I really loved "Eve Green" and the "Oystercatchers", but, despite the beautiful writing, this one didn't quite do it for me. It felt a bit like 2 books; Florrie's reminiscences of her life before losing her independence and moving into sheltered accommodation, and her Miss Marple persona solving crime, and I didn't feel they really came together.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

This book is a triumph of story-telling. It is told with precision, lyricism and a power of description that moves and takes hold of its readers, allowing them to bathe in the warmth and passion of the prose. It is a delightful story, mainly because it has the equally delightful Florence Granger at its centre – a woman well into her eighties, vital and wise, warm-hearted, curious and equipped with the endearing ability to muse and ponder all things present and past without ever being judgmental.

We meet Florence in Babbington Hall, an upmarket retirement home in serene Oxfordshire, that has recently been shaken by the accidental death of one of its residents- and a good friend of Florrie’s. When she then witnesses the manager of the home falling out of her dorm window during a stormy night, Florrie starts asking questions and in the pursuit of answers she takes us through her lifetime of happiness and hurt, travel and chance encounters and at the core of it is a deep love for and wise understanding of all creatures great and small. With so much she has seen and experienced, especially the hurt that life can inflict, she often longs for the safety of childhood since hers was a particularly happy one. It is love that pulls her through, the love she sends out to the world and the love she eventually allows herself to receive and to accept.

Despite all the meandering stories that Florrie has in her head and heart, the book is fast paced and the framework of a murder mystery helps it along nicely. It is a celebration of the beauty of life with all its setbacks and challenges. I felt aggrieved when I turned the last page but feel privileged and happy that Florence Granger has been part of my life, even if only for a little while.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers / Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a fan of Susan Fletcher's for many years and she didn't disappoint with this novel. A warm and cozy whodunnit with some great characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy to review.

Susan Fletcher writes a delightful mystery novel full of heart, charm, and wit, and with a central character, the wonderfully resilient and captivating Florence 'Florrie' Butterfield with her scarred hands, who is the undoubted highlight of the book. No longer in a position to look after herself, 87 year old Florrie has a prosthetic leg and is in a wheelchair, she moves to a care/nursing home, Babbington Hall, and is set to discover there is still far more to life than she might have expected. She finds herself embroiled in and looking into a death, Renata, the manager, dies after falling from a window, and whilst many think it is a case of suicide, Florrie, is not so convinced. A good, cheerful woman, Florrie is at ease with and has no problems making connections with others.

Florrie becomes a sleuth, digging into Renata's life, along with other residents and staff, and looks back on her not so ordinary life too, with rich descriptions of her reflective process, on the nature of love, the upsides and the rest, the joy and the tragedies, the travels and adventures she undertook, secrets and trauma, what she cannot bear to examine closely and open up about. There is a wide cast of vivid and terrific characters that cement just how good this story is, starting with the brilliant Stanhope, Florrie's friend, and including the likes of Pinky and the unforgettable in your face Magda. The skilful development of Florrie's character underlines with verve and style that you are never too old for new experiences, redemption, love, and learning.

Fletcher writes profoundly, humorously, emotively, and movingly, of the complexities of life and getting older, the circle of people shrinking, the grief, growing physical limitations, friendships, love, whilst shining a light on the need to continue to live, creating in Florrie a character that I could not help but marvel at. This will appeal to readers of mysteries and those interested in a character study of a offbeat, distinctly different, compassionate, luminous older woman, of the fascinating life she lived, and who she is in the present, and of the potential for further growth and possibilities. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Night In Question centres around the life of the fabulous Florence Butterfield, now a one legged Octagenarian residing in an upmarket care home where there appears to have been a murder. Whilst attempting to solve the crime, Florrie recounts the relationships she's had over the course of her life and the many countries she's lived in.

You can't help but warm to Florrie and aspire to be like her in a few decades time! This is a lovely cosy crime novel with a dark side but a lot of heart.

