Janice Hallett’s storytelling is like a jigsaw puzzle. I really do love the email / texts narrative. I first read The Appeal and could not put it down. The way she writes is so clever. There’s always an “annoying” character, that you may think you have figured out. Just wait and see.

This would be my third book from the author. Though it was entertaining and had many twists you didn’t see coming, it dragged a little bit for me.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

As a lover of mixed media thrillers/mysteries, this was right up my alley. This book was so engaging, and all the twists and turns at the end had my head spinning.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett--This new novel releases on 9/10. It has the same multi-media style as Hallett's previous books. Through group chats, DMs, and emails the reader follows a group of 6 adult students in a masters of multimedia arts course. As the course proceeds it becomes obvious that things are not as straightforward as they seem. Several of the students are acting suspiciously or not participating in the final group project at all. I did not see the actual twist coming and found it somewhat unbelievable but overall this was a fun read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance digital copy.

This was the most unusual book I have read in a long time. I wonder what it would’ve been like as an audible book and hearing all the six voices the style in which it was written with sometimes hard to follow. Saying that, I would have to recommend this book with caveats.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital advance reader copy.

This is a page-turning thriller set in the world of academia told via essays, text messages, and WhatsApp.

A new year-long MA course at the fictional Royal Hastings college is the setting. The course purports to combine the creative arts with the real-world marketing and financial requirements of a business.

We follow six students from the beginning of the course to their final installation at an internal tech company's new product launch event.

We know from the beginning that something appears to have gone off the rails during the course, as a student may be missing, but even that is a bit unsure.

As we read through the papers and messages, we learn more about about the individual students and discover their secrets and what really happened during this course.

This is a quick read. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, particularly go-getter, ambitious, rub-everyone-the-wrong-way Jem. I think we all know a Jem or have been a Jem at some point in our lives.

As the story progresses, the reveals become wilder and wilder, finally culminating in the bonkers installation evening.

I didn't really mind the craziness, as the plot moved so fast that I was willing to go along for the ride, but if you're looking for an academic thriller fully grounded in reality, this may not be for you. This definitely leans more toward over-the-top fun.

Although, group work really does suck, and this story clearly demonstrates why. ;)

*language, violence (mostly off-page)

I love the style of Hallett’s writing. The constant cycle of thinking you’ve figured everything out to realizing that every character is unreliable is a delight for mystery fans. Each character’s secrets and passions drive the story in multiple ways, with layers of development and character depth. Highly recommend!

(4.5 stars) Told in the format of texts, emails, reports, etc.; academic setting with a dysfunctional small group; the characters were a trip and most (if not all) are unlikeable, yet they were so entertaining; not a huge fan of the direction the story took, but I loved the complex and multi-layered plot; a bit of a slow burn but there was so much tension and mystery that it was hard for me to put down- I just wanted to know what happened so bad.

Special thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Janice Hallett’s style of telling stories through emails and texts; it makes for a stay-up-all-night, page-turning experience! This book is perfect for anyone looking for a good, old-fashioned mystery told with a modern twist.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

With the way this mystery is set up I couldn't begin to guess who was even murdered. There is a great deal of communication via chat and messaging so I couldn't tell who was really in the chat and if someone was in the chat pretending to be someone else this is twisty. I liked the characters because everyone had an agenda and finding out what the agenda was is a huge part of the stories being told. I enjoyed checking in with individual characters from time to time. This was a very interesting read and an interesting mystery all around.

I cannot get enough of Janice Hallett's updated epistolary novels. She plays with tropes, assumptions, structure, and even the concept of fiction with each new book and I am always so excited to get my hands on her latest. This time an outside academic is called upon to review the materials submitted by a new graduate program to determine the future of the program. Between the assignments and the message boards, something sinister lurks just out of sight. Between a uniquely perceptive young student and her colleagues who all have something to hide, the examiner has their work cut out for them. Pick this up if you are looking for a nontraditional narrative and a cracking mystery.

Since discovering the unique books of Janice Hallett, every new installment is an exciting retreat. The Examiner is no different.

The cast of characters are interesting and keep you wanting to turn the pages. The drama of an MA program with the sinister undertones of something darker work well.

I have read most of Hallett’s work and have my favorites. This one would be in the middle area. While I enjoyed it, the twists of the book lost me a little. That was more a me thing because I simply don’t care for espionage plots.

