I discovered Janice Hallett’s first two books earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed them, so was excited to get an ARC of this. I love her books: intricate, contemporary mysteries with myriad twists and turns and all presented in novel formats, whether it be emails, text messages or audio files. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is no exception.

You as the reader are presented with a case file of research and notes from a true crime writer investigating the well-known (fictional) case of the Alperton Angels. The story unfolds through newspaper articles, transcribed interviews and conversations, emails and messages, and is an entertaining and engrossing mystery to unravel. There are a lot of threads, clues and events, which can at times be hard to follow and I sometimes wonder if, unravelled entirely, it would all make sense; but that would spoil what is a fun, engaging, witty and sometimes dark adventure. I particularly enjoyed it being familiar with a lot of the locations in the book.

Another excellent book and a new Janice Hallett novel is going to become an event to look forward to for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another great page-turner from Janice Hallett - it kept me up at night as I was racing to the finish. I prefered this format to her previous novel as it was more similar to the Appeal and much more engaging. I love anything to do with cults, and the fascination around them is alsways a great topic to explore. The true crime element in there was also an interesting dimension. Overall this is a brilliant addition to Janice's bibliography - looking forward to more!

My heart always sinks when there is a long list of characters at the beginning of a book, however Ms Hallett won me round with this one. I enjoyed the style of using mainly e-mails and transcripts (Ellie was the best character in the book), and, although there was the odd occasion when I thought the twists were just too much, I found the mixing of cult brainwashing and logical reasoning well balanced. Definitely the best so far.
thank you to netgalley and serpents tail for an advance copy of this book

Janice Hallett has done it again! I devoured this book and couldn’t put it down!

The story is pulled together and told through a series of emails, WhatsApp messages, letters, and excerpts. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is dizzyingly paced, with an unreliable narrator who keeps you guessing until the end.

A fantastic mystery novel!

Brilliant! Not only is the format of this novel one that makes it so easy to read, it is also so unique! The story itself is a complex one and I loved the aspects of the cult mixed in with some more complex mysteries. There was definitely plenty to keep me hooked and towards the end I was just more and more gobsmacked!

Another masterpiece from this author! I love her unique way of presenting such complex cases and the involvement I get as a reader piecing it all together. Loved this one!!

Having much enjoyed “The Appeal” I have found the subsequent titles not as engaging.In this third novel there is a premise of discovering what happened to a baby born into a cult.The idea is a good one and using messages and emails between characters is appealing.However,I was put off by the number of characters that were involved.It might have been easier to read a paper copy than an electronic arc.but that notwithstanding I did feel there were too many conversations going on at once. Due to this I didn’t finish the book.
My thanks however for the opportunity to read this

This is possibly Janice Hallett’s best book yet. Amanda is researching the 18 year old multiple murder/suicide case, including finding the baby who will soon come of age. There are several strands to the case, and many twists and turns. The story is told via WhatsApp messages, emails and transcripted interviews. I enjoyed this unusual approach.

Janice has done it again. I read it one fell swoop.
I was rooting for Amanda, loved Ellie’s take on things - for an imaginary character she’s so likeable and funny!!

Oliver? Didn’t really take to him as a character, Don was okay but the whole book is a wonder.

Thank you Viper for allowing me the chance to read THE NEW JANICE HALLETT before publication!

What a book! Janice Hallett is one of the best crime authors working today and THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS doesn't disappoint. I raced through it in less than 24 hours. An intricate thriller full of enigmatic characters and surprising twists, all presented in an ingenious narrative approach.

I loved The Appeal and The Twyford Code. Just when I thought Janice Hallett couldn’t get any better, she did.

In my opinion this is her best book yet. The Mysterious case of the Alperton Angels will keep you guessing from start to finish. The unusual lay out of the book just adds to the mystery.

A crime book like no other.

Amanda Bailey is researching the mysterious case of the Alperton Angels for a series of true crime books by her publisher. The reader is given the research file of whatsapp messages, text messages, scripts, book extracts and transcripts of recorded meetings that Amanda gathers. I really enjoyed this style of writing that has become Janice Halletts signature, I was confused and going in circles with the clever plot.

