NetGalley Buddy Readers discussion

Janice Hallett, “the new queen of crime” (Electric Literature), returns with a fresh, edge-of-your-seat mystery that takes place at a pub’s weekly trivia night, revealed through quiz categories, phone messages, and email correspondence.

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an isolated rural pub called The Case is Altered where a weekly trivia game has revived its flagging fortunes—that is, until a body is found in the nearby river. Soon after, a mysterious new team arrives and shakes up the diverse field of regulars by scoring top marks in every round...every week.

Meanwhile, Sue and Mal have a secret of their own. Before arriving here, they were caught up in a secret police operation which meant they had to leave town—and whatever happened back then seems to have finally caught up with them.

Five years later, the pub lies derelict, and their nephew Dominic is determined to make a documentary about their story. What happened at this unassuming pub? And can a single question really kill?

a few of us were talking about reading this together so I thought I'd make a thread and make a holding spot.

Publishes in September, so maybe July or August?

I'm up for end of July or beginning of August.

I'm still pending, but I am hopeful. Assuming I am approved, I am happy for the end of July
or beginning of August

Perfect! We can just tentatively set around July 15th to maybe chat about setting a more firm date?

🤞🏼🤞🏼 Kevin!!

Sounds good! Just got it yesterday. That will give me time to finish up a few in front of it. :-)

sooooo it's July 15th. did we want to try to set a more firm date?
Is there a date that works for everyone to start?

Frustratingly, I'm still pending which is so annoying as I requested ages ago! Don't let that stop you though, agree a date and if I get approved by then I will join in

Ooo. I forgot we had the date set for this now. I’ll try to jump on in. But, I have a couple of books to finish up first.

July 28?

I like July 28. I’ll have extra reading time that week.

28th works for me!

Just commenting to put it on my radar lol.

28 sounds good!

I'm 20% through and I'm entertained.

I began last night. It is pretty entertaining. I’m at 25%. I think I’ll breeze thru this one.

starting tonight!

Woo! It reads quickly. I might add a post with a spoiler tonight. It’s a nice break from having to concentrate so hard.

I'm already 20% and loving it!

through Episode one (or so the note says) - stopped at Hulme Police (the first one) @ 29%

ha! I am loving this so far
(view spoiler)[
the quiz teams - I love how serious they are! I've done that a few times and had a core set of friends. we won a few but we were never this serious! I love how the new team is adding so much drama - but surely they are there for a reason. is it to rattle the other team?

and the body. Mal has said a few concerning things but I really want to believe he didn't do anything

so then who did he recognize? was it someone from the bicycling team? or the carrots group, the one that didn't run back with the girls but stayed back? hmmmm. . . (hide spoiler)]

stopped after the next Hulme report - 48%

(view spoiler)[
hmmm. . .well we know their sting/operation ended up ending badly. is it because something Mal and Sue did?
and how much mal is avoiding telling their pub landlord anything is killing me. the sign seems really bad - the noose and stabbing! Yikes

so was it Harrison? was that who our victim was trying to meet?

and what's going on with the new team - did they just do it for the tax free money? it didn't seem like much, they could make more at the other spots. . . .so what's going on

and what's going on with Fiona? (hide spoiler)]

I am at 51% this morning. Hope to read more in the new few hours, lots of cover ups? (view spoiler)[I felt suspicious of Mal and Sue early on. I just thought they were hiding something. I know there must something big related to the new team. They are kinda playing cat and mouse with Sue and Mal. Sue's radar is off. She is overly friendly with the General.

Fiona is playing both sides?? I don't know. Does she only give one word (barely) responses bc she is in her 20's? I don't think she is miss innocent, And she did see in the safe. Mal doesn't think she had access to the safe. I think he even told Sue keep that from her. Sue is too trusting of a stranger. I wonder why since she was a cop. I don't like Fiona. She is hiding something.

I have never known teams to take this so seriously. It doesn't seem like much money either. And that Sid guy, He is sneaky. He keeps messaging the others incorrect info and making the person buy the drinks, like Bunny. Glad she checked it out. I think he is not to be trusted and suspicious.

And who painted over that sign? Do they mean harm? (hide spoiler)]

75% / stopped at Hulme Police

and OMG I'm hanging on every word!! lol
I love it

(view spoiler)[ I want to know how they are cheating! I can't believe he didn't tell Mal yet! UGH lol

and yes, something is going on with Fiona and I'm not sure what it is. her disappearing during the games and now the gun going missing. What is she doing??

and now it seems somehow this ties to the last case - I wonder how it goes with the delivering the money - whether the couple gets their daughter back or not. they definitely were not on any more cases because of it - I just hope it got a good outcome

but how does this trivia and this team tie in?? hmmm (hide spoiler)]

83% - ended with Polly and Dom talking about the sixth and final episode

and OMG (view spoiler)[ if the guy who was killed was an actor
then was he from the previous sting.
did Mal kill him - or they both kill him - because he knew who they were? THAT'S why they are so dodgy about previously being police. Because they were bad guys - not good. Ugh (hide spoiler)]

Just got to 75%. Wow. But, have to go out for awhile. Can’t wait to read this last quarter. Things have amped up.

