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.

Octogenerian Florrie Butterfield's move into a care home is all she could have hoped it to be, albeit it prompted by the loss of a leg, until one day the home's manager falls from a third-floor window. So, Florrie, and her occasional companion, Stanhope, try and find out what led to the fall.

But this isn't a cosy-mystery story. It's a wistful tale of lost opportunities, of looking back at life and wondering how we end up where we do and how our lives can be overshadowed by the choices that we, and others, make.

I greatly enjoyed spending time with Florrie and travelling back with her through her life. I found this a thought-provoking and moving read.

This is a slow burn mystery with stories hidden within an old wooden chest kept by 87 year old Florence Butterfield.
On Midsummer’s night, Florrie hears a scream and then sees the manager of her residential home, tumble from the third floor. She is convinced that Renata was pushed and as she investigates, she begins to look back at some of her own memories.
I loved the character of Florrie and the book is definitely a reminder not to judge older people by their aging bodies. Florrie has done more in her lifetime than most people would dream of. Even though she is now confined to a wheelchair, she still greets every day with hope.
The writing is gorgeous and the author does a fantastic job at evoking the atmosphere of different places. However, sometimes, that seemed to get in the way of the story and for me, the pace of the book was really too slow. I enjoyed the mystery and was interested in both Florrie’s past life and her investigation but I found the book very easy to put down.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've never read anything by Susan Fletcher before but I will definitely have to change that! Her writing is absolutely sublime and I love the way she describes everything, especially the feelings of the characters, in so much detail.

Florrie is a wonderful character and it was a pleasure to spend time with her and her friends. It is rare to see an older character so rich and I loved her determination and sense of independence (that as a fellow wheelchair user I recognise so well) that runs throughout the novel. She has a very colourful history and I really enjoyed finding out more about it. I love her relationships with the other residents of Babington House and the humour between them, especially Stanhope.

The Night In Question is a novel with so many layers and it was wonderful to read as the different aspects of Florrie's life were unpacked. Susan Fletcher touches on so many poignant themes - we go on quite a journey with Florrie - and they are all addressed in such a gentle way that I could not help but be touched by her story.

Florrie Butterfield lives in Assisted Living at Barrington Hall, Temple Beeches. Florrie has a secret from 70 years ago. Another person with a secret is Renata, the Manager of Barrington Hall.
On a stormy Midsummer's Night, Renata commits suicide - but does she? Florrie and a fellow resident Stanhope set out to find out the truth.
An enthralling read of love and mystery.

This lovely book is many things. It is a murder mystery but a gentle one. It is also the story of an old lady's life told through her experiences as they relate to the clues to solving the murder. It is quite long and meandering but it needs to be read at its own pace. It won't be hurried. I know I tried and I missed things and had to go back. It is bound to be compared with other cosy murder mystery books popular at the moment, however I don't think they can be compared. The Night in Question is much more about Florrie coming to terms with all aspects of her life than it is about Renata's murder. Reminding us perhaps that all those elderly residents of God's waiting rooms everywhere have lived long eventful and fulfilling lives, before they became old and invisible. A book to read slowly, to savour and enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a lovely cosy read full of very sweet characters. A nice lighthearted Sunday afternoon book.

Florrie Butterfield has moved to sheltered accommodation following an accident leading to the loss of one of her legs. When the manager of the home, Renata, confides in her and tells her she's in love, it causes Florrie to think over her life and past loves. Before she gets too far though, Renata falls from her attic room window and is in hospital in a coma from which she may never recover. Florrie, however, is not convinced by the prevailing theory that Renata tried to kill herself or that it was an unfortunate accident. Together with her new friend Stanhope she sets out to prove otherwise.

What I liked about this book. I loved this novel. The characters are so brilliantly drawn. Florrie especially. Her voice dominates the whole book and her story of her life with its tragedies, missed opportunities and behind it all, her devastating secret, is riveting. Despite everything, Florrie has no regrets. Other characters shine too, Pinky, Florrie's dear friend is the sort of friend everyone needs, Victor, Florrie's husband is urbane and charming, Stanhope is adorable. I loved them all. The pace of the novel is superb. Revelations come at the right time. The book is full of wisdom about living life to the full and the joys of ageing in spite of everything.

