JANICE! I am flabbergasted! The Killer Question is probably going to end up on my top reads of the year. This book is freaking fantastic. It reminds me so much of The Appeal and thats the book that made me fall in love with Janice Hallett’s writing. The cast of characters are all so fascinating. You can really tell Janice put her heart into this one.

The Killer Question takes a little bit to get into because of the format of the story but once you get into it it’s so worth it. I was truly obsessed with the quizzers and their POVs so much so that I found myself not caring about the other timeline but trust me you need to care. The way this book kept hitting me with twist after twist in the end! I truly can’t say enough good things about this book. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks when it comes out. I need more people to talk to about that ending!
5/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.75⭐️ Really fun and twisty! Loved the cast of characters, and once I got used to the format of the book, I really enjoyed it. The first half is a bit slow and confusing with all of the different characters to keep track of, but I still had a good time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

A super funny read! Janice Hallett at her best, with a really satisfying ending. Lots of twists and a really immersive setting!

Janice Hallett is fantastic at writing mixed media mysteries! The Killer Question follows a group of pub quizzers and pub owners whose route is rocked by the discovery of a body and the appearance of an amazingly good quiz team soon after. The story is told through WhatsApp messages, emails, transcripts, and pub results.

I really enjoyed this and had a lot of fun with it! Plenty of twists and turns and I found the overarching plot of a nephew trying to spin this story into a Netflix documentary to be compelling and a good grounding hook. Highly recommend to mystery fans, particularly those familiar with Hallett’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to this work. All opinions are my own.

I tend to love Janice Hallett’s mixed media approach to murder mysteries (The Appeal is still my favorite of hers), and this one was such a delightful premise. It revolves around a weekly pub quiz in the English countryside (are they really that cutthroat? Do the same people do it every single week? I feel like it’s different in the states!), the two owners of said pub who are (naturally) hiding secrets, and a dead body that turns up in the river next to the pub. This mystery is told via text messages, largely, with the occasional pub quiz leaflet or or online review or police report, etc. included. I just had a good time with this. I feel like this is the “coziest” of Hallett’s mysteries, maybe because of the setting? You know what you’re getting with this, and sometimes that familiarity is what you need as a reader!

Although I enjoyed the first several books that Janice Hallett wrote, I have not been nearly as big a fan of her more recent work. Unfortunately, I found this book a little dry. I did enjoy the variety of ways that the story was told (emails, police reports, etc.) and the book did such a good job describing trivia nights that I am tempted to find and try one in my area. Other than that, though, the story was too slow moving for my taste and didn't keep my interest.

This was another hit from Janice Hallet! I love her books and the interesting formats, but also the mysteries always keep me entertained and guessing.

What a clever, twisty delight. The Killer Question is one of those books that plays with your expectations at every turn—and does it with a wicked sense of humor and sharp intelligence. Janice Hallett knows exactly how to keep a reader guessing, not just about who did it, but about what’s really going on underneath all the surface charm.

The format is inventive without being gimmicky, and the story unfolds in a way that feels fresh and dynamic. I had so much fun trying to piece together the clues, constantly shifting my suspicions as new layers were revealed. The voice is distinct and biting, and the pacing is spot-on—it’s the kind of book you tell yourself you’ll just read one more chapter of... and then suddenly it's 2 a.m.

But beyond the cleverness, there’s also a deeper exploration of how stories are told, how public perception shapes truth, and how easily people can be misunderstood—or manipulated. It’s funny and fast-paced, yes, but it also left me thinking.

If you love mysteries that are smart, surprising, and just a little bit sly, this one is an absolute must. It’s a puzzle box of a novel, and I loved every second of solving it.

Another winner by Janice Hallett! Hallett has become a must-read author for me. I loved this one as much as her previous books. I particularly enjoyed the humor at the beginning of the book as we got to know the trivia teams and the pub owners who run the trivia games. As a fan of epistolary novels, this contemporary version with text messages and group chats worked very well for me. I flew through it. The mystery part of the book had lots of twists and turns and red herrings. Nothing I predicted took place. I also thought the device of having the story be pitched for a true crime series was a very clever way to tell the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining book and highly recommended it!

I've read a couple of Janice Hallett's other books, and this one lives up to the author's reputation for intricate mysteries with interesting twists. I enjoyed the inside look at the quizzing community and the colorful characters in this novel, and found the ending to be pretty satisfying.

That said, I only gave this book 4 stars because I found the format of the story -- Whatsapp group texts, emails, and audio transcripts -- to be a little confusing at first, then tedious after hours of reading, and kept hoping the format would change partway through the book. There were also a heck of a lot of characters and name abbreviations to keep track of (dozens!), taking away a little of the enjoyment of the mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide honest feedback!

I found this epistolary method using texts was not as effective as it was in previous titles. There were so many characters and so many characters that took on other characters-that found it confusing at times. I don’t think the device worked as cleanly this time. The twist at the end was fascinating. Recommended with caution.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was very entertaining. The frame story is Dominic pitching the mystery of what happened at the Case is Altered pub to a podcaster. He has access to lots of information because his uncle and aunt, Mal and Sue, used to be the landlords there. The story of Mal and Sue's time at the pub focusses mainly on the Monday evening quiz nights and the frankly obsessive (and therefore humorous) lengths certain of the teams would go to to win. Then there are transcripts from a secret operation Mal and Sue were involved in when they were still working for the police.

