Campus novels often aren't for me, but The Examiner is SO. GOOD. The mixed media platform makes 480 pages fly. I read this in a single day because I had to know the outcome. Highly recommend.

There is no doubt in my mind that Janice Hallett is the queen of epistolary novels! I’ve read all but one of her books and always walk away amazed at how she can craft something so interesting and engaging through emails, text messages, essays, etc.

If you’ve ever read a Hallett book before, you know that she somehow manages to always keep a fast-pacing to her stories and The Examiner is no different. It’s fun to get lost in the flurry of messages between our characters and attempt to hash out what’s happening, who you’re rooting for, and where the heck the mystery is headed. While I didn’t particularly feel connected to any one character throughout this book, in fact I rather hated one, it didn’t stop me from wanting to find out what was going to happen with the story.

The Examiner has quite the fascinating plot and I honestly didn’t really understand where it was headed or what was truly happening until after the halfway point of the story. This is definitely a read where you need to suspend belief a bit to make it truly work. There are twists and turns throughout the story and several which serve to reveal major clues to things readers might have missed earlier in the book. Once you get to the end, make sure to check out Hallett’s acknowledgements for details on where she got the inspiration. This knowledge made me appreciate the story so much more!

Long-time readers will know that I am an avid reader of everything Janice Hallett writes. Hallett is a master of the modern epistolary, constantly coming up with creative new ways to hide information in plain sight. And so I’m thrilled to wish a Very Happy Book Birthday to her latest and greatest, The Examiner! What a perfect way to kick off fall. (Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the gift copy, so I could read ahead.)

The Examiner is named for its narrator, an external examiner for Royal Hastings University’s latest Masters course in “Multimedia Arts”. (For those not familiar with the system, apparently external examiners are a standard part of UK higher education. They review the exams and the grading for higher-ed courses to ensure that degrees granted represent a minimum educational standard.) Given that the course is a new one, the examiner gets a pile of material to understand the process, including essays and correspondence between Gela (the prof) and all six students. The book opens with a cover letter, suggesting that one of the students might be in danger (or worse). And, as in all Hallett’s novels, it’s up to the reader to soft through the materials and figure it out.

As usual, it’s difficult to say much more without minor or major spoilers. But The Examiner contains a few new features worth discussing…

New setting, new rules

Most modern epistolaries pick from one of a few premises. There’s the criminal investigation / legal retrospective (covered by Hallett in The Appeal). Then the journal / diary (in some ways, The Twyford Code). More recently, we’ve seen a wave of true-crime podcast epistolaries, which in many ways combine the best of the prior two formats. (This is Hallett’s The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels). And then we have the workplace correspondence novel - poring through messages sent on a workplace chat, in the process of getting work done (or not). The Examiner comes closest to a workplace epistolary, which allows her to fiddle with the expectations we might have from prior novels.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the workplace epistolary is the synchronicity of the messages. Modern workplaces involves a lot of digital communication, and workplace epistolaries frequently involve the most real-time reactions to real-world events. This can add a layer of believable ambiguity to the correspondence, as coworkers responding to the same bananas incident rarely feel the need to outright describe it.

Hallett uses this feature to great effect in The Examiner. The correspondence is primarily between subgroups of the six students and their professor as they produce a variety of art projects and essays. Unlike characters in her prior novels, these students share the same space frequently, and interact with each other in the real world. This creates a rapid yet believable evolution in the characters’ dynamics, as the characters respond to real-world incidents. It also allows Hallett to hide information “in plain sight”, obviously and non-obviously, as characters dance around uncomfortable topics in message. The overall effect is fast-paced yet impenetrable, as characters, perfectly justifiably, elide the most major plot drivers.

Norm, Form, Storm…

The other structural distinction between The Examiner and Hallett’s other works is the nature of the relationships. Hallett’s prior works follow some version of an established group. Whether it’s a theater troupe (The Appeal), a set of grade-school classmates (The Twyford Code), or a murderous cult (The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels), there’s some pre-existing relationship between most of the novel’s characters.

However, The Examiner follows a set of students whose only surface commonality is their enrollment in the Multimedia Arts course at Royal Hastings. (In fact, the professor routinely cites the group’s diversity as a key factor in their selection.) You’ve got Jem, the young recent grad; Patrick, a seller of art supplies; Ludya, a freelance graphic designer; Jonathan, who runs his family’s art gallery; Cameron, a marketing exec turned budding artist; and Alyson, a professional artist. The cast varies across age, experience, goals, even media; there’s no reason they would ever know each other. And so for the first time we get to watch a group take shape in a Hallett novel.

