This was a great mystery with lots of twists and turns. I loved that the story was based around a cult. I've been watching a lot of cult documentaries lately and this cult felt very realistic. The author did a nice job with the psychological aspect of brainwashing that takes place in a cult.

The whole book is written as letters, interview transcripts, phone conversations, and WhatsApp messages. It's an interesting format for a book and I was a little worried if it was going to work, but I think it was well done. It added something fun to the book.

My only complaint is that there were a lot of characters and at times it was hard to keep track of who was who because the communication jumped around throughout the book. I did find the search feature on the Kindle nice to look up names and refresh or confirm that I had the right person. I think the author realized this though, and did a nice job bringing everyone and everything together at the end, so you were able to solve the mystery and connect all of the dots. It was a well-done summary/ending.

This was a fun read and I would make a fun book club selection.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

The Alperton Angels were a cult that almost sacrificed a baby, and now that the baby has almost reached eighteen, two possible true crime books have been optioned. However, the authors have history and there may be too many secrets for either book to come to light.

I adore an epistolary novel, and Janice Hallett is the queen of the modern version using emails, various texting apps, etc. The way this particular mystery unspooled throughout the book was excellent and I never felt deceived or too confused to keep up.

The cult vibe was definitely the best part of this book.

Like most of Janice Hallet’s books, there were a million bits and bobs (in the form of emails, text messages, WhatsApp messages) that come together at the end to reveal the big picture. Unfortunately, the big picture in this one was lackluster and unbelievable. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters, and thought the end end was unnecessary (trying not to give spoilers).

Thank you #netgalley for this #arc - I do still love the format of Hallet’s books and will definitely read the next, but did not think this was her best work.

Synopsis:
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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Alperton Angels is a mixed media novel where the reader is faced with the choice of letting each and every document remain locked in a safe-deposit box or bringing the entire box and its contents to the police. Author Amanda Bailey is writing a new book about the case of the Alperton Angels, a doomsday cult that has pervaded true crime circles and remained on the minds of those in the London communities where a grisly ritual gone wrong occurred over 20 years ago.

I found this story intriguing from the first set of WhatsApp messages to the last emails. Since the novel was told through research, texts, emails, and interview transcripts, you never quite knew who to believe or what to trust. If you are looking for an inventive thriller with just the right amount of creepiness, check this one out.

I read The Appeal and LOVED it! The epistolary style, the community theatre setting, the fun mystery. But unfortunately since then, Janice Hallett's other books just haven't worked for me. The Twyford Code was almost a DNF for me and honestly this one should have been too. I am just not a DNF'er and want to give a book a chance to turn it around with an amazing ending.

I think for me with this one - the epistolary/mixed media style with What's App messages, transcribed recordings, emails, move scripts, etc. just got old after awhile and honestly made the book feel disjointed and confusing. There were SO many side characters that the main journalist talked to and contacted through these communication methods, and I just got confused sometimes & it just made me kind of uninterested after awhile.

The overall idea and plot of this book - a cult where the members believe they are angels that ended in multiple people dead (murder? suicide?) and a baby who may or may not be the anti-Christ now turning 18 and two journalist/writers trying to uncover who they are and what actually happened.

I just think the execution didn't work and I am bummed over that. Even with some reveals in the end, it just didn't really work for me. I can see where people love this author and it will work for others, but I may move on from her work and let others enjoy her books, just not me.

This is my second attempt at a Janice Hallett book, and unfortunately I’m not finding them to be particularly satisfying.

Epistolary format is difficult to use (particularly for mysteries) but can be excellent when we’ll-crafted. I don’t find these books to be well-rendered in that regard, and find the format to be both grating and tending toward unintentional obfuscation of plot here.

The tone is a bit hard to take as well. The author is going for snappy humor, but it feels very try-hard, sort of sass for sass’ sake, and it gets irritating quickly.

All of this could become back burner criticism if either the story or the characters were notably well done, but as with Hallett’s other work they are, at best, just okay.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I've read JaniceHallett books and was looking forward to this one.

But I was disappointed and might be the only one. This book had supernatural and religious genres and cults. That just isnt my type of genre and for that reason I did not finish.

Please don't allow my review to pursuade you in not giving this one a try.
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I was thrilled when I heard that Janice Hallett had a new book coming out. I think her writing is so very, very clever. Her latest - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels - is perhaps the best book yet.
The Alperton Angels were a cult 18 years ago. The members truly believed that they were indeed, angels, sent forth to Earth to save the world from the Anti-Christ. They believed that one young woman's baby was the the Anti-Christ. And the young mum? She decides to take the babe and run. Where could they be now?? Okay, that's just the tip of the story. There's so much more to explore!

