Janice Hallett has a knack for writing books using texts, emails, etc. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels really keeps you guessing until the end. I highly recommend checking this one out, especially if you are a fan a Hallett's book The Appeal.

Well this book turned out so good! I loved it! THE APPEAL was a favorite for me and I was excited to get to uncover another Hallett mystery. I thought I knew where this was going to head and I was so, so wrong. I didn’t like the FMC but Hallett wrote her in a way that I don’t think you are suppose to. The relationship between the MCs was intriguing and included an interesting B-mystery. I have really become a fan of epistolary books and can’t wait to read whatever Hallett does next!

I love Hallett's novels. They are so entertaining and full of twists and turns. The formatting is always interesting (this book is told mostly in a series of text messages and the like along with newspaper clippings and pages from novels), and keeps the pace moving. Amanda and Oliver are interesting characters with different motivations. I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to ruin it for any future readers. It's fun, dark but humorous, and I enjoyed the ending.

"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."

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Janice Hallett is a new author for me. Told as a series of emails, texts, What's App messages, and snippets of documents, the book details journalist Amanda Bailey's investigation into a crime 18 years later. It puts the reader in an interesting position.

What an intriguing book! The Alperton Angels case is engaging, the investigation is well paced, and the characters are people I want to more about. The way it is organized, the progession, and the unexpected twistss all pulled me in. I thoroughly enjoyed ghe book. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Janice Hallett is a first time author for me and I had a blast reading The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. Having no previous experience with her former books, the unconventional format of the story took a little getting used to, mixed media to include: transcribed interviews, WhatsApp messages, news articles, excerpts from books and a screen play. Gathering information about the Alperton case this way, was interesting and engaging. I also loved that this case involved a cult, I happen to find cults fascinating. It became a little convoluted for me reading this as an ebook with the many characters and twists, but the author does an excellent job of keeping the reader informed and reminded of prior details. I would say this book will require some attention to detail, as it feels you are the one unraveling the mystery to solve the case. I will most definitely be picking up another book by Janice Hallett and recommend this to anyone who enjoys trying to solve the mysteries they read, as this format feels engaging and interactive.

DNF @ 33%

Unfortunately I was not able to finish this book, but I still wanted to give my opinion. I love Janice Hallett's past works, but this book didn't work for me at all. It felt like a trudge to get through, and eventually I just decided to stop reading it altogether.

The premise is intriguing: a cult called the Alperton Angels who convinced a teenage cult member that her newborn baby was the antichrist. After the birth, and Angels committed suicide and the teen mother and her baby disappeared.

Amanda, a true crime author, hopes that resurfacing this story will help revive her dying writing career. I found Amanda to be so incredibly annoying that I had to DNF this book. Amanda is so information- and money-hungry that she lies and deceives her way into getting tidbits and stories for her book. This makes her extremely hard to root for. Eventually she teams up with her rival, Oliver, who is also writing a true crime book about the Angels. I found Oliver annoying as well, and the hatred between him and Amanda is just plain grating.

All of this made me less and less interested in the cult and its story until I simply just did not care at all.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It took me the first quarter of this book for me to get into it. But once I did, I couldn't stop. I always love a story of a cult, but this went beyond that. Amanda is persistent and often short sighted. Except when she isn't. Oliver is pretty unlikable all together. Still, you want them to find that baby! Janice Halley tells stories through multimedia communications-WhatsApp, email, message boards-and it can take a minute to find the rhythm of the narrative. It does come. The style challenges the reader to read differently. It can be a wonderful exercise after reading many books with the exact same form and patterns.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett is filled with intrigue and suspense. And I absolutely ate this book up.
It's a riveting pageturner, one that kept me up late at night.
A compulsive, entertaining and engaging story.
Hallet has written a well thought out, entertaining tale.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Mysterious Care of the Alperton Angels is a great read, especially if you like to play detective. Like The Appeal, the book consists of emails, WhatsApp messages, phone conversations, novel excerpts, interview transcripts and letters and it is up to you to piece it all together. Every time I thought I had it figured out, a new piece of evidence would complicate the story. I did not see the ending coming and it completely surprised me. There is a large cast of characters and multiple threads and details to keep straight but it all comes together and pays off in the end. The author does a great job of making a fairly dark story entertaining with many moments of humor. Fans of The Appeal will love this one as well. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 4.25 stars.

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.