The killer question

Hallett (The Examiner) continues to stretch the limits of the epistolary mystery in this playful tale of murder at a weekly trivia night. The Case Is Altered is a struggling pub on a British back road that relies on its quiz crowd to keep the lights on. When a new team shows up and trounces the regulars, accusations of cheating escalate until somebody's found dead in a nearby river. This being a Hallett novel, much of the story comes together through trivia categories, WhatsApp messages, police interviews, and emails. The focus is on Dominic Eastwood, nephew of The Case Is Altered's owners, who is pitching a true crime documentary to Netflix about an earlier tragedy at the pub. Those familiar with Hallett's brand of puzzle-solving will have a ball piecing together the meticulously placed clues. Some choices--like the decision to list the pub's trivia categories but not any questions or answers--feel like pulled punches, but for the most part, Hallett is at the top of her game. It's a wickedly satisfying ride. Agent: Markus Hoffman, Regal Hoffman & Assoc. (Sept.)

A quintessential British pub, an escalating quiz-night rivalry, and a deeply personal mystery unfold in this clever epistolary tale. Making a pitch to a Netflix documentary producer, Dominic Eastwood promises a doozy of a yarn when he outlines the first part of the story of his aunt and uncle, Sue and Mal Eastwood. The couple runs The Case is Altered, a cozy Hertfordshire pub known for its community spirit and beloved Monday Quiz. Trivia lovers, including the Plucky Losers, the most regular regulars, treat the quiz with endearing gravity, mirroring Mal's pride in crafting each week's questions to be obscure, fair, and challenging. But the arrival of a new team, the enigmatic Shadow Knights, upends the pub's gentle rhythms. Led by a mysterious figure known only as the General, the Knights dominate quiz night with eerie precision, raising eyebrows among the regulars. Mal is intrigued--can anyone really get every answer right?--while the Plucky Losers' Chris grows increasingly obsessed with either beating the Shadow Knights or unmasking them. After all, why cheat for a prize that rarely tops £19? Dominic's pitch to producer Polly takes a darker turn as a text exchange between Mal and a local police officer reveals that a body's been found in the local waters. The victim, it turns out, was known for cheating at local pub quizzes--a detail that rattles Mal and Sue, especially as deeper ties to their past come to light. As Dominic's emails unfold, what began as a quirky pub tale steeped in trivia is transformed as repeatedly as a chameleon on steroids. A masterclass in plotting. Warning to readers seeking emotional footing: The rug will be yanked again and again. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The Case Is Altered Pub Quiz: September 2, 2019 THE CASE IS ALTERED PUB QUIZ September 2, 2019 Rounds Max points 1. Today's News 10 2. On this day in 1949 10 3. Sport 10 4. Art & Literature 10 5. Film & TV: soap operas 10 6. Music: name the artist and song title (Clue: answers include references to Shakespeare's plays) 20 7. History & Geography 10 8. General Knowledge: bits and bobs (Clue: answers include "bit" or "bob") 10 Marathon round: Political anagrams Find the names of twentieth-century UK prime ministers 20 Excerpted from The Killer Question: A Novel by Janice Hallett All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.