This begins fairly slowly, but ramps up towards the end and things began to come together for me just before they were spelled out, which I always think is very clever writing. Some of Hallett's recent novels haven't worked so well for me, but I heartily recommend this one.

What I enjoy about Hallett's books is that so much hides behind her characters words and it's fun to wonder what we aren't getting. In fact, more than the twist I enjoyed other small reveals along the way. There are so many different teams in this book who play the weekly quiz at The Case pub but I was able to keep all of them separate. (Same goes for keeping straight all the other pubs in the brewery group.) Of course my favorite team is the young Ami's Manic Carrots team and why they show up each week with all the older patrons. The police operation in the past was probably my least favorite aspect of the book, only because I had momentum with the "present" (which is still in the past I guess) and I liked all the personalities better. Thanks for the chance to read and review!

I always love the format of Hallett's books. The use of media forms to tell the story makes the book go by faster than a traditional descriptive narrative. The storyline with this one was really intriguing, which also led me to binging it. I liked the dual timeline that connected to tell the story. I think looking at both the past kidnapping case and the present pub quiz made the reader think more about what the possible connections could be. I enjoyed the quiz element and how small business owners all work together to build community. I liked the humor and the wide range of characters. The connection ended up being wild and unexpected in my eyes, which led into the ending also coming out of left field and shocking me. I hate when thrillers/mysteries are predictable, so I am glad that I was so shocked.

I’m so happy to say that Janice Hallett stays true to her signature style in The Killer Question, and I absolutely loved it. Once again, she delivers a smart, layered mystery told through transcripts, notes, and indirect clues, making the reader feel like a detective piecing together the truth.
I won’t lie, during the first half, I felt like the story was dragging a bit. It took time to get going, and I wasn’t sure where it was heading. But then, just past the halfway point, something shifted. Clues started lining up, secrets came to light, and suddenly, there was a whole other mystery hiding inside the main one. From that moment, I was completely hooked. What I appreciate most is that Hallett doesn’t try to reinvent herself with every book, she knows exactly what works, and she leans into it brilliantly. There’s a certain comfort in knowing her stories will challenge you, surprise you, and pull you in with their clever structure and slow-burning twists. A slow start, but a fantastic payoff. Clever, fun, and uniquely Hallett. I’d follow her style anywhere.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for the chance to read this book in advance.

Janice Hallett returns with her signature narrative style in The Killer Question, a clever, slow-burning mystery structured like a treasure hunt, where every detail might be a clue. The story unfolds through transcripts, letters, and fragments of conversations, requiring the reader to piece together the truth themselves. I’ll admit, the first half felt a bit underwhelming. The pace is slow, and it takes a while for the plot to gain momentum. But once I hit the 50% mark, things started to click. The mysteries began to unravel, and suddenly, there’s a mystery within the mystery. From that point on, I was hooked. If you enjoy stories that challenge you to pay attention and connect the dots, this book delivers. Hallett plays with the reader’s expectations masterfully, and the payoff is incredibly satisfying. I absolutely love this kind of immersive, clue-driven storytelling. A slow start, but the second half more than makes up for it. Hallett never disappoints.

This book, about a pub owning couple and a weekly trivia night, was a page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to agree with other reviewers that Janice Hallett has a singular talent for this genre, and I’m a huge fan! Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Janice Hallett is one of my favorite mystery authors, and as a frequent trivia-goer myself, I was so excited to see that her next mystery revolved around a pub quiz!

Hallett excels at writing in epistolary format. It’s a very limiting and divisive format, but somehow she’s mastered it. Even if the plot isn’t my favorite, I’m always in awe of how she manages to create twisty, tense situations through various forms of media.

I had a fun time with The Killer Question, but The Appeal still reigns as my favorite of her mysteries. TKQ is about 450 pages and it felt veryyy long. As always, Hallett graced us with multiple twists at the end, but the last one I felt needed a bit more development, which might have worked better if Sue and Mal’s past police case was told earlier in the book and wasn’t dragged for as long as it was. Things felt a bit tedious at times, but I always finish a Janice Hallett book feeling like I’m reading this generation’s Arthur Conan Doyle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the arc!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read early and review. Another strong story from my favorite mystery author. It has everything I’ve come to love in a mystery from Hallett - unreliable characters, twists and turns, and something to alter everything when you finally think you’ve gotten the truth.

It kills me to say that something felt like it was missing. This one didn’t hit as hard as The Twyford Code, The Examiner, or The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. Those three are my hands down favorites and altered my perception of reality when the truths were revealed at the end. I think much like The Appeal, if I’d have read this one first, then my reaction would be different. It’s still very strong, and very British pub quiz-centric. I had it pre-ordered before I even requested an ARC, and it’ll sit proudly on my shelves with the rest of my Hallett collection when it’s published.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this work.
Janice Hallett continues to write creative and engaging mysteries. Her works never cease to entertain and keep me wanting more. Her newest work I would highly recommend. What starts as a question about relatives and pub quizzes branched out into so much more. I found this to be one of Hallett’s best works and forsee myself rereading this to see what I’ve missed on the first read. I highly recommend for any mystery lover!