I have read all of Janice Hallett’s books so far, and my favourite was definitely The Appeal. I was delighted to be approved for an advance copy of her latest short story, The Christmas Appeal. This book is published on 26th October.

The Christmas Appeal sees us back in Lockwood with the Fairway Players. Once again Charlotte and Femi are sent documents and tasked with working out whodunnit. Sarah Jane is now chairing the Fairway Players and stressed about pulling off the best pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. She insists on an old beanstalk prop being used, and this leads to more problems than she could have anticipated.

As with The Appeal, the book is easy to read and I got into it straight away. I think everyone knows someone a bit like one of the characters! Cecelia is not content with Sarah Jane being in charge and constantly tries to one up her.

I found the book an easy and quick read and I enjoyed it. It’s a nice read for the festive season, but not OTT Christmassy, which I liked. If you’ve read The Appeal, I definitely recommend The Christmas Appeal.

Thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for a review.

I absolutely adored being back in Lockwood. I finished it in one sitting. Janice Hallett can do no wrong!

This book was so funny and I absolutely adored the rivalry between the Hallidays and the McDonald's. Honestly, the Hallidays are enemies of progress and it's so embarrassing but absolutely hilarious.

The special sweets that Kevin and Sarah-Jane purchased cracked me up.

If you want something light-hearted definitely pick this up.

Can't wait till her next book is published

I was so happy to be given an advance copy of The Christmas Appeal, because quite frankly, what’s not to love about these books?

In The Christmas Appeal we are back with the Fairway Players in Lockwood, and it was enormously entertaining to catch up with this bunch of characters, as well as meeting some new ones who seem to be equally swept up in all the amateur dramatics. The in-fighting, snobbery and one-upmanship is as fresh and funny as it was in The Appeal, and once again Femi and Charlotte are on the case. As they unpick the trail through emails, texts and Whatsapp messages we realise that this case is not as straightforward as it first appears. Who is responsible for the death of Santa?

I romped through this book, it was light and easy to read whilst having a very satisfying ending. A lot of fun, although not nearly enough Charlotte and Femi! I do think it makes more sense if you’ve already read The Appeal, if only because you already know the characters.

e’re back in Lower Lockwood, with the Fairway Players, as they rehearse for their Christmas panto, Jack and the Beanstalk. Rivalries run rampant as usual, as someone tries to ruin Sarah-Jane’s attempt to pull off a spectacular show. A dead body makes matters worse. Can lawyers Femi and Charlotte solve the case, as they trawl through emails and texts and round robins?

I loved being back with the Fairway Players. Janice Hallett has nailed the suspicions, snobbery and petty rivalries that abound in local amateur dramatics. The characters are perfectly described and I got to know them intimately through their digital interactions with each other. This particular story-telling device works so well.

The story was very funny and supremely addictive. I could not stop reading! The mystery was beautifully teased out, and kept me guessing to the end. A triumph yet again.

"It went right. Celia and Joel planned to disrupt the show, but the Mcdonalds faced every challenge that came their way, picked it up gave it a wink and firmly knocked it out of the park."

When a mummified body is found in the huge beanstalk scenery for the pantomime production of Jack and The Beanstalk, what do the Fairford Players do but keep up appearances?!

There is comedy and misadventure, as the Fairway Players return and try to out-do one another in a Christmas novella from the author of The Appeal. Pretty rivalries and serious competition misaligns with secrets, lies and blackmail in this entertaining, mixed media mystery. With some returning and some new characters (two housing estates have been built), there is striking realism in this tale of middle class snobbery and community that is much more than a festive mystery. Funny, clever and pacy, I thoroughly enjoyed this return outing for the Fairway Players!

"So Jack and the Beanstalk turned from a pantomime into a farce and then into a Christmas tragedy. How sad."

A great shorter read for the festive period. A return visit to Lower Lockwood feels like returning to visit old friends a super follow up (and catch up) to The Appeal. Reminds me of the great And the Christies works.

4.5 stars

The mix of email/WhatsApp/newspaper stories won’t be for everyone but I found it a really easy read and devoured it in two sittings.

Just like its predecessor, The Appeal, this is full of side-splitting, desert-dry humour and Janice Hallett nails the characters perfectly.

