The Night in Question

CHAPTER ONE


Alice Ogilvie

February 11

9:02 p.m.


I m not often bored, I assured her. Life s not long enough for that.

--Agatha Christie, Murder in Mesopotamia


Brooke Donovan is staring at me from across the room.

She s wearing the dress we picked out in LA freshman year, when her mom drove us down there to go shopping for prom. The two of us were the only freshmen invited that year, much to the chagrin of our mutual friend, Rebecca Kennedy.

She looks good, Brooke, fresh and happy, smiling and carefree.

I crumple a cocktail napkin into a tight little ball in my hand. Whoever decided to hang a giant portrait of her in here should be stabbed.

Tearing my eyes away from Brooke s picture, I survey the ballroom. It s filled with my classmates from Castle Cove High School, all in various stages of celebration, all here for the annual Sadie Hawkins dance. To my left, a group of guys from the basketball team huddle together in a circle, not-so-slyly passing a silver flask between them. To my right, couples are dry humping on the dance floor.

I frown.

We re at Levy Castle, for god s sake. Some respect should be shown to its past. The site of elegant balls for almost a hundred years, a place where Old Hollywood used to come and play. Charles W. Levy would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what this room is being used for now.

As Brooke s best friend, I grew up listening to all sorts of tales about Brooke s great-grandfather. He spent millions of dollars building Levy Castle. It s five stories and sixty thousand square feet of opulence. And with eighteen bedrooms, three pools, two kitchens, and secret passages extending throughout, it basically put the tiny town of Castle Cove on the map. It was also where the film star Mona Moody lived for a few short years, until her untimely death on Castle grounds at the age of twenty.

Mona Moody, with her platinum blond hair, baby-blue eyes, and the husky, sexy voice

Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

"A delight for teen Poirots, chock-full of puzzling clues and swirling tensions."  Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Agathas

Full of twists, mysteries, and so much heart, The Agathas will keep you up late guessing who-exactly-dunit. Perfect for readers who like their thrillers with an extra dose of fun! Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows
 
With all the twists and turns of a classic Agatha Christie novel, told through a delightful and engaging contemporary lens, The Agathas is impossible not to devour. Perfect for mystery lovers everywhere. Rachael Lippincott, coauthor of All This Time and the #1 New York Times bestseller Five Feet Apart

A propulsive mystery starring two unlikely friends who give Nancy Drew a run for her money. With a totally satisfying and surprising ending, The Agathas is so, so much fun. Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of They ll Never Catch Us and They Wish They Were Us

A twisty missing-girl mystery with two sharp-witted teen detectives you ll instantly root for. Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen M. McManus, and Kara Thomas! Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos and Very Bad People

This whip-smart novel had me hooked from page one, with wisecracking teen detectives, Agatha Christie references galore, and a killer mystery. I freakin loved this book, and in my opinion, Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams can definitely sit with Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars at lunch. Kate Williams, author of the Babysitters Coven series and Never Coming Home

"Part Agatha Christie, part Veronica Mars, and completely entertaining." Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Of Us Is Lying

Fast-paced and full of twists. You ll be hooked on this mystery from the first page to the last. Agatha Christie would be proud. Caleb Roehrig, author of The Fell