McClintock had a good concept here, but the writing is not very good, the character development shallow, and the ending frustratingly ambiguous. Disappointing to say the least. ( )

McClintock once again gives us a morally ambiguous mystery, where no one gets all the information and the ending doesn't tie everything up. I liked how we see the teens grow through the book, both quickly under stress and over the gaps in time.

ABOUT THAT NIGHT is a fast-moving mystery that will hook readers from the very first page. An elderly woman wanders away from her home during a snowstorm, apparently very confused and very frightened. At the same time, boyfriend and girlfriend Derek and Jordie are quarrelling about a bracelet Jordie's ex gave her. Jordie thinks Derek has stolen it out of jealousy; Derek sets off for home in the storm to retrieve the bracelet and prove his innocence. That's the last night of Derek's life. Who would want to kill such a promising young man? And what a horrible coincidence that his next-door neighbour — the woman who wandered away — is now also dead. Very soon, Jordie must figure out who's responsible for Derek's death and who she's willing to protect.

Norah McClintock is a talented writer, and this taut, deftly plotted novel is an excellent choice for mystery readers. I highly recommend it.

Read my complete review in RESOURCE LINKS 20.1 (October 2014). ( )

Excellent! I am very picky about the quality of young adult literature and I am so pleased to be able to write a strongly positive review for this title. About that Night will appeal to most of the at-risk youth for whom I purchase books. The writing is very immediate, suspenseful, and maintains an excellent ominous tone. I'm not entirely sure what aspect of Norah McClintock's writing achieves this, but the result is enormously cinematic. You can hear the movie soundtrack in your mind getting darker and darker. There is a "good girl" and a boy from the "wrong side of the tracks," a character set that my youth can't seem to get enough of. Even the little sister is annoying in a pitch-perfect bratty little sister way. Everything about this title moves quickly and will sustain the interest of the reluctant reader crowd without any overly-convenient plot twists. The solution to the mystery is certainly foreshadowed, but it isn't until fairly late in the book that you have enough clues to work it out completely.
The only quibble I would have with the title was the character of Elise. From the way her husband was written, and from the time period in which her flashback seemed to be set, I estimated her age to be mid to early 40's and, while it is certainly possible to get an Alzheimer's diagnosis that early in life, it's unusual enough that I found it confusing, particularly given how advanced her case was. If she was meant to be in her 60's or 70's, she and her husband should have been written much older, particularly given a young adult's point of view; to the average teenager, 65 seems pretty ancient. Or, if she was meant to be as young as I read her, saying she had Early-Onset Alzheimer's might have been useful. But that was the only part of About That Night that didn't ring true for me.
Overall, this is a very strong novel in the traditional mystery genre, which are often hard to find for young adults. I will definitely be recommending it for purchase for many of my libraries. ( )

Perhaps because I am a bit on the older side to appreciate some of the young adult books on the market today- or perhaps it’s because I found the ending to be a bit dissatisfying- but I couldn’t rate this book any higher than I did. It isn’t that the book is bad or that the writing style is awful or anything of the sort. It was a quick, rather well thought out story and I would definitely recommend it to my younger cousin (whom is actually a young adult). I simply couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to- nor did I particularly enjoy the way the novel was wrapped up. That being said the novel itself was good as a whole. ( )