A fun novella that will do really well off the shelves in the holiday months. The Appeal in my opinion was the strongest of Hallett's offerings so far and I think the success lay in the formatting with the emails and texts, as opposed to the other books (which I still enjoyed, but this was my favourite) so it was fun to go back to not only the same characters that we enjoyed but a similar format.
It was silly, a bit of fun and then also a bit sad, but it was a very quick and enjoyable read. Very gift-able

Well, well, well. If you read Janice’s debut and were charmed if a little frightened by the inhabitants of Lower Lockwood, now’s your chance to reacquaint yourself with them and the Fairway Players. After much calamity (and murder) over a play some years since, the Players are rehearsing this year’s pantomime – warts and all. Though it’s all in aid of the church roof campaign, I doubt Hollywood films have more drama and kick-offs. Arguments over a long-hidden beanstalk, a removable wall, sweets, gender neutral sweet bags and new and old participants abound as well as a few who’d do whatever it takes to ruin the panto before curtain up. Of course, there’s the teeny tiny issue of a dead body but who is it and why have they turned up as they did? It’s another case for lawyers Charlotte and Femi to tackle and we are here for it.

Is it a delight to be offered an advance copy of this new Janice Hallett novel, and to be back in the company of the Fairway Players of Lockwood? Oh yes it is!

This sequel to 'The Appeal', is everything a reader could hope for. This is like a Christmas special of your favourite tv ensemble comedy drama, with the comedy turned right up.

This time, the story is wrapped around by the Fairway Players staging of their annual panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, and never has a beanstalk been so integral to a murder mystery plot.

Boo the baddies, cheer the goodies, gasp at the return of familiar characters, and wonder at the joy of her writing.

She's done it again folks. Easy five stars.

I raced through this lighthearted little mystery! Fans of The Appeal will love catching up with their favourite characters but this could also be read as a stand-alone. With characters you’ll love to hate (Celia takes over the role of the incredibly annoying Isabel this time round) there’s lots of amusing sniping and backstabbing. This follows the same format as The Appeal being comprised entirely of text messages and emails. The hilarious exchanges between husband and wife Sarah-Jane and Kevin had me laughing out loud! A brilliant read, I really hope it’s not the last we see of the Fairway Players!

Thank you Netgalley, Janice Hallett and Serpent’s Tail for this Arc.

Oh I didn't think the Appeal could get a second instalent but this was a treat!

I would say you don't have to have read the Appeal before this one (although it helps, the persoinalities are so clear in the early stages of this novella that it's not necessary), given that I'd forgotten a lot of the specifics of it before diving straight into this!

It's set around a panto production, and all the joys that brings - having worked in Am Dram in the past, I can tell you most of this is very accurate!!!.

Merry Christmas everyone, you're in for a treat with this one!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced pdf copy of this for my review.

A return to The Fairway Players sees rehearsals for a Christmas panto take place amid a power struggle for control of the amateur dramatic group. Gossip abounds when hints of asbestos begin and end with a dead body.

Janice Hallett wrote the extremely unique The Appeal, which centered around a murder involving The Fairway Players. The Christmas Appeal sees us returning to the village of Lockwood a few years later as The Fairway Players rehearse for the annual Christmas panto.

I did nothing but chuckle from beginning to end. Misunderstandings and misdirection are front and centre as the group rehearses a 1970's version of Jack And The Beanstalk. There are all the stresses and strains you would expect in the month of December, compounded by the pressure of rehearsals and trying to ensure everything is perfect, but added to this is the friction between the chair of the amateur dramatics group and the woman who believes she should be in charge, Celia Halliday. Celia is the stand-out character in the story, you can just picture her, in fact you probably know someone just like her! Every time the OBE was mentioned I laughed out loud and I think I actually snorted at the "no-BE".

The use of text messages and emails makes this an easy and engrossing read, however, it's impossible to guess what is going to happen, or the number of things that go wrong. You'll gasp with shock at the cavalier way some of the disasters are handled.

The building of two new housing estates nearby has increased the opportunity to introduce new characters, the few that we meet are fantastic additions. I do hope that we see a return to The Fairway Players again.

Janice Hallett has done it again in this
acutely observed novella featuring a return for the Fairway Players. This story centres on a one off performance of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise funds for the church roof. I can’t say when I last laughed so much when rewarding. There are some thruway lines of pure comic genius, a scene of pure farce when a body is discovered and within all that, some sharp and wry comments on human nature.

