“The Murder After the Night Before” is a character based, thoroughly contemporary, murder mystery. I enjoyed it a great deal, despite finding it not quite what I expected.

Brent’s first novel, “How to Kill Men and Get Away With It” was greatly enjoyable but perhaps just a tad unhinged (deliberately). I kind of expected the same tone here, but it’s a much more grounded murder mystery. However, the wry tone and scathing awareness of harms done by social media is the same.

Molly is having a really bad morning. After her work Christmas party she wakes up with a pounding hangover, a strange man in her bed, and a dead phone. Rushing into work, she finds that one of the worst moments of her life is all over social media. Not just her career, but her life is teetering on the edge of implosion.

And then she finds her flatmate and friend, Posey, dead. Molly is sure Posey was murdered. But the police think it was an accident, and Molly’s credibility is shot thanks to her internet fame. If there’s to be justice for Posey, Molly will have to uncover her killer herself.

This is in many ways a very classic murder mystery, with an amateur sleuth, and suspects and motives abounding. Brent handles this aspect of the novel extremely well. For a while we’re as confused as Molly, and as unsure who to trust. The plot is solidly worked out, and the actions and possible motives of each character are convincing.

What makes this novel feel particularly contemporary, however, is the attitude to social media. It permeates the novel, as it does real life, and we see some of both the positive and negative sides of it. This doesn’t feel like a rant against technology, but it’s definitely pretty negative about the way some people use it.

There’s a wry tone to this. Molly isn’t all that bright, and has some very distinct blind spots, but she is aware of some of her shortcomings and very aware of some of the less than ideal aspects of her life. Some of her comments are snarky, and some are insightful.
Characters are drawn sharply. We never meet Posey alive, but she is a vivid and strong character. Brent does not stint on describing grief or the ways it affects people, and this is particularly immediate in the aftermath of Posey’s death. Every character is imbued with life, with multiple dimensions shown or hinted at for each person.

This is a well written novel which you can enjoy on multiple levels. It’s a carefully worked out murder puzzle. It’s a contemporary novel with a sharp edge and commentary about how people behave online. And it’s a strong character study.

I enjoyed this a great deal. I’d recommend it not just to crime readers, but to those who enjoy contemporary novels with strong characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Australia and Katy Brent for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Murder After the Night Before. It was full of intrigue, mystery and humour.
I was hooked from the first paragraph, Katy has a really addictive writing style that just draws you right in. I honestly couldn't put it down, I read it in a day.
Molly is a great main character. She was funny, loyal and had real depth too.

This is the second book I've read from Katy Brent and it's every bit as good as her debut, How to Kill Men and Get Away With It.
I'd love to read a sequel to either of her books at some stage, as I loved both Kitty and Molly.

I highly recommend.

5 Stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was not what I was expecting.

I thought it was going to be a fun contemporary thriller, full of dark humour, and to an extent it was. I think some of the thrill was lost in the number of ‘hot topics’ this one book contains. I also felt like the story was woven into a complicated web, but it didn’t feel like the background was ‘deep’ or ‘real’ enough and then…..it ended.

This light mystery is heavy on social commentary, but an easy read. It had me intrigued, and the story certainly had me turning the pages, I just felt like the big reveals were a bit dramatic and convoluted.

"Something bad happened last night. My best friend Posey is dead. The police think it was a tragic accident. I know she was murdered."

The Murder After the Night Before is a super fun and quirky take on a murder mystery. Molly wakes up with a raging hangover and a partially nude man in her bed, while her bestie lies dead in a bathroom. The beginning feels light, despite the content, which is thanks to the modern language and phrasings used. It has a humorous feel to it, until it gets serious right when it needs to towards the end. There are some heavier social issues that arise as well, especially when Molly finds herself in an internet sex scandal. The characters themselves are well written, I did find Molly a little too much at times, and some of Posey's chapters are quite dark but they were not enough to ruin any part of the read for me.

Katy Brent has crafted a fun and yet thoughtful read, ready to take on 2024. Thankyou to HQ Australia for an advanced copy. The Murder After The Night Before is available now.

This book was an interesting one; did I like any of the characters? No.

Do I think this is almost intentional? Yes.

The murder after the night before was a great social commentary touching on feminist, sexist, and other topics that many people stray to mention.

It did feel a little forced in places linking story lines but overall it was an enjoyable read.

“I’ve woken up with the hangover from hell, a stranger in my bed, and I’ve gone viral for the worst reasons.

There’s only one thing stopping me from dying of shame. I need to find a killer.”

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, and WOW did it pack a punch - a wholly original and hilarious thriller. Yes, a thriller - Brent, cleverly weaves emotional and witty narrative, interspersed with dark topics including murder, internet trolling, sexual assault, sexism and suicide (check TWs)

Main character Molly is pretty flawed, but in a relatable way. She’s grieving the loss of her mother, isn’t satisfied with her career and drinks to excess. The morning after her work Christmas party, Molly wakes up with a hell hangover and with a man she does’t know in her bed. Things only go downhill when she finds out a sexually explicit video of her from the Christmas party has gone viral AND her best friend is dead!

Through her clever investigative journalism skills, Molly sets out to uncover the truth …

Overall, a wickedly clever and entertaining read. Brent doesn’t shy away from exposing the disparity of sexism and slut shaming when Molly is targeted by social media and the toxicity of internet trolls - both from men and women - the commentary was infuriating and brutally honest.

Utterly engaging, with secrets exposed, twists and turns aplenty, an exploration into grief and a wholly satisfying ending. You’ll laugh out loud, you’ll gasp … you’ll rally for Molly.
Highly recommended.

Many thanks to @netgalley @harlequin for an e-arc.

* This review will posted to Instagram in the near future

Filled with dark humour, plot twists and red herrings, The Murder After The Night Before kept me intrigued to the end. Poor Molly Monroe, a journalist who writes sweet stories about alpacas and unicorns for the Sparkle Magazine Group, really is up against it from the start of this book. First she gets drunk at the office Christmas party, which leads to her being compromised in a TicToc video. From there, her life spirals and it seemseverybody is out to get her. Enter handsome Jack Mayhew, who seems to be on her side, but is he really? These characters were well drawn and I truly empathised with Molly as the story unfolded. A warning to sensitive readers: this book contains mysoginistic behaviour, sexual assault and cyber bullying, however withoutm these things, it wuldn’t be half the gripping story it is. Thank you, @HarlequinAus for the chance to read this story.

When the police don't believe you, you have to solve your best friends murder yourself.

With the morbid funny and aching sadness of the authors first book How To Kill Men and Get Away With It. The author has done it again! This book is all the true crime and women supporting women vibes you could ever want.

"I never allowed myself to grieve because I've never allowed myself to be loved,"

Smart, funny, and poignant, this book pulls zero punches in its exploration of of the systematic lack of belief of women and the miscarriage of justice that regularly occurs because of that.

A book I couldn't put down!

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for more of this authors work.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an Arc of this book