Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah was born on June 28th, 1971 and is currently 54 years old. Sophie Hannah was born in Manchester, England. Hannah attended University of Manchester.
Sophie Hannah is the author of the Zailer & Waterhouse Mysteries series which currently consists of 14 novels. The Zailer & Waterhouse Mysteries series started in 2006 with the novel Little Face. The most recently released novel in the Zailer & Waterhouse Mysteries series was The Opposite of Murder which was released in 2026. There are no upcoming novels for the Zailer & Waterhouse Mysteries series.
Sophie Hannah has also written the Short Story Collections series which has 12 books including Second Helping of Your Heart and The Hero and the Girl Next Door.
At the Trinity College in Cambridge, Sophie was a Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts. Following that, the thriller writer was at Wolfson College in Oxford where she was a junior research follow.
The Poetry Book Society listed Sophie as one of the
Next Generation Poets in 2004, and many of her poems are studied at high schools and at degree level throughout the UK.
Sophie has also worked as a translator, and translated some picture books for kids from Swedish to English. The Moomin picture books series, written by
Tove Jansson, were translated by Sophie.
The family and estate of
Agatha Christie gave Sophie their blessing to write more novels in the Poirot series.
Sophie helps out aspiring authors by running a coaching program for them, called the
Dream Author Coaching Program.
Her story story,
The Octopus Nest, won the short story competition award at the Daphne Du Maurier Festival in 2004. This short story can be found in the short story collection
The Fantastic Book of Everybody's Secrets.
Like many people who grew up in the UK, Sophie was an early reader thanks to
Enid Blyton. She was a big fan of the
Secret Seven series which got her into mystery novels and stories.
Sophie Hannah: Awards & Accolades
Hannah's book, The Carrier won the British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, in 2013.
Sophie Hannah books have also been nominated for multiple awards, Pessimism for Beginners was nominated for the T.S. Eliot Foundation Awards, T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, in 2007. The Other Half Lives / The Dead Lie Down was nominated for the Barry Award, Best Paperback Original, in 2011. A Room Swept White / The Cradle in the Grave was nominated for the CrimeFest, eDunnit Award, in 2011. Kind of Cruel was nominated for the British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, in 2012. Lasting Damage / The Other Woman\'s House was nominated for the Barry Award, Best Paperback Original, in 2013. The Monogram Murders was nominated for the British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, in 2014.
Sophie Hannah: Lists & Other Mentions
- Perfect Little Children / Haven't They Grown was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2020 Winter Pick.
- How to Hold a Grudge was a Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2019.
- Little Face was a The Guardian: 50 Great Thrillers by Women Selection in 2019 and a The Sunday Times: The 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945 Selection in 2019.
Sophie Hannah: TV/Movies Based on Books
The UK crime drama TV show Case Sensitive was based on the novel The Point of Rescue. The two part drama starred Darren Boyd playing the role of DC Simon Waterhouse, and Olivia Williams as DS Zailer. This initially aired in 2011 on ITV.
The following year, the two actors returned for a second mini-series. This one was based on the novel The Other Half Lives. Both series garnered high TV ratings.
Sophie penned the novel The Understudy alongside authors such as B A Paris. This book was the basis for a podcast series called Dublerka in Poland.
Sophie also co-wrote a murder mystery musical, titled The Mystery of Mr E. which is being made into a movie.
Related Authors
Fans of Sophie Hannah also enjoy these authors:
- Blake Pierce, author of the Riley Paige Mystery Series.
- Gilly Macmillan, author of the DI Jim Clemo Series.
- Alison Gaylin, author of the Sunny Randall Series.
- Rachel Howzell Hall, author of: They All Fall Down.
- Mark Edwards, author of: Here to Stay.
- Angie Kim, author of: Miracle Creek.
- Paula Hawkins, author of: The Girl on the Train.
- Peter Swanson, author of the Henry Kimball / Lily Kintner Series.
- Michael Robotham, author of the Cyrus Haven Series.
- Alafair Burke, author of: The Ex.
Sophie Hannah: F.A.Q
When was Sophie Hannah Born? How old is Sophie Hannah?
Sophie Hannah was born on June 28th, 1971. Sophie Hannah is currently 54 years old.
Where was Sophie Hannah Born?
Sophie Hannah was born in Manchester, England and is English.
What book awards has Sophie Hannah won?
Hannah's book, The Carrier won the award British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, in 2013.
What was the first book Sophie Hannah wrote?
The first book written by Sophie Hannah was Carrot the Goldfish, published in 1992.
What was the most recent book Sophie Hannah wrote?
Her most recently released work was The Opposite of Murder on January 29th, 2026.
What is the most popular book by Sophie Hannah?
Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Sophie Hannah book is
The Monogram Murders. Here are her most popular books:
- The Monogram Murders (7)
- Closed Casket (6.7)
- The Mystery of Three Quarters (6.11)
- Perfect Little Children / Haven't They Grown (7.6)
- The Killings at Kingfisher Hill (7)
Are there upcoming new books by Sophie Hannah?
Sophie Hannah does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
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How many books has Sophie Hannah written?
Sophie Hannah has written 52 books excluding contributions to anthologies. 14 books in the Zailer & Waterhouse Mysteries Series, 6 books in the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries Series, 10 Standalone Novels, 3 Short Stories/Novellas, 12 Short Story Collections, 3 books in the Picture Books, 2 Non-Fiction Books, 3 Collections.
How many Hercule Poirot books has Sophie Hannah written?
See the list above which is always updated with any new Hercule Poirot books by Sophie as soon as they are available for purchase.
Did the Agatha Christie Family approach Sophie about writing the Hercule Poirot novels?
No. Sophie answered this on the website Goodreads. The Agatha Christie estate were exploring the idea of a new novel, and as Sophie was a big fan of Christie, her agent mentioned that to them. A meeting took place, and it all fell into place from there.