I feel like this book would have been more entertaining to me if it would have been an audio format. Having loved The Appeal, I thought I would really enjoy this one based on Hallett's writing and the premise. Unfortunately, it was not a favorite for me. The text felt weighed down with all the emails and conversations and the mystery got lost. The page count could have been reduced significantly and the same story would have unfolded.

A journalist is enlisted to write a book about a cult from 20 years ago known as the Alperton Angels. This cult was famous for a mass murder/suicide and the attempted murder of a baby they believed was the antichrist. The entire book is written in the format of the texts, emails, articles and other correspondence from the journalists research. Through her research, she digs up secrets that someone wants to remain buried and puts herself in danger.
I rated this book 4 out of 5. I enjoyed the plot, the book was a quick read and the twists at the end were great. This book was a puzzle to keep track of with lots of surprises throughout. Just when you think you have it figured out another clue drops changing the direction of your thoughts. The book being written in the format of the journalists research made this book a quick read, although it did get a little slow through the middle. The ending was unexpected but was left a bit open ended.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adore Janice Hallett's quirky found-footage/epistolary take on mysteries. Hallett is in top form with the Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, which balances quite a dark mystery with her characteristic wit and humor.

The first book of hers that I read was the Appeal, which I found to be quite cozy and irreverent. While the style of Alperton Angels is the same, the characters were a more vicious and the themes considerably darker.

Alperton Angels consists of the collected research materials of fictional true crime writer Amanda Bailey as she digs into the events surrounding the apparent collective suicide of a small cult 18 years prior and the murder of their neighbor. The tragedy left four survivors: the leader, a man who claims to be the archangel Gabriel come to Earth, a teenage boy and girl, and a baby who would now be on the cusp of adulthood. Her publisher wants her to track down the baby and revisit the crime from their perspective.

Her investigation reveals a twisty knot of characters with varied motivations and levels of fanatical belief and so, so many secrets. The closer she gets to answers, the more dangerous the investigation seems to become.

This mystery was an utterly wild ride, and you truly don't know who to trust for the bulk of the text.

With cynical call-outs to the salacious world of true crime publishing and podcasting, Hallett shows how well she understands the genre. I wasn't surprised to see her list the impeccably researched brainchild of Michelle McNamara's obsession, I'll Be Gone in the Dark among her inspirations.

I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who likes learning about cults, reading true crime, and mysteries delivered with a side of cheeky British humor.

Janice Hallett has done it again with her unique writing style and an intriguing plot. A must read for mystery lovers and armchair detectives. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels centers around Amanda Bailey, a true crime author who has been hired to write about a cold case from the early 2000s. Needing to find the missing information and solve just what exactly did happen, she communicates with a number of men and women connected to the original case and some who have given the event a more cultural influence in modern day.

Told through bits and piece- texts, emails, interview transcriptions - Hallett's way of storytelling is unique and entertaining to read. My one and only complaint after reading the entire book in about 48 hours was the pacing of the story. It seemed that not much was happening in the first 2/3rds of the novel, but it certainly comes together quickly (and excitingly) in the last third of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the chance to read this novel in advance of its publication.

..

Incredibly clever whodunnit. The writing style might not appeal to a lot of readers but it kept me reading to the end. And the mystery was not what it appeared to be. A very good read.

Janice Hallett is easily becoming my favorite author! Her books knock it out of the park for me every time and this was no exception. I loved the plot here, as well as our narrator Amanda. She is spunky and smart and I loved her intent to get revenge over Oliver. And once again, I didn't guess a single plot reveal correctly! This was such a good time, enjoyable through every page. I now can't wait to read the last book I have outstanding in her collection and I will be waiting so that I don't have to wait a long time until the next one. What a treat! I can't wait to shout this one from the rooftops.

4.25 stars. It took me about 50 pages to get into this one but once I was hooked, I was hooked. This book delivered everything I was hoping it would be in regards to being culty and mysterious. The subplots worked so well, especially Amanda & Oliver's. I love that this didn't take an actual supernatural turn and sticked to its true crime guns. The only thing that knocked this down for me is I felt like I got characters jumbled up at times with there being so many.

The wonderful Janice Hallett does it again! I absolutely love the way she weaves a story using mixed media, and keeps you guessing til the end!