As with the workplace-style format, this adds another layer of obfuscation to the story. Many of the characters start the novel relatively hidden / bland - as one often does when entering a new group and testing the waters. As the year progresses, we get to watch subgroups and alliances form in real-time; guessing them adds another layer of interest to the puzzle. And because of the workplace message format (IMs are shorter than emails), it’s a bit trickier to get a deep sense of each character’s “true” personality - leaving room for Hallett to set up surprises.

Reader’s rating and review (⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫)

The Examiner is an epistolary for Janice Hallett fans. If you’re in the mood for a puzzly book with some of Hallett’s typical twists and turn, you’ll enjoy this. The puzzle itself is perhaps a bit less fair than others she’s written; twists elicit surprise but not always recognition. I also found the cast less sympathetic than my ideal. Still - a fun, puzzling read, and one I’d recommend to anyone in the mood for an epistolary adventure. Four stars, docked a quarter point to 3.75 for character unpleasantness.

Read this if...

You love Janice Hallett’s style of epistolaries half as much as I do

You enjoy the idea of an epistolary with root in the real world - and perhaps a bit of spookiness for the fall months

You’re in the mood for a cross between detective story, academic thriller, and workplace drama

Skip this if...

You want every twist to be perfectly clued and projected

You need to like your protagonists to enjoy a mystery

You’re looking for an ending with a deep sense of closure

The Examiner was published on September 10, 2024.

*This will count for my character-driven novel for the 52 Book Club challenge.

The only reason this book keeps you "guessing until the very end" is that the information that you are provided with is false. The book is extremely redundant, telling you the same information over and over, again most of it actually being false. The macguffin is beyond ridiculous and never even totally explained. I love a good mystery and this isn't one.

I have such a great time with these books. I really love the epistolary format for a mystery story. You get to know the characters in such a different way. This wasn't my favorite out of the books I have read but it was still really entertaining. There were so many twists and turns with the mystery. It is also very funny. I haven't gotten to Janice's full catalog yet but I plan to soon and can't wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was truly delightful! I've previously read and enjoyed 'The Appeal' by Hallett, so I was excited to receive this ARC (thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!) I'm happy to say this exceeded my expectations.

The characters were very real - infuriatingly so, at times, but in the best way possible. They felt like people I could reach out to when it was all said and done, which I think the author should be commended for!

The twists and turns were wonderful. I thought I had multiple characters figured out, but there were several fun reveals that had me totally shocked. I was blown a way by the foreshadowing that I hadn't noticed, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I read The Appeal at the beginning of this year and proceeded to go down the Janice Hallett rabbit hole. I love the formatting of her books - typically, all the action is told through email, texts, and other "print" material, which means there is no typically dialogue or descriptions. It makes for a delightful mystery as much of the reader's knowledge is unfolding along side the characters. The Examiner was no exception and for the most part I really enjoyed it. The last 20% of this one left me feeling decidedly unsettled, but I think that worked in the book's favor as I haven't been able to stop thinking about how some things went down. It was a wild ride! Don't make the mistake of thinking you've got it all figured out until the very last page... and even then you might be wrong!

I first stumbled upon Janice Hallett with her debut novel, The Appeal. As an amateur sleuth (a title I bestow upon myself only when reading mysteries and thrillers... so quite often actually), I found the way she wrote the book to be unique to anything I had ever read before. It was just like being given evidence and then asked to solve a mystery for yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed The Appeal, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to read The Examiner in exchange for an honest review.

The Examiner has a similar layout as her other books, but at this point it's what we have come to expect from Hallett. The difference here is the setting. I applaud Hallett for her ability to take a complicated way of writing a book and apply it to several completely unique situations. Each of her 5 books have totally separate atmospheres, which I have found isn't an easy feat once an author seems to have made a mark in the literary world (something she for sure did with The Appeal). For those who love the dark academia setting, or a collegiate mystery, here's your next book. You, alongside the Examiners, are sifting through the emails and text exchanges of six students in a multi-media masters' class. There's "something strange" going on and your job is to use the clues and information provided in the media to decipher who is the outcast among us, or even worse, if there is a murderer among us.

Hallett makes her characters believable, meaning you have your favorites, but nevertheless they have human qualities, which means their narrations aren't always reliable, and many of them are unlikeable. All of which makes the puzzle that much more fun. I do think that after 5 publications, we would start to see a bit of variety to the "evidence" she provides. Emails, letters, flyers, and texts are excellent media choices, and keep the brain from finding a slump staring at the same things for a few hundred pages, but I can't help but think she had a lot more possibility here given the art setting.

