This is my second book by Janice Hallett and whilst I absolutely adored the first book, I just couldn't connect as much with the characters or plotline.

The story is told again through texts, emails and transcripts which the author does so well. Following true-crime author Amanda Bailey as she re-investigates a notorious cult called the Alperton Angels.

The mystery at the heart of the book was quite interesting, and I quite liked the book. However, although I imagine other readers loved it, I wasn't keen at all on the narrative style. The book is made up of a collection of messages, pages torn from books, recordings from interviews etc and it really disrupted the flow for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A true crime writer is writing a book on a well known case of the cult of the Alperton Angels, who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing that her baby was the anti-Christ.

This is written in Janice Hallett’s untraditional style. This book uses a mixture of newspaper articles, transcribed interviews, phone calls, WhatsApp messages, emails and conversations. This creates great pacing as information is revealed.

I enjoyed the main character Amanda’s story and her rivalry with fellow true crime writer Oliver.

I do think this is the most complex of Hallett’s mysteries and needs focus in order to take in the details. I loved the twists in this, and that the ending still felt surprising.

I have enjoyed all of Janice’s books and will continue to read anything she creates.

AD - this copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion

I loved this and was hooked from page one. I love the layout of Hallett's books and she is quickly becoming an auto-read author in a genre I don't tend to read! In this book I was hooked on the story of the angels and was shocked by the information we learnt as I kept reading. Needless to say, I highly recommend this and any of her books and I will be reading anything else she puts out!

'The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels' is Janice Hallett's third book and she is really showing no stopping in her ability to write additive mysteries that keep you intrigued until the last page.

This story looks at the mysterious case of a cult called the Alperton Angels, who believed that they would save the world by killing an infant who was the anti-christ. Two decades later Amanda Bailey looks up this case to write a true crime story on the case and what has happened since then.

The novel is told through Janice Hallett's style of emails, text messages, book excerpts and interview transcripts among other media. This format just flows and just because it is not the classic narrative of a book does not mean it does not grip you and make you want to keep on reading. In some ways it is more addictive as you think, just one more section, and then another.

The plot of this story keeps you interested and guessing along the way and there are so many twists and turns along the way that you are truly addicted.

I cannot praise this author enough for her style of writing and she has truly fetched a new style in a classic genre.

Highly recommended and I can wait for more from this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review..

I'm just wasn't not feeling this sadly. And I thought this would be right up my street as it has elements that I should be loving: a cult, a murder, a story told via transcripts, lead characters have their own agenda. Plus, everyone I know loves her previous novels and have been recommending her to me NON STOP.

And yet... and yet, I never felt connected to this and always felt very "meh" towards it. I can't put my finger on whether it was how the story was told, the writing, the mystery itself or my frame of mind when I was reading this.

I do want to try this again in the future when am in a better headspace, as I feel I might be acting quite harsh on this title, and there is potential for this to be gripping.

***

I tried again with this. I thought I was in the wrong head space when I tried to read this the first time.

Sadly, I didn’t enjoy my outing the second time either.

It was a slog to read this, even though it’s multimedia storytelling (something I would normally be all over) and the leads were awful. I didn’t warm nor like the case they were looking into (not the people, the case. That was something I did like - how this book tackled the public’s thirst for true crime without looking at how it affects those involved). It was world-building and the plot wasn’t moving forward.

This isn’t for me, sadly.

Enjoyed this book , struggled to start with as it’s a very different way of writing the story using emails.
However I would definitely read further books from this author

I absolutely adored The Appeal, it was my book of the year in 2022. I just didn't connect as much with this one.

While with The Appeal I was frantically taking notes and marking things down, here I was just along for the journey and figuring out as I went.

I did catch some of the clues early doors, but some did also throw me for a loop. The continuous bad fate of so many of Amanda's sources also didn't go unnoticed for me throughout.

Overall a great book. But personal expectations v reality did me a little dirty

I absolutely love Janice Hallett books, and this newest one has not disappointed! I love the quirky style she uses to write these incredible books

Whilst alot of people enjoy this author I think their writing style is just not for me. The blurb drew me in however I found the format to draw out the storyline and create an unnecessary confusion. I think the mix of formats could be used alongside traditional chapters. Many enjoy this author but unfortunately it is just not for me.

I have read Janice Hallett's previous books The Appeal and The Twyford Code and I really enjoyed the format. Hallett's unique way of telling stories through mixed media is really engaging. However, I was starting to wonder if it was getting a bit….samey.

I was wrong.

Her latest book, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, is by far her best in my opinion. It looks at the unsolved case of the Alperton Angels, a cult that set about trying to convince a vulnerable young girl to sacrifice a child.

It is a story about coercion, about police corruption, about the ethical nature of journalism and it was brilliant. Janice Hallett is a master a drip feeling you enough clues to keep you guessing.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a bloody good page turner.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett is available now.

