I had really enjoyed Janice Hallett’s previous books so was so excited to read her latest work. Cults and murder are not one of my go-to reading themes but I absolutely loved the Mysterious Case of Heathrow Alperton Angels! The writing format was very fun with the text messages, emails and interviews rather than standard prose. The characters were well written and there were plenty of twists and turns. Would definitely recommend for crime fiction and murder mystery fans.

Janice Hallett's signature style continues in this novel, which is presented in the form of notes, email and text message exchanges, and transcribed recorded conversations, as two competing journalists set out to uncover the mystery surrounding a cult who all died in an apparent suicide pact 18 years ago.

I really enjoyed Hallett's first two novels and I suppose that it was inevitable that eventually one of her books would not live up to the absolute amazing standard of her other books. Although I still really enjoyed this book, it didn't grip me quite as much as the previous two. There was still a lot to like about it, but I found it quite complicated to follow (deliberately so, I think, but it meant I felt lost for much of it.) It's a very clever book, with several big surprises, and I still recommend it highly. I just didn't love it as much as the other two - on its own, it's still a very good book.

This is another fun read by Janice Hallett, and the style felt more like The Appeal than her second book, The Twyford Code. As a reader I felt more involved in the story and the investigation; trying to put all the pieces together to solve the mystery along with the investigator.

In this book we're following an old murder mystery known as 'The Alperton Angels' - a cult who tried to kill one of their member's babies believing it to be the anti-christ. We get access to crime writer Amanda's research, notes and communications as she was trying to solve the mystery once and for all.

I found the book really fun however a big drawback for me was that I struggled with the huge number of characters. If the book had a character list to refer to that would really help. I did find myself frustrated and confused at times. However the story itself is solid and this will surely be another success.

Janice Hallett’s sparkling debut “The Appeal” ended up at number 4 in my current Books Of The Year. I rarely go so overboard for a crime novel but I so loved its quirkiness, its characterisation and its mis-directions which had me making the wrong assumptions all over the place within a work which felt both fresh and classic. At the time I did wonder if the author would be able to achieve this again with a second novel which had a similar unusual narrative style. “The Twyford Code” featured potential secret messages from an Enid Blytonesque writer which gave it great heart and although I felt it lacked a little bit in readability compared to the previous work, the cleverness of mis-directions led to a highly satisfactory reading experience and a four star rating. But would she pull it off a third time. I really hoped so.
“The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels” consists of research material for a true crime novel which is located in a safe. The author Amanda Bailey was commissioned to write a new slant on a case of eighteen years previous of a cult ritual suicide/murder which almost led to a baby being sacrificed. At the same time her one-time colleague and rival Oliver Menzies is commissioned to explore the same case for another publishing company. Here we get their e-mails, research, found materials including associated fiction and transcripts of interviews around the case. This is darker territory than the previous novels and I do like dark but I became less convinced as the book progressed that the theme suited this format as well as in the previous books.
The first half I was loving but then it felt like it was getting bogged down with too much material and I could feel my enthusiasm waning and the author’s extrication from this did not feel as impressive as it was in “The Twyford Code”. I wasn’t surprised to read that one of the acknowledged inspirations was Michelle McNamara’s “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” a true account of how an American true crime writer became obsessed with her work and there were references to other UK crimes and real life figures which I actually felt a little unsettling on this occasion.
There is still humour and great relish in the writing but this is undeniably darker and I must admit to missing the effervescent feeling I got from “The Appeal”.
Janice Hallett is a clever crime writer and has been a real find for me and does deserve Richard Osman comparable sales with her cunning quirky take on British crime, but didn’t quite hit home with this book in the way I was hoping she would. I’d be interested to see if she deviates from her format with her next book, I must admit to being a little nervous here about diminishing returns.
The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels was published by Viper Books on 19th January 2023. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

I thought this was a better, more realistic and therefore easier to follow story than the Twyford Code. I’m not a huge fan of the epistolary format but the many strands and characters were believable and worked well. The final conclusion is brilliant!

I was a huge fan of Janice Hallett's previous novels, but I have to say that Alperton Angels is by far my favourite! There is something about this style of epistolary thriller that just works so well with her storylines, and combining this with both true crime and cult elements meant that I didn't stand a chance - I was hooked before I turned the first page! A collection of texts, emails, transcripts and various other forms of communication are used to pull together all of the different strands of the story but at the same time this keeps you slightly in the dark. You can only gain so much information from a trail of texts so your mind starts racing, trying to fill in the gaps - the result is that as the reader. you end up playing detective alongside the main character, which is always a lot of fun.

