First Line: Dear Netflix, My name is Dominic Eastwood and I'm a big fan of your true-crime documentaries.
Pub owners Sue and Mal Eastwood have revived their isolated rural pub called The Case Is Altered by featuring a weekly trivia game. Then strange things begin to happen. A body is found in a nearby river, and regulars are outraged when a new quiz team appears every week and comes in first. Every. Single. Time.
But the body and the mysterious quiz team aren't the only mysteries at The Case Is Altered. Sue and Mal Eastwood have their own secret, and their past may have finally caught up with them.
Five years later, the pub is derelict, and their nephew Dominic is determined to make a documentary about their story. What really happened at the pub? Does a single question really have the power to kill?
~
Author Janice Hallett is proving herself to be a queen of the plot-driven mystery. As a character-driven reader, I tend to steer clear of these mysteries, but Hallett's stories are proving to be an exception.
The Killer Question is told through newspaper articles, chat forums, emails, and text messages, and I was surprised by how this method of storytelling captured my interest as each clue was teased out. Another enjoyable aspect of the book is showing the behind-the-scenes operation of pub quizzes-- how questions are formulated, how owners pay close attention to how the quizzes affect their sales, and how the quiz teams each seem to have a personality of their own.
Whenever I feel the need to read a plot-driven mystery, I know the author to look for: Janice Hallett. She knows how to get my little grey cells whirring.
The Killer Question by Janice Hallett
eISBN: 9781668083550
Atria Books © 2025
eBook, 448 pages
Standalone Thriller
Rating: B+
Source Net Galley
Oh, this does sound intriguing, Cathy! The pub quiz scene is an interesting background for a story, too.. I also like the idea of telling this story in an epistolary way. That doesn't work for every story, of course, but it sounds like a decent fit for this one. I may have to try this one...
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