Hallett reprises the epistolary style of writing that I adore. The book is told through emails, screenplays, podcasts, amateur sleuths groups, book excerpts, phone calls, texts, testimonies, police files and so much more! There's also a transcriber who adds her thoughts about things.

Amanda Bailey is a true crime writer. She's a large personality, dogged in her search, determined to find the now eighteen year old baby. She's got some serious skills. But there's another author, named Oliver Menzies, on the hunt as well. His direction, point of view and skills are quite different than Amanda's. The two clash over who can write what, and hiding what they do find out. And the third detective? It's you, dear listener. There's a myriad of supporting characters in the book. Some are seen once and others play a larger part. But they're all integral to the plot.

The plotting is absolutely brilliant in my opinion. The clues are sometimes right there to see, while other times they're longshots. Hallett throws in more than one twist and turn on the way to the final 'aha'! Hallett's writing is addictive and you'll find yourself up late, reading just one more chapter.

A brilliant book and an easy five stars!

Janice Hallett's mysteries have a unique and entertaining conceit, where the story is told through assembled evidence—documents, letters, texts, emails, etc. This book tells the story of two rival crime writers hunting down the story of the Alperton Angels, a cult mass suicide, to find out what happened to the baby who disappeared. The central character, Amanda, is clever but not particularly ethical in her pursuit of the truth.

The book is very gripping, and the reader never knows quite what or who to believe until the end. Hallett also plays with supernatural and religious themes through the doomsday cult at the center of the book. The satisfaction at the end comes more from finding answers than seeing justice done, but it's a fascinating read, and a challenge to see if you can figure out what's going on before the characters do.

I have mixed feelings about this one and will try to explain why. First of all, I dislike the format immensely. Reading this on an e-reader made it impossible to see the emojis that were used in the texts, and there were alot of them. The story is interesting and kept me invested in it, but the long list of characters became difficult to keep straight in my mind. I also felt like most characters were one-dimensional, including many of the important ones. My other main issue of contention here is that we were told how things happened rather than shown and that felt contrived at times and not very satisfying. All that being said, I appreciate that Hallett was trying to do something different and experiment with format while delivering a complex story. Final verdict 3.5 stars.

Fabulous book! It is told by each character via emails text and other written correspondence. A unique way of telling the story with viewpoints from all the characters. Creative story. Well written, and highly suggest

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me a copy of Janice Hallett's new book - 5 stars!

The Alperton Angels cult story is well known in London. The self-proclaimed archangel Gabriel brainwashed a teenage girl into believing that her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl got away, the angels died by suicide and the mother and baby disappeared. Eighteen years later, true crime writer Amanda Bailey is tasked to write a book about the story and needs to find the missing child, who would now be an adult. However, her old school nemesis, Oliver Menzies, is also writing a book about the cult, and they are forced to work together. But will they end up being part of the story?

Janice Hallett has done it again - using WhatsApp messages, transcripts, screenplays, articles to exclusively tell a story. The reader gets to put all of these puzzle pieces together just like Amanda is doing to try and solve the mystery. Doing transcription for my job, I especially loved Ellie Cooper and all the sidebars and humor she infused into her transcriptions and the story. The story is a bit complex, and delves into interesting topics, but I was all in and really enjoy this type of unique storytelling. Highly recommended!

Told in a mixed media format, this latest by Hallett is not one I’ll soon forget. This book is a richly layered mystery about what exactly happened with the Alperton Angels in the early aughts. Two authors decide to tackle this case for their respective books, and things start to get confusing and weird. But the author is always five steps ahead and never leaves the reader confused. If you think you’ve figured this out, I guarantee the ending will be a complete surprise. This was a page-turner and engaging. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

The summary really intrigued me, but I found the book to be confusing and disjointed. The format just didn't work for me. I would've enjoyed it more had it been written as a traditional murder mystery. Plot points dragged along, and I was never really able to get pulled in. Some parts were so convoluted that I was shaking my head. Then there was way too much info dumped in too many formats, which made it hard to follow. I had hoped the pace would pick up as the story unfolded, but that wasn't the case. There was an unexpected twist, but it was too little, too late.

Depending on how it’s written, I certainly enjoy epistolary books told through documents & letters. Janice Hallett has a knack for delivering clever mysteries told entirely through documents, texts, email, and other forms. I loved The Appeal when it came out in 2021 & I read The Christmas Appeal, her 2023 holiday novella, back in December which was an enjoyable addition to The Appeal.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was one of my first reads of the year. I’m conflicted on this review though because while I think Hallett is super talented and everything in the story was up my alley (cults, fun format, supernatural suggestion) it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Relying on email, texts, & verbal recordings, we follow true crime writer Amanda as she investigates the mysterious murders of a cult called The Alperton Angels & the events that surrounded their existence. As she continues to research her book, she finds one too many inconsistencies with stories from witness and anyone who may know more is mysteriously ending up dead. We follow Amanda through her texts, emails she receives and sends, bites and pieces of other stories based on the case such as scripts and novel drafts, and also her voice recordings of interviews.