What I love the most about this book is that it is so clever - the book within a book trope is used not just once, but multiple times. The main character, Amanda Bailey, is trying to find answers in a selection of books previously written about the Alperton Angels case, and these range from non-fiction and fiction to YA fantasy. The way Amanda uses her knowledge of the case to pick out truth from these reimagined versions of the case is just brilliant.

I loved everything about this book. It might only be January, but The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is already a serious contender for my top reads of 2023!

I read The Appeal last year on holiday and absolutely loved it, so when the opportunity arose to read this, I took it and I'm so glad I did as we are led into a new mystery brought to us by an innovator of the genre, Janice Hallett.

As brilliantly written as her previous books, TMCOTAA leads us again into emails, messages and correspondence to grab us by the shoulders and delve into a new mystery that brings these characters to life in a unique way once again. I really appreciate howhow the author develops these characteters through the layers of communication and writing throughout.

Plotwise, this book is certainly drags you in, from the first message you read, this book slowly lures you into a plot that twists and turns and bluffs you so well. I think it's not as straightforward as her other books, however her ambition pays off here with a great story that makes you want to read it again to see what you missed.

A fantastic read, if you love a cosy mystery, this is for you.

Janice Hallett has worked her magic again. I adore how she plays with form and turns the idea of epistolary novels and found stories into true thrillers. This one particularly dovetailed with my interest in true crime, particularly the ethics of the true crime industry, and also ended up surprisingly topical to the issues in the news at the time I was reading! I also really appreciated the ambiguity around the characters - Amanda is not particularly likeable, we can see how she uses the people around her, but she's also extremely sympathetic and we can't help but root for her. I very much look forward to the next offering from Janice Hallett!

I was immediately sucked in by the format of this book which, like Janice Hallett's previous novels, takes the form of a collection of emails, texts, and other miscellanea pertaining to a criminal case. This time around, it involves the deaths of several cult members who believed themselves to be angels.

We follow Amanda, a ruthless journalist, as she delves deeper into the case in question. Along the way, she must work together with an ex-colleague, who she has unresolved history with, and this tenuous relationship also plays a key part in the present day action.

I loved the format—it feels like you're snooping through these conversations which encourages you to come up with your own conclusions about the mysterious events and revelations that unfold. At times, I did I question the inclusion of some of the material, particularly the extracts from a screenplay and novel, both of which are inspired by the case Amanda is investigating. Thankfully, by the end you realise that everything is included for a reason and Hallett ties everything up nicely.

I thought the case itself was interesting, creepy, and definitely mysterious. I loved the pseudo-supernatural spin which could have been leaned into a bit more. I love when there's a blurring between reality and the supernatural, where you're not quite sure what is what, but Amanda's cynism in this case definitely grounds the story.

With that all said, this is a brilliant story and the final revelations felt realistic and not contrived. Often with these kinds of crime thrillers, we end up with some melodramatic twist, but this one felt believable yet still kept me guessing. I can't wait to go back and read more of Janice Hallett's work!

Many thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free review copy in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels follows true-crime author Amanda Bailey as she investigates the eighteen-year-old mystery of what happened to the survivors of a cult killing in 2003.

Janice Hallett has again used her clever technique of an unusual narrative structure and Amanda's investigation is told through messages, transcripts and research document, so the reader feels almost as if they're carrying out the investigation themselves. An enjoyable story with plenty of twists and turns - is there a supernatural element, or maybe a very influential and manipulative criminal or perhaps just common corruption?

This book was not quite as good (for me) as The Appeal or The Twyford Code, but it's still a must-read from one of the best mystery authors of recent times. A recommended read.

Long-buried truth meets long-awaited fiction with deadly consequences in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, the third fiendishly complex novel by Janice Hallett. Having skewered the venerable pastimes of amateur dramatics and children’s literature in her previous books, this time round Hallett focuses her perceptive storytelling on the phenomenon of true crime, shining a light on the particularly unsavoury aspects of the hugely popular genre.

Some 18 years ago, just after the portent-heavy dawning of the new millennium, a particularly gory and shocking crime gripped the British public’s attention: the so-called Alperton Angels murder case. The Angels, led by the disturbingly charismatic Gabriel Angelis, were a North-West London-based cult who believed themselves to be angels in human form. They considered that they had been sent to Earth to kill the antichrist, who they identified as a baby belonging to two vulnerable seventeen year olds, Holly and Jonah.

After ensnaring the teenagers and convincing them that the baby was destined to doom humanity, they planned to kill the infant at the appointed time—10 December 2003—when five planets were due to align in a rare astral occurrence. However, despite the cult’s best laid plans, the ritual sacrifice did not go ahead as arranged, as Holly had second thoughts about the whole thing, took the baby to safety and called the police.