However, the backdrop of the art program, the characters and their meddling, and the use of mixed media kept me coming back for more and finishing this quickly once I started.

Hallett has remained an autobuy author for me. I will read anything she comes out with in this type of book format. They are just a fun getaway. I’d say if you have read her other books and liked them, you’ll like this one as well.

Thank you so much Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced eARC. All the opinions are my own.

Wow this book took a turn I was not expecting! It had a pretty slow beginning and I wasn’t fully invested until about 60% in. But once I got there, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are soooo unlikeable in the best way. I didn’t enjoy it all the way through, but the parts I did, I reallyyyy did.

This was riveting and unpredictable, as expected! Janice Hallett became my favorite mystery author after The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, and nothing will top that book for me. That was the perfect mystery-thriller, with an insidious atmosphere and sinister developments. This one is the perfect inquisitive mystery, and is voyeuristic schadenfreude in a neat little package. Not to say that insidious or sinister things won't make an appearance. I don't want to say anything about the characters or the plot so I don't give anything away, I just know that this book has some of the best reveals I've read, is unputdownable, and fun to read.

DNF at 23%. FFS. I obviously am just done with JH's books. I understand she is well liked and I am obviously in the minority. She is also probably a wonderful person. But every book she writes is 100 pages too long. I love the telling through emails, texts, chats, etc. But 400+ pages it gets a tad repetitive.

Jem was one the most childish characters ever for an adult. Every email she wrote was the same repetitive information. By the time I stopped reading, I just went and looked at spoilers because it was just easier. And I am happy I stopped reading. If that would have been the ending after that long, I would have felt annoyed.

If Janice Hallett writes it, I read it. I think this is one of her best so far. I really liked that we had no idea if there was even a mystery most of the book and were taken along for the ride as the pages went on. I thought the twists in the plot were extremely well done and I think everyone can find a character in this book that models someone that they know in real life. I thought this was delightful and captivating mystery. I eagerly await what we see from Janice next!

I was all in for the first 3/4 of this book. Such a unique and fun format! I eagerly tried to solve the mystery. The last 1/4 of this book was ridiculous. There is no way (seriously) that anyone could solve the crime as the cover suggests. It was outlandish and the clues weren't there.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six people are participating in a master's program in art. The class is being assessed at the end of the year by an examiner who warns that someone that started the class may not have made it out alive, and then we get taken to the beginning of the course through emails and chats.

This is my second book from this author and I mostly like the format of telling the story through emails and chats although eventually it seems to get a bit old and I feel like you don't get all of the necessary detail you would through a more conventional format. It also becomes a bit taxing to read as it continues on. Overall I thought this went on too long. I thought some of the stuff that was going on was way over the top and I had trouble relating to it. I am on the fence about whether I would read more from this author.

This was my first Janice Hallett book — and let’s just establish right now that it will not be my last. It was such a great story, and told in such an interesting format. While I could tell you that it’s the story of several art students getting an MA, that would barely scratch the surface at what intrigue and twists you will find in this book. It’s really about so much more: morality, teamwork, art and industry and the overlaps therein, communication, and disability.
I loved reading through the emails, messages, diaries, and classwork of the characters, trying to decide who is up to what. I can’t wait to read another book like this!

I love Janice Hallett, I want to scream about her books from the rooftop. She is the master of mixed media mystery. Her ability to capture humanity and write characters who are absolutely hilarious is nothing short of miraculous. Opening one of her books, you KNOW you’re going to have a good time. I found the beginning a tad bit slow because I am not someone with extensive art interest so some of it felt a bit dry. I found myself hooked in the mystery shortly though. However, the end was a bit ridiculous (frankly) and had me a bit disappointed. But all in all it was a fun read. I would still recommend the Appeal as the best place to start.

I am a huge fan of Janice Hallet’t’s writing style and loved her previous books. This one fell short for me. It was an enjoyable read, but lacked believability and became slightly tedious with the overuse of messaging apps. The format didn’t seem to work as well with this book since there was so much face to face interaction, yet the characters compulsively wrote messages back and forth. I don’t know how academic programs in the UK work as an American and found some of the administrative segments very odd.
I will still read everything Janice Hallett writes and plan to buy a hard copy to reread on publication day.