Thank you @atriabooks for my gifted copy of The Appeal {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Pub Date: 1.25.2022

“One person is dead. One person is in prison. Everyone’s a suspect.”

This book is written in such a unique way that it completely threw me off when I first picked it up. Instead of your typical book format, The Appeal is written through emails and texts. Once you get past the format, you dive write into story and feel as if you’re sitting next to your favorite crime podcaster as they shift through all of the nitty gritty of a case. It absolutely appealed to the nosey side of my personality 🤫

Overall, it was an interesting read. I can’t say that the story ever “picks up”, it’s a steady pace throughout the entirety of the book.

If given the opportunity to look at all of the evidence from your favorite unsolved case, would you?

This epistolary mystery serves up some major Agatha Christie vibes. It also really fed my Two Minute Mystery loving heart! Perfect for those who love a good puzzle, The Appeal is one long puzzle woven together by emails, notes, documents, and the like. I found myself jumping back and forth between pages trying to solve the mystery, but to no avail. What I love about the book is that you not only get the solution, but you get to walk alongside those solving it as they weigh their suspicions. Such a fun ride!

The Appeal is a great whodunit told using emails and text messages. This is a fast-paced story with many unreliable characters to keep the reader guessing, Highly suggested read.

- This is a really unique book. The format of emails/texts makes it memorable. This also made for a fast-paced read.

- Tons of unreliable characters, kept the reader guessing, although it felt hard to make any concrete theories with the format and lack of some POVs.

- The characters were pretty unlikeable, and I didn’t feel overly attached to any of them. I did not become too emotionally invested in the book.

- The end gave me a bit of whiplash with all of the theories, but there were certainly unexpected twists!

- Overall a stand-out mystery that could easily be adapted to a screen.

The Appeal by Janice Hallett is one of the most modern unique mystery books I have read, and I am all in for it! First of all, not only is it addicting, but epistolary novels are one of my favorite formats. The author brings a fresh take to this writing style. Two lawyers have to review literally hundreds of messages of different types from a theatre group after a murder. Someone is already in jail, and that person might be innocent. who have to comb through hundreds of emails and messages between members of a local theater group because one person’s dead, another’s in jail, and could be innocent?

The characters were complex and fleshed out. Whose telling the truth? The twists and red herrings left me flipping the pages frantically. The emails were so realistic and engrossing, I could not put this one down.

The Appeal is a modern-day epistolary novel told via texts and emails. We know there's a murder, we know the cast of characters, we are left to figure out the motive. Our clues are provided in old texts and emails written by the people involved and even the victim. Great whodunit type of mystery. Read and enjoy!

This is an interesting one y’all!

Told entirely through emails and text communications we follow two young lawyers as they try to determine who might be guilty of murder based solely on emails, messages, and letters. Tasked with finding out who the real victim is and who is being imprisoned falsely, we get a glimpse into how these two lawyers try to solve the case just from written communication. At first this format of messages, and letters etc, barely give us any information. I spent the first half of the book wondering what I was looking for and what exactly the story was. But as it continued on, I found my nosey self really enjoying the format. I felt as if I was really getting to see what a prosecutor would have to filter through to make a case. This format thought will certainly not be for everyone, and the whole book is this way not just parts of it.

The other thing that could be a turn off for some readers is the number of characters you have to keep track of. We do get completed lists of the characters a few times throughout the book, but it’s super easy to lose track of who is who, how they’re connected, who said what, etc. If you don’t like tons of characters then this one is probably not for you.

While I wasn’t sure about this one at first it completely sucked me in. Since you only get snippets of information as you go through the story, it’s easy to keep turning pages to find out more. We also never know exactly who is involved in the crime, nor what the crime is, which made me constantly on the ‘lookout’ for clues as I was reading. I felt I was almost playing a game of clue or figuring out an elaborate puzzle as I read through the book, which made it highly entertaining.



The Appeal is out now! Huge thank you to Atria Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

This book was SO GOOD! Told from emails, texts, police reports, etc...you will follow the characters from their words instead of thier actions. Super originial and refeshing change in the typical thriller. Loved it. Highly recommended.

*2.5 Stars rounded up*

I’ll keep this review short and sweet by listing things that worked for me and things that didn’t.

