5 stars. Loved this puzzle format mystery. Set in an art class (well, "career focused creative media class"), Janice Hallett uses group chats, emails, and assignment outlines to paint a picture of a mystery alongside a year in a masters' art class. Great plot twists and clever structuring. My one critical point would be a slight re-use of a plot device from The Christmas Appeal, but its pretty minor.

All in all, loved this -- not as dark as her last, and very funny. She is a master of this genre that feels uniquely hers.

(Hold til Sept to publish) Will be posted on our site:
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What a fun ride in this new twisty mystery by Janice Mallett. I read and really enjoyed both The Appeal books so was excited to dive into her newest mystery. I thought the book really evoked a lot of the same feeling as The Appeal, with the group dynamics and as with the others, love that the story reveals itself through messages and emails.

I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy the entire book in a day and really immerse myself into the unfolding story.
I thought the setting over a school year with a group of students was really clever and didn’t see any of the story twists coming, as I prefer to just enjoy a mystery and be along for the ride. I recommend this for fans of her other books.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC to review.

2.5 rounding up for GR

Unfortunately, I just don’t think Hallet’s writing is for me 🥲

I love the idea behind the style of her writing, but the execution just really falls flat for me. Luckily, the format does allow for a quick, binge-able read, and that’s likely all that prevented me from DNF’ing this one.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

Incredibly clever, smart, and twisty mystery that I couldn't put down nor predict what was coming. The pacing and style took me a few chapters to get used to, but I found myself appreciating the format of the book (told through posts on a university messaging platform) and the skill it took to write from each character's POV, slowing unwrapping the mystery throughout. This was my first Janice Hallett book, and far from my last. I can't wait to dive into her backlist.

I LOVE Janice Hallett!! Her approach to suspense and mystery is so unique and keeps me engaged all the way though the story. I did guess a few things based on previous books of hers that clued me into “tricks” she uses, but it wasn’t anything that ruined the plot or overall mystery. There was one reveal that actually shocked me which is always so fun. I love these mysteries that aren’t scary but still have incredible suspense. Fun read!!

Another winner from Janice Hallett. I have consumed everything from the author and love the writing style of a story that is told via different mediums like email, texts etc. The mystery is fun as always but it is the style that is the winner

Six students start an MA course in hope of learning how to transition from art to industry. Only five make it through.

Episotolary novels have long been a favorite of mine. When I first read The Appeal, I was delighted to discover Janice Hallett’s mastery of the technique. Her novels since then have not hit as well for me, and I didn’t even finish Alperton Angels. I was nervous that nothing of hers would ever hit for me again the way The Appeal did.

I am so happy to say I was wrong. I was captivated by The Examiner from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. The twists made me gasp, but weren’t so outlandish that they didn’t fit the context of the story, and the end resolved just enough without it being overly tidy. The story was creative and the cast varied and well fleshed out.

I was a bit concerned at the beginning that Jem was too much like Isobel from The Appeal, but those concerns were resolved by the last third of the book. I also had to reread a bit in the last few sections to track everything, which dropped a half star for me.

In addition to talking about the content of the book, I think a book club would find a lot of jumping off points here. What we value as a career path, environmental activism, disability, and regret are all themes that could be teased out for a robust discussion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, Janice Hallett is so unmatched. I’ve read all of her books and I think this one may be my favorite so far! It has a great premise (MFA program filled with regular students, secret agents, and activists) and truly delivers a super fun can’t-put-it-down reading experience. So many thoughtful twists and turns that change the way you think about everything that came before, masterful misdirection, and just a great plot. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review!

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

Janice Hallett is back! Every year, I look forward to reading Janice Hallet's new book because of the mixed media integration and the fun story that keeps me guessing until the end. It was super fun to enter this world of academia and I really liked how 1) the story told us all of the assignments that the students had to do and what they made 2) the students and artwork became increasingly more chaotic as time went on.

Without giving any spoilers, I thought the integration of a disability with one of the characters was so well integrated and I was so immersed in the story that I didn't see a lot of the twists coming.

My only issues with the book were that I couldn't differentiate between some of the male characters (specifically Cameron and Jonathan) and I think that the book could have been a little shorther.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was an exciting read. I will admit, it starts off a bit slow, but then picks up at the end. I love this style of book and will always read Janice Hallett’s books! I think the way she tells a story through messages is so fun and exciting.

