Such a special book, the first few chapters suggest this is a cozy crime novel but really it is so much more than that. As Florrie
tries to work out how Renata, the care home manager, fell out of her window, she considers the 6 important men in her life and her best friend and family. From conventional beginnings she went on to lead a fascinating and thoroughly unconventional life, yet never truly committing to another person. An event in her teens damaged her forever and the consequences will haunted her for the rest of her life .
Her sleuthing brings her closer to one of the other residents, is it time she faced up to her past?
Florrie is a real one off creation, you just want to hug her and praise her for her extraordinary bravery.

There were parts of this book that I loved and parts that felt that they were from another book entirely!

When 87 year old Florrie witnesses a terrible “accident”, she doesn’t believe that to be the case and sets out to investigate. This was a fun, cosy crime story and I enjoyed Florrie and her friend Stanhope’s meetings and discussions as they followed the clues to solve the mystery.

The flashbacks to Florrie’s earlier life weren’t relevant to the investigation though, so I felt that this was just filler and found it annoyed me, constantly breaking away from the main story. Her marriage was very interesting though and that story could be developed into a whole other book, rather than slotted into a cosy crime story.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Susan Fletcher and Random House Transworld for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Larger-than-life Florrie is adapting to life at Babbington Hall amongst the other retirees when there are two suspicious incidents, which she starts to investigate with the help of Stanhope Jones, a retired teacher. A murder mystery, but also the story of Florries’ colourful life. A book of friendship and love, but also how the acts of our youth can impact on our future lives. This book grew on me slowly, and I’m sure it will be loved by many other readers. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Cosy crime is a genre I dip my toe into occasionally. I’ve not read the biggest hitter in this area, Richard Osman, but I would hazard a guess that this very healthy market is being aimed at with this, UK author Susan Fletcher’s ninth novel. This Whitbread First novel award-winning author who made a big impact with her debut “Eve Green” back in 2004 should, by right, have good commercial success with this, especially when it arrives in paperback.
The setting is Babbington Hall Residential Home and Assisted Living and main character 87 year old Florrie is negotiating life in her wheelchair access apartment as a recent arrival after having to have part of her leg amputated. She looks back to a life full of adventures and forward to more in her new home. Throughout her life she lived with a dark secret, which no-one now living knows about. Can she finally get to grips with this in what is likely to be her last place of residence?
Florrie is a sparky character with a strength and determination not apparent from her outer appearance and finds herself in the centre of things when a tragedy occurs at Babbington Hall. She, alongside retired teacher Stanhope Jones start sleuthing to investigate events. There’s a good set of characters including a couple of gossipy sisters-in-law, a Polish Goth carer, Magda, and an unconventional vicar all with their part to play. I’m always a little resistant to being pulled into the fictional worlds in this type of crime novel but it did happen and the combination of potential crime at the Home alongside Florrie’s reviewing of her life up to that point is well balanced and works effectively. Information is discovered at just the right pace to allow the characters, especially Florrie, who is very much the star of the piece to shine through. I’d imagine this is different in tone and style to the type of novels the author has published before but she should certainly win converts to her writing.
The Night In Question is published in hardback by Bantam, an imprint of Transworld/Penguin Books on 18th April. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Florrie is mourning the loss of a friend and fellow resident of Babbington Hall, the residential home she now lives in. Arthur fell and hit his head and died.
When on Midsummer night, during a storm, the manager falls from her third floor window, Florrie has a feeling that something is not right. With help of Stanford, another resident, she investigates.
During the course of the book we are privy to Florrie's backstory and why she carries a sadness within her.
An entertaining read

This book is the best book ever! From the first page until the last you fall in love with the beauty that is Florrie.
Every page is filled with love, adventure but as we find out more about Florrie, we see that the adventures were also a means of escape. How she found love is all the ways possible without ever leaving her heart fragile to be broken because it would never mend anyway.
The best book to curl up with on a rainy day just make sure you have all the tissues!

"Florrie wears no wedding ring; there are no children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren who visit her ... She is, therefore, somehow viewed as less. Less what? Less substantial. Less important. Less womanly."

It's just a few weeks until Florrie turns 88. She lives in an assisted living home in Oxford, having had her leg amputated after a freak accident. She's generally very congenial but she's grieving the loss of her friend, Arthur, who tripped over his shoelaces, hit his head and died.

