In Hallett's distinctive style, a group of fine arts masters students work on an exhibit. However, it seems like someone has disappeared along the way, but not everyone agrees.

I really like Hallett's style! I've always enjoyed books that bend form like this and I think she is really good at doing it. This one was pretty good as far as mysteries go because I really wanted to know what happened and just had to keep reading. I will say it was a little unclear until the very end what some of the group (I'll avoid spoilers with names) was up to exactly. But there was such a good twist at the end! Definitely worth a read!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this was my third attempt at a Janice Hallet book. The other two attempts ended in a two star read and a DNF. I went into this one skeptically.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. I think that the slow reveal and build up for the group dynamics and the aftermath really worked well here. I liked that the cast of characters wasn't as big in The Examiner as her previous books. The small cast made this one work. The dynamic here made me want to devour this.

I found this one kept my attention and the mixed media (emails, text messages, and essays) actually worked well here.

In The Examiner we follow a group of MA multimedia students from various backgrounds as they complete assignments and a group project. As the project comes to a head, someone is dead, but who is it and when did it happen?

Out of all of Hallett's books, this is the one I recommend.

Told in text messages, emails, and essays, this novel recounts what happened over the course of one year in an MFA program. Someone seems to have died, but the external examiner can’t figure out what exactly happened. This was such an innovative way to tell a story. As an academic, I was wary at the beginning about having to read essays, but it didn't feel like grading at all. my one complaint is that some things were repeated too much, especially at the end, as if to make sire the reader got everything, which slowed down the climax.

Themes/Tropes: Mystery, Twists and Turns, Found Writings (emails, texts, etc)

The Examiner is a novel told through emails, course materials and text messages about a group of art students completing a masters course but one of them has gone missing.

This was my first book from Janice Hallett and after this one, I am a fan. I enjoy an unconventional told story through found correspondence and this one did not disappoint. There were twists I was not expecting and how it was written added to that mystery. If you like a good mystery novel this one is a good one to pick up! It felt easy to get into and not one that felt dragged out or rushed. The story unfolded nicely with a satisfying type of ending. I highly recommend this one and I can’t wait to dig into other books by Janice Hallett.

Gela Nathanial has a plan, and it has to work. She’s a university professor, teaching art in London, and most of her classes have been cancelled. Budgeting, of course. Art just doesn’t seem to be worth the time and expense to the higher ups. So she’s come up with an idea. She’s going to do a master’s level year-long class for a handful of talented art students, and it will focus on helping these artists figure out how to make their art commercial. To that end, the final project will be a physical installation in a business, and Gela has already found a tech company willing to let 6 students work as a team to create the installation as they introduce new cloud-based systems to their clients.

Throughout the course, there are several smaller projects and essays that are due. Some of the projects are designed to help the artists hone skills they already have, and others are to learn new skills through collaboration. They are graded on their essays and art projects, and on the final project they will also be judged on how they work with the group. After the course, an outside examiner will look over the entirety of the correspondence for the course to decide if the final grades are fair. Much of the communication between the students and with Gela are through the school’s intranet, so the examiner will have all of those messages, the writeups of Gela grading the art projects, and the essays written by the students as they work on their projects.

The students were hand-chosen by Gela and represent a wide variety of artists. Jem is a recent B.A. graduate who specializes in sculpture and soundscapes. Patrick is the owner of an art supply store with a penchant for drawing and the hope to one day make a living of art in his native Ireland. Jonathan is a gallery owner who wants to develop his artistic side. Alyson is a working artist who needs the course less than the others but is bringing credibility to the course. Cameron is a corporate burnout wanting to find a new career. And Ludya is a single mom and graphic designer who is looking to expand her client list. So it’s a mix of professional artists and amateurs, educated and not, and they all have to find ways to work together to make it through the course successfully.

