A funny novella about a colorful cast of characters putting on a Christmas play. Told in an epistolary manner through text messages/emails allowing each character's personality to be featured. This is a sequel, listed as #1.5, and now I'm interested to spend time with the characters again in book #1.

The Christmas Appeal follows the same format as the first book in the series. A murder mystery told through emails, WhatsApp messages, and police transcripts.

Once again, we are invited into the world of the Fairway Players as they begin rehearsals and eventually perform a pantomime for Christmas.

I enjoyed The Appeal and delighted in coming back to this world for a Christmas novella. It was an all-around entertaining mystery!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

this was a fun return to the world of <i>The Appeal</i>, one of my top favorite books of last year! we return to the Fairway Players as they put on a christmas reindition of Jack & The Beanstalk, where things obviously go awry; and is told in the same format of emails and text correspondence, which i always enjoy. I wish there was a bit more of a Christmas feel to it (really felt like the only thing christmasy about it was that it takes place in december) but overall a worthy follow-up novella for fans of the original book.

I enjoyed this for the same reasons I like the Twyford Code, but with a festive twist. The contemporary epistolary novel is such a fun way to modernize a classic style. Bringing up to date technology, slang, and speech patterns to a traditional novel style makes it feel fresh. A perfect bite sized Christmas treat.

I loved The Appeal so I knew I was going to enjoy this one! I loved being with the characters and what tragedy was going to strike the Fairway Players this time. Bonus that it was a quick read perfect for starting out the holiday season!

If you loved The Appeal, then you absolutely must read The Christmas Appeal. All of your favorite theater friends are back, along with a few new additions. This version, set around a Holiday pantomime, is full of heart, humor … and small-town back-stabbing. This delightful book is a short-novella that you can read in a day, and it is the perfect escape from your own holiday-induced family relations issues. At the heart of this story is, of course, a body – but whose is it, and how did it end up on the stage during the main performance of the show? It will take some careful detecting as you read through text messages, WhatsApp messages, family letters, etc. to determine the whodunit, and who it was done to. Happy investigating!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of The Christmas Appeal. This book had an interesting concept and writing style. The story is told purely through communications (emails, etc). I gave it a solid try but just couldn't get into it. It also wasn't very Christmassy.

Very fun return to Lockwood and the Fairway Players, seeing how they've changed as an organization in the few years since the events of The Appeal. The book's length was an advantage, as the reader didn't have time to tire of the format. It was also fun to see the lawyers from the original as the investigators again, with Tanner now retired. The book felt more like a comedy than a mystery, which also helped me just enjoy the ride instead of frustratedly trying to mine the correspondence for information. I really enjoyed this as a sequel to The Affair.

This book had me hooked from the first page. I thought it was the perfect mix of festive and murder. I especially loved that the book was made up of emails, text messages, and articles. I would recommend this book to anyone and can’t wait to read the authors other works.

This was just pure, unadulterated Christmas candy and I loved everything about it—the epistolary style (which encompassed texts and emails as well as the expected letters); the English village drama club setting, with all its petty jealousies and infighting; the Christmas pantomime plot with all the accompanying holiday trimmings. If you loved Julie Schumacher’s “Dear Committee Members” or “The Play that Goes Wrong” on Broadway, give yourself a present this holiday season and curl up with this one in front of a fire. I Kate to agree with Celia Halliday, but “The Christmas Appeal” proves that farce is far from dead. Laughs guaranteed.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review. Great fun!

The Fairway Players return in a Christmas mystery. It is told in an epistolary fashion through emails and WhatsApp messages. Femi and Charlotte, legal assistants from The Appeal, are tasked with solving the murder of Santa during the pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk. An interesting structure and snarky dialogue kept me interested and curious to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC and the opportunity to post my honest review of The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett.
3 stars – Pub. Date: October 24, 2023

I was so excited to read this Christmas mystery but couldn’t finish it. I do not like to read my emails at work, let alone in a book. I could not keep up with what was going on and the characters. I did not care for the layout. Bummer

I needed a change up from Christmas romance to Christmas mystery!

I actually never read The Appeal and didn't think I needed to for this. It was a cozy Whodunnit for me! The length of this was just right and I liked all the characters. I'm also never good at guessing the outcome so it came as a surprise to me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

3.5⭐

As the story begins, we find lawyers Olufemi (Femi)Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd once again tasked by now-retired Roderick Tanner, KC to peruse a bundle of correspondence between members of The Fairway Players, a community theater group from Lower Lockwood who are again embroiled in a mystery involving one of their own.

