I really like Janice Hallett but this was so boring to me. I DNF'ed it for now but since I do enjoy her writing it's not out of the question for me to try it again down the road. I'm not into cults and crime so it's possible that this just wasn't for me and there's nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Janice Hallett.

I loved The Appeal by Janice Hallett and was excited to read her new novel, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angles. I was not disappointed! This book is amazing. I'm in love with Hallett's style of writing, using only texts, emails, news reports, even a movie script, to move the story along. It worked amazingly well in her previous book and even better in this one. So many twists and turns! It was an excitingly thrilling read and I can't wait for her next book!!

I love this. I was recommended it by another reader and I was not disappointed. It was so nice to read an intriguing book with fleshed out characters.

"A whip-smart and "fast-paced mystery" (The Daily Telegraph, London) from the internationally bestselling author of The Twyford Code and The Appeal about a true crime journalist who revives a long-buried case about a cult - and finds herself too close to the story.

Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared.

Now, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby's trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it."

Though fiction this is two of my favorite things, true crime and cults.

This was my first Janice Hallett book and I will now be reading everything Janice has ever written. This is one of the most unique, enthralling thriller/mysteries I've ever read. What I found most interesting was the way that Hallett wrote in mixed media form with things like emails and articles and letters helping her move the story along. I loved every minute of this book

I'm a huge fan of Janice Hallett and the format she uses for her books. Instead of narration or dialogue, her stories are told through a series of primary documents. In "The mysterious case of the Alperton Angels," the story is told through emails, text exchanges, transcripts of conversations, and excerpts from books and plays. That sounds confusing but it isn't and the story flows in an order that makes sense. Amanda and Oliver are reporters and authors who are both pursuing the story of the Alperton Angels, a cult that ended when several members died by their own hands and the leader went to prison. The three surviving members of the cult were a teenaged couple with a baby. It is 18 years later and the race is on to find the grown up baby who survived the cult. Amanda and Oliver need to work together and share research to uncover the truth behind what really happened 18 years ago. Unfortunately, everyone who gets close to the truth, dies.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance copy. My opinion is my own.

This new Janice Hallett novel tells a riveting and complex story of murder, deceit, con artists, double-dealing, and more. It's filled with twists and turns but hints dropped along the way made it possible for me to unravel much of - but all of - the mysterious case. The story is told through a series of emails, transcriptions of conversations, and other devices. I usually like novels of this form, but in the case of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, it detracts rather than enhances the book. Its strength is in developing the plot; its weakness is in relative lack of character development. Despite that, readers who have read Hallett's previous books as well as readers who seek complex mysteries, especially those with a small component of the supernatural, are the target audience for this novel. Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallet!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book!

I’ve read another of Hallett’s books, The Appeal, before this and the format is the same. It’s full of transcripts of interviews, emails, and texts from the investigators of the case and it’s very easy to read and get hooked in. You see how the investigators get deeper and deeper into the conspiracies and stories and how it becomes a part of them. Is finding out the whole truth worth it in the end or is it too detriment to their livelihoods? Definitely read to find out!

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is presented as a series of "primary documents" and interviews regarding an old case of a weird cult who committed suicide after failing to kill a baby that they believed was the Antichrist. Said baby is now turning 18, making it a perfect time for true crime author Amanda Bailey to revisit the case. There are many twists and turns along the way, but even when I was barely keeping things straight, I was just having so much fun reading and trying to figure things out. I have no idea how Janice Hallett's brain works, but I'm so impressed. A great read for anyone who loves mysteries and true crime.

Thank you to @simonschuster, @AtriaBooks, and @netgalley for this copy of "The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels".

✅ cults
✅ true crime writer investigating old case
✅ unexplainable mysteries
✅ people croaking who get associated with the case

I liked the format of documents, text messages, emails, and book pages used in the investigation, but it was a little confusing in the beginning.

About halfway through, the story really started to soar (note the 'angels' pun there? 😀) and it was riveting.