Nevertheless, Hallett gives us a run for our money as she very thoughtfully weaves a web before her reader's eyes. The beauty of The Examiner is once you finish it, you can easily go back to see where you missed the mark (that is IF you missed ;) Am I right, my fellow amateur sleuth-ers?) While some of her twists are predictable, the book is still fun, fast-paced, and worth every second you put off chores and your social life to read it.

The Examiner is published on September 10, 2024.... and I do recommend you read it. Happy Sleuthing!!

Full review will be posted on goodreads and instagram soon!

3 stars

This is the 4th book I’ve read by Janice Hallet and I always enjoy how she writes her novels with mixed media. I really liked how there were emails, text messages, transcripts, message board conversations, etc. to tell the story. I can definitely appreciate how much time, effort, and work would go into writing and organizing a story the way she does.

I didn’t love the direction the story went. I think it went a little too out there for me to really enjoy. I like her usual murder mystery/thriller style stories more than this type.

Thank you to Simon Audio and Atria for review copies!

I’ve always loved Hallett’s work—her creativity shines through in the way she masterfully weaves together epistolary threads. I find myself completely immersed in her storytelling, and on the audiobook, the dynamic back-and-forth voice acting really draws me in. The production is exceptional, with distinct voices that capture the shifting perspectives perfectly. The Examiner is another triumph.

I particularly enjoyed the academic setting and the behind-the-scenes look at the academic and Doodle environments, along with the teacher/examiner sections. What really stood out was the well-developed portrayal of each student, the balanced character development, and the growing tension surrounding who was—or had been—in danger. Hallett strikes a tricky balance, maintaining a solid pace with nuanced characters and an engaging plot that keeps you hooked.

3.5 stars

I read The Appeal earlier this year and really loved the novel concept of an entire mystery told entirely through emails and messages between the characters, which afforded you the reader with the opportunity to solve the mystery alongside the in-novel investigator.

I was a tiny bit skeptical but still excited to pick up another mystery by Hallett written in this style, which leads us to this new release, the Examiner. This novel takes place around a group of art students in an MA program together, and quickly from the messages exchanged its clear something else is going on.

I flew through this book, mostly because I find the narrative style so engaging and fun to read. I do think that a lot of the messages that would allow you to solve the mystery are withheld until the book is ready for you to just know what happened, which I did not enjoy as much. I think if the messages were included earlier but maybe weren't so blunt, it would have felt more satisfying to allow for the mystery to unravel. It's also a MUCH wilder ending, which isn't quite what I was looking for or expecting. Also, some of the times the messages exchanged seemed to happen while everyone was in a room together, which narratively just doesn't make a lot of sense. All that to say, I still did enjoy the book and I will defintiely be reading from Hallett again in the future! If you decide to pick this up, just don't expect that you'll be able to solve the mystery with the provided messages before the solution is basically given to you.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Your value will be determined NOT by how you behave when things go right, but by how you respond when things go WRONG."

Oh and so much goes wrong in the intellectual The Examiner, by innovative modern day mystery author, Janice Hallett.

This creative story unfolds through emails, text messages and essays. Sound also plays a major role in this mystery. Reading the text while listening to the full cast audiobook was the perfect immersive experience to understand and enjoy the shocking reveals at the end.

It starts with six adult students ranging from a recent university graduate, to a harried single mother to a gallery owner being selected for a new multimedia art Masters program. Gela, the head of the program, needs it to be a success or she is out of a job. The students will be submitting a final teamwork project for a renowned corporation.

But when an outside Examiner steps in to evaluate the legitimacy of their grades they quickly notice inconsistencies that lead to the conclusion that one of them is in danger...or already dead. Now the Examiner is asking us, the readers, to help solve what is really going on with these students through reading their emails, texts and essays.

These six are mostly, unlikeable, unreliable and untrustworthy. But that doesn't mean they are all guilty of nefarious intentions...okay maybe a couple are guilty. I was most annoyed with the youngest Jem. She complained about everything but also observed everything. Without giving anything away, this writer stunned me with Jem's character arc.

