A retro-style poster features a man sitting on a patterned couch reading a newspaper. Large text reads "Coffee & Crime" and smaller text says "Join our monthly book club!" with a coffee cup logo. Ornate orange background.
Lounge & Simon & Schuster

Coffee & Crime Book Club

Lounge is teaming up with Simon & Schuster to bring you the Coffee & Crime Book Club, in collaboration with The Likely Suspects, their crime and thriller novel-loving community.

Each month, we’ll be choosing a Book of the Month to spotlight, with exciting giveaways on our socials to get your own physical or audiobook copy of the novel, as well as interviews with the author and the chance to discover your next favourite read.

And if you want to purchase the book through the links on this page, the money will go to a local bookstore based on your delivery address, so you’ll be giving back to your local community!

August’s pick is What Happened That Night by Nicci French, bestselling author of the Frieda Klein series and Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?. Click the link below to purchase, or scroll down to find out a bit more about the book.

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A person wearing a red cardigan and striped shirt holds the book "What Happened That Night" by Nicci French, which features an illustration of a house on the cover.
A hand holds the book "What Happened That Night" by Nicci French in a cozy café with plants, warm lights, and colorful cushions visible in the background.
August's Book - By Nikki French

What Happened That Night

Some friendships don’t survive the truth.

Nearly thirty years ago, Tyler Green was convicted of killing his university friend Leo Bauer. Now, newly released from prison, he is determined to face the past – and the friends who were there the night everything changed.

But when one of them is found dead soon after their reunion, suspicion falls immediately on Tyler. If he killed once, surely he could kill again. As Detective Maud O’Connor investigates, the truth about that night begins to unravel – revealing secrets no one wanted exposed. Can Tyler ever truly escape his past, or is history about to repeat itself?

Taut, atmospheric, and psychologically razor-sharp, What Happened That Night confirms Nicci French as a master of suspense.

Eight friends. One reunion. Two bodies.

What Happened That Night
A man in glasses and a blue shirt stands beside a woman with short hair in a red patterned blouse. They are both facing the camera and smiling slightly against a plain gray background.

Nikki French

Q & A With The Author

Every great mystery has a beginning. What was the very first seed of an idea for What Happened Last Night?

Every reunion is close to a horror story. Old friends meet after decades apart, and amid all the celebrations and hugs, they’re forced to confront the reality of their lives. Who’s succeeded? Who’s failed? It felt like an irresistible beginning to a psychological thriller.

Sum up What Happened Last Night in three words…

Friendship, regret, murder.

What (food, drink) fuels your writing sessions?

Freshly ground coffee and tea throughout the day, then wine – red and white – in the evening.

What crime novel would you always pick up if you saw it in a Lounge Library?

I will choose two: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie and Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow.

What Happened That Night & Nikki French

What others are saying

‘A pedal-to-the-metal white-knuckle thrill-ride that leaves you wrung out and breathless from sheer exhilaration.’ – Christopher Brookmyre, author of many ‘Tartan Noir’ novels

“French always excels at depicting an ordinary life swept away by horror” – The Observer

“No one does the dark distortions of good intentions like Nicci French.” – Cara Hunter, author of the DI Adam Hawley series

 

A person in a blue-striped sweater holds the book "Body of Lies" by Jo Callaghan with a pink cover, above a worn wooden floor with various colored squares.
A woman lounges in sunglasses, sipping from a yellow mug and reading "Deception" by Jack Jordan at a café, seated at a table with a yellow patterned tablecloth.
A book titled "A Plot to Die For" by Ardal O'Hanlon stands on a checkered table beside a yellow cup of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, and pink marshmallows.
Previous Books - July 2026

Body of Lies - Jo Callaghan

CS Kat Frank returns to the Future Policing Unit to investigate a murdered MP… with a cryptic binary message pointing directly at her. As she works alongside AIDE Lock, an AI detective she doesn’t fully trust, the case explodes into a cyberattack on the National Grid and a search for a killer always one step ahead.

In a world of deepfakes and digital deception, Kat must confront whether she can trust AI itself, and whether Lock is solving the crime or orchestrating something far more dangerous.

