The Killer Question by Janice Hallett @janice.hallett @janicehallett.bsky.social @simon.audio @simonaudio.bsky.social @librofm @libro.fm #TheKillerQuestion

the setup…
Mal and Sue Eastwood live in a rural area of Hertfordshire, England and manage a pub called The Case is Altered. It’s 2019 and they conduct a weekly trivia game that is popular with several teams who compete for that coveted first place spot. It all works well…that is until a body shows up in the adjacent river. Not long after, a new trivia team joins the locals, causing disruptions and the like as they win the game every week. Shift forward to 2025 and Mal’s nephew Dominic Eastwood is pitching a true crime story to Netflix…about The Case is Altered.

the heart of the story…
There are three periods of time here, transitioning from 2014 to 2019 and present day. The epistolary format is perfect here as the insights from each team are shared, along with each week’s quiz topics and reactions. There’s mystery surrounding the new team who upsets the dynamics and brings some shade with them. Secrets get slowly revealed and the twists get bigger and fly faster. There was a point where my jaw dropped open and I couldn’t put this book down.

the narration…
This story deserved a full cast narration and the payoff was spectacular! The performances were excellent, individually and collectively.

the bottom line…
I didn’t know where this story would lead as its focus was initially on the trivia contests, which were lively and fun. When it took a sharp turn into the first twist, it gave me pause to question everything. This is one clever story that will upend you without notice in a very good way with an ending that will leave you stunned. I knew I’d love it but this was special (hello, Netflix!).

Book Info

• Release Date: September 23, 2025
• Narrators: Matt Bates, Rachel Dale, Sarah Durham, Joe Eyre, Keith Wickham, Harvey Quinn, Jennifer Saayeng, Ashley Tucker & Melissa Vaughan
• Audio Length: 9 hours, 54 minutes
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

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(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)