Florrie is such an interesting character that I couldn’t help but like her. I especially enjoyed the vivid writing about her travels – it really brought those parts to life.
The story itself is quite a mix: we learn all about Florrie’s varied life and what happened to her many years ago, while also unravelling a mystery from her present. There are plenty of characters introduced early on, with their connections gradually revealed as we move between chapters from different periods of her life.
I did enjoy this book, though I have to admit that at times it felt a little drawn out – some sections lingered on explanations when I just wanted the plot to move forward so I could see what happened next. Still, it’s a good read, and one I’d recommend.

At first, I wasn’t sure where the story was going, but once it clicked, I was hooked. A great read overall. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

I aspire to be Florrie Butterfield should I be lucky enough to reach my eighties! What a perfectly delightful character! Florrie lives in Babbington Hall where we meet the other elderly inhabitants, all characters in their own right. The manager, Renata, is a bit of an enigma until Florrie gets to talk to her and realises that there is more to their manager than meets the eye. However, Renata then has a terrible fall from a window in her third floor apartment. Did she fall or was she pushed and if it’s the latter then who is responsible? Florrie and her new friend Stanhope Jones are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. It is a truly lovely story told with much depth of character and emotion and I thoroughly enjoyed every single page.

Part reminisce of a long life well lived, part mystery in an old people’s home. Great characters and intrigue.

A cozy, well written book from Susan Fletcher.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

A slow burn. But Florrie is a really interesting character and I liked her. The writing about the travelling is really interesting.

Not my usual genre, but I fell in love with Florrie and her story. Beautifully written, the descriptions didn't lose the pace.
Characters so well drawn that I didn't want to leave them.
Definitely a book I will be recommending to friends and looking forward to reading more from the author.

Highly recommend,

I loved this book. The characters are all well-drawn, and the storyline is compelling, without being completely unrealistic. I have recommended this book to a number of people, and I would definitely read more from this author.

I loved this book. What a wonderful character Florrie's is! The twists and turns of her life are slowly revealed as the story unfolds and these show real depth to her character. The many subplots in the story add to the intrigue and interest and keep the story moving at a good pace.

The writing is excellent and there were so many times when I stopped to pause and reflect on the past events in Florrie's life and how they impacted her future.

For me, solving the crime took second place to Florrie and her life. I hope there is a follow-up!

An engaging who-dunnit combined with friendship, past lives and loves and lovely warm well drawn characters. Did I see the twist coming…no and it was well thought out and clearly explained.
An easy read which made you feel like you wished you knew Florrie and could hear more about her experiences in life. This book would make a super film.

I enjoyed this book overall but found it to be rather a slow burner so you need to persevere with it. Florrie is our main character who has lived a long and fulfilling life whilst nursing a dark SE Ret.

After losing a leg, she goes to live at Babbington Hall to live out her remaining days in peace and quiet. At least, that was the plan until one of the residents died on a fall flowed shortly after by the manager being involved in an accident. Florrie teams up with fellow resident Stanhope to see if they can solve the mystery before more accidents occur. Very enjoyable

Not my usual book of choice. It did take sometime to warm up a bit. Florrie and Stanhope team up to solve a murder in their residential home. We hear all about the lives they've lived.

Florrie Butterfield is 87 years old, missing a leg, and absolutely certain that her days of excitement are behind her. But when a disturbing accident at Babbington Hall (the residence for the elderly where she now lives) leaves her suspicious, she begins to wonder if something more sinister is at play. Could there be a murderer among the residents?

As Florrie investigates, her journey weaves between the present-day mystery and the rich tapestry of her past - a life full of love, travel, deep friendships, and long-buried secrets. Her reflections are tender, lyrical, and often deeply moving, especially as she confronts a painful memory she’s carried for decades.

I thought the book was beautifully written, with elegant prose and a thoughtful poignancy. I’ve enjoyed several books recently that serve as a reminder that the older generations are horribly overlooked and underestimated. Society too often forgets the rich lives they have lived and the worth they continue to bring to the world.

Though I guessed parts of the mystery early on, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of watching it unfold. That said, the back-and-forth between the two narrative threads sometimes made the pacing feel slow. I felt the book was trying too hard to be two novels in one - a deeply emotional life story and a cosy murder mystery. If it had leaned into one (and trimmed about 100 pages from the other), this could have been a wonderful five-star read.

But Florrie is an absolute joy to spend time with. Her optimism, curiosity, and warmth - despite all she’s endured - are genuinely inspiring. We should all aim to approach life the way she does. Her loyal friendships and the great loves of her life are heartwarming, and the reminder that it’s never too late - for love, for adventure, or for forgiveness - is a message that should stay with us long after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld / Random House for gifting me my copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Overall I enjoyed this book, although it did take some time to get started. I enjoyed the plot and I found all of the characters to have plenty of dimension.

