An engaging and thought provoking book, this story features Florrie Butterfield, aged 87 years, who now lives in an assisted-living establishment in the country. Florrie’s friendship with another resident, Stanhope, is a lovely strand of Florrie’s story, as together they try to unravel the mystery of the possible suicide or possible murder, of the home’s resident manager, Renata.
Throughout the telling of the tale, the many layers and adventures of Florrie’s past life are peeled back like an onion, and Florrie has had many adventures in several exotic places. All her life however, Florrie has held everyone she loves at arms length, allowing no one to become too close to her.
This is much more than a cosy whodunnit, and I loved the characterisation of all the main characters. They were fully rounded, and their interactions so believable. A very cleverly woven narrative of what happened to Renata is slowly uncovered, to this reader’s surprise. I did not succeed in ‘ joining the dots’ although others might.
It is thought provoking in making one realise that where most people would see just an old lady, within Florrie is a lifetime of experiences, good, bad and tragic. Likewise with many elderly people.
The writing is beautiful, very descriptive and evocative. It is a slow burn of a story, but well worth the journey. A most enjoyable read.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable tale of the life of Florrie Butterfield, an 87 year old resident of Babbington Hall, a lovely residential care home.

The story begins in the aftermath of the accidental death of a resident. Arthur had had something he wanted to share with his friend Florrie but he tripped over his own untied shoelace and died before he could reveal his findings.

Shortly after this, the care home manager, Renata, takes a tumble from her upper floor window and with everyone assuming she had attempted to take her own life, Florrie begins to wonder if all is as it might seem.

Teaming up with Stanhope, another resident, Florrie sets out to work out what might have led to Renata ending up in a coma in hospital. The Renata Florrie had spoken to just that day really hadn’t seemed suicidal at all. She’d been full of excitement and love…

Renata’s revelations lead Florrie to consider the loves of her own life and it’s telling of these and the detective work around Renata’s fall that make up the stories that we follow throughout the book.

There is something so powerful in author Susan Fletcher’s descriptions that I could visualise every scene, every location, every person, the pike was especially resonant.

It’s just a book full of the joys and sadnesses of life, big and small, and the characters are so enjoyable.

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery but also a love story between Florrie and all the people she has loved and lost throughout her life.

Exactly the sort of story to curl up with on a dark evening, with a nice cup of tea. Loose leaf of course.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an early copy. I am so looking forward to reading more from Susan.

I enjoyed this murder mystery with a difference .The first chapter, got my attention. Instantly,and I wanted to carry on and find out more about the character of perfectly named Florence Butterfield The story is about an interesting older woman who, after coming to live in a beautiful rural old persons home, set in a grand, stately home, discovers that one old man has recently been found dead in the garden, and the house manager is seriously injured, following a fall from her accommodation in the attic .All this proves too intriguing for Florence, who sets about investigating what is going on in a suitably Murder , she wrote type fashion.
I particularly liked the initial scenes where Flory herself is described as such a kind and interesting person. It’s nice to see old characters in novels given the lead role.
The majority of the story is told in flashbacks of Florrie’s life throughout. There is a mystery about a breakdown in her teenaged years about which we given tantalising clues throughout the novel, and ultimately an explanation.
Although I haven’t read it. ( in principal because I don’t read celebrity authors novels) I wondered if there was any similarity between this book and Richard Osmonds book of old people solving a mystery in an old peoples home.

There was a tantalising promise of illustrations at the start of each chapter which we are not on my early electronic copy. I was left to imagine what they might be.

Despite all the sinister comings and goings, I couldn’t help, but wish further that when the time comes that I need a place in an old people home that I could find such a beautiful one is this
The author describes personal characteristics beautifully. I particularly enjoyed the way she described Florence Butterfield at the start of the novel. In fact, it was this element of the book that I enjoyed more than the mystery element.

The author has a clear flowing prose style, and the book was an easy enjoyable read.

I would recommend for lovers of a mystery novel who like some added character development. I think if you liked books like away with a penguins by Hazel Prior or the Twyfird Code by Janice Hallett, you would enjoy this book
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley, UK the book is publishing in the UK on the 18th of April 2024 by random house, UK Transworld publishers
This review will appear on NetGalley, UK, Goodreads , and my book blog bionicsarahsboojs.Wordpress.com after publication will also appear on Amazon, UK

Overall I really enjoyed this book, the characters were fully realised and this helped to feel immersed in the book,

A really great read. Florrie is an amazing character who had had many difficulties and sadness in her life but also lots adventures. When she moves to a residentiial home in her 80's she witnesses a fall and with the help of her new found friend Stanhope she decides to investigate as she is sure it wasn't an accident. There is much more to discover about Florrie's life which we discover during the story which is brilliantly written by the author, and it doesn't disappoint and as it all comes to light as well as the mystery of was Renata pushed and why but most importantly who did it makes for a very exciting read

Blazing the beauty of hidden lives and unshowy people

Florrie is an unlikely central character. She has always been somewhat dumpy and plain, Big bottomed, big bosomed – but, it is her size of her heart, and her ability to both give and inspire not romantic love, but something deeper, wider, broader and more universal which really defines her. She is eighty seven, living in an assisted living facility, following an accident which resulted in one of her legs being amputated.