Wow! I finished last night and am SHOCKED!! The twists and turns - I never saw them coming

(view spoiler)[ I can't believe it was actually the 2 actors!! I never guessed that they came back! I honestly thought they might have killed one of them!

I loved that the relative opened the bar too! Sure, sure, he just wanted to sell the history to get the money to do it but what a fun bar that would turn out to be, I think! Even if it's using the dodgy history to get there!

and I love that it became a netflix show! lol (hide spoiler)]

Omg. You are killing me. I can’t get back to it til about 3 this afternoon. That’s CST. Can’t wait. I’m on my phone. Can’t do spoilers. But, the turn that just came … and that stuff about Chris. Didn’t see that coming. He’s annoying to me anyway.

i’m only 10% in but i’m loving this so far. one of my favorite authors - i’m never disappointed!

Just hit 48% (second Hulme report) and I honestly have no idea what's going on. 🤣

Done! WOW! It is almost 10 pm and I am going to bed. My mind is all over the place! What a ride!

I have never read this author before. Haven't even heard of her. And this format was hard for me to get used to, I was annoyed with it for a while. But, what a plot! And twists! I read the note and all by the author in the back and thought it was cool.

More tomorrow. Glad I read it. Not what I expected when I downloaded. AT ALL.

I finished it last night and the TWISTS! They just kept coming in the last half!
(view spoiler)[I spent the whole time thinking that something happened during the kidnapping case to Mal and Sue because of how differently they were acting, but I didn't see the stolen identities coming (hide spoiler)]

I finished it last night, could not put it down. The second half goes by so fast!!! And I was cackling! (view spoiler)[I did think past Mal and Sue and the present Mal and Sue were acting differently and one pair seemed dumber than the other pair. lol. But I didn't really guess it was Ian and Tanya. Each twist was a riot but I was so sad they murdered Mal and Sue, I think they were going to turn their life around. The end when Dee is mad at Dom? Was it because his ulterior motive was reopening the bar using the crimes as a draw? (hide spoiler)]

I laughed so many times too! this one was so fun and yet so many turns and shocking twists!

and Yes, (view spoiler)[ my thinking was she was mad he used it to get money to buy the bar! and then base it on the crimes! (hide spoiler)]

28% / end ep 1

I love Hallett's books! They're so unique. These teams are kinda nuts with how intense they are. I've definitely meet people like that. Mal and (view spoiler)[ the Carrots team seem too obvious. I'm guessing he recognized a woman.

Nobody recognizes the cheaters without puffy coat - maybe they're the same team that's winning now?

(hide spoiler)]

I love these quiz teams and how serious they are! Cracked me up so many times!

48%

Given how they seem to be (view spoiler)[ adorably bumbling old people, I wouldn't be surprised if whatever went wrong with the sting was because of something either Mal or Sue said/did - especially if we're to assume that the reason they're being threatened (like with the pub sign) is related to the sting.

The new team.. still not convinced they're not actually the same team. There was that chatter when we were told about the cheating team about how they wouldn't recognize them without the orange coats. My theory is they're the same people minus the orange coat guy, and they're still cheating somehow.

(hide spoiler)]

debbicat *made of stardust* wrote: "I have never read this author before. Haven't even heard of her. And this format was hard for me to get used to, I was annoyed with it for a while. But, what a plot! And twists! I read the note and..."

Hallett's books are truly unique. I'm always amazed about how much character development and plot she can bury in mixed media - especially when we're only getting written forms of media. But the blurbs never make it clear what you're getting into, and I think the non-traditional format doesn't work for everyone.

I'm happy you ended up loving the book! Hallett is one of my favorite authors. :)

👆🏼 Yes!! all of this! 100% agree, one of my favorite authors!

ahh I forgot to post a final comment when I finished this one. I flew through the second half.

I laughed so hard at this book. and I absolutely would never have guessed that (view spoiler)[ it was the 2 actors! what?! that was crazy.

Elyse, I agree - I think they were trying to get themselves back on a good path so that was sad that they were murdered. I think that's why she was mad. It probably felt exploitative and cheap to her after everything she went through trying to nail them for their crimes and then catching their killers.

I never watch true crime, but I loved that it became a netflix show in the end. (hide spoiler)]

Shruti morethanmylupus wrote: "ahh I forgot to post a final comment when I finished this one. I flew through the second half.

I laughed so hard at this book. and I absolutely would never have guessed that it was the 2 actors! ..."

Shruti, I was equally surprised. Didn’t see that coming!

Total surprise!

Liz - looks like Goodreads removed the spoiler tag from my comment when you replied to it. Do you want to edit yours in case anyone is still wanting to read through this thread? :)