The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett is the latest in this series and did not disappoint. I adored the mixed media aspect of this book. It added to the storyline.

You know a story is compelling when you stay up far past your bedtime to finish it. I was dying to find out the truth of the Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels and I was not disappointed to find that it was complex and thrilling. I found the story to be unique and kept me interested, though the multi-media epistolary format was a bit challenging for me to follow, especially on kindle. This book definitely had me invested and I am sure to read more books by Janice Hallett.

Janice Hallett - either you love her style or you hate it, I happen to love these almost true file assortments of WhatsApp messages, phone transcripts, emails exchanges and the like, so I was waiting quite eagerly for the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett, and the book was a hit on all counts. Hallett has made a niche for a herself as a writer who writes mysteries/thrillers in a different style. After The Appeal, and The Twyford Code, her third book is no exception.
The story of the Alperton Angels comes to her readers in the form of the research done by true-crime author Amanda Bailey, who is writing a book on the two-decade old crime and the mystery surrounding it. In fact, the book opens with these lines:

"Open the safe deposit box.
Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision.
Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?"

And then we get the story of what happened all those years ago, drip by drip, through various transcripts, messages, e-mails etc. The Mystery of the Alperton Angels keeps you hooked and ensures that you read till the end.
Definitely Recommended!

Janice Hallett's mixed media writing structure really works for me. I enjoyed this story a lot from the beginning, but the reveals at the end really caught me by surprise in the best way. I did like the Appeal more, just because I felt like I followed that story more and got more connected to those characters. However, I enjoy all of Janice Hallett's books and still enjoyed this one a lot. This one felt more unsettling than her other work, which I really enjoyed. I will continue to pick up her books.

This is Hallett’s fourth novel, following The Appeal, The Twyford Code, and The Christmas Appeal. In all of these, as in this newest book, Hallett tells a story in her own way. This time, there are text/What’s App messages, transcriptions of meetings, emails, looks at websites and more. In this way, Hallett builds her story and allows it to unfold for readers in a true “show, don’t tell” manner. The result is an absorbing read and one that kept me riveted.

The Alperton Angels were a cult. There was a murder in which they were implicated as well as ritual suicides. There were only three survivors. One of these was a baby at the time and is turning 18 as the story opens.

Journalist Amanda is researching the Angels for a true crime book. The reader follows her as she tries to learn as much as she can. Along the way, this means that readers hear from police officers, social workers, other writers (especially Oliver), her transcriptionist and many more. Don’t forget to go back to the prologue. It sets everything up.

This is a book that keeps the reader engaged. It is easy to recommend it and Hallett’s earlier stories. I look forward to whatever she writes next.

In giving this book a starred review, Publishers Weekly states “Hallett’s fans and newcomers alike will relish this brilliantly constructed and eminently satisfying mystery. ” I concur.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 23 January 2024

This one gets a 2 because the overall mystery at the heart of it was intriguing, and the solution wasn't one I expected.

I have read a few books in this epistolary type of style, and enjoyed them, but I felt this book would have been better with a more narrative structure. I know this is just my opinion as duh all reviews are, but this style didn't work for me.

It was a bit too long, with many of the exchanges either repetitive or mundane.

A pile of old papers adds up to a shocking tale of group suicide among a bizarre religious sect in this thriller. True crime writer Amanda Bailey lands a deal to pen a book about the case of the Alperton Angels, a cult whose leader convinced them they were angels and must kill a child who's the Anti-Christ. Amanda's longtime frenemy Oliver Menzies is also working on a piece about the Angels, and their rivalry takes a disturbing turn when he gets too involved in the story. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is the literary version of a found-footage thriller, with letters, text messages, and pages torn from books telling the tale, and Janet Hallett's unique structure makes the story all the more exciting, as readers see the pieces come together to a startling climax. It could forever change the way you think about loyalty and faith.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, by Janice Hallett started strong. But the email writing became choppy and the story slowed. I unfortunately was not able to get through the book.

Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

the perfect mystery! definitely didn't know what to expect or where the story was going! i always loved it when a book uses mixed media.