An old colleague of Amanda is also writing a book on the same subject and their competitive race to find information really heightened the sense of urgency to uncover the truth. They are forced to work together by their publishers and it beocmes clear that Amanda will do anything to get to the truth first. They both come from very different backgrounds and Amanda has old scores to settle.

This book has everthing - supernatural elements, cults, revenge, religion and much more. It is a very ambitious plot with many subplots and twists and turns until you finally uncover real truth behind the Alperton Angels. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it would make an amazing series or film.

I absolutely loved The Appeal and The Twyford Code, and therefore had high expectations for The Mystereous Case of the Alperton Angels. This latest book had the author’s trademark engaging writing style, intricate plot, multiple threads, satisfying ending and plenty of unexpected twists. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the two previous novels. I am not quite sure why but I just didn’t become invested in the characters (of which there were many) and even got bored somewhere in the middle of the story. Nevertheless, this book is original and interesting, and I am sure it will appeal to many readers. I can’t wait to see what Janice Hallett has next in store.

Another immensely clever book from Janice Hallett. It's a chunky one but the format makes it super quick to read using a similar set up to The Appeal with the story told via emails, transcripts and texts between the characters. It's beyond incredible how Hallett creates a book like this, so clever and intuitive, it keeps you guessing the whole way through. Absolutely brilliant

Janice Hallett has done it again, with 'The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. I understand the unique way Ms Hallett lays out her books is not for everyone, but I think it is a triumph. It is so refreshing to see the story unfold from such a novel perspective and I also believe it adds to the sense of mystery. The plot is both gripping and believable, with enough twists and turns to have you guessing until the last pages.

Janice Hallett has done it again! Another all-consuming mystery that I could have devoured in one sitting if I’d had time.

I enjoyed that we had evidence in all those different formats to digest and make sense of at our own speed. Full of twists and turns and some fantastically creepy characters, the central mystery has so many threads that as always come together perfectly towards the end. I did guess one of the big twists early on but there are so many red herrings that I was constantly doubting myself. The ending was very unusual and now has me pondering the moral dilemma of what I would do!

Janice Hallett’s three books share an ingenious approach to narrative.. Breakout debut hit The Appeal followed the off-stage dramas of a small town amateur dramatics society via the emails between legal interns working on a murder appeal. The Twyford Code used transcripts of an illiterate London gangster to weave a brilliantly tricksy mystery. And in this new novel, the notes and communications of true crime writer Amanda investigating the notorious case of a cult linked to several deaths two decades previously.

While I largely enjoyed the book, it failed to engage me in the same way as the first two, and I didn’t feel connected to the character of Amanda. However judging by other rave reviews, this is very much a case of personal taste, and I loved the first two books enough that I would still recommend this to other readers.

This started off very well with a highly intriguing premise but around the halfway mark the story became convoluted and farfetched. The email/texts/transcripts element which was a plus to start with turned to a negative as it meant we had less of a connection to the main characters so when we reached the ending it didn't have as much of an impact. The conspiracy element was hard to buy and i feel the story would have been stronger had it stayed with the cult mystery.

WOW!

Just when you think this author can’t possibly top her previous books along come the angels!

I love the style of writing and it always amazes me how a book written purely through written documents can provide such depth of character and such tension…and yet it really does!

I was utterly gripped from start to finish. The story had so many layers that my head was spinning and my jaw was dropping at each new revelation.

Brilliantly written. A tale of revenge, manipulation, good and evil. What choice will you make?

Once again Janice Hallett has written a great mystery in an unusual way. Emails and texts are so much part of our lives today so it's no surprise that a book is written in this way. The case of the Alperton Angels is riveting. Thanks to Netgalley and Serpent's Tale for the opportunity to read and review it.

When you finally know the truth, what do you do with it?

Janice Hallett is at the top of her own game in her third book. Its many twists and turns will have you questioning what you believe throughout.

The way the narrative unfolds in this book means you will keep turning the pages until the very end.