"Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?"

All the wrong questions have been asked, and some of the right ones, and now come the answers, racing on a benighted train beset by enemies and plots, our beleaguered hero has one chance to thwart a plan he doesn't understand. But first there's murder most foul and villainy most base and even if he asks the right questions and gets the right answers and defeats the villain, what will he lose?

Brilliant conclusion to a terrifically entertaining series. Exciting and melancholic at the same time, very noir, our hero is a mix of Marlow and the Continental Op, walking down mean streets and mean railway carriageways, playing dangerous games and falling for a dangerous lady. Lovely. Please let there be more.

Train travel! Murder! Librarians! A Series Finale!

On all other nights, the train departs from Stain'd Station and travels to the city without stopping. But not tonight. You might ask, why is this night different from all other nights? But that's the wrong question. Instead ask, where is this all heading? And what happens at the end of the line?

The conclusion of the All the Wrong Questions series finds Lemony Snicket and all the other characters of the series on a train crossing the sea. There are many twists, and dark humor, and betrayals, and when the mystery is eventually solved it is more sad than valedictory in the traditional Snicket manner. A good end to a good series. Creative and fun, and a little bit sad.

The series is wonderful. I love the way Snicket writes and the way he perfectly presents the psyche of an intelligent, precocious 13-year-old in the middle of a terrible situation. I loved all the characters and thought the mystery(ies) was(were) wonderfully presented and "resolved." (Many things are not actually "resolved" in Snicket books.) I also thought Liam Aiken did a wonderful job reading the books, improving with the series. He was a perfect voice for Lemony Snicket. I will definitely be buying this series for my goddaughter! I believe this is age-appropriate for mature 8+ year olds (there is death and sadness) and middle-grade children. Of course, Snicket can be enjoyed by adults as well. :)
The book, , and the series as a whole, .

Five stars for so many excellent sentences multiple mentions of [a:Beverly Cleary|403|Beverly Cleary|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616795777p2/403.jpg] and at least one of [a:E.L. Konigsburg|2713|E.L. Konigsburg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201117559p2/2713.jpg]; two stars for ridiculousness (even though it's clearly meant that way, I just couldn't get past some of it). Four stars for an ending that was at least vaguely satisfying (in contrast with the stupid, stupid ending of A Series of Unfortunate Events).

3.666666......... stars, rounded up.

This was a good, but not great, conclusion to this prequel series. I don't think a Lemony Snicket series is ever going to have a conclusive ending, but this one left my audience (ages 7 & 9) like

Sad it’s over. Sad/happy that it was true to its noir roots. A bit muddled by the (spoiler).