While I am not always a murder mystery fan, I do enjoy Janice Hallett’s books. I liked the Appeal and The Christmas Appeal, I didn’t love The Twyford Code but I really liked The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels.
I would go so far as to say that it is my favourite book so far of hers.
The characters are likable, annoying and funny which I liked, some parts made me laugh out loud!
I like the injection of humour as we are running around trying to figure out what is actually happening and wondering if Amanda or Oliver will come to any sane conclusion.
The book gets quite convoluted in places but I do think the ending was satisfactory which is really all we need in a good mystery!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free e-reader copy of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book after loving The Appeal with its quirky characters and engaging story. Unfortunately, I found “Alperton” choppy and confusing, with a disappointing conclusion. The epistolary novel construct which worked so well with The Appeal didn’t work here; I might have enjoyed the book more if it had been written as a traditional murder mystery.

Three stars for effort.

The author uses an interesting format to unravel this mystery, including text message, transcripts from interviews, a screenplay and other documents. It is quite intriguing and the case of the murders and missing survivors draws in 2 journalists 18 years later.. as they dig deeper, they put themselves in danger as they get closer to uncovering the truth.

Any new Janice Hallett novel is a cause for celebration. Despite its 400+ page length, THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS reads incredibly fast, largely due to the formatting. Texts, emails, transcripts of interviews and phone calls. The plot itself was also extremely engaging: years ago a cult had brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. That baby is now 18, an adult, and interest in the story has surged.

I was hooked from page one and didn't come up for air until it was over.

Janice Hallett has mastered the art of the mixed-media novel. By that I mean in lieu of traditional narrative, there are emails, WhatsApp messages, transcripts, newspaper articles, book excerpts, letters, and a partial screenplay. In The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, a true crime writer agrees to tackle the case of a cult murder/suicide from 18 years prior. A young woman and her newborn baby, along with the baby’s father, are rescued by the police from a cult. Other members of the cult are found dead and the cult leader is arrested for the murder of a waiter and is currently in jail. Now that the baby is officially an adult, Amanda Bailey has been commissioned to find the person and write a book. Only problem is no one has any idea what happened to any of the three individuals - mother, father or baby.
Her nemesis, Oliver, is also looking to write a book on the same subject. And their two editors have the brilliant idea to have them collaborate.
As Amanda interviews those individuals that are still around, the stories don’t coincide. In fact, there are glaring differences.
I’m impressed by how much I felt I got to know Amanda, despite everything being in the form of some kind of correspondence. Oliver provides an interesting take on how someone can get sucked into a “theory”. In these days of QAnon, it hit home. And I adored Ellie Cooper, the transcriber and her little added side comments. She provides gobs of comic relief.
The story tackles trust, manipulation, deceit and what people are willing to believe. This is a story that drew me in deeper and deeper the further it goes along. What starts off light becomes dark by the end.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

This book drew me in from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down. It was refreshing to read a murder mystery that was written in interviews and emails and I felt like the story surprised me at every turn. I can’t wait to read the rest of Hallett’s work.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a book about a true crime writer investigating a crazy story from 18 years ago about a cult. This cult believed that they were angels in human bodies and there was a baby that was believed to be the antichrist. The cult members were supposed to kill the baby but instead many others ended up dead. Now that the baby is about to be 18, this author is trying to figure out who the baby is and what really happened.

This book is told in all mixed media. I love that in a book. It has emails, texts, movie scripts, etc. It made the story feel like we were the ones investigating and it made it really interesting. It also unfolded to us along with the main character which i tend to like in books as well. The book had a lot of twists and turns that I enjoyed as well.

My main issue was that I could not stand the main character. She was so rude and entitled the whole time. She would steal work and lie constantly. I wish she was more likeable. I also feel like parts of the story dragged a bit.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Atria books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is my third Janice Hallett book. Let me start by saying that i absolutely loved the first two books and devoured them in a single night each. This book was good, but it didn't resonate with me the way the others did. I find it hard to put a finger on exactly what was lacking, but perhaps it was that I didn't really connect with any of the characters or the storyline. I enjoyed the framing of evaluating the story as an ethical dilemma. The solution to the "mystery" was a bit of a let-down, but I don't want to spoil the ending. Janice Hallett is still one of my "must read" authors as each book has truly been unique.

True Crime podcast in book form and it was phenomenal!
This has to be by far, my favorite from Janice Hallett.
Angels, death, mystery and let’s not forget the missing baby.
I love the writing style of Hallett and it pulls you in and you feel involved with the story.
A must read!

Thank you NetGalley, Janice Hallett and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.