Hallett manages to capture all the small absurdities, jealousies, petty rivalries and backstabbing that go on in day to day life. She takes the ordinary into the theatre of the absurd without losing credibility and I absolutely loved this short story. It’s a reprise for characters
from The Appeal in a brilliantly well imagined festive tale. Miss this at your peril.

Receiving The Christmas Appeal felt like an early Christmas gift - unexpected, mysterious and thrilling - that brought equal joy. Although I love all Janice Hallett’s books, The Appeal remains my favourite; thus, I was thrilled to get my hands on this little gem. The author’s adept writing continues to astound me, particularly her ability to vividly portray characters solely through emails and WhatsApp messages, eliminating the need for conventional descriptions. The characters are distinct and never cause confusion, each boasting vibrant personalities and individual writing styles. Amidst the twists and suspense, there are many laugh out loud moments and witty, astute observations. My only regret is that the book wasn't longer, as I was reluctant to see it come to (a very satisfying) end.

Reading a Christmas book in August?!!! Madness…I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into the vibe as it’s hot outside today in the garden. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong, it doesn’t feel Christmasy, despite it being set in December and about a pantomime- yes, I know…what’s more Christmassy….what do I want…

The plot is set out in a series of WhatsApp and email exchanges, it works really well and I have to say it’s absolutely hilarious. I was genuinely laughing on each page. It’s just brilliant!

My thanks to Netgalley and Rachel Quin Marketing for sending me this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up

Mr Roderick Tanner, KC (retired) piques the interest of Femi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd (The Appeal) in a sequence of documents relating to a case concerning The Fairway Players. Their latest production is a 1978 West End version of Jack and the Beanstalk, directed by Sarah–Jane McDonald, ably assisted by husband, Kevin. What the documents tantalisingly reveal is a panto, like no other as a real pantomime definitely occurs, if not a macabre farce. So, who dunnit? That would be telling.

How Janice Hallet manages to so cleverly. tell a fantastic story via mixed media is beyond me, but she’s nailed it, again. It’s so clever, and in places, so funny that I laugh out loud. The emails between the Fairway players reveal so much, we’ve got masterful manipulation and deliberate undermining as a power struggle is occurring before our very eyes. The undercurrent and subtle and not so subtle attempts at sabotage are at times hilarious. There are some glorious putdowns and irony would you wouldn’t have thought possible via the medium of pantomime, but this is from 1978, so there’s no “woke” “society in that script. The emails/WhatsApp messages also demonstrate how the area has changed with local tensions between the “old“, the posh new development of Hayward Heights and the new affordable housing. Add in rumours abounding and a cast of characters whose personalities are certainly clear to see in their messages, so which ones resemble the goodies and baddies of pantomime for us to hiss, boo, and cheer??

The night of the pantomime is simply mesmerising! We have a debacle over sweets, we have some shenanigans and a shocker two in an ENORMOUS Beanstalk, some dodgy moments on and off stage with the added deliciousness of much malice aforethought. I love the way that Tanner (i.e. the author) keeps us in suspense right to the end, revealing pieces of information at a time, keeping Femi, Charlotte and us guessing right to the somewhat ambivalent end.

This is a brilliant festive (or not, why wait til Christmas?) quick read with many a twist and turn. “Oh no, there isn’t“, “Oh yes, there is“. You’ll definitely need to “look behind you“ and generally all around to see if you can spot the clues …….. Maybe I did, did, did or maybe I didn’t, didn’t, didn’t!

What a fantastic cover too! Does the contents real justice.

Although characters from The Appeal are also in this novella it can very easily be read as a standalone.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Serpents Tail/ Viper/Profile books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Janice Hallett is surely 100% on the nice list for writing this novella. I love her writing style and was so excited to get back to the world of The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal was everything I was hoping for. It’s so cleverly written and very witty. She has captured the small village snideness and rivalry so well. As with all her other books, The Christmas Appeal makes for compulsive reading. I couldn’t put it down and then wished I hadn’t read it so quickly.

Prepare to devour this novella quicker than your Christmas Dinner and feel just as satisfied after you’re done.

Thanks to Janice Hallett, Viper and NetGalley for opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.
- The email exchange is very hard to decipher as well as the police report.

I’m not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I would be more than happy to re-read the book with a better file or as a physical book as the book topic and genre are of interest to me. I have awarded two stars for the book cover and description.