Then, a couple of nights after this, she hears a scream and watches as the manager of the home – Renata – falls from a bedroom window. Everyone believes the reclusive Renata tried to take her own life. But Florrie isn't so sure. After all, Renata had confessed to being in love and wanted to get some advice from Florrie.

Together with her new friend, Stanhope, who agrees with Florrie that Renata may have been pushed, she begins to investigate. Who could be responsible? As the two start digging, they'll uncover a big secret.

At the same time, Florrie is reminiscing about her life, in particular the six men she loved in one way or another. Sometimes this makes her smile – she got to travel the world after all. At other times, she is sad, because there is one she refuses to talk about.

This book isn't quite the cosy mystery I was looking for. There isn't much humour in it the same way it is in The Thursday Murder Club series and there is less tension and action. But, Florrie has a bit more depth to her. The reader is very much drawn into her world, the fascinating life she's led but also all the pain she's experienced. It's an eye-opener really.

Many people find it hard to believe the elderly were ever young and had their own adventures. Florrie is a beautiful person, full of joy, but also carries with her deep hurts. I loved learning more about this brave and lovely character.

A sweet and poignant read.

Taken on a journey of Florrie’s life.

Florence Butterfield, Florrie is eighty-seven years old. Newly moved into Babbington Hall a residential home in rural Oxfordshire, in an assisted accommodation as Florrie now has only one leg.
There is a death, then a serious accident. Florrie thinks there is more to this, and intends to find out. Will she?

I thought this was a thoughtful and interesting book. Florrie has secrets, who else is keeping secrets?
I enjoyed the words and writing style of the author. The first of her books I have read, and look forward to reading more.
I liked the positive vibes and the sprinkling of affirmations, some of which I have jotted down to reflect back on.
Florrie has led an interesting life, and was a very much loved person. Friendship, love, dealing with hurt, and understanding people. You never know where life will take you, but I loved the character Florrie.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Oh how I loved the character of Florrie, brave, kind and determinedly cheerful. The mystery here is actually incidental to the book, which is all about love in its many forms. I always enjoy reading about cherished lifetime friends, I am lucky enough to have one of these friends and the joy of shared memories and total empathy, made Florrie and Pinky’s’ story very real to me. The mystery is also solved satisfactorily (and with sympathy).

When I started reading this book, I thought it was a gentle, easy read. I was wrong. This book pulled me in and I didn't want it to end. This novel tells the story of Florence Butterfield. We meet her in her late 80's in her care home, but, as the story continues, we learn about Florrie's life and what a life it has been.
Susan Fletcher writes with care and empathy and I absolutely loved this book. Everyone needs to read it and fall in love with Florrie.

I absolutely loved this book! Part mystery, part romantic love story (or stories!) and part love story (or, again, stories!) of the family and friendship kind, this is a wonderfully entertaining and heart warming book.

The main character is Florrie who has lived a fascinating life. But now we’ll into her eighties and having had an accident in which one of her legs had to be removed, she now resides at a residential care home, Babbington Hall. Here she has made friends and mostly lives contentedly. However, when one of her closest friends dies in a tragic accident and shortly afterwards, the manager of the care home attempts to take her own life, Florrie turns detective. With the help of her friend, Stanhope, she sets out to discover whether there might have been more to the latter event than others assumed. But in doing so, it brings memories of Florrie’s life back, some of which only her best friend Pinky knew of. Will Florrie find anyone to share these memories with and will she have another chance at love?

As I have already said, I loved this book. It is really well written with vivid characters who I found myself both identifying with and rooting for. While I found lots of elements of the book quite emotional, it was often the description of Florrie and Pinky’s friendship which really brought a tear to my eye. Additionally, the mystery part of the book really was a mystery - it kept me turning the page and wanting to read more and I didn’t guess the outcome at all (although other more perceptive readers might!).

But I already think this will be one of my favourite books of the year and I will be recommending it to friends and family! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Oh, I loved this. I really like a feisty octogenarian character. Florrie Butterfield is a resident of Babbington Hall, who witnesses something strange and awful one stormy night. With the help of her new friend Stanford Jones, she sets out to solve a mystery. Along the way, we learn more about Florrie’s amazing life, her travels and her secrets.
This is a moving, poignant story, which shows all the ways that love can exist in a person’s life, and the ways in which all experiences make you the person you are. I loved all the peripheral characters, especially the vicar. Truly a pleasure to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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.