5*

Easily accessible novella from Britain’s best crime novelist. There were laugh out loud moments, puzzling moments and moments that shocked me.

There are so many good reviews of this sequel to The Appeal but I think I must have missed something. I did read it quickly - it’s very short after all - but the gambit is wearing thin now. There is nothing of substance in this book, enjoyable though it was.

Janice Hallett has cornered the market in telling over showing. In writing her modern epistolary novels, she has managed to make exposition seem cool again. Although I was a fan of The Appeal, this book was simply dreadful. The mystery doesn't appear until three quarters of the way through the book and is over just as quickly, with very litle investigation at all. Blah.

Here in her latest short story, we are returned to the Fairway Players who we first met in her debut novel. It is Christmas, so it must be Pantomime season and the chosen production of Jack and the Beanstalk, doesn’t necessarily go to plan when it appears that the Beanstalk is holding a secret of its own.

Told in the format of transcripts, emails, letters, messages and the two young lawyers notes who we met in the first novel we discover what exactly is going on in Lower Lockwood. Why there appears to be drug deals going down, the class system alive and well on who is or isn’t allowed to attend the pantomime, let alone be in it. Plus exactly what has happened to Celia’s son?

A delightful pantomime of a book which is the perfect antidote to Christmas and all those who take amateur dramatics a bit too seriously! I do enjoy seeing what Hallett can come up with next.

Rated 4 1/2 stars on my Bookmarks and Stages blog

Christmas is over, but its still holiday time, with that festive feel all around and pantos go on with the show, bringing their unique entertainment, but how can Santa be Dead? There's a sinister edge to the backdrop of the fun and frolics of Christmas. Enter and allow theatrics to consume you until the last page.
Amateur dramatics is cut-throat and no more so when Panto season is around. The Fairways are putting on Jack and the Beanstalk in 2022 as it would have been performed in the 1970's. Along the way, there are major power struggles and rivalries, even though the production is supposed to be raising money for a good cause. The spirit of good will and good nature doesn't always flow easily through everyone to get a project done for the greater good of a community. A certain mood is captured rather well.
There's a mystery that ensues and some twists and turns along the way of this book that has everything from WhatsApp messages to emails and more, to follow through to search for the clues and learn what's really been going on during what should have been a pleasurable, successful time.

It's quite a different book with a Christmas theme to keep readers guessing what's going to happen next in what is a darker side to the festive season.

I adored The Appeal and was delighted to meet all my favourite characters again in the Fairway Players again. I flew through the book over an afternoon. I love Hallett’s unique style of writing and can’t wait to read more from the author in the future!

This was such a fun continuation of the world created in the appeal. The Fairway Players are back and you can be sure that the drama is here to stay. I just had such an enjoyable time reading this one. I flew through it in just a couple of sittings and was rather surprised at the twists throughout.

This one follows a largely different group of characters to The Appeal, so it's not necessary to have read it, although there are fun little nods to the original story. It was fast and dramatic and I think it's a perfect little read for the holiday season.

After having read Hallett's other three wonderful novels - I was very excited to get my hands on this one and it did not disappoint.

The story is presented in the same way that the Appeal was - in texts and emails, which is still a great selling point. I love unique presentations.

It was engaging - I read it very quickly because I was so hooked!

I think it is one of those books that I will read again and pick up on the clues much earlier.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

I am a huge fan of Janice Hallett, her epistolary style has had me gripped from the first book. It's nice to catch back up with the Fairway Players (and a few newbies) in this short and festive mystery. A little predictable, but good fun, especially for anyone who has read The Appeal.

Good for fans of the Appeal but not quite as amazing. Aspects of the book were fun but I found parts a little long winded.

Janice Hallett is such a gifted storyteller. I love how engaging her work is; how easy it is to get into, yet so difficult to put down. The Christmas Appeal is a delightful pre Christmas treat and one which sent me on a path of reminiscence back into the many many years of church pantomime which I did during my school years. If you are new to Janice's work, you may be unfamiliar with her style of writing. Rather than traditional prose, Janice crafts her story utilising e-mails, messages, and letters. I know this won't suit all readers, what does, but I really enjoy this method of storytelling and in some ways it feels like you really are a part of the story and almost reading something that perhaps you shouldn't be. I love the change from my usual reads, a nice modern twist which loses nothing but adds a whole lot.

As with many a community group, there are power struggles and little spats within which threaten the success of the winter pantomime. Some of these go way back and are constantly grumbling along; others flash on and off with calm between. There is a hierarchy and whilst new members are always welcome to join, some new members are more welcome than others, depending on who you talk to. If you have read The Appeal then some will already be familiar but if you haven't I still think you'd enjoy this book without any prior knowledge.

The blurb is busy but gives you an overview of the many happenings and mishaps which will unfold in this short but action packed read. There are parts where I almost wept with laughter. Anyone who has ever taken part in any sort of production or community venture you'll definitely recognise elements of the characters from personal experience. This is a delightful read which will make you laugh and brings some delightful pre Christmas cheer - treat yourself, you deserve it!

Another quirky wee read from Janice Hallett and I loved it! It was great to revisit the characters from The Appeal and I loved that it was Christmas themed.

This was written well as a short story, but I felt that it could have been a little longer to have more impact.

Saying that, it was the perfect read pre Christmas and I loved playing detective and figuring out who did it!

Another absolute delight from one of my favourite authors. Janice Hallett really does not disappoint and I enjoyed seeing some regular faces back in this Christmas special and their new play. It just made me want her next full novel asap!!

I really loved this little novella. This was a great follow on from the original book and I loved being back in that world again. The framing device was as interesting as before and the new characters fit in well with the outstanding ones. I like how the action was paced and thought that it was done in a way that kept me hooked.

I read this over the Christmas break and enjoyed it as a light and easy piece of entertainment. Having loved The Appeal, it was nice to go back into that world for a while and to see what had changed and what hadn’t, but I have to say that this felt less interesting than the first case - the characters this time around all seemed a bit too over-stereotyped and I didn’t get hooked in quite the same way, maybe just because I was already familiar with the scene and format. As a cosy and quick read this was perfect though - it requires minimal commitment to finish quickly and I was still surprised by the ending, although it felt a bit like it rushed to the conclusion.

3.8

A quick and fun read, with the much loved characters from the Appeal.
Another dead body and another mystery to be solved.
Janet’s writing is so captivating, that once you start you can’t stop reading.

Janice Hallett has done it again!
Another book that had me hooked from page one and not knowing who the killer was going to be. At this point Janice Hallett is an auto-read author for me!

I really loved the appeal, and I really wanted to love this. The story itself is fine, but knowing what Janice Hallett can produce, I was left wanting more. It would have been interesting to see further character development, this left me feeling more like it was just an exercise in making more money.

It was lovely to get back to The Fairway Players for this Christmas whodunnit. Just like the original, I loved the bitchy tone of voice that came through in the texts and emails and the character development. A very enjoyable Christmas read,

I adored The Appeal so I was so happy to see that Janice Hallett was bringing out another story set in the same town. I ended up listening to this one on audio because I felt like it suited the tone of the novel better, and I was correct. While reading the print copy I struggled to get into the story, but on audio I had no problems at all and completely flew through it.

The Christmas Appeal is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed myself as I listened to the drama about the beanstalk, a panto, and a dead Father Christmas.

I found that certain characters were written very stereotypically, but it wasn't bad enough to ruin my enjoyment.

My husband also listened in to some parts and was laughing out loud, so that's a really good endorsement!