But as the examiner is making his way through all the documents, he realizes that somewhere along the way, things went wrong in this course. Very wrong. He decides to rush to where the art students are about to unveil their installation because, based on what he has read in the messages, he thinks one or more of the art students may be in mortal danger.

The Examiner is the latest novel from master storyteller Janice Hallett. The story is told in documents—the messages between the art students, the notes from the Gela, texts, personal essays, and letters written by the students, so the reader is taking the same journey as the examiner. First we get to know the students and hear about how the strong personalities are meshing (or not). Then the story changes in small ways that show there is more going on than just an art course. But by the time you figure out what’s going on, you’re in so deep you can’t put the book aside. You have to know the whole story.

Hallett’s plotting just gets better and better, and she hides clues to the truth in plain sight, where you see them but don’t realize their importance until later. The way she layers the story is ingenious. She is in control of the story the entire way, leading you up stairs slowly and carefully, and you don’t even realize how high you’ve gone up until you open a door at the end and realize you’re falling into space. It’s a soft landing, because all the clues are there. She’s strapped a parachute to you without your even realizing it, so you drift back down as he shock wears off. Or if you’re a more literal person, this book is fantastic! There are so many surprises to this story, they just keep coming. There is a strong creepy factor to some of the crimes, so if you are sensitive to that, be careful with this one. But it’s so worth it for you to power through. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Egalleys for The Examiner were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Absolutely incredible from start to finish. I loved the unique format of the story being told through chats, essays, and emails; it not only made for a quick read, but added to the suspense. The characters and plot outside the chats was well established which lends well to the author's writing ability. I never felt like I was confusing characters or that I had missed a plot point. The twists left me speechless with the biggest one making me actually pause and reflect as to how I could've been fooled when I had been there the entire time. All around amazing read, and I cannot wait to read more from the author.

"𝘉𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶,
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳"
•
I love Janice Hallett books!! I've actually yet to read 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙡 (planning on it soon) but this book was similar in structure to her other books, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙬𝙮𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚. So if you enjoyed either of those, immediately add this one to your TBR.

I feel like her mixed media style isn't for everyone but I personally think it's so unique and fun. The story of an art master's program gone wrong is unfolded via emails, the school's messaging app, texts, assignments, etc. What starts as a seemingly normal group of students beginning an art program ends in something completely different. There are so many twists and turns throughout the story so without giving too much away, nothing regarding the class is what it first seems to be.

The mystery is subtle but solid, and kept me guessing until the end. In addition to mystery, there's plenty of humor as the classmates all have completely different personalities and tend to clash more often than not. I literally laughed out loud when at one point, one of the students gets nailed in the forehead with a chunk of clay. Overall, an extremely intelligent and clever book that will keep your mind working, but an enjoyable read as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This multi-format novel follows a Master's program in Multimedia Arts, the professor, the six students, and the examiner who is to determine the final grades of each student. When the examiner begins reviewing the course, he determines that one of the students is in extreme danger, if it isn't already too late. The diverse cast and multi-format style made the story seem realistic, even when it wasn't. I loved reading through the group's chats, texts, emails, and assignments to piece together the story. The pacing in this book was fantastic and kept me guessing for most of the book! There were a few twists that I definitely didn't see coming. I am a fan of this one!

I love books written in e-mail, text, and imessaging format so this was a great pick up for me. The Examiner by Janice Hallett was a fun, unique, academic mystery. This book follows 6 students of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences who signed up for a MA in art degree. Only as soon as the course starts people aren't who they seem to be and it appears one the students goes missing. I loved that this was written in Doodle and Whats App messages. I will say the book is very long, and around 75% you go back to read more behind the scenes messages and it's like reading the book over again. Being close to 500 pages it felt that way. That being said there were a few twists I wasn't expecting. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

Happy Pub Day to @janice.hallett !!! My forever 5⭐️ author, who makes characters that I LOVEEEEEE to hate and stories that have me laughing and playing playing Nancy Drew like it’s my job!!! And The Examiner was no different!!