If you haven’t read a book by @janice.hallett , you need to ASAP. These mysteries are so unique! I love the way all of her stories are laid out and this one did not disappoint! There were a few twists in this that I did not see coming! Highly recommend to anyone that likes a unique mystery that is a fun, refreshing read from start to finish!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was unfortunately not one of my favorite books by this author. I found some of the plot to be repetitive and did not enjoy the way that the characters acted around each other.

While I wanted to love this book, it just fell for me. I absolutely LOVE Janice Hallett’s writing style. The format of texts, emails & diary entries make her stories so much fun to read. However I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot. The tech & multimedia just wasn’t something I was excited about but that’s a me problem not the book! Hallett does the “annoying” character so well & I always loved reading Jem’s bits! I enjoyed the not knowing and wondering wtf actually happened.

"The Examiner" by Janice Hallett is a crime novel uniquely told through emails, text messages, and essays. It centers on Gela Nathaniel and her efforts to manage a small group of students in a pilot art master's program at Royal Hastings University. As tensions rise and secrets come to light, a third-party examiner uncovers that someone is in grave danger through their final projects.

I thought the modern epistolary style would be a good fit because I'm nosy and my favorite middle-grade books were Kate Klise's "Regarding the Fountain" series. However, I think this would work better as a YA novel. It somehow felt both boring and farfetched, with the storyline and characters' actions often feeling implausible. While the assignments and communication methods were realistic and reminiscent of my own online college learning experiences, the plot dragged on until it finally picked up around the 60% mark. It did end with several unexpected twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

Janice Hallett is back in a series of emails, texts, IMs, and this time grading assignments! What starts out as just the records of a MA course, slowly becomes sinister as intentions are called into question, students seemingly go missing, and the final project becomes more and more unlikely to succeed.

***

Per usual, Hallett creates such a fun and intriguing story at the beginning. Our heroes and/or antagonists (you never know with her!) are clearly flawed. Everyone has secrets. The pacing of the emails vs. the texts, vs. the different assignments works well as usual. She really is the master of this format and creating a series of characters with strong personalities.

The one really good twist was SO GOOD. It turned the entire story on its head. While all of her stories deal with an unreliable narrator, the ability to hold on to that twist and make it seemed earned was flawless in this story. Hats off.

Also, as usual, Hallett does not stick the landing. Something about the final wrap up of her other stories (The Appeal for example) is never satisfying to me and The Examiner is no different. I feel let down by the ultimate motivations of the characters. The conclusions never really speak to me.

That being said, Hallett always writes an intriguing and different kind of story that I will keep returning to time and time again. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was a bit undecided initially on this book however all I can say is Wow! I had a difficult time reading Halley’s first title because of the unusual writing device. Enjoyed the second title and here I thought initially-is this a new technique that’s worn out its welcome? Some of the messages are a little too long and involved however the complexity of the plot eventually overrides any concerns that I had.

I loved The Appeal and was so excited to see a new Janice Elliot book was coming… And it did not disappoint! This is definitely a book you read through quickly to figure out what’s going to happen next. There’s a lot of information to take in, so I felt like I had to be very present with this book and would reread a few pages back if I felt like I missed something. Because the story starts with you knowing something has happened but not what has happened, every bit of information I got had me guessing crazier and crazier plot twists. I was able to predict one of them, but the way everything came together remained a mystery to me until the end. If you enjoy “who done it” books, you will likely love this one!

Janice Hallett remains one of the cleverest writers and I don't want to spoil anything but there are a few twists within this book. I've read all her books and this still managed to surprise me with one of its twists. After the end of the book I had to go back and reread some passages to see it through a different lens.

The whole story pivots around a new degree being offered to Masters students to see how they can bridge an art degree and the modern-day workplace. Gela Nathaniel is in charge of spearheading this class, and has recruited 6 students, of various backgrounds, ages and areas of expertise.

At some parts the book dragged for me- this is often a hard line to toe for thrillers because they need to wait until the end to reveal everything. Once things reached a climax at the unveiling of the year-end art installation, I didn't want the book to end. But some of the repetition of the art project synopses and email exchanges were just padding for the good stuff.

Thanks to Atria books and Netgalley for the chance to review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is now the third Janice Hallett book I've read, and they just keep getting better. Hallett can write such a twisty, edge-of-your-seat story that I find I can't put her books down. In this book specifically, I love how the narrative was told through instant messages and the coursework the students submitted. Every theory and conspiracy taking place is unveiled at the perfect time. This is a great book to pick up if you just want to spend an afternoon curled up and guessing what will happen next.

I've devoured and loved all of Janice's previous works and I know this one will be no exception. Her mysteries are always so fun, engaging, and unique in style. Thank you so much to the publisher and NG for this opportunity!