Raised in a happy family, with a beloved older brother, and happily married parents, nonetheless tragedy has happened, early in her life, several times. Florrie has had a far fuller and stranger life than might be expected, and an extraordinary facility to maintain an intense appreciation for the wondrous miraculous qualities of everyday moments. She’s not so much a dark horse (though there are skeletons in her cupboards), more a fabulous unicorn!

However…the central plot here is something which has become somewhat of a cosy cult…Elderly folk uncovering murder and mayhem. So, yes, this is a kind of cosy murder mystery, but it is also so much more, because of the very special Florrie.

Fletcher is an excellent writer. For me, it is her Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew which remains her standout novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this as an ARC

Florrie, in her late eighties, has to move to assisted living after an accident causes her to lose a leg. When a fellow inmate dies, she is saddened, but her suspicions are aroused when someone else is involved in a near fatal fall. Accident? Attempted suicide? Or a murder attempt? she determines to find out. At first glance, this is another cosy crime story centring on elderly folk solving a mystery, but extra depth is added by the unfolding back story of Florrie’s own life and the men she has loved but never fully allowed herself to be loved by, and the work she does and places she travels to to escape from a traumatic secret in her own past. The characters are interesting, the mysteries unfold intriguingly and a story is unveiled of love, loss, friendship and guilt. What shines out of the pages most of all is that inside an older person is still all the younger versions of themselves, that personality can continue undimmed by limitations and disability, and that age also brings with it experience, wisdom and empathy.

I really enjoyed this book. A great cast of characters and really well written. A lovely read. Highly recommended.

I miss Florrie already!

The Night In Question was such a beautiful read. It's a book that really makes you think about life, in all of its stages, and will stay with you for a long time.

If you love any of Richard Osman's books, or enjoyed #ElizabethIsMissing then you will devour this!

I loved this book. It’s not your usual run-of-the-mill old folks home detective novel - although there is that side to it!
Florrie is one amazing woman and Susan Fletcher brings her to glorious life with all the foibles and worries and loveliness of an eighty-something lady. Essentially this is a book about love and as you learn about Florrie’s past and everything that has brought her to this point in her life, I think you will fall a little in love yourself.

Beautiful writing, brought to mind Penelope Lively. A protagonist it’s impossible not to love with story that’s utterly engaging. I miss Florrie already!

Despite her lively nature, at the age of 87 Florence Butterfield is probably well-qualified to affirm the extent to which most older people are marginalised and dismissed in society today. She herself has had to move from her beloved home to a new place to live amongst a community of the elderly and less able. And while Florrie is adjusting reasonably well and making new friends, life throws a whole new set of challenges at her.

Because after something terrible happens one night, it seems that she is the only one who is suspicious of the way that events played out. But will anyone even take her seriously if she tells them what she thinks? Especially when Florrie herself is not entirely sure what to think...

Because the only clue to this particular mystery is a magenta envelope and her own recollections from a past that has left its (quite literal) scars. Luckily, when she decides that it will be necessary to investigate further, Florrie has her friend Stanhope ready to help her.

This book has much to offer beyond the mystery that drives its plot. The characters are really well-drawn, and that also helps to lift the story well above the levels of the more typical cosy mystery. It is about all the big things in life. The themes include not only aging, but love, loss, friendship and redemption. And Florence is a delightful MC that readers will greatly enjoy meeting.

Oh, how I loved this book! Florrie is such a fantastic character, and her backstory and those of her family and friends is deftly woven around the books central mystery, so that we see so clearly how Florrie’s past motivates her thoughts and actions. She has lived an amazing life, full of love and warmth, yet tempered by pain and tragedy. It would be criminal to describe The Night in Question as a cosy mystery, even though all the elements of one are there, because this book is so much more than that. It’s a story of enduring friendship, of love and hope, and indomitable sprit. Thoroughly uplifting, the writing is beautiful and I thought the ending particularly so. Although I haven’t read any books by this author before, I shall certainly be rectifying that in the future! Just lovely. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read an early copy, I will certainly be recommending it.

A great, heartwarming story with characters who are fully developed and brought to life brilliantly. It's all focused around one night and a mystery that needs to be solved but there's an underlying current of true love and what this really means. It focuses on how different situations and people can shape your life but by having a different outlook on all things both good and bad, there could be positives found in everything life throws your way. I very much enjoyed the writing which was comforting and lovely to read, and an elderly protagonist who is wheelchair bound isn't something we see often but Flo is absolutely fab! A great read that I look forward to seeing published next year.

Florence Butterfield is a well travelled woman with a past. Now approaching eighty eight, and having recently had to have a leg amputated due to an accident, Florrie is no longer able to look after herself as before. Reluctantly she sells her beloved Far End, and takes up residence in Babbington Hall, a converted mansion for the not so able. Settling in nicely, making new friends, Florrie is quite content, though still troubled by her past. After a sudden death amongst the residents, then a very nasty event involving a member of staff, Florrie senses something is not quite right, so along with her friend Stanhope, she vows to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I loved this book, so beautifully written, full of compassion and angst, but totally heartwarming. All the characters, even the not so nice ones, were extremely well done. We all need a Pinky in our lives! The plot was brilliantly executed, absolutely sublime.

My first by this author but most definitely not my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK.