I should start by saying that I'm a big fan of Hallett's work. I enjoy the intrigue and cleverness of her mysteries.

So when I heard she was revisiting the world of the Appeal for Christmas, it was a no-brainer.

We are again given the story in an epistolary manner, with emails making up the majority of the text. The emails are again humourous and enjoyable.

The Christmas Appeal is shorter than its predecessor and it does show in that there is less depth and a less interesting mystery.

However, it's still a great read that I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Janice Hallett, Netgalley, and Viper for this copy..

The Christmas Appeal is another entertaining mystery by Janice Hallett, returning back to the Fairways Players and their somewhat questionable ways. As with The Appeal, I didn't find the reveal all that dramatic but it was still a solid read nonetheless and one that I would still recommend to others.

Thanks to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail/Viper for the ARC of this one.

The Christmas Appeal is a little book that packs a punch!

If you’ve read The Appeal you’ll be used to the format of emails and texts that make up the story. You will also be familiar with a lot of the characters but it can easily be read as a standalone.

It’s a fantastic Christmas read that had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. I love the original way Hallett writes and her characters are brilliant.

Despite the fact this is a lot shorter than The Appeal it still provides the reader with an intriguing storyline and is really hard to put down once you’ve started it.

A perfect stocking filler for Christmas!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me

Lovely christmas reading for all mystery lovers! Perfect holiday read! I loved that i got to go back to the world of the Appeal!

I remembered I hadn’t read this on Christmas Eve and it was a perfect read in one sitting on a quiet Christmas Eve!

I loved The Appeal and really liked Alperton Angels. This is nowhere near as good as either of these but for a short, quick, fun festive read I definitely recommend it!

4 stars

3.5⭐️
Loved being back with the Fairway Players again, especially with the format of the book it was super engaging from the start, just like The Appeal.

We follow the group as they prepare for their panto, Jack and The Beanstalk. The book was short and sweet, and did have me laughing in many moments. The mystery was intriguing however I thought the ending fell a little flat and I wish the rest of the side storylines had been further explored, but for a Christmas novella I think this is the perfect read for this time of the year!

I’ve read every book from Janice Hallett so far and she is definitely becoming an auto buy author for me.
I love the structure of the books, with the slow unraveling mystery and wild cast of characters. The Appeal wasn’t my favourite book so I was a little hesitant to head back to the fairway players however this did not disappoint.
I already can’t wait for the next book to publish.

Janice Hallett is a genius. The way she's opened up the crime fiction genre, through format and style, is incredibly exciting. I loved ‘The Appeal’ so I was delighted to revisit the cast in ‘The Christmas Appeal’. Aside from cooking up dastardly crimes, Hallett’s humour is hilarious. Her observations and asides, delivered by her lifelike characters, are nothing short of superb. I will always want to read anything she writes and I highly recommend this festive offering. Thank you, Janice. This book made my Christmas complete.

I have adored The Appeal and was very excited to read a short book set in the same parish, with similar character. Femi and Charlotte are as good as the first time and their deductive skills help solve the crime.
I liked the story line and enjoyed the reading experience.

It's time to visit Lower Lockwood again, right on time for the Fairway Players to put on their traditional Christmas panto. Femi and Charlotte are once again tasked by their old mentor to plough through emails, voicemails and texts from pretty much everyone connected to the theatre company in order to solve another mystery.

It was fun to revisit the characters from The Appeal and see how they were coping with the fallout from the events of the first book. Because of the format, this is a quick and easy read. There was plenty of humour throughout the story, offsetting the drama from yet another murder mystery hitting these characters.

This is definitely not a standalone. It's a novella and the author (rightfully) assumed that readers didn't need long-winded introductions to all these characters they should still remember from the first book.

A lighter read than its predecessor, this was the perfect mystery to get into the Christmas mood.

"The Christmas Appeal" by Janice Hallett is a festive delight that brings readers back to the beloved Fairway Players for the holiday. Hallett's unique storytelling, reminiscent of the modern Agatha Christie, employs correspondence to craft an engaging mystery filled with drama among this batch of frienemies. The author seamlessly blends holiday cheer with suspense, creating a compelling and enjoyable read. With well-rounded characters harbouring secrets, "The Christmas Appeal" is a must-read for those seeking a perfect balance of festive warmth and mystery this holiday season.