When the officers who responded to her call arrived at the warehouse the cult members were using as their base of operations, they faced the grisly sight of a mass suicide. The adult cultists had killed themselves after their macabre scheme was thwarted, with only Jonah being found alive, disorientated and covered in blood. Gabriel Angelis was not among the dead though, having seemingly escaped the slaughter after inexplicably murdering a young waiter in a nearby building.

Now, in the doldrums of the London publishing scene of 2021, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking for something a little different from the typical “[d]ead blonde, media frenzy, police fumblings, lucky psychopath” ripped from the headlines story material on which to base her latest book. Her agent suggests that she tackle the Alperton Angels case because, given that the relevant events took place 18 years previously, the baby will now be an adult who can be interviewed about their perspective on the perplexing events.

Bailey throws herself into investigating the case, aiming to use her contacts in the social work and law enforcement fields to track down the baby as well as the elusive Holly and Jonah, all of whom seem to have disappeared into the ether following that fateful night back in 2003. Unfortunately for Bailey, she’s not the only one hoping to cash in on the baby turning 18 in order to secure a scoop, as Oliver Menzies, a former nemesis from her days as a journalist, is also writing a book about the Alperton Angels, and he’s pursing the exact same angle as her.

Facing dead ends and obfuscation at every turn in their attempts to investigate the cult and the related deaths, Bailey and Menzies reluctantly agree to combine their resources in an attempt to track down the key players and determine what really happened. It’s clear that there’s more to the case than meets the eye, but as they find themselves being dragged deeper and deeper into a world of conspiracies, lies and deceptions, they risk being consumed by the quest for the truth. As Bailey’s assistant, Ellie Cooper, notes during one exchange of messages:

“There’s something about this case. It burrows insidiously into your mind, then sets about changing it.”

Similar to her storytelling approach in The Appeal and The Twyford Code, Hallett provides a modern twist on the epistolary novel in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, which is written in the form of emails, WhatsApp messages, and interview/podcast transcripts, coupled with newspaper clippings, extracts from books and a screenplay, and other materials. In fact, the novel is actually comprised of the bundle of materials that Amanda Bailey put together when researching her book and subsequently locked in a safe deposit box.

This approach firmly situates the reader in the role of detective, having to piece together the various clues and snippets of information contained within the myriad source materials in order to puzzle out exactly what happened with the Alperton Angels and why. It’s a tantalising tactic that renders the book a quick and compelling read. It also allows Hallett to make the most out the characters’ potential to be unreliable narrators who are only willing to cooperate and share information to the extent that it furthers their own aims.

Bailey is the central character and focal point of the various communications that comprise the story, and she’s an intriguing character from the outset. As an award-winning true crime author, it’s no surprise that she’s interested in writing about the Alperton Angels case, but she also seems to have motivation beyond producing another bestseller. In fact, all those who contribute to the story appear to be jealously guarding at least some aspect of their involvement in events, whether in the past or the present.

Due to the characters’ obscured intentions and unclear goals, even when they are communicating in apparently straightforward and helpful ways, there are numerous strands of mysteries for Bailey and Menzies to follow as they attempt to track down the missing baby and get to the heart of the Angels conspiracy. They are forced to unpick the facts from the fiction in the same way that readers must as they work through all the materials concerning the case.

All this renders The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels a deviously twisting and twisted puzzle layered with a multitude of deceptions, intrigues and red herrings. It combines the best aspects of the thriller and the whodunnit to present a challenging conundrum for readers to unravel.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels follows you guessed it the case of the Alperton Angels. The Case: The Cult who thought of themselves as angels and who brainwashed a teenage girl into thinking her child was the anti-christ and who can forget the ritualistic murders that took place.

Amanda Bailey is commissioned to write a book on the case. Amanda is forced to work with her rival Oliver and are both on the hunt for answers of what actually happened. They meet up with police officers, hospital staff and child services to name a few. The book is written in the form of emails, interviews and text messages. People start dying and it has Amanda thinking that they are close to a breakthrough in the case.

Janice Hallett has done it again. Her unique writing style made this book a quick one to read as I was flicking the kindle pages. I enjoyed the various forms of communications to tell the story. That ending though, I wasn't quite expecting that one.

