on the brink, a holiday to fix things, and then a dead body on the beach. Straight away I was in.

But somewhere in the middle it just… lost me.

The pacing dipped quite a bit and I found my attention drifting, which isn’t something I expect with a premise like this. I kept waiting for it to ramp back up or deliver something that really hooked me again, but it never quite got there.

I also struggled to connect with the characters. Beth and Vince both felt a bit flat to me, and without that emotional investment, the tension didn’t hit the way it should have.

It’s one of those books I didn’t hate, but also didn’t feel particularly compelled by — I finished it because I wanted to see how it all came together, not because I couldn’t put it down.

A solid enough domestic suspense, but it didn’t quite deliver on the potential of its premise for me.

[Annemarie O'Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning whodunnit.

I loved this. It had all the elements I love in a good mystery. It was so well written.

Beth and Vince are on holiday when they are befriended by a couple of influencers. A woman ends up dead at the resort. Detective Alison and her partner Tom are also at the resort.

It’s told across 2 timelines. It’s so good! It’s perfect to read on holidays

[Cynth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining thriller. A holiday that goes wrong, a murder and couple dramas. I loved the character of Alison who is a very pregnant detective determined to solve a murder. I would recommend. It had short chapters and a fast pace!

[Caitlin Bunting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fast paced and kept me hooked. This would be the perfect read for your summer vacation as it’s giving poolside reading. I still enjoyed this one even though it’s constantly raining outside 🤣

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Alison as a character but all the others fell flat for me. A decent thriller with a few twists and turns but the ending was a bit of a let down. Overall I enjoyed it but mainly because of Alison being awesome.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst I enjoyed the story and the short chapters, virtually every scene is retold from the viewpoint of each character present at the time. This meant that it was incredibly slow paced - crawling along to an ending that left me feeling cheated.

[Readwritedesign · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew I was missing a cop mystery in my life? This one had me hooked from the start... a death while on holiday! So many twists and turns, loved it.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and intriguing story, but it was quite complicated at times. The backwards and forwards time line was sometimes hard to follow. Not sure about some of the literary techniques, but overall it was a good read.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this psych thriller, and am a fan of this author! It was a little slow and repetitive at times, but the story and characters were good! 7/10.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Karis Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on audiobook, fast paced twisty turny book!

[JoyLynn Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. Slow moving. The main two couples you think one of them did it, only to find out it was someone else that wasn’t even in the storyline. So disappointed.

[Simone Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, read in a few days

[Cam Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a page turner and I found myself picking it up often! However the ending was disappointing. It felt unfinished and rushed

[A Bookworm Crafts · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Other Couple, Beth and Vince take a last-ditch holiday to an island resort in the hope of saving their crumbling marriage. Instead, they find a young woman’s body on the beach and Vince is swiftly arrested by the local police. Although an alibi eventually clears him, the shock follows them home to London, especially when someone connected to that night reappears in their neighbourhood. Meanwhile, Detective Alison Hegarty, who was also at the resort at the same time cannot let the case go. Back in London and heavily pregnant, she continues to investigate.

This was an enjoyable holiday thriller. The multiple POVs and dual timelines worked well for me and the short chapters made it very easy to race through the book. I really liked the character of Alison, her persistence and the added pressure of her pregnancy which gave some of her sections a real sense of urgency. That said, I did feel a little let down by the big reveal at the end, which didn’t quite land with the punch I was hoping for and felt slightly rushed.

A recommended read for fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian McAllister.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.