I loved The Appeal and wasn’t as keen on Hallet’s next two, so I was keen to read this and see what I thought. I enjoyed it a lot, but it was very short! I think this could have been a full novel, rather than just a short novella. That said, it had all the elements I enjoyed from the first book and a great storyline that kept me reading. I hope there is another set in this world. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

This was the perfect Christmas read for any thriller lover! I loved The Appeal and this did not dissapoint! I love the multi media aspect of Hallet's writing, it is great <3

If the idea of solving a crime wasn’t appealing on its own, the epistolary nature of the Christmas Appeal is sure to win over the time-poor. Within the community of Lower Lockwood a dead body dressed as Father Christmas has been unearthed in the hollowed out body of the giant beanstalk prepped for use for this year’s Christmas panto. Follow emails, what’s apps and texts between the community players to try and solve the crime.

This was enjoyable, but ultimately an unnecessary follow up - it did feel a little rushed (given the nature of it being a novella) and the characterisations were a bit thin. A good Christmas treat but I'll look forward more to the author's next "proper" novel.

I loved this book! In fairness I also loved the appeal and twyford code so I may be biased. It was a good little mystery and parts were laugh out loud funny. Some of the characters from the appeal made a return too which was fun to have a little continuity.
A nice little Christmas panto lighthearted mystery, perfect for Christmas week!
Read through netgalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book however I didn’t enjoy it as much as the original the appeal book by this author. I really liked the range of characters and the variety of things that were covered in the book. It was a bit silly in parts but overall very enjoyable.

On its release, The Appeal by Janice Hallett easily made it into my favourite books of the year. This smart, found document crime mystery about a small town's amateur dramatics society and its town secrets and hierarchies sat so squarely in all the things I love, it was just perfect. So to hear there would be a Christmas sequel, I was both excited and perturbed. There has been a fad lately for Christmas mysteries, some better than others, and I was worried Hallett would spoil her little community with a bid for some Christmas sales.

Oh boy, was I wrong! This is a brilliant festive follow-up to the original, with all the fun of the panto season. If the melodramas and farcical situations seem a bit over the top, it's only in keeping with the pantomime performance being undertaken by the players, who are determined to make this the best Jack and the Beanstalk ever! The mystery itself plays second fiddle somewhat, with the dead body only appearing half-way through the story. As in The Appeal, almost more pleasurable than the 'main' crime are the many small, petty mysteries that are intrinsic to a small community. The back-stabbing and bitchiness that many who have been in community groups might recognise.

The mystery itself doesn't push the brain cells too hard, and as in The Appeal, I found the framing narrative of the debating barristers a bit intrusive. I would almost prefer to receive the documents with no editor in charge of arranging them for the viewing, and definitely without commentators repeating what I should have noticed. But these occur only very briefly, and largely the reader is left to enjoy the show for themselves.

I heartily recommend this as an excellent festive-themed read in the run up to Christmas. Come for the farce rather than the mystery, but either way, enjoy the ride!

If you're a fan of The Appeal, this book will not disappoint! Janice Hallett has done it again with another brilliant slice of murder in middle England.

When the local amateur dramatics society start rehearsing their annual pantomime, old tensions come to the fore. This book kept me guessing, made me laugh out loud, and brought some Christmas cheer to these cold, dark December nights

This is a novella in length and made for a quick and easy read. In fact, I have been holding it back to read during the week before Christmas and I have been looking forward to reading this book very much.

It was lovely to reaquaint myself with Femi and Charlotte in this book, and to spend more time with the Fairway Players as they rehearse their Christmas Panto.

As with it's predecessor, The Appeal, this was fun to read as the whole book comprises of a selection of texts, emails and WhatsApp messages. It is refreshingly different and I enjoyed reading it.

The characters are well developed, especially considering the format which must have been very difficult to do and demonstrates the authors skill very well. I enjoyed reading the messages between Sarah Jayne and Celia which portrayed the rivalry between them admirably,

This is well worth reading, particularly if you have already read The Appeal. Even if you haven't this would work as a standalone novella.