Thank you Netgalley and Viper books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Janice Hallett is rightly receiving praise for her books and they are getting better. Amanda Bailey an author who writes true crime books has been approached by her publishers to write about The Alperton Angels a ritualistic murder with two teenagers and a baby at the heart of it all. When Amanda starts looking into it, people start dying. What has she uncovered? When she is told she has to collaborate with an old enemy Oliver Menzies she is even more determined to get her book published. What starts as a job becomes an obsession with so many twists and turns you never quite know which you’re facing. I don’t even know how you plan a book like this I am in awe of Janice Hallett. An outstanding read

Firstly thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about Janice Hallett's work based on her writing so far.... The Appeal is a book I will recommend to anyone, whereas I struggled to enjoy The Twyford Code.

Sadly, this review fell in the camp of the latter. There are many great things about it... The subject matter is interesting, focusing on cults and posing wider questions on manipulation and influence. I would also give the character of Ellie her own book as her quips were on point.

However I found the characters morally questionable and found it lacked pace... Sometimes there were too many things happening to completely engage.

It is a book that will sit with me due to the topic, but not one I will be recommending

Janice Hallett has quickly become one of my must-read authors, her releases being ones I watch with great expectation. I adored The Appeal, enjoying The Twyford Code a little less - namely as I found the audio transcripts difficult to read and scour for clues! This one is slightly closer to the former than the latter, making greater use of emails, texts, messages etc. It also hops onto the true crime boom really entertainingly. I can't give it five starts as the pacing felt uneven, too slow for too long then too much 'well, that escalated very quickly' at the end.

I'm so glad that this was in same type of format at THE APPEAL. I really enjoyed the storytelling style being in the form of emails, texts, transcripts and clippings. I honestly didn't see where the story was going to go though it did start off sounding quite absurd. The way that it ended up going was really interesting, especially the way that it ended as I did not see that coming! Highly recommend this if you enjoyed THE APPEAL.

Having read Hallett's book before, I knew it was going to be something different, something extraordinary. And I was not disappointed.

The entire book consists of WhatsApp messages and emails between Amanda and her agent, rival author Oliver, an assistant and other possible sources, as well as pages from the book, the film script and other relevant material.

It all starts with Amanda thinking about writing a new book, and her agent reminds her that it's been eighteen years since the Alperton Angels case, which means that the baby involved in the story is now old enough to be questioned about the case, if only someone would know where this child is and where the two teenagers believed to be the child's parents are.

But the reader knows nothing about this Alperton case, because they are thrown in the middle of these text messages and letters and excerpts from books. So the beginning can be a little confusing, but patience pays off and soon the reader has as much information about this case as Amanda, and the author doesn't let the reader rush to the end.

There are many irons in the fire at the same time - who was really the frontman of the Alperton Angels and what was behind this antichrist story, was this the first gathering of angels, or had they been active before, were the children involved voluntarily or is there something bigger at play here, who was this first victim of the Angels whose body was found later but who had been killed earlier, is Oliver really the new incarnation of the Angels or is there something else at play here and what happened to the children after that fateful night?

Great read!

Written as a series of WhatsApp messages, emails and interview transcriptions, Janice Hallett's unique expression of writing presents us with another extraordinary book. She is a breath of fresh air in the crime writing genre due to her singular approach.
The main character, Amanda Bailey, is a true crime writer. Even though she is presented to the reader entirely through a succession of short messages, she is a fully formed and well rounded character.

She is persuaded by her agent to collaborate on the story of the Alperton Angels with a fellow writer, Oliver Menzies. Watching the development of the two characters and their working relationship is gripping.

Another character who leaps off the page is Ellie, Amanda's editorial assistant. Her personal comments dotted throughout the transcriptions were one of my favourite parts of the book. She brings humour into what is essentially a dark and disturbing plot and adds a lighter aspect to the story.

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout and I really did not anticipate the ending. I shall say no more as I would hate to give anything away but I highly encourage you to read this book for yourself.

Another cracking book from Janice Hallett! I was looking forward to this one after having read The Appeal and it didn't disappoint. This time we're lead through the story by a true crime author writing her own story of a cold case and via a series of messages, I can't wait for the next Hallett book!

I was provided this book for free in return for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I kept hearing about The Alperton Angels for some weeks, so I was delighted to received an arc of this book. It is written in the form of WhatsApp messages and emails from Amanda, a true crime author, to various people who were in the position to aid her with her story. The Alperton Angels was a religious cult with Gabriel in charge. He thought of himself as an Archangel and had two teenagers in his control. The girl Holly had a baby, who they believed was the Antichrist. The book tells their story through these various e messages.
I didn’t guess the ending!
The format of the book wasn’t one I particularly enjoyed. Several times during the first 30% of the book, I was going to leave it unfinished. I’m glad I continued and ending up enjoying it.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Viper for the opportunity to read this very different book.