The six voice actors were brilliant especially during some harrowing moments that gave goosebumps with the exemplary sound design. A smart complex mystery, The Examiner, will have you studying every masterful word.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have yet to meet a Janice Hallett book that I was able to put down before finishing it and I'm so glad that The Examiner continued that trend. Full of Hallett's usual dry wit and a mystery that I can never guess the extent of until the end, The Examiner is yet another jewel in her "Queen of Mystery" crown. This mystery follows an MFA class that the teacher is desperately trying to get off the ground with 6 handpicked and varied students that seem to not quite fit the brief of the program. As the students are thrown into close proximity in the studio and required to work as a team on a stressful project, tensions rise and someone (maybe) disappears. Told through Hallett's usual medium of emails, texts, and group messages the story takes turn after turn as we uncover the snares of relationships and motivations that our seven main characters attempt to keep hidden and the titular external examiners attempt to bring to the light.

Overall, this book was a twisty and humorous joy with deep character lines and enough intrigue to keep this book in my hands and my butt in a seat for 5 hours straight until I finished. I cannot recommend it enough and cannot thank NetGalley enough for providing me with the ARC!

I’ve read all of Janice Hallett’s books; honestly, if she wrote a dictionary, I’d probably read it straight through. The Examiner, like her other books, was so inventive. Her books are all so unique; I’ve never read anything quite like them. I am always on the edge of my seat when reading one of her books, always looking for clues, because I know things are going to be revealed in the latter half of the book that will make perfect sense in retrospect. I think if I hadn’t read one of her books before, I might have thought this book started off a bit slow, but because I knew anything could be a clue that would be important later, I was very interested from the beginning. As always, I loved the way the mystery started slowly coming together, until all was revealed by the end. I didn’t see any of the twists and turns coming! While I think The Appeal remains my favorite Hallett book, I would definitely recommend this book to people as a fun mystery that will teach you some new information!

I hesitate to say much about this book because a reader should go in to it not knowing much about it. The only information I was aware of was that this novel was written entirely in emails, text messages and essays. This is such a page turner and my jaw dropped several times. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to read a mystery written in a unique form that will keep you intrigued until the very end.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett was compulsive, entertaining, engaging and full of twists and turns.
This is a sharp and unique novel with an engaging premise, a well-woven mystery and an ending that I did not see coming.
I was completely immersed and just desperate to find out where it is all heading.
I’m absolutely loving her writing. She never fails to keep me so entertained and intrigued.

Just when I thought I could predict where this was going, Hallett would pull me in a different direction. I don’t think there is any author that writes in the epistolary genre better than Janice Hallett. She blows my mind every time. There was about 15% in the middle that felt like I was slugging through it but the last 30% of this book was unputdownable. If you like being confused in the best way possible until the end of a book then this one is for you!

Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books Publishing for an eARC ♥️


The story is about a group of art students in a master's program that seems perfect at first, but quickly turns into a disaster.

There's Jem, the super talented sculptor who will stop at nothing to get ahead. Then there's Jonathan, the rich kid who has no idea what he's doing. And don't even get me started on Patrick, who can barely use his phone let alone design software.

As they work on their final project, things start to get really weird. They're creating an art installation for this shady company, and it becomes clear that something fishy is going on. The examiner, who's grading their work, starts to suspect that someone is in danger... or already dead.

But here's the thing - I absolutely loved everything about this book, and I think it's because it's written in epistolary style. I mean, who doesn't love a good mystery told through emails, texts, and essays? It's like you're getting a sneak peek into the characters' private lives, and it makes the story feel so much more real and intimate.

I've always been a sucker for books written in this style - there's something about it that just draws me in and won't let go. And Janice Hallett does it perfectly. Her writing is like a rollercoaster that you can't get off of. If you love a good mystery and epistolary fiction, you need to read this book!🔥

"The Examiner" by Janice Hallett starts off at a leisurely pace, but don’t let that fool you. The story goes from 0 to 100 quickly towards the end, making for a thrilling conclusion. None of the characters are particularly likeable, but I think that actually lends itself to the book’s charm. You find yourself not rooting for any specific character, but rather being equally invested in all of them. The unique approach to how the story is told keeps you hooked until the very last page. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a slow burn that pays off in a big way!

On a side note, as someone who enjoys listening to audio books as much as reading them, the format of this book does not lend itself to easy listening.

As the independent examiner reviews a new graduate art class's materials, they stumble upon more than they expected.

I adore Janice Hallett's books. This one was no exception. Here's what I loved:

The deception of it all: The way Hallett sucks you into these stories but is playing with you the whole time just boggles my mind. You really can't trust many characters in this and for good reason. This book is so delicately crafted, it's truly genius.

The characters: As with most of Hallett's books, these characters are really well-written. They are very different from each other and could be irritating at times, but this is intentional.

The format: The book is told in chats, emails, progress reports...all source documents that let you take the position as an investigator to see if you can figure it all out. So interactive.

All in all this was such a good mystery!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!