Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary copy of this novel! This book is written in a unique style…as conversations between people in text messages, chat groups, emails, and police interview reports.
The Fairway Players return in this Christmas Novella as they get ready to perform a pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk. This novella is full of humor, mocking and sarcastic comments at times, and an attitude of you can’t have something for nothing. And there’s also a surprise guest…a dead Santa!!!
And it all begins when a retired King’s Counsel member, Mr. Roderick Tanner, emails a bundle of correspondence to Femi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd, who both work in criminal law. Roderick has a mystery for them to figure out. Who killed Santa? Will Femi and Charlotte be able to find out what happened to Santa? Read this quick, cozy Christmas mystery novella to find out. AVAILABLE October 24, 2023

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is an interesting novella.

You get correspondence between Charlotte and Femi and receiving case related information from Roderick. He is sending them text and email communication between members of the Fairway Players. He also gives them police transcripts to review. Roderick is wanting Charlotte and Femi to determine if they fall there is enough evidence for a murder charge.

The Fairway Players has new co-chairs and they aren't as in control as they would like to be. There are three members are the group that attempt to create a surprise during the performance of Jack and the Beanstalk. The surprise is even on the three members when a mummified body falls to the stage.

This was an quick, interesting read. I don't care for the mixed media being the whole book but it still held my attention enough.

Don't bother with this one. I don'y have anything to say besides that. It seemed very hastily written as if they were trying to jump on some kind of cash cow and didn't take . But it failed. Terrible plot, no interesting characters.

The first book The Appeal is worth reading but not this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Fairway Players from the novel The Appeal are back with some old and new faces and so is the snark, overinflated egos, backstabbing, jealously and thespian desire.

And someone killed Santa!

Dead Santa was able to make his own hilarious and dramatic entrance from inside the beanstalk during the Christmas play of Jack and the Beanstalk. Lawyers Femi and Charlotte read through various emails, messages, chats and police transcripts to see if they can figure out what happened to Santa and who knew and did what to Old Saint Nick.

I have absolutely enjoyed Janice Hallett's previous books which are done in the same style and this time is no different. This novella is an entertaining and humourous romp that can be read in one sitting.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc.

An absolute delight!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to revisit the characters in the aftermath of The Appeal. It's almost like a peak behind the closing curtain. There are big time spoilers for The Appeal so I absolutely do NOT recommend reading this if you intend to read The Appeal. Get this one, because it's adorable and delightful but go read The Appeal first!

I think this format lends itself especially well to the novella length. If you, like me, enjoyed The Appeal (in fact, I read it in one sitting!) but thought it was almost too long, you'll appreciate this Christmas spinoff all the more.

As much as I loved getting the chance to read an early copy, part of me wishes I had read it at Christmas. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to pick up the Twyford Code instead! Happy reading!

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher for reviewing purposes!

First of all, I enjoy Janice Hallett’s writing so much that I read this Christmas novella in October. And it was cute! I give it 3.5 stars rounded up- a quick little mystery, revisiting some of the characters from The Appeal and some holiday hijinks in her typical epistolary style. I had a nice evening with it but didn’t find it nearly as spectacular as the rest of her books. That said, I’m still a big fan and eagerly anticipating more of her writing in the future!

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the Appeal - mostly because there turned out not to be much of a mystery. I do love the format and mixed media. It takes a little bit to get the characters straight, but once you figure out who's who, it's a fun way to read. I did enjoy the young law students popping on more with this one to summarize what was most important from all the different communications.

It is a very quick read (I read it in basically one sitting) and I'd recommend reading the Appeal first - it's not totally necessary, but I think you understand the characters better to enjoy this more. I wouldn't really consider this a holiday read, even though it takes place in December... I think it would be enjoyable to read any time of the year.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Review live now on GoodReads and StoryGraph

So fun to catch up with The Fairway Players! If you've loved Hallett's previous work, including her unique letter/email/text writing style, then you'll love this one.

The Christmas Appeal
Janice Hallett
Oct.24, 2023
Atria
* Christmas Mystery
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This immersive holiday caper follows the hilarious Fairway Players theater group as they put on a Christmas play- and solve a murder that threatens their production.
I devoured this story. Hallet has nailed it again and I will be recommending this to people who enjoy a little insanity in their life.
4 stars

Thank you to Atria Books, Janice Hallett and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett has us diving back into the inner workings of the Fairway Players through change in leadership, preparations for the year’s charity pantomime and a dead body! In this epistolary novel we join lawyers Charlotte and Femi in getting to the root of the mystery through articles, emails, and text messages of both new and returning cast.