WoW...What a read this book has turned out to be.
I need more than a minute to recover, for I have been comsumed.

The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher is a gripping page turning literary whodunit that I couldn't put down.

We meet Florence, a not to be messed with 87 year old one legged protagonist who is now living out her life in Babbington Hall.

As you take up this book you will forget you are reading a whodunit for it is alive with characters woven into the text with a strong true to life realality.
A tapestry rich in warmth, love, loss and houmour stitched into every page in a most exquisite manner.

I have been captivated by Florrie, a character with whom I would love to sit down together to enjoy a glass of pink lemonade and a custard cream biscuit. She became, for me, the most important element of the book. I could read about her forever, I want to read more about Florrie, for her sheer determination and zest for life.

This novel will happily sit on the top shelf of my favourite books. I loved it, fully recommend it, and only wish I could read it again, but for the first time, because now I am left bereft.

I would like to thank Susan Fletcher for an exceptional novel that kept me engrossed from first to last page and at times had me laughing out loud.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

Utterly lovely book. I thoroughly enjoyed the whimsical feel, it was slightly reminiscent of Richard Osman’s books of an older person solving a cosy crime in the setting of a care home but this was so much more for me and much more my thing. The gentleness of the book really reached out to me, the main character Florrie, indeed has had traumas and a rich past life but these immense happenings aren’t thrust at us with pace rather they gently trickle out and allow us to process them gradually and in our own time with her beautiful perspective. The main theme is how the manager of the care home came to fall from the window but the threads of the story are so much more complex than that and as the mystery unwinds it is compelling but also sensitively unravelled as much more than just this is of greatest importance. Even the chapter titles are beautifully thought out and reminded me in part, of Winnie the Pooh in their construction.
Needless to say I adored the main character, her outlook on life and I was thoroughly engaged with her. Absolutely definitely recommend.

The Night in Question is a gentle whodunnit with the added story of octogenarian Florrie Butterfield's life. Set in an assisted living complex the manager Renata 'falls' from her window....an accident..did she jump... or was she pushed? Florrie and Stanhope, another resident, don't believe she intended to kill herself so together they set out to solve the mystery. Florrie is a great character and I would have gladly read her story as a standalone but Susan Fletcher has skilfully woven the two tales together. An easy and enjoyable read. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an arc.

Florrie Butterfield turns her keen intellect and curiosity to solving an attempted at her retirement complex in rural Oxfordshire. At the same time she looks back at her long life, lost loves and the unresolved trauma that has informed her adult life.

So this book fits in to the trend for elderly protagonists solving crimes that we've seen in novels like Elizabeth is Missing and the Thursday Murder Club, However 87 year-old Florrie is a superb character. If anything, her back stories are so engaging that the attempted murder plot becomes secondary and I think the author was possibly trying to do too much - almost to shoehorn two novels in to one, For me I would have happily read a novel twice as long just about Florrie's life. Florrie has an almost spiritual quality of viewing all of life's highs and lows from a place of gratitude.

I found this novel very moving and devoured it.

Published 18 April 2024. An intriguing premise - a thriller set in a nursing/care home. Florrie is already in mourning, having lost a friend when he tripped over his laces and fell in the garden, striking his head, when the manager of the care home, Renata, falls from her third floor window. Everyone thinks it is suicide but 87 year old Florrie does not believe that this is the case having spoken to Renata earlier that day. Therefore, Florrie sets out to investigate. She is a larger than life character with her own secrets which are slowly revealed as the story is not only about Florrie's investigation but her own lives, loves and adventures. She has lost her leg and so is confined to a wheelchair, she has a little box of treasures/memories and she has scars on her hands. But Florrie is also a woman that people respond to and talk to and so she believes that she will find out the truth about Renata's fall. One the one hand it is a cosy read with some super characters - the residents of the home are a varied bunch and only the other it is about lost chances and lost loves some of which are quite poignant. However, my only criticism is the pace - I found it very slow until the final quarter. An enjoyable read as I quite liked Florrie as a character and I did like finding out about her life.