Already I can tell that this will be one of my best reads of 2024. I love everything about it and will be recommending it to everyone I know , Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

My heart! What an utterly enchanting novel about second chances later in life and what a wonderful FMC. I need a minute to recover

Oke, Florrie is that type of octagenarian old lady that does not give a fluff and you really don't want to mess with. She is living in a retirement facilitiy and faced with a tragedy on the grounds, she buckles up and gets her sleuth on! The truly heartwaming (and heartbreaking) factor in this book is how Florrie looks back on her life in order to move ahead. Reflection on a whole new level


The book is written with grace, dignity, humour and a wit sharper than cut glass. Being aged is not a stumbling block for Florrie, it's an excuse for a whole new lease of life! Florries reflections frame the mystery well and flesh out a truly wonderful cozy

Flipping loved this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Union Square & Co and Susan Fletcher for this truly beautiful ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

A lovely, gentle tale of a mystery in a care home which 87 year old Florrie investigates. Great characters and a life affirming story.

A beautifully written tale with many charming characters.
Florrie, the main character now in her 80's is living in a retirement home due to a recent accident.
The manager of the home suddenly falls out of her attic room window. Florrie hears the scream and sees her land. A mystery emerges - 'did she fall or was she pushed'. Florrie and her new friend Stanhope are determined to find out.
This is a multi layered novel with twists and turns. Florrie herself has kept a secret for over seventy years, only having told her best friend Pinky. I loved the way the author lets Florrie tell her interesting and intriguing life through little flashbacks.
This is brilliant storytelling, bringing out many emotions. I loved it.
Highly recommend.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down, so read it in a few days. I don't want to compare this to Richard Osman's first book as it would do this book a disservice, but it is everything that R Osman's isn't! ( I couldn't understand all the hype about his novel which I didn't like and didn't think was very well written at al!.) The characters, especially Florrie, Pinky and Stanhope were so well observed and full of depth and interest. I could imagine Babbington Hall and all its residents so clearly, almost as if I were another resident. The storyline was carefully unfolded without being predictable. I will sing the praises of this title to all once it is published and will definitely seek out any other titles by this author as her writing is superb.

If you like books by Rachel Joyce, then I would think this is one for you. Florence Butterfield has had an extraordinary life but has ended up living in a retirement community and in a wheelchair. In this quiet setting, however, we encounter murder in several guises as well as learning about Florrie’s life and how she has ended up where she is.

This is a beautifully gentle book but I give 4 stars because it didn’t really come together properly at the end and a lot of the strands were things that the reader didn’t know so came a bit out of the blue.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and would recommend it as something to read when you want to feel like you are wrapped up in a warm blanket!

This is a lovely story of life, friendship, love and loss. It’s written so beautifully and descriptive.

However for me personally it was so slow, I’m used to much faster paced books. As much as the style of writing was so beautiful it just didn’t pull me in. It took me over three weeks to read this book which is a very long time for me. At times I considered not finishing but I don’t think I can give a far review if I don’t finish a book. Having finished it I’m glad I carried on reading.

I think many people will absolutely love this book, I feel it could well be a book that is talked about and will affect people in a similar way to The Midnight Library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Love and loss are explored in this beautiful life affirming novel by Fletcher. Stunning prose and wonderful characters come together in this 2024 read.

The Night in Question is a beautifully written story layered around a mystery in a care home with the totally engaging, adorable 87 year old Florrie at it's heart. I thoroughly recommend this book and send sincere thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy.

The sort of cosy mystery that is really enjoyable to read - it helps that it is really well written, which is not to be taken for granted with some of these books! The main character is great company and I got through the whole book in two sittings.

This beautifully touching novel about 87-year-old Florrie Butterfield was a delight to read. Florrie reminisces about her life and past loves, but her curiosity also leads her to adventure as she tries to solve the mystery following a couple of incidents in her care home. Through Florrie’s (at times shocking and at times heart-warming) experiences, the novel acts as a contemplation on the nature of love and what may or may not have been had we made different choices in life. However, at the same time I was gripped by the plot and wanting to find out the answer to the care home mysteries. For me this novel has everything: heart, humour, entertaining and life-affirming. Highly recommended!

First of all, the language throughout the book is incredibly descriptive and I found it so easy to immerse myself in the different scenes with such vivid description and imagery.

The story centres around 87 year old Florrie, who is living in an assisted living care home. She starts to investigate an incident involving the manager of the care home with another resident. The mystery of what happened to the manager was one of the sole foci of the story but it was really drawn out and the investigation was slow and therefore difficult for me to engage with.

The flashbacks to Florrie’s past were a mixture of engaging and irrelevant and her “big secret” was easily guessed early on.

It was a pleasant read but didn’t quite engage me as much as I expected.

Thank you to Susan Fletcher and Transworld Publishers for the eARC of this book.

A lovely detective myself set in a care home. The lead character Florrie sets out on solving the sudden death of a fellow resident.
The characters are really lovely, easy to become attached to. A great read.
Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy