When it comes to Janice Hallet books, it’s all about the format. Either you hate this format…. Or you love it. I do love it. There is no narrative- the entire text is made up of text threads, emails, newspaper clippings, and other communications- absolutely no prose-narrative. I find myself reading quickly and internalizing the character building very well. It’s a fun change of pace and it has to be a challenging way to craft a story.

This one is about 2 ex-police officers who own a pub. They run a weekly pub quiz and there are several minor characters and quiz teams who all have their own group chats. A new team comes to town and wins everything. Everyone thinks they must be cheating- but why go through this and be so secretive?

There are a few twists that are surprising and a satisfying ending. Some of the quiz team drama got to be a bit much, but it was a surprising mystery and a refreshing format. If you like cozy mysteries, this is a lot of fun!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC. Book to be published 9/23/25

What a fun ride! This is my third Janice Hallett book, and it didn’t disappoint! I love her format, and the book flowed so well. And the twists were delicious! So much fun!

Janice is great at sucking you into the story, and makes you immersed in her thrillers. I LOVED this! The plot was a page turner and each character was just as interesting as the last. The trivia setting was really fun and I loved the unique format.

I have read a few of Janice Hallett's books in the past - I usually enjoy the format of email/text communication. This one was just too convoluted for me, and I found it pretty boring and hard to get invested in the characters,

I would first like to thank net galley and Atria books for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.25⭐️
The killer question follows the owners Mal and sue at their Pub called The Case is altered. Who host a weekly trivia games. All is well until one day a body is found and a Mysterious new team trivia team shows up scoring top points every week.
This book was a really fun read. The whole story was told through text threads, emails, and what’s app messages. This type of format I usually do not like, but Janice Hallett did a great job executing this. The Chats between the quiz teams were highly entertaining and to see some members get so worked up over a weekly trivia was entertaining.
Great read, fun and mysterious.

I love an epistolary book and Janice Hallett is the queen of them! I was so excited to get a chance to receive this ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books. This book follows Sue and Mal, owners of a pub in the UK who host weekly trivia. A body washes up one week and soon nothing is as it seems! The amount of characters in this book is astronomical, but Hallett is able to give them each their own voice and unique personality which made reading this so fun. There were so many twists in this book and I was actually surprised by them! I'd highly recommend this book if you love this genre.

Janice Hallett is out of this world amazing.

She has SIX books now of these complex mysteries, both in format and plot, and they are fun, funny, and always have some jaw dropping moments!! Truly doing something different, and I can’t get enough!

Can’t wait to recommend this book to patrons!

This was a very interesting mystery, full of random plot twists. Like most Janice Hallett books (especially The Examiner), the storyline and ending is a bit ridiculous, but it's kind of fun because of that. While some parts of the ending were a little confusing (I don't think it was clear enough on exactly what was going on/what had happened), it was good for what it is (a silly mystery). In any case, I'll look forward to the author's next book!

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria for the ARC!

This book was so cool! I've never read anything like it before. The author has written the entire book based on emails, texts, transcribed conversations, statements made to the police, etc.
It was an interesting story based on a young man, Dominic, trying to sell his aunt and uncles story to Polly who makes documentaries for Netflix. Dominic sends Polly the entire documentary in snippets that he thinks would make perfect episodes. The snippets are made up of all the emails, texts, etc.
I really enjoyed this format and this book has put this author on my radar. I can't wait to discover her other books.

After reading The Appeal by this author a couple of years ago, requested the new book from Hallett from #NetGalley. Thanks for the approval, in exchange for my review. The book will be published September 25, 2025.

Synopsis: Janice Hallett returns with a fresh, edge-of-your-seat mystery that takes place at a pub’s weekly trivia night, revealed through quiz categories, phone messages, and email correspondence.

Review: I attend weekly trivia with my team. We have been together since 2018, so this book caught my attention. T
he book, written similarly to The Appeal, is told in emails, texts, and police notes. While the format kept the book moving, there were parts that dragged. There was too much back and forth with the trivia groups that got in the way of advancing the story. In the end this reader was ready for the book to be over. Maybe 50 less pages would have done the trick. My rating 3.5⭐️.

This is such a smart and funny read. The story is set in the world of pub quizzes -and like the quote about academic politics being so viscous because “the stakes are so low” - Janice Hallett describes the back and forth between these characters with great insight and humor. And then a quizzer shows up dead. I couldn’t put it down and I await patiently for her next book.

This author writes such easy reads. This novel in particular was great because the formatting of the book was so unique. You never know what you are going to get with her. This novel centres around a trivia night and when I tell you you are going to have a fun ride I mean it. It made me, introvert hermit extraordinaire want to join a trivia team. Of course it would have to be a trivia team of one because I am insufferable but a team nonetheless.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a miss for me. I found it quite boring and the characters fell flat. I guessed the big twist and was let down by it.

I had such a good time with this book! Historically, I've really loved Janice Hallett's books, especially because of the mixed media format she uses to tell her stories. While this one had that with text messages, emails, transcript recordings, etc. it also had a story that kept me fully captivated. It was such a smart story while still being fun, and although I had some guesses where it was going, there was a lot that I didn't see coming at all!

Thank you to Atria and Netgally for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked the format of this novel. It makes it easy to read and provides an interesting way to see the "action". Definitely some twists and turns I didn't expect.

Pros: I have read all of Janice Hallett's books because I enjoy her use of mixed media so much. The Appeal remains my favorite book of hers, but she consistently writes a great mystery with multiple twists. The pub setting with trivia games structuring the action was such a fun foundation for this book.

Cons: It took me a bit to get into the book and figure out who all the characters are (so many trivia team members!), but once I got to about 25% it was hard to put the book down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars

How will the different strands come together? Which details will prove to be important? Janice Hallett always plays fair.
I would have to rank this below Allerton Angels, The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal, but a solid four stars.

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett is a clever, twist-packed mystery.

I had a great time piecing together the clues and getting lost in the chaos. Even when the pacing drags a little, the constant twists make it hard not to admire how skillfully she spins her web. She’s truly mastered the “wait… WHAT just happened?” style of storytelling.

However, there were a few things that didn’t sit right with me. Some cringey character, an extremely cop-heavy narrative, and a few moments that felt a bit long or underdeveloped. Still, it’s got charm, sharp humor, layered characters, and a mystery that’s just fun to follow, even if you’re not trying to solve it.

If you’re a fan of her work, or just a mystery lover, this one delivers.

Went into this one blind after seeing a review on Goodreads, and I have to say I am glad that I did. Man, this was quite the good time: a quirky mystery centered around an English country pub and the very competitive weekly trivia contest. Toss in a murder or two and the stage is set for all sorts of joyously unexpected craziness.

Told via emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, police reports, and body cam audio Hallett has created a fast-reading narrative filled with a ton of oddball characters, genuinely funny dialogue, and plenty of twists and turns.

Hallett was a new author for me with 'The Killer Question' - but she is on my list now.

Absolutely fun stuff!!

I’m not usually into mixed-media novels. Most authors, no matter how talented, struggle to make emails, message boards, or texts sound like anything but a gimmick. The major exception is Janice Hallett. She is so good at it! Her writing captures the feeling of scrolling, but with actual narrative momentum.

The Killer Question is a bit more of a slow burn than some of her previous work. For a while, I thought I was only so-so on the story - until I looked up and realized it was midnight, and I was glued to the last 100 pages. Hallett knows exactly what she’s doing. Even when it sneaks up on you, the payoff lands.