The plot is incredibly intriguing but there is just so much information that I couldn’t keep everything straight. There are so many people, so many twists and turns, add in the one-sided nature of an epistolary novel, and it was just almost too much for me. This took me awhile to read & honestly while I wanted to know what happened, I couldn’t always bring myself to pick the book back up. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for the story or maybe I’m just too tired (#toddlermom) to take on super intricate plots right now.

Hallett is talented and her imagination is superb but for me at this moment The Alperton Angels was a touch too complex for me. I’ll continue to read Hallett’s books in the future though so don’t let me 3-star review dissuade you from checking her books out!


The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is out now. Huge thank you to Atria Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

I loved Hallett's "The Appeal" and enjoyed, albeit not as much, "The Twyford Code." This novel is closer to Hallett's Appeal - a mixed media smorgasborg of emails, transcriptions, scripts, and pieces of other works. I happen to enjoy this method of story-telling.

There are several layers to the story and, having read Hallett previously, my mind continuously parsed all the possibilities as I read. Two competing reporters working on different angles of the same story - a cult of angels attempting to kill a baby Anti-Christ almost twenty years ago - try to decipher the truth of the past.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

True crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career. She decides to write a book about The Alperton Angels, a cult that almost convinced a teenage girl that her baby was The Anti-Christ and needed to be killed. But after she calls the police and is dropped off at the hospital, she disappears and so does the baby.

Now Amanda is trying to find the perfect angle for this book when she discovers that Oliver, another author, is also on the case. When they decide to collaborate, they discover that the story goes deeper than they could have imagined.

There is so much depth to this mystery and I do not want to give anything away by giving too many details. Janie Hallett is a master storyteller and her books are unlike anyone else.

I started reading this book but then switched to the full-cast audio version and could not put it down. The book is written as WhatsApp messages, emails, and transcripts. I absolutely loved this five-star read and highly recommend the audio version for a deeper reading experience. #gifted

Love the format! told in emails/texts/transcriptions/etc. It did get a little bit confusing - there was a lot going on. It had a good twist at the end!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 1/2 stars out of 5. (Rounded down to 3 stars for Goodreads)

This book was a pretty good read. Janice Hallett crafted a good mystery suspense using solely multimedia forms throughout the book. I thought the mystery was compelling. I thought the characters were at times interesting, at other times, frustrating. This is not a reason I lowered the score. Good characters should bring out all sorts of different emotions in the reader. I thought Janice Hallett's writing was also good. Each different character in the storyline seemed to have their own style and voice and I enjoyed that. As far as pacing goes, the last third of the book definitely redeemed the rest of it, as I thought the beginning was slow and somewhat repetitive.

However, if cults are a difficult subject for you to read about, just be warned. I had no idea going into this book, what it was going to be about. I started reading it only because it was classified as a mystery/suspense/thriller. I don't think I would have picked it up if I had known the subject matter, but that's all my fault. I don't enjoy religious elements in works of fiction.

The twists were good, although I did see one of them coming. All in all, this book was an enjoyable enough read, although not completely for me. I would suggest it to someone who likes solving mysteries and enjoys this multimedia format that is becoming so popular. This is the first Janice Hallett book that I have read, so I'm not so sure how it compares to her other books. I would definitely give her another chance to win me over as an author.

This book was provided to me as an ARC by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The case of the Alperton Angels is an infamous mystery that has never been fully solved. Nearly two decades ago, a cult brainwashed two teenagers into believing their baby was the Antichrist, a debacle that ended with ritual death, two teens who disappeared into the wind, and a baby that was never heard from again. Now the Alperton baby is about to turn 18, and author Amanda Bailey is researching the case for her newest true crime book and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Too bad her nemesis Oliver Menzies is also in the mix, trying boost his flagging career with the same case. As they both become immersed in the case, they find the truth is much darker than they bargained for.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Janice Hallett is hugely talented and uber creative! She’s been called “the queen of tricksy crime,” a moniker that perfectly fits her brand of ingenious epistolary mysteries. Told through a series of transcribed interviews, WhatsApp messages, and emails, this mystery is complex, captivating, and multilayered. Darker than The Appeal (which I adored by the way!) but just as riveting, this format makes you feel like you are solving the case along with Amanda, with tiny details pricking your subconscious. When the twists at the end unfolded, it was stunning but also totally satisfying!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster Book Club Favorites for providing me an advance copy of this book.