Jo Callaghan is an award-winning Sunday Times bestselling author, known for the sensational In the Blink of an Eye.

Body of Lies
Previous Books - June 2026

Deception

A deadly game. The ultimate price. The Chain meets Squid Game meets Emily the Criminal in this pulse-pounding new thriller from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.

Emma and Miles are out of options. Their son needs life-saving transplant surgery, but in a world of privatised healthcare and impossible costs, they can’t afford it. Then comes the offer: a shadowy syndicate known only as The Levels promises them the exact amount of money they need. All they must do is complete a series of tasks.

The catch? Each task is a crime. As the competition intensifies and they struggle under the weight of their choices, they’re faced with the ultimate question – how far would you go to save the one you love?

Jordan is a global bestselling author of various thrillers, including Redemption, Conviction, and Do No Harm, with Conviction being adapted into a Disney+ series starring Elisabeth Moss in 2027.

Deception
Previous Books - May 2026

A Plot To Die For

One of Ireland’s best-loved actors and comedians has written a new book! Known for his roles in Father Ted, Taskmaster, Derry Girls, Death in Paradise and many more, Ardal O’Hanlon has turned his pen to a brand new mystery, A Plot to Die For.

Set in a small Irish town, celebrity gardener Finn O’Leary returns to his hometown to care for his ageing mother and is roped into the Tidy Towns competition… and a murder investigation.

When an alto-baritone at his mother’s choir practice drops dead, Finn sets out to discover who has brought murder to Abbeyford alongside his mother, her carer Happiness and his best friend’s sister Aoife.

A Plot to Die For is the perfect book for readers who enjoy the warmth of Graham Norton and the mystery of Death in Paradise, all wrapped up in one small Irish town.

Small town Ireland, big time murder..

A Plot to Die For
A middle-aged woman with blonde hair, wearing a light pink sweater, stands indoors in front of a white wall next to a bookshelf, smiling softly at the camera.
A person with short, light hair wearing a dark blazer and light shirt poses against a plain, dark background, looking confidently at the camera in a black and white portrait.
A man with short brown hair wearing a dark blue button-up shirt stands against a light blue background, resting his chin on his fist and looking at the camera with a thoughtful expression.

Previous Author Q&As

Jo Callaghan

Every great mystery has a beginning. What was the very first seed of an idea for the Kat & Lock series?

I wanted to write a crime novel, but I couldn’t think of something different from a pretty crowded market. Then in 2017, for my work I was researching the potential impact of AI on the future workforce, and I suddenly thought, I wonder if you could have an AI Detective? I carried out some initial research, and learnt that police forces were already experimenting with AI, raising important questions about whether decisions should be made using algorithms or gut instinct, the strengths and limitations of AI and the value that only humans can add. This gave me the idea to pair DCS Kat Frank with the world’s first AI Detective AIDE Lock, allowing me to explore issues of love, loss and ultimately what it means to be human.

Sum up Body of Lies in three words…

Shocking, scary and emotional (Lock would probably point out that is four words…)

What (food, drink) fuels your writing sessions?

Lots of tea! I love tea, but it needs to be scalding hot, in a big mug with sugar-free soya milk. I am not a big snacker when I am writing (too messy!), but if I am in the zone I often skip lunch, and then something like fig rolls or coconut macaroons are great because they are quite filling and can keep me going until dinner.

What crime novel would you always pick up if you saw it in a Lounge Library?

Aargh, what a hard question! I would probably pick them all up, but if I had to say one it would probably be When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. I have read this at least 5 times. I love the Jackson Brodie series, but this has it all: a teenage ‘detective’ called Reggie, dogs, missing people, lots of humour and a huge emotional impact. In fact, writing this has made me want to read it all over again…

Jack Jordan

Ardal O'Hanlon

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VAT On Kid's Menus Reduced to 5%

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As part of the UK government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, VAT charged on our Little Loungers’ menu has dropped from the usual 20% down to 5% from 25th June until 1st September 2026. Please see our web menus for our new lower prices for this summer.