Florrie is not your archetypal heroine.
Babbington is not your usual setting for a mystery.
Indeed Florrie and Stanhope may be described as geriatric Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot..
Not exactly a promising start.
BUT Florrie is a heroine who grows on you.
She has loved and lost. She has travelled. She has enjoyed many relationships. But something has always been missing from her life well lived. Her life of adventure.
London, Hackney, Pinky.
The men in her life.
They all bring her to Babbington at the age of 87 and minus a leg.
Is this the end?
Not for Florrie.
Meet her and Stanhope as they try to sole the mystery surrounding Renata.
Brilliant writing brings all the residents alive, and as Renata's story unfolds, so does Florrie's, as we meet all the men she loved.
Big thanks to Susan Fletcher, Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I struggled a little with this book, it took a while to get going but it was heart warming and emotional. The manager of a residential home, Renata, falls from her bedroom window on the third floor, seen by one of the residents, Florrie, on the ground floor. Knowing Renata would have never have considered suicide Florrie sets about to investigate asking another resident Stanthorpe to help her. So begins a friendship. Memories of times gone by.
This is a book of contemplation, friendship, secrets and love.
Well written with great characters

Dnf too flowery, cozy for me. It seemed to drift along something I find a little too timid. The premise of the book sounds interesting just not for me.

I did enjoy this book - quite a mix of a story, learning all about Florrie’s very varied life and what had happened to her all those years ago, together with a mystery from her life now. Lots of characters mentioned from the beginning, which gradually got revealed as the story went on and you read chapters from earlier in her life.

A good read but if I’m honest, I just thought it went on a bit - some sections seem to be going on with explanations etc when I just wanted the story to continue so I could find out what happened next! Would still recommend though.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

A beautiful book comprising the reminiscences of Florrie Butterball, an 87 year old, one legged resident of Babbington Hall, and her investigation into the apparent suicide of the Manager, Renata Green.
Through her investigations, along with fellow resident Stanhope, he of the brightly coloured braces, we encounter Florrie’s life, not in chronological order but as the present bring the memories back.
Beautifully written and paced throughout, an absolute delight to read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this book.

The Night in Question is set in Babbington Hall, an exclusive nursing home. The incident, a fall from her three storey apartment on Midsummer night of Renata, the manager of the home is told from the POV of Florrie Butterfield, a resident. Although the mystery of the fall is an interesting one in which Florrie enlists the help of Stanhope Jones, a new resident, to shed light on this, it is Florrie’s troubled past that had me hooked. Chapter by chapter the reader has a glimpse into Florrie’s happy childhood, a traumatic happening at seventeen and then an adventurous life spent in all corners of the world told so vividly. Florrie is a loveable character who thinks of others before herself.
Both mysteries are brought to a satisfactory conclusion but Florrie finally sharing her past with someone who has become dear to her was the most emotional part of the story. Some great characters made this a fascinating read.

A Precious Gem of a Book
Florrie is 87-years old, deaf, and has one-leg. She lives in an assisted living room at Babbington Hall, along with other elderly residents. But appearances are deceptive and far from being a vacant old lady, Florrie has led a rich, adventurous life and just happened to get old.
When Arthur, a resident, dies after tripping on his shoelace and banging his head; and then the care home manager falls from a third-story window, Florrie begins to glimpse beneath the surface of other peoples’ lives and question who has motive for murder.
Technically, this book is a (cosy/literary) mystery, but in reality, it is so much more. I am full of admiration for the author’s skill at weaving a story. No spoilers – but I had tears in my eyes for most of the final chapter, and that is a rare thing. I was so fully invested in Florrie that I ached to be there for her and be her ‘Pinky’.
The lives that touched Florrie’s became real living, breathing people with all their flaws, eccentricities, and little annoyances. And I absolutely empathised with those childhood flashbacks and the longing for happier, more innocent times. But do not misunderstand. This is not a sad book but (at the risk of sounding cliched) a celebration of so many things…but mostly about accepting what you cannot change and leading your best life anyway.
This is a special 5-star read and I have now ordered the author’s back catalogue as one book by Susan Fletcher is simply not enough.
“My heart… thumps, suddenly, like the tail of an old dog that hasn’t given up yet.”
“We don’t leave the children we were, we simply grow around them like a tree will…grow around a bicycle that’s been left against it.”
“Florrie would love to dismantle her, to take this sadness out of her as if it were an actual tangible thing like a swallowed button or a kidney stone.”