If you think we’ve already had pensioners solving murders then think again!
When there’s a death at her nursing home, Florrie believes there’s more to it than just someone falling over their shoelaces… and so begins The Night in Question.

This book is more than a murder mystery - it’s the story of Florrie’s life; how she ended up with scarred knuckles, the love affairs she’s had, and the many small (and big) adventures that make up a life. Florrie is a brilliant character, and Fletcher’s writing really brings her to life, but I couldn’t help feeling that this book was just a little bit slow for me. Yes, you don’t want to rush building such a rich and absorbing character, but having the parallel narrative of the deaths at the nursing home meant that it took a long time to fully realise Florrie’s story. That said, it’s a book that makes you ponder life, death and everything in between.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

From about 70% onwards this is quite a good book as the truth about the deaths are revealed but up until then, in my opinion, it is very slow paced and there is far too much description, repetition and far too many adjectives. i am afraid that I was soon skimming.

i found the nicknames - Pinky, Bobs, Butters etc., to be quite twee and annoying. I was not that taken with Florrie who is an irritating attention seeker with her tiresome insistence on leaf tea and constant references to herself as marshmallowy, sturdy, big bottomed. This is still fat shaming even if it is the plump person who is shaming herself and it made me uncomfortable.

Florrie has scars on her hands and some sort of secret, we are teased constantly with this secret and that was irritating, either tell us at once or don't tell us, don't draw it out and mention it every few pages. In fact, even when the secret is revealed, I don't see how it led to scarred hands and I can't summon the energy to read it through again to find out.

Anyway, I imagine that this book will do very well and people will think Florrie is marvellous, such an interesting life, so much adventure blah, blah, don't judge a book by its cover but it was not for me. Not everything was solved at the end so I fear there may be a sequel which I, for one, will not read..

I will say that the book must be well written though or it surely would not have provoked such a strong, albeit negative, from an reader.

If you are looking for a good read about an older person in assisted living try Three Things About Elsie.

An unusual psychological thriller set in a care home with the investigating person being one of the residents who becomes more and more involved in the mystery as time goes on, The investigator also has a hidden secret which is continual hinted at but not fully revealed until the end.
An excellent attempt at creating something totally different within a swamped genre.
Spoiled for me only by the nature of the reveal of the clues. Some readers will love this style, but it didn't quite work for me.
Some of the passages are beautifully written.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The advanced copy clearly showed that there will be a number of illustrations in the book that weren't in the ARC. This can only enhance the book, and may go some way to mitigate my only criticism.

Such a pleasure to read! The Night in Question is surprisingly compassionate, funny and uplifting for a murder mystery. I really enjoyed the balance between the deeply engaging murder storyline and learning all about the wonderful Florrie's even more wonderful life. One element I particularly liked was the way Fletcher dissected and questioned the trope of having a 'one true love' and the ideals of what a woman needs to be truly happy. It was so lovely to read about the rich life of this woman and her many loves, each as true as the others. I also loved the way Florrie was shown not to be some all knowing master of life figure, as older people are sometimes shown to be, but a woman still growing, learning, making mistakes and learning how to process a lifetime of emotions and experiences.

Overall, this was a thoroughly fun and comforting read full of wholly human characters and a lot of heart.

Florence Butterfield, a perky 87-year-old, lives at Babbington Hall Residential Home and Assisted Living. When the manager, Renata, falls from a third-floor window everyone is convinced it was a suicide attempt. Florence isn't so convinced and decides to dig into Renata's background.

Susan Fletcher is a well-established author, however, I must admit I've never read any of her previous novels. Twitter is abuzz with people singing the praise of The Night In Question and I was suffering from a little bit of FOMO, so I decided to see what all the fuss is about.