I gotta say, I came the closest I ever have with her books to figuring out what was going on before the end, but that took absolutely nothing away from my enjoyment of it! I think this might be my favorite so far of all of her books, and I've really enjoyed all of them! I cannot wait for her next book!

** “When you are forced into a place as dark as that, you spend the rest of your life on the return journey.” **

Janice Hallett delivers a uniquely told thriller with “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels,” a tale of revenge and manipulation.

When true crime author Amanda Bailey is tasked with writing a book about the strange 2003 case of the Alperton Angels — where several men convince a teenage couple they are all angelic beings and the baby they are caring for is the antichrist, needing to be destroyed — Amanda knows the real story is tracking down the missing baby who will soon be turning 18.

After being forced to work with a rival author, Oliver Menzies, the two begin to slowly unravel the almost 20-year-old case to come to the truth and reveal the identities of not only the baby but the two teens, while each fighting their own personal demons.

Told by using text messages, e-mails, interview transcriptions and other written formats, “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels” is an intense story written in a unique manner, filled with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. Hallett does an incredible job of creating intense characters and throwing in some good themes, like dealing with revenge; overcoming the manipulation of cult leaders and how they claim their power (“Cult leaders — influential, charismatic people — have an aura that attracts those who are insecure and vulnerable. A perfect psychological storm”); and dealing with adversities life throws at you.

One disclaimer: this book, which is due out Jan. 23, does contain some course language.

Five stars out of five.

Atria Books provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

This one was a disappointment for me. I felt like the author was trying too hard to make it an interesting mystery and trying to fool the reader. I hated that the opening chapter teaser didn’t happen until the epilogue. I don’t know if I will continue with
Hallett’s books. I’m glad other people like them but they are not for me.

The case of the Alperton Angels seized the public imagination when the cult came to a grisly end in a London suburb in late 2003. Eighteen years on, true crime writer Amanda Bailey has been asked to write a book based on the historical events, with a twist. If she can find and locate the baby at the heart of the cult’s homicidal intent, she could write a book from the now-grown child’s perspective, a book that’s sure to be a bestseller.

The task of locating the now-eighteen year-old is daunting. For understandable reasons, the identity of the child and the teen couple who were ostensibly its parents were never made public. Holly and Jonah were the names that the cult had given to the couple, and the only ones ever used by officials when referring to them. Holly had often implied that the baby’s actual father was Gabriel, the leader of the Alperton Angels and the only other member who survived the cult’s mass suicide. He was tried and convicted of murder, despite protesting his innocence, and is serving a life sentence in Tynefield Prison. While he’s the only survivor of the cult who is easy to track down, he adamantly refuses each of Amanda’s requests for an interview.

At least the police who were involved in the discovery and arrest are more forthcoming. Police Sergeant Aileen Forsyth, who escorted Holly and the baby into care on that terrible night, is candid with Amanda about what she saw. Amanda records their interview, and sends it to her protege Ellie Cooper for transcription. Ellie provides her own commentary for free:

QUOTE
AF: It wasn’t my place to judge. [Holly] had obviously been through a trauma, but I knew social services were involved anyway. Didn’t have to escalate my concerns at that point. So, I acted normal. When we stopped at traffic lights, I looked over my shoulder, said what a sweet little thing it was, and “look at the peaceful expression on its face.” [<i>A pause here, either she’s having trouble remembering or the memory is a difficult one. EC</i>] I can see the look in her eyes now, all this time later. “It isn’t peaceful,” she said, “it’s evil. It’ll destroy the world and no one can stop it.”
END QUOTE

The Alperton Angels had proclaimed that the baby was the Antichrist, and needed to be ritually slaughtered on the night of a particular astrological alignment in order to stop its rise to power. Holly had had a change of heart on the night itself, smuggling the baby away from the rest of the cult and calling the police to come get her instead. Later, the bodies of the other Angels were found in the basement of the building where they’d planned to kill the baby, their bodies fallen in the classic pattern of mass suicide.