What worked:
-The story being told through a series of emails, texts, and transcripts. Cool concept!
-Unreliable characters

What didn’t work:
-Too many characters…so confusing.
-This book was WAY longer than expected. I just wanted it to be over by the halfway mark.
-The ending fell flat. *sad trombone*
-These people sure did send a lot of emails that could’ve been texts. Didn’t seem very believable to me!

A lot of people seem to really like this one, so I’m sure I’m in the minority here. If you like murder mysteries and whodunits, then I definitely suggest giving The Appeal a try!

Thank you to Atria Books for sending this one my way in exchange for my honest review!

2 lawyers are tasked to look through correspondence between members of a play. One person has died and the suspect is in prison. The lawyers believe the person is innocent.

Ugh, this was a huge miss for me. The format was far too confusing as there were 15 possible suspects. It jumps from texts, to emails, etc between all of the people. They were emailing while in the same room sometimes. It's obvious that everything needed to be in text format so we would read it. I didn't figure out the killer because my mind was all jumbled. It dragged on so badly for me. There were tons of details that just didn't need to be said. This book was not for me but it may be for you. It seems most loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC.

This book had a super interesting format. Made up of mostly emails and text messages, you’re trying to figure out what’s going on with the mystery the whole time.

I definitely thought I had it all figured out at one point but there were things I definitely missed.

It was a little too long and I found myself glossing over some emails near the end but overall I enjoyed this book!

3 Stars ⭐

I liked this one, I liked the format of the story with the documents but I thought there were way too many characters and I'd be really confused on who is who, but super unique way to tell a story.

Thankyou to Netgalley for allowing me to read this one early

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks and @NetGalley for the e-ARC of THE APPEAL by @Janice.Hallett Reader can grab a copy now!

ONE MURDER. FIFTEEN SUSPECTS.
CAN YOU UNCOVER THE TRUTH?

THE APPEAL is an epistolary novel, told entirely in emails, texts, or letter/ note formats, police report, etc.

Here is to my first FIVE STAR of 2022 (only if I could give more than five stars, I would!). This was such a fantastic story!! A truly unique whodunnit. If I didn’t have to work, I would have finished this novel in one sitting however I devoured this story in three nights. The characters, at first, could be a little trick to follow given everything is written in epistolary novel though after a while I learned who the main ones were and it was easy to follow. PLEASE GET YOURSELF A COPY OF THE APPEAL! I know I will be picking myself a hard copy of THE APPEAL the next time I stop by at the local bookstore.

p.s. @Janice.Hallett I hope you’ll write more books in the future <3

This is such a unique book written in the style of emails and texts only. The reader is given all the documents surrounding the untimely death of a member of the Fairway Players, an amateur drama company, and has to figure out whether the person imprisoned did it or not. This feels like one of this mystery parties where they send you all the evidence and you have to figure out who committed the crime, so if you like those definitely read this book. Kind of felt like a DBQ from APUSH iykyk (in a good way, lmao I know I’m a total nerd). I personally was hooked from the beginning.

Warning: this book is on the longer side. But it goes by fast due to the episotolary style. And for me it took a while to keep all the characters and families straight, but don’t worry you will get it (and I would suggest marking the page at the beginning with all the characters and the families). So stick with it and GO IN BLIND. N

Read if you are a true crime lover, love epistolary books, and loved Nancy Drew computer games as a child.

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for the ARC.

A community theater group. A sick child. Two law students combing through a mass of emails and letters.

When an email is sent out about his baby granddaughter's recent diagnosis, director Martin Hayward's theater rallies around him, immediately jumping into action and launching an appeal campaign, organizing dinners and crowdfunds to raise the enormous sum needed for an experimental treatment from America. But soon questions are raised - and a dead body is discovered.

Before the book even begins the crime has already been committed, an arrest has already been made and the suspect is in prison awaiting trial. What follows is a deliciously fun mystery that kept me turning the pages as I pored over each text, every email. Who was murdered? Who was the suspect? It's all right there between the lines and it's up to the reader to figure it out.

I'm a mood reader to the extreme and THE APPEAL fell into my lap at exactly the right time - there's nothing I love more than sinking into a mystery when the world outside my window is blanketed in snow. There's just something about murder, crimes, and winter that go hand-in-hand for me. It certainly didn't hurt that this book was pitched as a modern Agatha Christie! I had an absolute blast!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

As someone who reads a ton of murder mysteries, I love when an author takes a chance and go down a unique path and that is definitely what Janice Hallett has done here…and quite brilliantly I might add. This novel, done completely in epistolary format kept me engaged and entertained from start to finish and I loved it. It was one of my most anticipated reads for this month and it totally delivers.

The fact that this book was told using an unconventional narrative form had already intrigued me, but when I saw that it would allow for me as the reader to play detective alongside the lawyer and his law students as they sifted through all the texts, emails and letters to find out who truly is behind the murder and why…I was all in! I love a book that not only entertains but makes me think and this one did just that.

I loved the way this story was told. There are a lot of moving parts to this story and I was concerned at first because there are so many characters to keep track of, but it was incredible how their personalities really came through from their emails and texts. The backdrop with the play and the appeal to raise funds for the lifesaving medication for the little girl all combine to really get you engaged with these characters and what is going on.

I will say I did pick up on a few clues and started to suspect something wasn’t quite as it seemed, but that in no way ruined anything for me. Quite the opposite as it made me only more suspicious as to what was really going on. This is a book where you really do need to pay attention and I was quite proud that I was on the right track.

I had so much fun reading this one and ended up binge-reading it in just a few hours. This is the type of book that really will appeal to quite a wide audience, and I will be recommending it to everyone. And I will certainly be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this very talented author!

This is a great, uniquely written mystery novel! It took me a little longer to get through it, because of the way it is written I found myself going back to see who was emailing or texting who. And there were a lot of characters to figure out, but once I got the hang of reading this style I really enjoyed the book! Such a refreshing read! Thank you NetGalley and atria books!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Janice Hallett - 4.5 stars rounded up!

A local theater group, The Fairway Players, is preparing for a production of Arthur Miller's, All My Sons, when tragedy strikes the founding family. Director Martin Haywood and wife, Helen, the star, have a granddaughter, Paige, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The family, troupe and community gather together to raise the needed money to procure needed medicine from the US for Paige.

Told in the form of all types of communications - letters, texts, emails, post-it notes, we learn that there has been a murder and someone is in jail. Two law students are presented with all the correspondence and are tasked to figure out exactly what happened and who is responsible. This is such an intriguing way to read a mystery and I was pulled in from the first email! There is a big cast of characters all with secrets and ulterior motives. You will try to solve the mysteries as you follow along with the law students as all the information is presented - good luck and enjoy this creative tale!

A clever mystery by debut author Janice Hallett is written in the epistolary style. QC Roderick Tanner asks his secretary to send two of his assistants, Femi and Charlotte, various emails, texts, and messages pertinent to a case to read over. He attaches a note that he wishes the two to go into this cold, not knowing anything about the case before they begin.

The case involves a small English community where one family, the Haywards, are at the top of the social ladder. They own The Grange, a resort of sorts, and are the driving force behind a community theater, The Fairway Players.

Martin Hayward sends out an email letting the community know that his two-year-old granddaughter Poppy has an aggressive brain tumor. Her best chance for recovery is an experimental US drug treatment which is terribly expensive. An appeal is launched to help the family raise the funds.

Meanwhile, the show must go on and The Fairway Players begin rehearsals for the play All My Sons by Arthur Miller. As usual, the leading role goes to Martin's wife, Helen, but Martin asks his son James to take over as the play's director so he can concentrate on the appeal.

Through the various emails, texts and messages, we get to know the players and other villagers. At various points during their readings, Femi and Charlotte communicate with each other and share thoughts and ideas. Occasionally QC Tanner texts again with questions he wants them to consider. Eventually he wants to see if they come to the same conclusions he has about the case as he is considering launching an appeal. So the title 'The Appeal' actually has two meanings in the story.

Very intriguing and cleverly done! It's amazing how much one can learn about characters from what they write each other. It's so much fun to dig for answers along with these two assistants as they read. I did not guess 'the who' which is always a pleasant and rewarding surprise. I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I received an arc of this debut mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

The Appeal follows the many individuals all connected through a theater group, who are helping raise money for a young girl named Poppy. Poppy has a rare brain tumor and her family, who leads the theater group, wants to raise money for a new experimental treatment.

As the appeal to raise money continues, things become clear that it is not a totally straightforward thing. As tensions rise between the members of the group, something clearly goes wrong as one of the members ends up dead.

Femi and Charlotte must figure out what actually happened that fateful night to ensure that the real guilty party is found.