4.5 stars.
The unexpected and odd death of Arthur, one of the residents of Babbington Hall, an assisted living home, lingers in the minds of some of the residents, including main character Florence "Florrie" Butterfield, and the facility’s manager, Renata Green, a beautiful reclusive woman.

When she sees that Renata is still low days after Arthur’s sudden death, Florrie visits with the woman, discovering that Renata is in love and longs to travel to Paris. The two decide to meet the next day for another, longer chat, in which Florrie decides to open up a little about her many adventures around the world. Unfortunately, later that night during a thunderstorm, Florrie watches Renata fall from her third floor apartment, screaming.

A badly injured Renata is taken to the hospital and is in a coma. Everyone is swift to accept the attempted suicide statement from the police, but Florrie, and one of the other residents, Stanhope Jones, don’t believe it. The two begin to carefully ask questions of the other residents and staff, and even manage to get into Renata's apartment, finding clues supporting their belief that something strange is going on.

No one pays their sleuthing any mind, as Florrie is eighty-seven years old, deaf, one-legged and wheelchair bound. Stanhope, slightly younger, walks with a cane and comes across as mild-mannered and quiet. Also, both are known by other residents as polite and friendly, even sweet, in Florrie's case.

Interestingly, even though the two are looking for clues and poking around, the mystery of what really happened to Renata actually takes a backseat to the gorgeous and fascinating life of Florrie Butterfield.

A happy childhood with loving parents and a friendship with Pinky Underwood set the stage for what one thinks will be a quiet life. But something happened to seventeen-year-old Florrie that propelled her on to an unconventional life, travelling around the world and falling in love with six different men. Each stage of her life is wonderfully conveyed by author Susan Fletcher. Two constants throughout the glorious Florrie's life are the deep bond she shares with Pinky, and a need to keep moving.

Stanhope and Florrie gradually tease out what is at the heart of the events at Babbington Hall, and how it ties to a terrible series of events twenty years earlier. It's all very sad, but no matter how unfortunate these details are, the real draw of this humorous, moving novel is Florrie's drive, compassion, wonder at even the smallest things, and boundless kindness for others. That it takes Florrie sifting through Renata's life to finally give herself some of that kindness, enough for Florrie to discover that it's never too late to begin again and make deep connections, and find love.

Fletcher does a wonderful job slowly teasing out details of Florrie's life, and the person she matures into through her experiences. There are many characters in this wonderful book, but Florrie absolutely shines. Her long life, though filled with sadness and trauma, is also filled with so much love, adventure and openness. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Florrie, and this terrific, warm hug of a novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canadafor this ARC in exchange for my review.

Title: The Night in Question
Author: Susan Fletcher
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: April 2, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Doubleday Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Witty • Heartfelt • Comforting

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Florrie Butterfield has lived a life full of unexpected travel and adventure. But at eighty-seven, she isn’t expecting many more surprises to come her way.

Then, one midsummer’s night, something terrible occurs—so shocking and strange that Florrie grows wary. Is it really an accident, or is she being lied to? Is she living alongside a would-be murderer?

The only clue is a magenta envelope, discarded earlier that day.

With her suspicions overlooked and her abilities underestimated, Florrie is determined to uncover the truth. But as she turns detective, she finds herself looking back on her own life . . . and a long-buried secret, traced in faded scars over her knuckles, becomes ever harder to ignore.

Will she discover what really happened that night? Or will much more come to light than even she had imagined?

💭 T H O U G H T S

As soon as I saw 'octogenarian' in the description, I added The Night in Question to my list of 2024 anticipated releases. I am always interested in reading late-in-life second chance stories and this one certainly fit the bill.

Florrie is one of those rare characters, similar to Ove, that will stick with me for years to come. She is so full of life with a wise beyond her years personality. Having suffered a reason mishap, resulting in the amputation of one of her legs, she now finds herself living in an assisted living facility. She has lead an unconventional life, and we get to meet six of the men who influenced her life. Through flashbacks, we get to know her past, the places she has been, and the secret she holds. Along the way, I was introduced to a host of other endearing characters, yet it is Florrie that carries the narrative.

Told in a gentle and quiet manner, there is so much compassion and empathy found within this books pages. The pacing in definitely on the slow side as Susan offers the pieces of the puzzle bit by bit. This novel allows for beautiful reflection on the notion of the choices we make and how they shape out life and/or how life would be different if we had made alternate choices. It also paints a picture of the process of aging - exploring both the positive and negative aspects. It's just a beautiful depiction of knowing one is never too old to make a difference.

The Night in Question is definitely not a mystery/thriller. Rather it has cozy mystery vibes, while also having so much depth and space for reflection. With themes of love and loss, of the importance of friendship, of forgiveness, and of just living life to the fullest, Susan Fletcher delivers a comforting novel that feels like a hug. It surprised me just how much this book found a way into my heart.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• older MCs
• amateur sleuths
• slow paced character studies

⚠️ CW: death, murder, grief, infidelity, sexism, misogyny, toxic relationship, physical abuse, injury/injury detail, blood, medical content, suicide attempt, pregnancy, alcohol, sexual content, terminal illness, homophobia, mental illness, PTSD, medical trauma, war, ageism, adoption

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Florrie learned, long ago, that society forgets an old person was ever young."

"But good looks, she knows, do not mean that they know only good deeds."

Already in my Top 10 novels for the year. Delighted to include this title in the April edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Amazingly original, The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher melted my heart into a big puddle! It was spellbinding and I lost all track of time while happily inhaling it. If there ever was a book which felt like it was personally written for me, this is it. Love, loss, adventures, friendship, reflecting on the past and living in the moment are all here. Plus, as an added bonus, murder lurks.

Babbington Hall, a home for those who require varying levels of care later in life, is home to Florrie who is quite independent, though she lost one of her legs. At eighty seven, her mind is sharp and her charming introspections made me chuckle. The reader is privy to past adventures which took her to many fascinating places. As a traveler/adventurer myself, I was mesmerized and sometimes surprised by her stories. However, real life is not all sunshine and roses. Florrie reflects on the gamut of emotions and situations she experienced and how they impacted her journey. I adored her fortitude, personality and wisdom and caught glimpses of my beloved grandma in her. Florrie also makes a wonderful sleuth and friend.

All the characters are written skillfully and realistically. The setting and mystery elements are marvellous but the writing and characterizations took my breath away.

If you crave extraordinarily insightful, gentle and quiet writing, The Night in Question has your name engraved on it.

My sincere thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this stupendous novel!