Fast forward nearly two decades later and, to Amanda’s chagrin, the baby is still as hard to pin down as it was back then. Complicating her work further is the involvement of her rival Oliver Menzies, who just so happens to be writing a book on the same subject. Amanda and Oliver have history, so she isn’t above resorting to underhanded techniques to get the edge over him. When she tries contacting a journalist acquaintance about his initial coverage of the case, she’s quick to roll with the unexpected curveball she receives in response to her querying text:

QUOTE
<b>Unknown number</b>
This is the Medway NHS Trust. I’m so sorry to inform you Mr Graham passed away with his phone in his hand. Your message was the last thing he saw. He’d pressed reply, but sadly suffered a heart attack before he could type his response. Are you a relative and if not, do you know if he had any? We are trying to sort out his affairs and have drawn a blank.

<b>Amanda Bailey</b>
I am so sorry to hear this sad news. I’m not strictly a relative, but we were VERY close. I’m more than happy to pop around to his place and help clear out any documents that may be there.
END QUOTE

But Graham isn’t the only person to unexpectedly pass away after being contacted by Amanda and Oliver. Soon, our intrepid writers will have to wonder whether something truly sinister isn’t at work, whether some supernatural force isn’t protecting the identity of the child from public scrutiny. As they race each other to the true identity of the baby, the ugliness of their shared past threatens to derail everything they’ve worked so hard for, both separately and together. Will they be able to put aside their differences long enough in order to expose the shocking truth?

Janice Hallett is not only a master of the murder mystery but a virtuoso of modern written forms. She expertly uses electronic correspondence, interview transcripts and other 21st century epistolary formats to present her wildly clever, thoroughly inventive tale of cultists, criminals and the crime writers caught in their wake. I gasped aloud so many times while reading this book, which is both wickedly funny and subtly terrifying. I expected hilarity from having thoroughly enjoyed her previous books, The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal, both of which are laugh out loud funny (I haven’t gotten round to The Twyford Code yet, but really want to!) The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels was far more grim than the books set in the world of the Fairway Players, but was still incredibly smart and satisfying. I loved it.

Told in her signature, mixed-media style, THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS by Janice Hallett was absolutely captivating.

This time, we're following Amanda Bailey, a true-crime author who is being pressured by her publisher to write a story about the Alperton Angels cult who were part of a sensational crime story 18 years ago. The book is presented as if the reader has been given a box of files, transcripts, and printouts, and we have to figure out what to do with the information inside.

I LOVE a story told with mixed-media artifacts. I think it comes from the part of me that likes deep-diving topics and researching. You feel like you are the one uncovering the mystery as you read all Amanda has found and gathered. I don't know what it is, maybe it's that mixed-media format, but after I read a Janice Hallett novel I feel like I'm emerging from a fever dream. 😅

ALPERTON ANGELS was fast-paced and hard to put down. It's a great choice for mystery and true-crime lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a free review copy of this book.

Review to come on Instagram @sarahsbooknook closer to release day.

A compelling, fast-paced mixed-media mystery.

The Alperton Angels are an infamous cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. The girl ended up calling the police, the Angels committed suicide, and mother and baby disappeared. Now the baby is about to turn 18 and true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a new book about the case. Rival author Oliver Menzies, smart and better connected, is also on the baby's trail. Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate and they find that the truth of the Angels is much darker than they imagined and they might just end up as part of the story themselves.

Like with other Janice Hallett books, this one is mixed-media, consisting of a collection of documents from Amanda's research process as she looked into the Alperton Angels. This format allows for a very fast-paced story that keeps you immersed. Although each "chapter" is quite long, it's easy to start and stop as required and get back into the tale as soon as you pick it back up. The structure also allows you, as a reader, to interpret information as it comes in and start to come to your own conclusions.

In another feature common to many Janice Hallett stories, the structure of the book does limit how much readers really get to know the characters. As a character-driven reader, I sometimes struggle with not feeling very connected to any of the main players. However, this is a personal preference and definitely doesn't reflect a universal reading experience. This focus on telling just bits of the story through various documents and messages does allow for an immersive experience.

Overall, if you enjoy mixed-media stories or fast-paced mysteries, I definitely recommend that you give this one a try. It's interesting and compelling and makes you want to keep reading to find answers.