I loved this novella! It was fun and full of twists that had me gasping. As with The Appeal I loved The Christmas Appeal. Between the return of previous characters and the introduction of new characters I felt like I was sitting with Charlotte and Femi as they unraveled the newest mystery. Along with the fun mystery I had a blast reading the shenanigans that accompanied Sarah Jane and Kevin McDonald’s attempt to get through the Christmas pantomime.

The Christmas Appeal is a novella that revisits the characters from the Appeal who come together for a Christmas play. The story is told fully in emails and a little bit in texts. While putting on this play, a dead body is discovered. The mystery on who the person is and what happened unfolds throughout the story.

I enjoyed this book! I really liked the Appeal and I liked this one too. This was a shorter book so I didn’t connect as much as the first book. However, it was fun to reconnect with old characters. I loved the mixed media throughout. I recommend this book for people who liked the Appeal!

I do wish the Christmas vibes were a bit more prevalent. I think it would’ve been better if it was a Christmas play. I think it would’ve added a bit more Christmas fun to it.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Atria books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion!

This novella has all of the delicious gossip of Hallett's THE APPEAL in a more concise format. It was definitely a hit for me, as I enjoyed the drama of this small town theater group without getting dragged down by the drama. Sarah-Jane and her husband Kevin have been elected the chairs of this group, but ousted Celia is full of passive aggressiveness in her email blasts. Roderick Tanner invites Femi and Charlotte to go over emails and texts to figure out the mystery.

The cover and title are channeling Christmas, but unfortunately I didn't get a Christmas vibe from the actual novella. The theater group is putting on a Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime, which doesn't feel very festive, but my friend Google does tell me it's put on around Christmas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good!! A quick fast paced cozy mystery. I read this very quickly and really loved it! This was the perfect holiday mystery to read during hectic times or a lazy day curled up under a fuzzy blanket. I loved it!! This was a great addition to the Fairway Players. Hopefully this will help make this a new series!!
I just reviewed The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Great follow-up to The Appeal. If you enjoyed the first book, then you will enjoy this one! I love that it was set during the holiday season. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

The Appeal was one of my favorite books last year so I was super excited to get this ARC of The Christmas Appeal! I absolutely loved revisiting the Fairway Players theater group. This was such a fun mystery told through emails. If you are looking for a quick, funny mystery for the holidays, this is it!

The Fairway Players theater group is back and preparing for their Christmas play. They find themselves once again in the middle of a murder that threatens to halt their production.

Hallett puts you in the detective seat as you unravel clues, sift through Christmas letters, and dig into police transcripts to unmask the culprit before the final curtain falls.

I was crying laughing reading this story. It’s equal parts hysterical and cunning. I can never figure out the mystery before the end of Hallett’s books. #gifted

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hilarious, quick whodunit. I love the immersive style of these books, and this one actually got me to laugh out loud- not chuckle, not emit an audible "hm!" I laughed.

I listened to the first book in this series and wondered whether it was easier to follow all of the communications in print. With this book, I discovered, no, no it is not. Still entertaining, this novella follows the same format of emails being written back and forth among the various members of the Fairway Players with conversations on WhatsApp between people who are later putting together a solution to some mystery that we will find out about later in the story.
We have moved a couple of years after the first book and the players are now under new leadership as well as having new people in the group some of whom live in the Granger which seems to have been converted into apartments. Of course, not all of the drama is on stage with passions simmering behind the scenes as well and people writing one thing to a member but about-facing with another member. At the end of all of this will be blackmail, drugs, and a body.

Three and a half stars
This novella comes out October 24, 2023
Follows The Appeal
ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC fo Janice Hallett's latest novel 'The Christmas Appeal'.

The Christmas Appeal sees lawyers Femi and Charlotte attempt to uncover the mystery of a suspicious death during the Fairway Players Christmas pantomime using only text messages and round-robin emails sent between members of the Players and transcripts of police interviews.
I found the book entertaining and I enjoyed how the author captured the insanity and pettiness of the rivalries at play within the group. Particularly Celia, I feel like I know a handful of Celia's in real life and Hallett perfectly captured the character of this type of individual.

This was a fun, quick read and is perfect for the holiday season.

My only issue with the book was a typo (or what I assume to be a typo) which I hope is picked up in the final proofreading. This book is set in the UK (unless I am mistaken) but when the Players are discussing how much to sell their cakes for they use dollars $.