Janice Hallett

True crime writer Amanda Bailey has the golden opportunity to write one of the first books in a new true crime series, and she's all set to focus on the Alperton Angels, a cult killing from twenty years ago that may not be all that it seems. Unfortunately, a long-time rival, Oliver Menzies, is set to write a book on the same topic for a different publisher. Their editors encourage them to work together and take different angles, saying there's plenty to be found in the case for two different books. Amanda isn't convinced, but she's determined to get all the information she can, even if some of it has to come through Oliver. As she delves into the case, she finds some loose ends that might even prove that the wrong man is behind bars. But the deeper she digs, the more it seems like someone powerful doesn't want the truth to come to light...

This epistolary mystery is presented as a set of case files: interview transcripts, text message logs, emails, all pertaining to the Alperton Angels case. It's up to the reader to sort through and determine what really happened, and there are definitely some twists and turns before the end. If you're up for this kind of narrative, I'd recommend this one.… (més)

I didn’t expect all of this when I initially picked up this book. In fact, I wanted to read Hallett’s latest novel but this was the only book of hers that my library had, so I picked it up.

This was such a fun and fascinating mystery. There were a handful of times where I thought I was cracking the code but by the end I knew I hadn’t quite got it. And yet I still had fun reading along. It reminds me of that one Agatha Christie novel where the murderer was the narrator in the final pages of revelations.… (més)

The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels (2023) by Janice Hallett. When you start this book you find yourself faced with the challenge of reading the large collection of various forms of documents and then going into the mystery, or handing it all off to the police. There really is no choice here as you are either going to read the story, which is a clever collection of letters, other hand written documents, transcriptions from interviews, a mass of e-mails and their responses, and printouts from other web sites. Collected they tell the tale of a small cult, perhaps six members, or a few more, from the past located in Alperton. They were the Angels, most famous for a collective suicide of most of the few members.
The cult was led by the charismatic Gabriel, a con man of long standing who managed to talk, or brainwash, several other petty criminals into doing his bidding. The biggest thing they did was convince a teenaged couple that their baby was the anti-Christ and that only the Angels could save the world by destroying the child at the proper time. Somehow the girl sees the insanity in this plan, escapes with baby and boyfriend in hand, and get the police involved.
The members of the cult commit suicide while their leader is captured and ultimately goes to prison.
That is just the set up of this time-bending, mildly mind-blowing trek into the secrets that surround the Alperton Angels. Now, almost 18 years later, true crime author Amanda Bailey is commissioned to write a revelatory book about the Angels. She determines that the greatest spur to boost sales of her book would be to find the now young adult child. The identity of the girl has been hidden, as well as her location and living arrangements. Her parents, the teens of back then, have also managed to hid from the public for most of two decades.
The documents talked of at the beginning of the review constitute the gist or this matter. This is not a typical narrative tale. Rather it is constructed through a long series of talks, chats, reading of papers, electronic communications and so forth. All of that is what you would find in the safety deposit box that you have just opened. The story has all taken place sometime in the past and you are left to sort through everything and try to make sense of it all. It is much like a puzzle room that you have been dropped into. Now it is up to you to make sense of it all. But don’t despair. Even with the time traveling papers, even the temporal transportation of key peoples and events, and the very mixed-up revelations from some of the characters, all will be revealed.
This is not a book to be entered into lightly, but it is worth the trip.… (més)

This is a cozy mystery revolving around the Fairway Players Theater Group managed by Martin and Helen Hayward. They are very selective about who is allowed into their exclusive group of amateur actors. Each year they work on one play which they take very seriously demanding dedication from the group members. There is an eclectic cast of characters involved with these productions. This year they are working on All My Sons by Arthur Miller and have deemed it a fundraiser with the proceeds to benefit the Haywards' granddaughter, Poppy who has a rare form of cancer and eligible for experimental treatment.

Samantha Greenwood and her husband are new members to the group this year having returned from their volunteer work in Africa for the past 8 years. Isabel Beck is an interesting and needy player who finds an immediate connection with Samantha as she is also a nurse. There are many text messages and emails exchanged throughout the course of this book alternating between the characters which provide insight into their true motives as opposed to those which they want others to believe. Unfortunately, a dead body being found before rehearsals for opening night throws a wrench in the once tightly scheduled event. Alternating chapters have attorneys who have been assigned to gather information regarding the death are also emailing and texting furiously to determine who is responsible for this apparent crime.

There are many twists in the story to keep you guessing as well as some shady but humorous characters.… (més)