The Fairway Players are gearing up for their Christmas production. This time it’s a pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk and the proceeds are meant to go to repairing the church roof. Leadership within the community theater group has changed hands and though much effort is being made toward casting, rehearsals, costumes and of course, set design which includes an old but impressive beanstalk, there is quite a bit of tension between old and new leadership. Opening night is not without mishaps and some not-so-pleasant surprises including a body in a Santa suit on stage. As the narrative progresses, we follow the investigation in the aftermath of the incident.

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is a thoroughly entertaining read. Humor, drama and secrets with a murder mystery at the core make for an engaging story. The narrative flows well and is presented to us through email correspondence, WhatsApp messages, Christmas letters and police transcripts, similar to The Appeal. While I found The Appeal a tad long drawn, given the short length of this book, I thought the structure and format worked well. However, I thought that the “mystery” element should have been introduced earlier in the narrative ( the body is discovered after the halfway mark) which would have made for an even more interesting read.

I would suggest reading The Appeal before approaching this novella to get a better idea of the backstories of the characters and past events that are mentioned in the narrative.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novella. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Christmas Appeal was published (in the United States) on October 24, 2023.

I really enjoyed The Appeal, but I have to say this one left me cold! The novella length didn't do it any favors, with characters this annoying you just need a little more time with them so it doesn't feel like you're just trapped in a town with the world's worst neighbors. I generally like this lawyer's discovery-esque style, it just didn't quite work for me here. At least it was a quick read!

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Following the same format as the first book in the series, The Appeal, this is not your typical mystery read. janice Hallett creates a short story based on emails between a theatre production.

Having heard the Appeal previously by audiobook, I was happy to receive this ARC by ebook. While still slightly overwhelmed by the design and the amount of emails going back & forth, I was able to follow better than the audiobook.

That said I do not believe this is a series for me. This format is not easy to follow and the stories have fallen flat for me. The emails generally give little to no information as to what is actually going on, however we do get a lot summed up by our 'students' who are reading through the cases with us.

I will say, this one very much gave me Agatha Christie and "Bones" vibes while trying to figure out what happened. I think I would be very choosy with who I recommend this to, however, I would recommend this.

3.5 stars
The Christmas Appeal was a short and sweet holiday mystery. I really enjoyed the author’s previous installment, The Appeal. The format is so intriguing and entertaining and the book flies. The Christmas Appeal followed the same epistolary format in which documents related to the dead body found at the Fairway Players pantomime performance are revealed. I found the book enjoyable and easy to read but felt the actual mystery a little lacking and rushed. Overall, I did really enjoy spending time with these characters again. Definitely suggest reading the Appeal first to have some familiarity first. Thank you to the author, Net Galley and Atria Books for the opportunity to advance read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Janice Hallett’s The Appeal, will love this Christmas themed novella written along the same lines. The Fairway players amateur theater group is busy with their Christmas production of Jack and the Beanstalk to benefit the church. While they gain new members and continue their hilarious backstabbing and snarky ways via email and instant messaging, sure enough, a body turns up. Entertaining and fun!

Thank you for the egalley!

I loved this Christmas novella by Janice Hallett! It was so funny, refreshing, and entertaining. It was written in the style of The Appeal and had overlapping characters, which was neat, but not necessary if you have not read The Appeal. Once you get used to the characters and the style, which is correspondence-based, it was a lot of fun, and so true to how people text, email, and show themselves on social media. Highly recommend for a quick, seasonal, light read!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I swear Janice Hallett writes books specifically designed for me. Slow-paced, multi-layered puzzles told through mixed media (interviews, emails, etc.) I have enjoyed so much of what I have read, and after recently reading The Appeal and loving it, I couldn't wait to read The Christmas Appeal.

The Christmas Appeal takes place two years after the events in The Appeal, and while this does work as a standalone, I think you will appreciate it more and understand the characters better if you read The Appeal first.

Opening night of the Fairway Players' Christmas Pantomine of Jack and the Beanstalk has arrived. After weeks of rehearsals, set decoration, backstage bickering, and mishaps galore, the Players are ready to take the stage for a packed house. Yet, the Players once again find themselves at the center of a murder investigation when a dead body tumbles out of the beanstalk as the show begins. So, who is the killer this time?

I had so much fun with this holiday novella. The antics the Players get up to made me laugh out loud. I especially liked how Hallett pits two families against each other. It led to so much dark humor, snark, and hilarity. While the mystery and the ending did fall a bit flat for me, I still think this is worth the read, especially, if you loved The Appeal. I would love another mystery with this gang.

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