Review: The Killer Question

In a new twist on the classic epistolary novel, The Killer Question by Janice Hallett turns crime literature on its head and took me on a roller coaster ride of a read. The plot revolves around the classic British pub quiz, but it is really about so much more.

The Killer Question is the story of former police officers Mal and Sue Reynolds that is framed in a series of email messages from their nephew as he seeks a producer for a documentary on their lives. Hallett, as is her customary writing style, uses emails, What's App message threads, police briefings, and more to weave together various timelines throughout the book.

While this style of writing can take a few chapters to get into (especially if you aren't expecting it), it does work for this mystery novel. However, I'm not sure how well it would work as an audio book with all of the header information before each email, What's App thread, etc.

I would say that I was thoroughly enthralled with this book until about the last 10% or so. I'm all for a good twist, but when there are so many twists that I feel like I'm getting whiplash, maybe it's too much. It pulled me out of the story and made me incredibly picky about some of the missing elements.

I've had to sit with this review to really gather my thoughts and feelings. Part of it may be my preference for cozy mysteries, but I have enjoyed non-cozies like Sue Grafton, Sara Patersky, and Patricia Cornwell in the past. I'm sure that there are lots of readers out there who will love this book, but it's not for me.

2 lattes out of 5

Disclaimer: This eARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.