The Night in Question by Nic Joseph is a suspenseful tale of desperation, opportunity, and ultimately murder. When one of the most famous rock stars in the world leaves his phone in your car, you blackmail him when he asks for it back, right? Well, you do if you’re Paula, an artist who drives a car for Drive Away to make ends meet after an accident left her husband Keith unable to walk about a year ago ... The story alternates between Paula’s first-person narrative and that of Detective Claire Puhl’s murder investigation, so there’s a bit of jumping back and forth in time, but it creates a propulsive narrative that will have readers turning the pages ... This is a fun, suspenseful read, and Nic Joseph is an author to watch.
Paula Wilson is an artist by training and a Drive Away Car ride-share driver by necessity. One night, she picks up a fare who calls himself 'Lotti,' whom she fails to recognize as Grammy Award–winning pop singer Ryan Hooks. Paula sees that he’s gone to meet a beautiful woman, and when she spots his face on TV the next day and realizes who she'd had in her car, she also realizes he must be cheating on his jealous wife. Paula sees an opportunity to help her husband, Keith, who is wheelchair-bound because of an auto accident. Paula had found a phone on the car’s back seat, and she now realizes it belongs to Ryan. An operation that might allow Keith to walk again would cost $180,000 that they don’t have ... She meets him backstage at a concert and lets him know she has his phone and that maybe he will give her a $180,000 'reward.' ... A light story with nice twists and imperfect but strong female characters.
The Night in Question begins near its end, bobs, weaves and dives through time, and reaches a startling conclusion, all without a single narrative misstep. Those who have quickly acquired the habit of reading anything that author Nic Joseph publishes will be eager to sink their teeth into this fine contemporary tale that combines traditional mystery elements with the flavor of the day.
