Reviews

The Night in Question by Liz Lawson, Kathleen Glasgow

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laurenafflerback's review against another edition

5.0

The girls are back again- and this time, they are solving two crimes that are years apart!
Liz Lawson and Kathleen Glasgow did it again!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
⚠️Warning: May contain spoilers ahead!⚠️
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Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams are back!
They’re still reeling from the loss of Brooke Donovan and all the craziness of solving that murder, as well as The Thing attacking Iris and her mother… But they are getting through it all- together.
This time they are attending the Sadie’s Hawkins dance at the Levy Castle in Castle Cove, CA. There is so much going on but the “big drama” occurs when Helen Park and Rebecca Kennedy have a screaming match in the middle of everyone.. Because they wore the same dress.
Alice is psyched to be in the castle where the late Mona Moody, famed movie star who mysteriously fell in the 1940s, and finds her way through a hidden staircase and ends up in a closet full of luxurious gowns..
Iris is still processing the incident with The Thing and also figure out why she is getting those butterflies when her friend, Spike, is around. But is also conflicted by feelings she has for someone else, Cole. Iris and Cole escape to an old tree house on the castle property.
Until- Helen is found (by Alice) standing over Rebecca, holding a bloody letter opener… Rebecca is unconscious and bleeding out.
Alice and Iris- along with the Zoners- investigate what could have happened and why someone would want to hurt Brooke.. While doing so- they also begin to dig deeper into the death of Mona Moody, family secrets in Castle Cove and how one class assignment may have set everything into motion.
What would Agatha Christie do?
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I was so excited when I got the email saying I was approved for this ARC because I absolutely DEVOURED The Agatha’s when it was released.
Liz and Kathleen work so well together in co-writing this series and I love their friendship and little quips on social media and the acknowledgments in the end of the book.
Iris and Alice are two people that no one would expect to be friends because of their differences in upbringings and “popularity” but they are the perfect friends.
The Night in Question kept me guessing and even when I thought I knew- I didn’t. It all clicked at the end and it blew my mind. I am hoping and praying and crossing my fingers for more because I *need* it.
The Night in Question releases May 30th, 2023- preorder it now!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

3.5

“This is so Agatha Christie: a secret passage, a hidden staircase, sneaking around in the dark with a storm raging outside. A shiver of pleasure runs through me.”

➽ The Night in Question is another Agathas mystery! After helping solve the Brooke Donovan case, Alice and Iris are back for another mystery. Once again, tragedy strikes Castle Cove when a student is attacked at the Sadie Hawkins dance and falls into a coma. As the resident sleuthing duo, Alice and Iris decide to investigate the case itself, especially since it took place in the infamous Levy Castle. It's almost two cases in one, because the famous film star Mona Moody used to live there and her death in the 1940s was never solved. Iris is a big fan of her, so we get quotes from Mona for her chapters. As always, Alice is determined to use the knowledge of Agatha Christie in order to find out who hurt one of her former best friends.

➽ I liked seeing the friction the case caused between Iris and Alice. Both have formed an unlikely friendship in the last book and lead very different lives. Iris' family is struggling financially and even though her abusive father is now behind bars, the threat won't ever go away. Iris is still dealing with the aftermath of his abuse and how it makes it difficult to trust others. Meanwhile, Alice has all the money she could ever want, but feels abandoned by her parents. When they unexpectedly reappear only to take an interest in her failing grades, she's furious. I understood Alice's hurt and how her parent's absence weighed on her. It's hypocritical to her that they suddenly want to get involved again. Alice and Iris each have their own issues to deal with, but Alice's wealth and connections definitely give her an advantage. The police aren't thrilled that they're getting involved again, so it's Iris who has the most to lose if things go sideways.

➽ Sadly, the mystery didn't grip me this time and I much preferred the first book. The case didn't feel like it developed organically and felt more forced. I wish the focus hadn't been on yet another former friend of Alice's and instead someone else in town could have been the focus. For most of the book, I didn't feel intrigued and rather bored while Alice and Iris butted heads trying to solve the case. The hints of romance didn't do it for me either. Alice is obsessed with someone who's already got a girlfriend and the weird love triangle developing around Iris didn't interest me. I feel like having the case of Mona Moody alongside the main story could have been interesting, but it wasn't executed well. It felt like we were following two completely different stories. Unfortunately, I almost had to agree with the police that Alice and Iris had no right to go breaking laws and playing detective. I know the Castle Cove police sucks, but in this book, Alice's rulebreaking got on my nerves after a while. She just crossed too many lines.

Content Warnings

zaineylaney's review against another edition

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4.0

Are you ready to open a cold case of a 1940s actress? Let’s investigate this book:
Second in Series - In this second book in The Agathas series, we follow Alice and Iris and their gang of crime solving friends
Formal Dance - they are attending a formal dance at an historic mansion
Girl Attacked - When Alice happens upon one of her classmates attacked while exploring some secret passageways in the mansion
Historical Connection - Can the Agathas solve the mystery? And how does it connect to the death of an actress many years in the past.

Having loved the first book in the series, and YA mysteries in general, I had to read this book. The most interesting thing about it for me was how things connected in general, the past and the present. Even after this book, which does reference the first one so you are going to want to start there, there are still a few cold cases this group is trying to solve so I'm figuring there will be another book in the series. It’s just a fun time and the twist is good, even if you kind of figure it out. Cuz I am astute like that.

veecundill's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Enjoyed this, not quite as much as the first one but still a lot of fun if you’re in the mood for something light hearted and don’t mind things getting a little silly. I think it’s the two main characters in this series that make it quite endearing as wouldn’t be my usual type of thing but anything Kathleen Glasgow writes seems to work for me.