I’ve read quite a few books by this author and I love how they are done in mixed media fashion. I love reading through articles, texts, emails, etc. I am usually quick to request books I know are mixed media.
I really enjoyed the two main characters of this one. Amanda was the best person to follow through this journey of finding out the truth of this cult. Oliver was such a good second character especially when the plot started to thicken.
Overall, Janice has written yet another wonderful mystery through mixed media, that kept me guessing. The cult aspects were intriguing and the story as whole came together very well.

Thank you @BookClubFavorites #BookClubFavorites for the free book!

I finished this almost a week ago and am still struggling to put my thoughts into words with this one.

This book follows true crime author Amanda Bailey trying to unravel the 18 year mystery of the Alperton Angels cult and what happened to the mysterious Alperton Baby. Even though she is forced to collaborate with rival author Oliver Menzies, Amanda is determined to get to the center of this mystery. But at what cost?

The use of mixed media in this book was interesting and was one of my favorite aspects. I have never read a thriller with storytelling like that before! The twists and turns in this book were insane! I’ve never read anything from Janice Hallet before this but will definitely be checking out more after this! Honestly the book had me guessing the whole time!

The ending came as a total shock to me! I did feel like it was a little abrupt and I wanted a little more detail but it's kept me thinking about it. This did bring my rating down a little bit but I still really enjoyed it!

If you are looking for a thriller that you won’t want to put down then check this one out!

This was a 4.75 stars for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett finds true crime author, Amanda Bailey unraveling the eighteen-year mystery of the Alperton Angels cult and what happened to the mysterious Alperton Baby. In a forced collaboration with rival author, Oliver Menzies, Amanda is set to get to the center of this mystery. But at what cost?

Once again, another great mystery from Janice Hallett, in the style of emails, messages, and transcripts. I loved the true depths of all the characters and the fact they all had deeper pasts that connected the story back to the present and their motivations in the main plot. The twists and turns throughout the whole novel had me shocked and awed. I absolutely did not see the end coming. This novel was a beautiful blend of drama, humor, and mystery that had me shedding a tear or two by the end. It was a beautiful dedication to the authors and journalists who tragically lost their lives to their work.

With that I cannot wait for the next book by this wonderful author!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary copy of this novel! Amanda Bailey, a true crime author, is intent on writing a book about the Alperton Angels cult. Years ago, they had brainwashed a teen girl into believing that her baby is the anti-Christ. The angels were sent to destroy the supposed “anti-Christ” baby, but they ended up committing suicide. The teen girl and baby had managed to escape.

Now, the baby is turning 18 years old. And Amanda Bailey, along with another rival author, Oliver Menzies, are attempting to piece together the events of what actually happened that fateful night years ago. Because the accounts from different people are not lining up. As they both work together to uncover the truth, they are finding out that truth is much more bizarre than they ever thought possible.

Once again, this novel is written in the unique writing style of Janice Hallett. Written as emails, typed transcripts of recordings, text messages, and what’s app messages, this novel is definitely not one to miss!!! 5 stars!!!

Sad to say I was quite disappointed with this one. After having read and loved The Appeal, I was excited for an even darker and more twisted tale from Hallett with her signature style of raw details, messy characters, and putting the onus on the reader to figure things out. But this was just way, way overboard. The plot became so convoluted that I had a very difficult time keeping track of what was going on, and I would consider myself a fairly sophisticated reader! I began to find the main character insufferable and lose interest in what she was working through or what ruses she was pulling to get her information. The ending also felt both rushed and anticlimactic at the same time – you know a thriller is disappointing when you really don't care about the big reveal at the end. I was hooked in the beginning – I thought this had such a promising start – but it ended up falling really flat. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!

Holy twists and turns, my book peeps!! 🙌 I think this just might be my favorite from Janice Hallett yet!! ❤️ The characters are totally unreliable - you don’t know who to trust, what’s truth and what’s not! I did not want to put this one down and enjoyed every single second of it! 👏👏

This just further solidifies why Janice Hallett is one of my auto-buy authors!! ❤️ Well done with this one!!!

Pick this one up, book peeps!!! 🙌

A big thank you to Janice Hallett, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Another fab book by the author! Super detailed and I really had no clue what would happen for most of it- twisty and entertaining! Would definitely recommend, especially if you enjoyed The Appeal.