If you’ve been sleeping on the epistolary format of books, this one (or any of @janice.hallett ‘s books for that matter) would be great places to start! You’re always quickly thrown into the books, the pages fly by, and you’re fully entertained to the last page (with no lulls)!!!

5⭐️

Special thanks to Atria Books for the ARC and finished copy of this book!!!

The Examiner is my 3rd book by Janice Hallett, and I would say it sits comfortably in the middle of the two in terms of my enjoyment. I LOVED The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. So much so that it was in my top 12 reads out of the 300+ books I read. Shortly after I read The Appeal, which was solid but missed the mark.

Hallett writes epistolary mysteries and I feel that format works much better in some plots than others. The concept here was fantastic but I felt a lot of the dialogue/communication with the characters just wouldn’t work. As a recent graduate, I can confirm that people aren’t just sending each other long, grammatical correct messages to their peers via the intranet. A lot of the communication that propelled the storyline simply would not happen, I don’t care if it’s a group of non-traditional students. Even the communication between staff, etc. So that alone definitely affected my enjoyment. And this motley crew would never believably be graduate students unless this university is unaccredited.

While the book was not without it its issues, it was a fun read with twists on twists and I felt engaged the entire book. I was shocked by a a reveal but caught a few others! The clues are all laid out so it’s not impossible to figure out.

Overall, really fun read. Highly recommend to anyone who loves mysteries and wants to have a Sherlock Holmes moment. Go in blind!!!! Read the synopsis but don’t seek out any extra information. Trust!

This innovative epistolary novel focuses on six very different students as they complete their coursework for Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Master of Arts program. Readers go along for the ride as the examiner reviews student projects, emails, text messages, and message board posts to assess what really happened during the course and how things went dangerously awry.

The format of Janice Hallett’s books is what makes them so much fun, and The Examiner is no different! Hallett weaves an intricate and complex tale in a clever and unique way, inviting the reader to essentially solve the mystery right along with the examiner. The format is the perfect blend of show-and-tell, allowing me to form my own opinions about each of the characters through their own words and syntax while also showing how the characters view each other as they exchange messages. The group dynamics and dark academia vibe are great, and when things start to implode and go off the rails is when the plot really takes off! Fans of Hallett’s previous books are sure to enjoy this one too!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I do have a couple of minor quibbles. The pacing is a bit uneven, with a lot of exposition early on and a big chunk of the daily ins-and-outs of the MA course but not much in the way of action/twists until the 80% mark. That said, because the story is communicated in many short bursts like texts and message board posts, it kept me engaged and turning the pages the same way a book with short chapters would. Also, (and this also irked me in The Twyford Code), the mystery doesn’t seem entirely solvable through breadcrumbs dropped earlier in the story, which feels a bit like a cheap trick for mystery readers like me who want to feel like they *could have* guessed the outcome if they were a clever enough detective.

4.5 stars

I truly think that Janice Hallett is one of the most creative authors at the moment. Not only does she combine things that I love so effortlessly — mysteries and mixed media — but she does it in a way that is creative and innovative every single time. After each of her books I go “I don’t know how she’s going to come up with something more creative than that” and then she does!

Her latest release, The Examiner, gripped me from the start and as always with her books, once I started it I couldn’t put it down. Truthfully, there are very few people that I think could make a fully mixed media book compelling from start to finish, and Hallett has managed to do so five times over now. The struggle of characters coming through the text distinctively with only emails, text messages, and essays to show you who they are would be a monumental task for some, but it’s something that Hallett does with ease.

As with her previous books, each character in The Examiner has a clear and specific voice that differs from the others and shines through their messages from the first page. Right away you get a sense of these characters, and believe me, some of them will drive you crazy from page 1 to 480. Each character’s voice is so strong that you would be able to know who was speaking even if their messages didn’t have their name attached to them. Something that I love about mixed media storytelling is that we don’t typically get physical descriptions of these characters (at least not in detail, there will sometimes be things in passing) and certain reveals can take you completely by surprise. There was one reveal that came towards the end of the book that truly shocked me and changed my entire view of the character, their actions/motivations and how the other characters reacted to and interacted with them. I’d love to reread this book with that knowledge in mind, because I think it would change so much.