The books by this author are certainly a diversion from a traditional way of telling a story but a story is told nonetheless. If you enjoyed The Appeal, you will love this too. The book is a mix of mystery, humour, drama and a bit of christmas joy!

My thanks to NetGalley and publishers for a copy of “ The Christmas Appeal” for an honest review.

I’ve loved all of Janice Hallett’s previous books so Christmas came early for me to get an ARC for her latest.
I was going to keep it to read closer to the festive season but I just couldn’t resist.
I think this is my favourite so far. This was such a clever and humorous read , with brilliant characters and I was gripped from the start.
I’ve recommended her books to numerous library users and I’ll definitely be suggesting this as a must read !

Thank you Viper and netGalley for the e-ARC!

Janice Hallett mentioned the Christmas Appeal on her Alperton Angels book tour, but I'd forgotten about it! I was very excited to get to read it early!

This was so much fun! It's written in the same style as The Appeal: a story pieced together from emails and messages. The characters are hilarious - it still amazes me how the author manages to create distinct personalities just through emails and messages! Their passive-aggressive petty disputes were laugh-out-loud sometimes.

Yes, the mystery isn't as intricate or challenging as the original, but it's a novella and a comedy.

I do think that it was a mistake to mention the Santa on the book cover, it gives too much away.
And there were some parts that I felt no one would put in writing, even over WhatsApp, hence the 4-star rating.

Looking forward to more from Ms Hallett :)

Another cracker from Janice Hallett, this time a Christmas cracker. A sequel to the Appeal, there’s more murder and mayhem for the Fairway Players of Lockwood. Again mainly told in emails and what’s app messages the dialogue and characters are hilarious as they prepare for a once only performance of Jack and the Beanstalk. The Beanstalk is the star of the show but the backstabbing and gossip lays out the clues again for trainee barristers Femi and Charlotte to discover the truth.

I was so excited to be approved for this book as I have loved every one of this author’s novels. It certainly didn’t disappoint in any way. It’s ingenious and compelling with a fabulous cast of characters. The way the tale is unfurled is really cleverly done with more than a dash of humour too. I loved the randomer in the WhatsApp group for example. Janice Hallett is the new queen of crime.

Loved loved loved!! It was so good to be able to read this and get back with the fairway players as they tackle their Xmas panto. Such a great read I devoured in one sitting

Omg Janice hallet does it again I read this book in one sitting and adored it I could not put it down. I love the writing style and the way the book is told. This authors style is very engaging and can't wait to get my physical copy to annotate and see if I can pick up on clues

What a wonderful, ingenious novel! And now I'm off to read 'The Appeal' straight away for more shenanigans in the company of the Fairway Players.

Anyway, on with the review before I delve in.
'The Christmas Appeal' acts as a follow-up to 'The Appeal' but it is not necessary to have read the first book in order to enjoy our Christmas whodunit. But considering how much I laughed while reading 'The Christmas Appeal', I would recommend reading both, ASAP!
'The Christmas Appeal' is a contemporary, cosy mystery mystery, set in the feverish and amusing world of amateur dramatics with The Fairway Players'. The story is introduced by one Roderick Tanner KC who provides his junoir colleagues with a detailed collection of messages (voicemail recordings, texts and emails). Femi and Charlotte are now tasked with reviewing the dossier contents and determine "whodunit".
This dossier actually forms the bulk of the novel as the reader, reads along with our two lawyers, and try to investigate what really happened. While I've come across other novels that have used the inclusion of articles, emails to great effect, (for example the fab Cara Hunter does this), it did take a few pages to settle into the novel and sensibly Hallett has included a "Who's Who", to help the reader interpret the connections between the characters.
Tanner has refused to provide Femi and Charlotte with the background to the murder, and instructs them to investigate, solely using the dossier - avoiding any influence from his knowledge and allowing them to make the same discoveries as the reader.
With such an enjoyable tale, there is a tendency to speed through the passages (and certainly the combination of texts, emails etc makes this very easy to do), but I would advise taking a slower pace. There is an extensive cast of characters and so many interactions that the reader risks missing a valuable clue to the "Whodunit", or even some of the numerous jokes packed into the text. With committee members involving themselves in complex political machinations (or to put it bluntly, trying to stab in each in the back on a near constant basis), anyone who has ever spent time in a committee will enjoy recognising personalities and traits. I found myself identifying some characters/behaviours from real-life scenarios.
The level of 'one up man ship' leads to lots of laugh out loud moments.