For more information regarding Janice Hallett (@JaniceHallett) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Serpent's Tail (@serpentstail) please visit www.serpentstail.com.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is an epistolary novel which centers around two journalists/authors Amanda and Oliver who are both looking into a cult and multiple murders which happened 18 years ago. The book explores themes of power, control as well as religious and supernatural beliefs.

I absolutely loved the format of this book especially as it involved so many different types of media including transcripts, text messages and hand written notes. This meant the book was very quick to read and I felt like we got a better understanding of the characters through seeing their different forms of correspondence. The cult theme was so interesting and there were so many twists in this story that I was entertained the whole time and couldn't put this book down.

Overall this was such an exciting and quick read and I devoured the book in one afternoon. It feels as if Janice Hallett has mastered her craft as this was such an improvement on both The Appeal and The Twyford Code.

I always love the mixed media approach of Janice Hallett and feel so lucky I got to read this early. This was another incredible mystery where you’re taken through a variety of plot lines, twists and different forms of media until it all tied together at the end. Really loved this one!

This book was so strange. At first I really didn't think I would be able to follow the transcripts of emails, messages, scripts and notes, within an hour I was absorbed by it. The case of the alperton angels was so strange. It REALLY was mysterious. There were moments when I was wondering if there was something actually divine about the story. I enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to get to Janice's other books

My second Hallett book did not disappoint! It's set near where I live so that really brought it to life for me.

Hallett has a unique style of story telling in how she presents information to the reader. This time it was through a series of emails, WhatsApps and telephone call transcripts. A journalist is using these to write a book about the cult suicide known as the Alperton Angels, specifically she's trying to track down the baby which they had wanted to sacrifice as the anti-Christ.

The mystery is bizarre but realistic and has enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. A highly original and exceedingly fun read!

I really, really enjoyed this novel. Written with a mixed media format, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels follows a true crime writer investigating an unsolved mystery from nearly twenty years ago. Several young people were drawn into a cult led by the charismatic 'Gabriel' where they believed they were angels. A night ended in disaster with a mass murder scene, the bodies malformed in what looks like some sort of ritual and a mysterious crying baby in the midst, never to be seen again.

This was a really suspenseful and addictive mystery thriller. A true page turner, I was up to the early hours reading to find out more. There were so many twists and turns and it was just so cleverly done. I've read a fair amount in this genre and it's not often I come across a novel that feels so original. Highly recommended.

After loving The Appeal and being disappointed by The Twyford Code I was apprehensive about the third instalment from Janice Hallett. I’m pleased to say that my apprehension was misplaced as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hallett was back on form with her clever twists and turns that keeps you guessing to the end and the mixed media format grips you and keeps you reading to the end and you try and unpick this latest mystery.

3.5*/5. I haven't (yet) read The Appeal, but I *absolutely loved* the Twyford Code, so requested this eARC on the strength of that. Although set out in a similar format - WhatsApp messages, texts and emails - I found it more of a struggle to get through, and I'm not clear why. There was a lot going on and I got a bit lost amongst all the 'noise' of it, losing some focus and finding it hard to engage with (hence the great length of time it took me to read it).

I think the author is brilliant in how she sets up these mysteries - I can only imagine a huge, wall-sized 'murder board' of some kind with various coloured strings attaching the points and people together -it's just that I felt overwhelmed with the 'busy-ness' of the story and was slightly confused by the ending.

I did appreciate the author notes at the back of the journalists who inspired part of the story and followed up on the names there. Some people will go to enormous lengths to prevent their secrets from being spilled to the world.

Ultimately, the story and plot were great and I did feel quite invested in the characters, but I didn't *love* it in the same way I did the previous novel.

I loved this book. A different approach in the way it was told through emails and newspapers etc.

Such an ingenious style if writing. Tells the story very well. A literal page turner.If you have read Janice Halletts 2 previous books, then you will read this one. IF you haven't read any of her work, read this one and then work backwards.

I genuinely don’t know how she does it. Writing any novel must be incredibly difficult and require an extraordinary talent and level of research however Hallett in The Appeal, The Twyford Code and now The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels takes it to a whole new level.

True crime writer Amanda Bailey is looking for a new project, and the seventeen year old case of the Alperton Angels looks promising. A charismatic man known as “Gabriel”, capable of convincing others that he and they are angels, two vulnerable teenagers in his thrall, a murdered waiter, more dead bodies found in an abandoned warehouse, and a baby in peril. But the more Amanda finds out, the more inconsistencies and just plain inexplicabilities (is that a word?) come to light. Is there really something supernatural about this story? At least one character certainly comes to think so.

The way the story is written made me compelled to keep reading. It was addictive. More and more clues are slowly revealed and it’s thrilling, dark and twisty. The first ‘WOW’ moment knocked me off my chair, followed by another and then another . All of the complex subplots come together in the end for a shocking conclusion. This book is a little darker than my favorite by Hallett, The Appeal, but is just as engaging. It is suspenseful with a sense of foreboding that makes it hard to put down.