There was so much of this book that I just didn’t see coming. A few of the suspicions that I had did happen to be true, but I was always just outside of what was really happening, so so many of these reveals really shocked and surprised me, which I loved. I love the way that Hallett pieces a story together with each fact uncovered revealing more of the full picture to you. While the book continued to shock and surprise me as it went on, none of the twists seemed out of nowhere or out of character. Nothing was just for shock value; each reveal was necessary to the story being told. Hallett really is great at foreshadowing and wordplay as many times there would be little things said or mentioned that don’t give off warning bells at the time but come back into play later on very smoothly.

Once again, Hallett delivered a unique and interesting mystery that keeps the readers engaged and excited from start to finish. If you’re a mystery reader and not reading her work yet, you absolutely need to start!

I have read all of Janice Halett’s books and I would rank this below The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal and roughly equal to The Twyfotd Code. The goings between the students in the master’s course in multimedia art are just not as gossipy and engaging as the amateur dramatists who have all kinds of relationships outside of the drama production. the last third or so where many of the narrative traps that have been carefully laid spring most enjoyably.

Janice Hallett's "The Examiner" is an intriguing puzzle box of a mystery, told through a creative mix of multimedia elements that keep readers engaged throughout. The novel's page-turning quality and clever reveals are its strongest assets, making it an entertaining read for fans of unconventional storytelling. However, the book misses some opportunities to fully utilize its art class setting, potentially leaving readers wishing for more diverse multimedia components.

While the plot takes some bold twists in the final third, these choices may not resonate with all readers, leading to a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. Despite its flaws, "The Examiner" showcases Hallett's willingness to take risks in her writing, resulting in a unique and mostly enjoyable experience that mystery enthusiasts will likely appreciate.

If you haven’t read a mystery by Janice Hallett, you are missing out on an extraordinary experience of playing the role of amateur sleuth. Hallett uses a brilliant mixed-media approach that lets readers comb through emails, text messages, and essays to solve a crime.

The Examiner is a fast paced page-turner that follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously awry. I combined my physical book with the full-cast audiobook as I dove into the Doodle board messages, group chats, and course work to solve the murder of a student. The audiobook even includes immersive sounds such as text notifications, but the stand out is absolutely the narrators who brought the key players to life and I highly recommend this book on audiobook format for the most immersive experience. 🎧

I loved the academic setting, team projects, and hidden secrets the students and course tutor tried to keep out of the limelight. Fantastic group projects, jaw-dropping twists, and a propulsive plot-line kept me at full-attention (and late to a soccer match yesterday 😂) because I had to know the outcome!

One of my favorite things about Hallet’s books is the epistolary format she writes in. It’s become one of my favorite formats. I love learning about the characters through emails and texts, versus the author telling me how I should feel about the characters. I also enjoyed The Appeal, The Christmas Appeal, and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. All written in the same format.

In The Examiner, Gela Hastings, head of Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia course, must find six diverse students for her new MA program before her funding gets cut. It appears six very different and very random people join the class. We follow their progress through emails, the class chat forum, and WhatsApp messages. But all is not what it seems, especially when one of them is murdered.

I was a little lost through the majority of this book. I buddy read it with @jess_reads_books and at the halfway point we both agreed we had no idea what was going on. If you get to the end and are also wondering, the acknowledgments help clarify a lot of things. I think it was a great concept for a book, but it just missed the mark for me.

Six students are invited to join the Multimedia Art master’s degree program at Royal Hastings University. They come from all walks of life including a recently graduated BA student, an arts supply store owner, the owner of an art galley, a graphic designer, a marketing executive and an award winning artist. For their final project they are tasked with creating an art installation for a cloud-based solutions company.