Awesome stuff. Thank you to Netgalley & Viper for my eARC

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
I give this book 4.25 stars

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime,Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos.
Of course there's also the matter of the dead body! Will the show go on?

Told through a selection of messages,emails,police transcripts we join our sleuths Femi and Charlotte in this entertaining and fun novella as they sift through the evidence and the list of suspects.Part social satire and part cosy mystery blended with a healthy dose of village life with all its politics and rivalries. I especially loved how the author captures all the characters personalities and their motivations.Set at Christmas with the yearly pantomime as the main storyline this is the perfect read to get you in that festive spirit.
With thanks to Netgalley,Janice Hallett and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for my chance to read and review this book.

I was really looking forward to this one as I loved the first book 'The Appeal'. While it's not a strict necessity to read "The Appeal" first, I believe doing so greatly enhances your understanding of the characters, which in turn enriches your overall reading experience.
It's Christmas, and the Fairway Players have returned to captivate audiences with their heart-warming holiday production of 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' The backdrop of the quaint town's annual show is set, and the joviality in the air is palpable as they work tirelessly to raise funds for a much-needed church roof. However, the season of joy takes a chilling turn when a lifeless body is discovered, thrusting the town into a vortex of intrigue and suspicion.

Hallett's approach to storytelling is indeed unique, presenting the narrative through a compilation of written communication. This distinctive format, while intriguing, can sometimes prove challenging for readers to fully engage with the characters' dialogues and interactions. The absence of conventional prose and dialogue tags may make it difficult to establish a strong connection with the characters, leading to moments of disorientation

I found this one less engaging compared to "The Appeal," primarily because it lacked a significant mystery element. Nevertheless, I appreciate the unique format and integration of mixed media. Initially, it might take a bit of effort to keep the characters straight, but once you've identified them, it becomes an enjoyable reading experience..

Thank you so much to the publisher for granting my wish and allowing me to read The Christmas Appeal. This was such a fun, quick read. After loving The Appeal, it was great to be back in Lockwood a few years on with the Fairway Players again. And once again we've got the bitchiness and back stabbing. Who knew am dram was so cut throat!

All the things that worked in the first book are back in this novella. The emails, the WhatsApps, newspaper reports. It all centres around the pantomime of Jack and The Beanstalk and a dead Santa Claus.

I enjoyed Janice's writing once again.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is the follow on book from the authors original book The Appeal. The story is told really uniquely using email, texts etc. In this festive edition, Santa is dead, and we need to know who killed him. This was far funnier than the first book, and I warmed to this one much quicker. I also enjoyed the returning characters more this time round.
This is an all round great read, I hope to see another in this series in the future.

A return to the Fairway Player’s who were previously the stars of ‘The Appeal’ however you don’t need to have read the previous book to enjoy this. The players return in rehearsals for their pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk where the beanstalk becomes the star of the show! Mr Roderick Tanner, KC (retired) is instrumental in lawyers Femi and Charlotte reviewing a series of emails, WhatsApp and other media messages in the hope of finding a murderer. A fairly short read but so brilliantly done with nearly every page raising a wry smile to a laugh out loud moment.

Briefly, this production is a 1970’s version and it’s more like a Brian Rix farce than a pantomime. Director Sarah–Jane McDonald is determined to put on a great show and raise lots of money for the church roof fund but is met with problems at every turn. And on the day of the performance everything that could go wrong does, culminating in the beanstalk collapsing.

This seems like a very understated read but there are malicious and pompous undercurrent’s running throughout. The desperation of some to get a part in the pantomime or a bigger part than they have been given is so funny, I can just imagine this happening at am-dram societies anywhere - everyone want to be a star. As for finding the killer there were subtle clues in some of the message, had I only noticed them! A clever cozy mystery with a diverse group of characters whose personalities are so well drawn. Such a lovely read, at Christmas or any other time. Just wonderful.

Return to Lower Lockwood to find out if Femi and Charlotte can uncover the truth about the latest mystery involving the Fairway Players.

This is the perfect book for a cosy Christmas read.

The Appeal is a book that I am forever recommending and gifting because it is just so original. The Christmas Appeal is a wonderful follow-up and it was a delight to be reunited with the characters and setting. I really enjoyed that it was a short read as you can easily get through it in one sitting.