I adored this mystery! I was engaged from the first page and could not put it down for more than a few minutes. I think there were so many twists in this story and aspects that I was not expecting. Definitely a highly recommended mystery book. I think anyone who likes mysteries should pick up a book by Janice Hallett. She is quickly becoming a classic mystery writer.

I received a free advance reader digital copy of the book through Net Galley. My thanks to Net Galley, the author and publisher.

This novel an account of a horrendous murder of the three people , all members of a religious cult of young people. A young woman and an infant, recently born, were discovered at the scene covered in blood .The woman was in deep shock it seemed. She was very protective of the baby , saying “ They “ wanted to kill the baby because it was the Antichrist.
Years later Amanda Bailey, an author of true crime books is contacted by her agent with a proposal for her to write a book on the unsolved crime on its 20 th anniversary..
Ghe story is told in the “ epistolary “ fashion. That is , in this book the story is told through emails, IMs and phone transcripts between Amanda, various contacts, colleagues and officials. The story is revealed in fits and spurts in brief snippets, as are personalities involved. A lot is lost when characterization is lacking .
It was an interesting technique at first, but , in my view, soon became an annoying , inadequate way to tell this complicated story of murder, madness and the occult.. Think of the classic tale of diabolical possession “ , The Exorcist” related on Tic Toc.
The book is creepy, weird and a bit scary, but in my opinion, an unsatisfying experiment.

I liked but didn’t love The Appeal by Janice Hallet. I also thought The Christmas Appeal was enjoyable but forgettable. So when I requested and got the arc of this book, I was a bit nervous. The Appeal was definitely overhyped whereas I hadn’t heard anything about The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels so I was going in blind. Which I think is the best way to go into this book. I enjoyed this way more than The Appeal. The center mystery was more engaging and I didn’t see the twist and turns coming. I have some quibbles about the ending but overall, I highly recommend this book. Especially for those who love mixed media books, the pages flew by and it was hard to put down.

Absolutely loved this. Janice Hallett is one of the most creative mystery writers out there today and I always look forward to her work. Starting with The Appeal, each of her novels has been better than the last. Lots of twists and turns and I never wanted to put this down.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is the third book I have read from this author. Having enjoyed The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal, I fully expected to enjoy this book as well.(Based on this book’s synopsis, I actually expected to like this one more than the others.) Unfortunately, it was not to be. While the mixed media format worked well in the Appeal books, it doesn’t feel necessary to this story, and honestly, I think it detracts from the story. I would have enjoyed this book more had it been written in traditional format and shortened by about 100 pages. Perhaps the overwhelming character list would have been easier to keep track of in that format, or maybe even pared down. I probably won’t pick up another Hallett novel written in mixed media format, but would try one written with traditional formatting.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The description of this book really drew me in, but the format was so hard to get into. It’s a cool idea to unravel the mystery through texts, emails and media, but for me as a reader it was really hard to connect to any characters at all. The overall plot was interesting but the format dragged it out and couldn’t really keep my attention.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Similar to the Twyford Code, this mystery is told through snippets - transcripts of interviews, whatsapp printouts and excerpts from books. It makes for an interesting take on a mystery, but at times I found myself not totally following. Towards the end it got super interesting and kept me guessing. Fun & engaging.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a first for me by this author. The writing style took a little getting used to. Once I did I just went with the flow and really enjoyed the unreliable narrators and unfolding of the plot.

I LOVED reading this book. I found the epistolary novel style format of the book to be incredibly engaging and the mystery at it's center to hook me in from start to finish. I think Hallett has a real knack for revealing mystery and creating a compelling story and look forward to reading more of her work.

I really like the way Janice Hallett uses mixed media to tell a story. The beginning really had me interested. Then about half way the story felt really drawn out and slow. Unfortunately, this caused me to really not care about the story or the characters. I will try to read any of her future books.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital arc.

"The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels" by Janice Hallett was certainly mysterious! An interesting and gripping story, full of spins and surprises, with strong characters and tangles. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.