An outside examiner is hired to help assess and grade the student’s final work. But as he digs through their final essays, projects, message boards and other documents, he warns college administrators that someone in this program may be in danger or even already dead.

I’ve read several mixed media books before, but Hallett has a way of using mixed media that feels like you’re reading real emails, essays, message boards, texts, documents, articles, and recordings. But what amazes me the most is how she creates characters that feel more real to me than in most traditionally structured stories.

I may be biased since I love anything to to do with art, and I’ve also gone through a master’s program so I can relate to the characters on a personal level, but The Examiner has been my favorite book from the author so far! This had the truly dark academic setting and atmosphere that I’ve been searching for.

You’ll won’t get the most out of this story if you read it quickly. I purposefully slowed down because Hallett masterfully weaves clues throughout the story in a way that requires attention, and I didn’t want to miss anything! You don’t read her books for big twists and reveals. You read them because you want a cleverly crafted mystery, written in a unique way with complicated, complex characters.

If you love multimedia-formatted stories, dark academia, and a complex, mystery where you are rewarded for carefully following the clues, I’d highly recommend this book, one of my favorite mysteries of the year!

*Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Is it possible—or reasonable-- to expect a spirit of cooperation to form in a group of people who have never met? Would it help if sharing a common goal where results and rewards are based on collaboration? People join groups for different reasons coming with different experiences, abilities, and expectations. If you’ve ever worked on a group assignment, you know the dynamic. In the epistolary The Examiner by Janice Hallett, emails, texts, and chat groups chronicle a year of group projects that do not go as planned.

An eclectic array of six individuals are recruited to be part of the new Multimedia Art Master program at Royal Hastings University. Gela Nathaniel—the head and creator of the Master’s program--personally recruits this disparate group. Alyson is an artist of some notoriety. Having her adds gravitas to the program. Jem is a sculptor who also works in creating soundscapes. She is a high achiever and the youngest of the group. Johnathan runs his family’s art gallery, while Patrick owns an art supply store. Ludya is a graphic designer, and Cameron works in marketing. Cameron has been told to take a break from his high-pressure job, and find a hobby (a year-long degree seems counter -intuitive to relieving his stress).

Within weeks, their true natures begin to show. Alyson slides by on her reputation, and receives special privileges. Jem monitors each member’s contribution, and doesn’t hesitate to point out her superiority and dedication. Johnathan is grieving the deaths of his mother and sister. Patrick is a people-pleaser. Ludya is a harried single-parent who puts money over the group, and Cameron all but disappears.

Gela is desperate for this pilot program to work. If all goes well, the program will be picked up as a regular course, and—more importantly—her department’s funding will get rejuvenated. If anything goes wrong—and it will ALL go wrong—is it her fault, or the students (she chose them)? What lengths will Gela go to to make sure the program is a success? What length will the six individuals go to to finish the program​ and come out on top?

This is a twist upon twist upon twist journey where nothing is as it appears. Everyone is unreliable, and has their own agenda. As they get closer to finishing the program, anything that could go wrong, does go wrong. This may possibly be the group from hell.

Around the halfway point, I was wondering if anything was ever going to happen. I found the format easy to follow; it allowed me to see the characters reveal themselves by how and who they communicated with. Once I got over that hill, I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up with the heightened tension.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a mystery about a group of MA students and it follows them through the year. They are working on a final project together but something is not right and one of them ends up dead. This whole book is told through mixed media so emails, texts, etc.

I loved this book! I am a huge Janice Hallett fan and this one did not disappoint. I love a book that is full of mixed media. It makes the reading go fast and I always feel more connected to the characters when I read through their messages and things like that. I felt like I knew each character.

The mystery kept me engaged and wondering the whole time! I loved all the twists and turns throughout. I have been in a long slump lately but this one kept me engaged and hopefully pulled me out of my slump!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a mystery or just something different.