The Killer Question: A Novel

A weekly pub quiz game in England takes a deadly and sinister turn when a new team shows up, reveals nothing about themselves, and begins to dominate. So begins the latest from Janice Hallett in a somewhat satisfying mystery that kind of disappoints at the end with the big reveal.

Sam and Mal are two retired police officers who decide to run a pub and have exciting, original quiz games. Over the years, they become part of the community, but all of that changes when a new team shows up and begins to win and win. Sam and Mal become suspicious, and at that point, the story goes back several years when Sam and Mal were on the force during a high-profile kidnapping, and things took a turn for the worse in their careers. They thought they escaped, but now it seems the chickens are coming home to roost. Can they escape with their pub and livelihood intact?

Like the other Hallett books, this is told in a more non-traditional telling by using text messages, emails, transcriptions of video recordings, and witness statements. While it is good, most of the ending may leave you a bit underwhelmed.