Book Review: The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

Castle Cove High School’s latest Sadie Hawkins Dance is being held in the very structure that gives the oceanside town its name. While the massive building is now owned by the state, it once belonged to Charles W Levy, the millionaire who lost his fortune and died of grief after the death of his girlfriend, 1940s film starlet Mona Moody. The young actress had been on the verge of her cinematic breakthrough when she plummeted to her death from one of the Castle’s balconies.

For headstrong young sleuth Alice Ogilvie, the dance is the perfect opportunity to snoop around a place she once wandered with her late best friend, Brooke Donovan. Brooke had been Charles’ great-granddaughter, and her mother was on the Castle’s board of directors. The two girls spent many hours exploring the Castle and its mysteries while Brooke’s mom was in meetings.

Before present-day Alice can sneak off, though, a fight breaks out between two former members of her inner circle. Rebecca Kennedy and Helen Park are both rich, beautiful and popular…and wearing the same dress to the dance. Alice herself has to step in and break things up when the argument turns physical. Once things have calmed down, she finally goes looking for the secret she once discovered with Brooke:

This is so Agatha Christie: a secret passage, a hidden staircase, sneaking around in the dark with a storm raging outside. A shiver of pleasure runs through me.

 

At the bookshelf, I run my flashlight along the row of old books until I find it.

 

Agatha Christie’s The Secret Of Chimneys. [I] tug the book toward me and voilà: the corner of the bookcase cracks apart.

 

My heart leaps.

 

Oh my god. I did it. I have to tell Iris. She should be here with me.

 

I text her. I opened the secret passage I told you about!! Come meet me.

 

I wait several long seconds for her to respond, but there’s nothing.

 

Rude. What, is she too busy with Cole?

 

Whatever. Her loss. I can do this myself.

Iris has been Alice’s best friend since the two joined forces to figure out who murdered Brooke the year before. She’s usually the calming influence that checks Alice’s impulsiveness, but she’s got her own problems tonight. Cole Fielding, the guy she’s kinda-sorta been seeing despite the disapproval of both her mother and Alice, seems ready to spend some alone time with her. But a misunderstanding in the dark shakes Iris’ self-confidence, even before the screaming starts.

Alice is looking for more info on the tragic Mona Moody when she stumbles across a scene from a nightmare: Park standing over Kennedy’s body, a bloody dagger in her hand. Shocked, Alice thoughtlessly accuses Park of wrongdoing, causing the other girl to flee. But after she and Iris regroup and compare notes, they realize that Park couldn’t possibly have assaulted Kennedy and was most likely set up.

Turns out that they’re pretty much the only people who think so. Still feeling the aftermath of the previous year’s investigation, when false accusations nearly ruined people’s lives, Alice and Iris decide to help Park clear her name. But the further they go, the more risks they find themselves taking. Will the pressures, if not outright dangers, of investigation finally sour them on detective work for good? Worse, will their friendship crack beyond repair?

I adore these two very different teenagers, both intent on doing the right thing despite all the obstacles in their paths. While reckless, Christie-mad Alice is my favorite, I’m really more like Iris: studious and cautious because she’s well aware that she doesn’t have the privileges her wealthy best friend does. And while Alice’s parents are often absent, Iris still has to deal with the aftermath of abuse, which rears its head at the very worst times:

I thought Cole might text but there’s nothing. I guess I could text him, but what would I say? Sorry I freaked out. You got so angry I thought you were going to hit me, like my dad would have done. I know he knows about what my dad did to me last fall[, but] we’ve never talked about it.

 

I wish I could stop thinking about the Thing. I wish he’d evaporate from my brain, stop making me scared of sudden noises, even sudden silences. It was too freaky when Alice and I heard that noise outside earlier. I know he’s in jail, but I also know he’ll get out soon. It’s like I can never fully relax. I’m always waiting.

This thoughtful look at the aftermath of abuse lends greater depth to this series, making it more than the delightful romp it already is. Compassionate, smart and fun, The Night In Question showcases the lives of a detecting duo who are very much equal partners in crime-solving, as they get to the truth of what really happened to both Kennedy and Mona Moody, and how the two cases are connected. I loved this sequel almost as much as its predecessor, and am very much hoping there will be more books in the series, as there are certainly still many more Castle Cove mysteries to explore!