“The answer is murder.
The question is whodunnit?

A quiet country pub stands empty, its windows boarded up. And its kindly landlords, Mal and Sue Eastwood, are missing.

What could have happened? A lot of strange events occurred in the days before the Eastwoods disappeared. A murdered man pulled from the nearby river. An eccentric couple on a houseboat who claimed to be led by a spirit guide. And a mysterious new team who suddenly appeared and began winning every round at the weekly pub quiz – much to the anger of the locals. They must have been cheating, but no one could figure out how…

Can you crack the case of the missing landlords? Someone’s not been playing fair, so get the drinks in and see if you can get a perfect score.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Killer Question by Janice Hallett. The Killer Question was published by Viper Books on 4th September 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow in May.

I consider myself a HUGE fan of Janice Hallett’s books. I’ve read and enjoyed them all. Always looking forward to the next publication date (The Silent Appeal is heading our way in September 2026!!). So when I discovered last year that Hallett was on the brink of publishing one of her unique mysteries where the focus of the book would be a country pub (it’s missing landlords, and their weekly pub quiz!), I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had to do everything and anything to get hold of a copy.

The Killer Question is a truly wonderful, inventive and compelling mystery. Set in, let’s face it, a failing, run down, isolated pub on the banks of the river. Landlords of The Case is Altered, Mal and Sue Eastwood, are officially missing. Their nephew, Dominic, has approached a production company in the hope that they will take on the investigation, creating a true-crime documentary, and perhaps finding out what actually happened. Dominic is sure it will be a sure fire hit as there are certain oddities in the case, things which just don’t add up. For those familiar with the format of Hallett’s earlier books, this is where the mixed media we all know and love comes in. Dominic sends everything he has, all the proof, to the producers. Production assistant, Polly, takes an interest and, before long, she is in email correspondence with Dominic on a regular basis. The reader gets to see all the transcripts, notes, emails and evidence, and decide for themselves, what really happened to Sue and Mal Eastwood…?

But, of course, there is so much more to The Killer Question than that. So many levels of complexity, so many red herrings, wrong turns, things that on first inspection just don’t make sense. And it’s divine! Hallett has become a master of this format. Every time I read one of this author’s books, I am baffled by the amount of effort, planning and foresight needed to pull everything together. So many threads, so beautifully tied off together at the end. It’s a wondrous thing to behold.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Killer Question is a highly engaging, superbly written mystery from an absolute master storyteller. I loved the setup, I loved how real the characters felt, I was transported to The Case is Altered, and I loved every beer-soaked second of it. There are quite a few characters (there normally are in a Janice Hallett novel) but it was fairly easy to keep track of who everyone was. The twists and turns are beautifully penned, the misdirection expertly handled. Who knew pub quizzing was so competitive? So complex? My eyes have been opened! I thoroughly enjoyed The Killer Question. The big reveal came as a shock to me. I certainly didn’t see it coming. The story moved at an engaging pace and kept my attention throughout. All in all, a very enjoyable, highly entertaining mystery from one of my favourite authors. I know I say this in every review I write of a Janice Hallett novel but how the heck does Janice do it? It must be a task and a half to create all those emails, messages, transcripts, reports, make them feel authentic and then have everything come together so beautifully, so cleverly at the end. I’m in awe. Highly recommended.

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett was published in the UK by Viper Books on 4th September 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Janice Hallett is the author of five best-selling novels. Her debut, The Appeal, was awarded the CWA Debut Dagger of 2021 and was a Sunday Times’ Bestseller, Waterstones’ Thriller of the Month and Sunday Times’ Crime Book of the Month. Her second novel The Twyford Code was named Crime & Thriller Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2023. It was also a Sunday Times’ Bestseller and a Financial Times book of the year. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was an instant Times and Sunday Times bestseller on its launch in January 2023 and a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. The Christmas Appeal, a fast, fun and festive novella, was launched in October 2023. It was a Times and Sunday Times bestseller, while her 2024 novel The Examiner, was an instant Times and Sunday Times bestseller and a Financial Times Book of the Year.

Her fifth adult novel The Killer Question was published in September 2025.

Janice is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist and government communications writer. As a playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and co-wrote the feature film Retreat.