This is a lovely, tender and touching read. Florrie Butterfield is 87 years old, and living in an assisted living facility in the UK, Babbington Hall. She is friends with several people there. One night, an accident happens. Or was it an accident ? Is there a murder in their midst ? Although this is mystery, it is much more the life story of an elderly woman, Florrie, as she looks back on her own life, and difficult experiences.

As Florries look back on her life , p.349 -350 " But it can be so hard, so terribly, desperately hard - that we arm ourselves with whatever we have to help us. Dum spriro spereo or daydreams of Paris, pentagram earrings, or a prayer request book . Or we marry someone who can't hurt us and we travel from country to country, filling our losses with small, bright adventures, with the people that make us smile, with their own way of surviving- and like this , we do carry on."

I think this will appeal to readers of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, rather than The Thursday Murder Club , though I have read and enjoyed both this year and enjoyed them both. ( )

The Night in Question is Florrie Butterfield's story. Now 87, wheelchair bound and living in a (really quite nice) care home, she has settled down to a quiet life. That is, until something awful happens and she feels that it's not quite what everyone is thinking. Following clues (including a magenta envelope that has been cast aside), she starts to poke around to see if she can find out what really happened. Alongside this thread, we are also able to delight in looking back on Florrie's long life, the good times and the bad, her family, her best friend, her loves.

Quite how Susan Fletcher crams all of this so perfectly into 448 pages I do not know, but I can say quite categorically that The Night in Question will be one of my books of the year. Not only does it have the mystery at the care home, but a character looking back over a long and eventful life is one of my most favourite tropes ever. I adored Florrie, who is all soft edges but with a mind as sharp as a tack. I loved her fellow residents too, particularly Stanhope, who she becomes good friends with, but also the varied personalities of all the other characters.

It's fair to say that when I start marking pages that contain paragraphs I want to remember, then that is a sign of a really good book for me. The writing is poetically beautiful, so profound and reflective. I drank in hungrily the wealth and depth of the detail in this story, of Florrie's upbringing, her love for her family, the difficult times she went through and the joys she experienced. I was in awe of how Fletcher delicately and deftly scattered breadcrumbs throughout, to enable the story to unfold organically and to keep the mysterious elements just that, until the moment came for them to step forward into the limelight.

The Night in Question is a very special book indeed. I've read Susan Fletcher's books before and enjoyed them, but this one is an absolute triumph. It's not one thing or another, it's everything all at once. It's superb! ( )

I have no idea if anyone has coined a name for the genre of 'older amateur sleuths solving mysteries and pulling at your heartstrings at the same time. Not a cosy, but a heartfelt story running alongside of the body. Let me know if you have! Until then, I'll go with my long winded one. Oh - and I am really enjoying this style of storytelling.

The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher is a perfect five star example.

Florrie Butterfield is eighty seven years old and now calls an assisted living facility home. When a serious event happens on the grounds of Babbington Hall, Florrie decides to investigate on her own - with the help of her friend Stanhope. Fletcher does a great job of eking out the clues of the mystery bits. I loved the both of them. There is a large cadre of supporting players - each with something to add to Florrie's investigation. She gives her older characters true voices - they're older, but shouldn't be dismissed.

Remember that other bit I mentioned? The heartstrings? Florrie has lived a wonderful life - loving, travelling, living instead watching and yes, not everything was perfect, but still, a rich life. I loved her outlook. Chapters about those past years are interspersed within the current day search for answers. I have to say - the past had me in tears more than once.

The Night in Question is a thoughtful book, a slow burner that was such a joy to read. ( )