Yet again the plot is clever and well-crafted. The book has the same fascinating format of e-mails, messages and transcripts. It felt like being part of a cosy festive mystery where I was trying to piece together clues to figure out the truth, which made for a lot of fun.

A must-read for fans of The Appeal that will definitely get you in the festive spirit.

Thank you NetGalley and Viper for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

My first Christmassy book of the season and of course, it had to be #TheChristmasAppeal by Janice Hallett.

TCA is so festive in that we really are revisiting old friends. If you loved #TheAppeal then you just HAVE to read this. The Fairway Players were definitely a host of characters that had more to say, and a panto is the perfect setting for this book.

Hallett's ability to make the ordinary extraordinary is no less than genius. The characters are squabbling about a pantomime set, and yet I couldn't help but finish the book in 12 hours. I simply couldn't put it down!

Its Christmas and the Fairway Players are back and are busy rehearsing their festive holiday production of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof but when a dead body is found we rejoin our lawyers as they investiage and try to identify not only the killer but also who the victim could be ?

Janice Hallett does it again. The Appeal was one of my favourite ever reads, and it was great to be back in the world of the Fairway Players. I read this book in a day, and I could not put it down. Highly recommend for a cosy mystery Christmas read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Viper Books, and Janice Hallett for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novella is firmly for fans of the original Appeal as it revisits the Fairway Players from the original book as they try to stage a Christmas pantomime. Roderick Tanner, now retired, sends Femi and Charlotte a new series of documents detailing a mystery that has occurred with the same am-dram group as the previous story.

Janice Hallett is the master (or should that be mistress?) of the mixed media mystery, cleverly weaving together snippets of information from different characters to tell the tale whilst keeping you guessing. The humorous little bits of backstabbing, the snobbery and the underhanded tactics all sneak in to keep the story moving along whilst entertaining.

I've given this a 3.5, rounded up, as I felt that I was never guessing for very long and that took something away from the mystery for me. An enjoyable and quick read though, and one I'd recommend whether you've read The Appeal or not. It was nice to revisit The Fairway Players and Janice Hallett's books are quickly becoming some of my favourites.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.

It’s been wonderful being back with the gang, the infamous Fairway Players.
The style of writing from Janice Hallett is so clever and just brings the different characters to life again. The little digs and snide remarks are captured so brilliantly in every message recorded,and the analysis by Femi and Charlotte as before, adds such depth to the story. Another masterpiece in good storytelling.

Brilliant! This story is fast paced and hilarious!

I whizzed through this story and thoroughly enjoyed being back with the fairway players. I love the style of writing which is so witty and proves that farce is certainly not dead!

What more could you want than a potential murder mystery wrapped up in a Christmas panto?!

Absolutely brilliant!

The Christmas Appeal is a really fun return to the world of the Fairway Players. Just like Janice Hallett's other books, it is a written as a compilation of letters, emails, interview transcripts, messages etc. It's a strange format to start with, but I have always found it very easy to sink into after just a few pages. The picture builds in a really engaging way as clues come together.

The Christmas Appeal is a short festive novella following the chaotic amateur theatre group from The Appeal. The characters are just as you might remember; full of wit, sarcasm, attempts at undermining each other, and an almighty talent for getting into the most ridiculous situations. Whilst this story does involve a dead body, it is much more light-hearted and humorous. The brilliant setting of a pantomime helps to increase the silliness and adds some levity.

Recommended for fans of The Appeal. Whilst you could read this without reading The Appeal first, you won't get as much out of it, so I recommend it as a fun followup.

This is just enormous fun. The Fairway Players, who you may remember from “The Appeal” are at it again. This time they’re putting on a panto “Jack and the Beanstalk”, to raise money for the church roof. Needless to say, there’s a murder in it, so it really shouldn’t be funny, but it made me laugh out loud.

Like “The Appeal” it’s written in emails, text messages, and begins with the most entitled round Robin letter I have ever read. The trainee lawyers, Charlotte and Femi, are back too, and their acerbic comments add to the fun.
It’s a jolly good seasonal treat and I hope it makes you laugh too.
Thanks to Netgalley and Viper for the proof