Having seen Janice Hallett's books at the bookstore and adding The Appeal to my TBR wishlist, I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review The Christmas Appeal as part of my holiday reading. What a fun, quick mystery!

As I began this short novel which is written in epistolary form, I was a little nervous about keeping the numerous characters straight, but I needn't have worried, as the writer gives plenty of hints with each of the e-mails. The characters are distinct and memorable, and for anyone who read The Appeal they are familiar. The mystery itself is solved almost at the same time as the body is discovered, with the resolution taking place in the final few pages of the book.

The lead up to the discovery of the mummified body of Santa Claus is filled with small community drama and I had quite a few laughs as characters jockeyed for position in the theatrical production of Jack in the Beanstalk. Which brings me to a confusing point--the book is really not much of a holiday mystery but for taking place during December. The play is not holiday themed, and except for the need for someone to hand out candy dressed as Santa and a character's Christmas letter, there is not much mention of the holiday throughout.

It is, however, a classic mystery novel, written in a distinct style, and quite enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital copy of The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett. The opinions in this review are my own.

I was a little worried going into this that I would not like it as much as I loved the first The Appeal by Janice, however I am glad to announce that I did really enjoy it. I saved it to read closer to Christmas as I know that when I try to read Christmas books too early I am just not into them as much. I started this right before Thanksgiving and I ended up flying through it as I did the first one. It is told in the same epistolary format of the first book. The residents are putting on a play of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new roof. As you can guess, everything goes wrong as these people are really a bunch of kooks Another murder takes place and we are along for the ride as suspicions arise and rumors start swirling among the cast. You do have to get halfway into the short book to get to the murder, but it does not take away from the story. There is so much going on with all of these people that you just enjoy the ride.

The Christmas Appeal is such a fun, festive read. For fans of Janice Hallett’s book, The Appeal, this novella is like a lovely little Christmas gift from Janice to her readers.

Christmas is around the corner and the Fairway Players are rehearsing Jack in the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof. A pantomime put on for charity? Well, it sounds like it’s all peace and good will in the amateur drama company for a change, doesn’t it? Not so. The group are back to their old tricks with petty jealousies, gossiping, not to mention, a dead body overshadowing the Christmas spirit.

Lawyers, Femi and Charlotte, team up to pour over letters, emails, text messages, and police transcripts, in an effort to discover a killer and their victim.

This book is so funny! The sniping between characters and the absolutely ridiculous situations these people get themselves into makes for very entertaining reading.

The only stumbling block for me is the framing of the story with two young lawyers being sent documents from a retired colleague.

The reader must be willing to suspend their disbelief that these lawyers would receive so much correspondence and in such a convenient order for creating a thrilling story structure. It’s a new take on the frame narrative, which I appreciate, but like most novels that use this convention it feels a bit clunky and unnecessary.

That said, I would willingly suspend my disbelief a third time around if Janice Hallett wanted to revisit Lower Lockwood and the despicable dramatists for… Let’s say, Halloween?!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.

The Christmas Appeal picks up almost where we left off with the Fairway Players, minus a few members that are indisposed due to the events of the first book that I'll attempt to avoid spoiling. But really, you must read The Appeal before reading The Christmas Appeal--this book won't make sense and there's really no reason you would read it otherwise. But I read the original book and it's novella-length sequel back-to-back, which was quite fun though unnecessary. All the characters were fresh in my mind, and I was well-prepared for the unique format. In this holiday short story, the amateur theater troupe is putting on Jack and Beanstalk, and it's a drama-filled production, on and off the stage, even before a body is discovered in their giant, vintage beanstalk prop. Junior lawyers Femi and Charlotte are given a new file by their now-retired mentor, full of emails, texts, brochures, and more to sift through to see if they can puzzle through the death.

The appeal of The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal--see what I did there--is their unique storytelling format. We, the reader, are given the raw materials to solve the crime, and Femi and Charlotte act as our guiding hands, keeping us on course and giving us hints to some of the more obscure clues. It's so much fun to try and piece things out, and this book is really a cross between a mystery novel and a logic games puzzle. I almost prefer the novella, for its shorter length and holiday infusion, and am amazed at how it packed the same punch as the original story but in a smaller package! This would make a great gift with a copy of The Appeal or for a fan of the original book.

Thanks to Atria for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

The Christmas Appeal was charming. I read The Appeal by Janice Hallett when it came out and it was my favorite book of the year. Hallet's structure of using tests, emails, and interview transcripts as a "case" presented by a retired attorney to two associates is really enjoyable. In this novella, we're back with the Fairway Players and they are doing Jack and the Beanstalk for their Christmas performance. When a long-dead body turns up on stage, all bets are off and the fingers start pointing.

I liked the ending particularly well and thought it was wrapped up nicely. It was fun to visit the characters again and I hope she does another one.
#thanksnetgalley

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.