A review by ntc10
The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Murder After the Night Before follows Molly starting the morning after her work Christmas party. She’s hungover, can’t remember anything about the night before, and a video of her has gone viral. Molly’s day keeps getting worse when she later discovers her roommate and best friend, Posey, dead in her bathroom. Molly is sure that Posey’s death was not an accident but the police refuse to investigate so Molly decides to find out the truth for herself, and Posey. 

I was really excited about the concept of this book but was ultimately disappointed with the execution. The cover and description made me think this book was going to be a romp following Molly trying to retrace her steps from the night before to get answers in the same vein as The Hangover. However, I was disappointed that this book is barely about the night she can’t remember and instead is about her trying to solve the mystery of the missing person's case Posey was writing an article about. It also bothered me that Molly would just conveniently start to remember parts of the night before, without anything jogging her memory, when it was necessary to move the plot along. 

Another issue I have is the fact that nowhere in the book synopsis is sexual assault mentioned or given a trigger warning, but the reason Molly goes viral is that someone posted a video of her performing a sexually explicit act on the night she can’t remember. This storyline was very dark and while I thought it was handled well it surprised me and I don’t think topics of this nature should be a surprise to readers. Nothing about this book was light-hearted or funny. Even before the start of the book Molly has very low self-worth, doesn’t like her job, and is deeply unhappy. There’s nothing wrong with covering these topics, it just wasn’t what I was expecting from this book.

However, I did think this book had a few redeeming qualities. I thought it was charmingly British and had well-written supporting characters that were interesting and integral to the plot. I was also impressed that I didn’t guess the plot reveals and was surprised by the ending. This book deals with a lot of hard topics like grief, alcohol abuse, and sexual assault. Readers who are looking for a mystery that is equal parts character-driven and plot-driven covering more hard-hitting topics should check this out.
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