The novel hangs on the question of whether the manager of Babbington Hall attempted suicide or if there is a more sinister answer. Renata is quiet and self-contained. The staff and residents know very little about her background or what she does when she's not on duty. It is easy to see how people would assume she was struggling with her mental health. Florrie, as everyone calls Florence, has other ideas. Earlier in the day Renata and Florrie had spent time together and it was clear that Renata was in love and making plans for the future, there was no way she was considering ending her life. Thus Florrie, aided by another resident of Babbington Hall, investigates, with the spotlight falling on staff and residents alike.

While there is a mystery element to this novel it's the character of Florrie that makes it. From the very beginning, you realise that Florrie Butterfield is someone very special. At first glance Florrie is unassuming; 87 years old, well-padded and in a wheelchair as a result of having only one leg. It's when you listen to Florrie speaking that you realise how wonderful she is and the extraordinary life she's lived. Florrie has a sunny disposition, she's one of those people who always looks for the positive, despite some of the tragic events that have had devastating effects on her life. Florrie has spent a lifetime seeking adventure and as a result, finding love. I didn't need a mystery story, I would have been happy to read all about Florrie's adventures around the globe.

Alongside Florrie, there are some other amazing characters in the story. Aunt Pip, who has just the right level of disdain for society that a young girl needs to discover. Jack, who I fell in love with, makes Florrie realise she's beautiful. It is, however, Pinky that captivates. What a wonderful friend she was, another one of those who was filled with nonchalance regarding society's expectations.

Florrie's life, and loves, are introduced gradually, this was one of the reasons I couldn't put the book down. Susan Fletcher teases the reader with little snippets and then the story pivots to something completely different. Throughout you're aware that there is something dark lurking in Florrie's background, a secret she doesn't share with anyone. When the secret was finally revealed I was filled with sadness but also admiration that the phenomenal Florrie had not allowed it to change her outlook on life.

I received an ARC for this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The setting is a nursing / residential home and the main characters elderly residents. The home manager falls from a 3rd floor window and is seriously injured. Considered a suicide attempt Florrie and Stanhope believe differently. Florrie is the amayeur sleuth lead and sets out to find out what actually happened. It is a gentle read with a great cast of characters. All the personality types you might expect in such a setting are there to give us the benefits of their opinion. The turn of the case comes from an unexpected source. This was an easy read wrapped up nicely so that everything turns out on the positive side in the end.
I really enjoyed the read

Set in Babbington hall, a residential home, there are 2 deaths in a short space of time. Told through the eyes of Florrie, an 87 year old resident, this is a slow paced cosy mystery with lots of positive messages. Not my usual type of read as i prefer a grittier type of crime book, but I'd recommend if you like a cosy easy read.

An accidental fall leaves an old friend dead, then the nursing home manager falls to her death. Was it suicide or murder?
Follow life stories of the residents.
An interesting book, that keeps you guessing right till the end.

When two deaths occur in quick succession at an unassuming little retirement community, 87-year-old resident Florrie takes it upon herself to uncover what happened at Babbington Hall. Along the way, she has cause to reflect upon her own life and how deeply it was impacted by those she loved along the way.

This was a very charming book with a positive, life-affirming message. Florrie’s friends, partners, and family members all sang off the page, and there were some real moments of poignancy. I loved Florrie, and liked the mystery element woven throughout the story of her life.

I found the pacing slowed a bit towards the end, but otherwise enjoyed this delightful story.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

What a wonderful book. Florrie, aged eighty seven, is living at Babbington Hall. The grand hall and surrounding buildings have been converted to provide accommodation and assisted living places for elderly and frail patients. Florrie is delighted with her rooms in the old apple store. With a naturally cheerful disposition, Florrie looks forward to seeing out her days in her wheelchair - she lost her left leg after an accident at home - and she happy to take delight from small, daily things. But then Arthur dies and quiet life takes on a completely different air. Outstanding writing with superb perceptions. I was mesmerised.