The Appeal was a five star read for me and I enjoyed this latest title just as much. Fresh, compelling and expert plotting. A must read.

I have read this book twice once in December of 2022 where it snuck its way on to my top reads of the year list in the last minute and then again when I received my physical pre-order. Both times I adored it and I knew if I sat down to write my review it would just read like this …

OMG READ THIS BOOK. IT’S SO GOOD

I wanted my review to be a little more nuanced than that so I waited. I waited to write this review until after I saw Janice Hallett speak about it and I am glad I did. It was so interesting to hear about her writing process and her background as a screen writer, as a journalist in the cut-throat world of beauty industry magazines and her curiosity around true crime stories. It added so much to the back ground of how she structures her novels but also to the main character of Alperton Angels who is a former journalist turned True Crime novelist.

Like Hallett’s first novel The Appeal, this story is told though a varied mixed media format of emails, text messages, transcribed conversations, snippets of a paranormal YA romance novel and a unproduced film script it all comes together gloriously to build into a great mystery with all its twists and turns. It fantastically treads the line between thriller and the paranormal, having you wandering if it will at any point tip over into the uncanny or give you the reasonable explanation to it all. There are scenes where even I as the reader started to feel gas lit a little as the emotions and the confusion/desperation and drive of the characters really leapt through. There are real spine tingling moments too, when the cult is being explored and that line between creepy/spooky is walked so expertly.

Angela as a main character is forceful, she does what she needs to do to get the job done even if that is sometimes underhanded. I really like how we learnt more and more about Amanda as the novel progressed. The way the information about each person, their connection with the case is paced throughout is just fantastic. All leading to a finale that is nail-biting. Hearing Janice Hallett speak about her research just solidifies the great attention to the details that flow through the book. I am just in awe of the construction and novel craft to pull what seems like a random collection of items into such a captivating story.

I am a huge fan of Hallett’s work and a huge fan of this book. If you are interested in true crime, cults or just a different narrative style I would highly recommend giving this one a try.

Great crime thriller book. Fun and easy to read. Great to read mixed media throughout the story. This was a very well written story.

Having enjoyed the previous books by Janice Hallett I was looking forward The Alperton Angels. I do enjoy the format of these books, unravelling the mystery as the investigation proceeds.

I must confess I found this one more difficult to follow than the others. It started ok, murder, punishment, and mystery surrounding the events involving The Angels and moved along at a swift pace. It was very clever but towards the end there was so many characters and so much going on that I felt the substance and therefore the impact was lost a little. I would, however, still read more by this author and would overall recommend.

I was hooked from the beginning of this book. I thought the storytelling method, using various formats (including emails, WhatsApp messages, and transcripts), was very clever. The story felt believable and realistic. I will read previous books by author (The Appeal and The Twyford Code). I would recommend this book to readers who are armchair detectives or enjoy true crime.

She’s gone and done it again. After the great success of The Appeal and The Twyford Code (review here) Janice Hallett has gone on to produce another fiendishly plotted crime thriller. Once again, she has also avoided regular prose conventions and produced a novel which comprises text messages, WhatsApp messages, emails, pages from novels and transcribed conversations. It takes considerable skill to assemble all these pieces of ‘text’ into a cogent and entertaining novel. Impressive though it is at times I did find it a little be tiring as a reader.

A recurring theme throughout the story is the law of unintended consequences. Oliver plays a prank on Amanda when they are apprentice reporters, but instead of being a bit of a laugh it ends up with serious consequences for Amanda, the pain of which shapes the rest of her life. Years later when she tries to extract her revenge Oliver’s reaction is very much unexpected and out of her control. Then when Amanda’s friend tries to give Oliver a helping hand with his research her gentle nudge sets in motion a series of events that end in tragedy.


There’s plenty of subterfuge at work, something that the author excels at. The reader first notices it when some ‘witnesses’ recall the Angels being around in the early 90s whereas others some ten years later which is the time of their suicide and is included in contemporary newspaper reports. Memory lapses due to the passage of time? Then there is the mysterious Marie-Claire who some recall as a police officer but there are differing descriptions of her with some even disagreeing whether she was black or white. Just two of the conundrums to be solved along the way before the truth is revealed.

For me the plot pushes credibility to the limit but it is written with such conviction that it almost seems insignificant as you are swamped with clues and red herrings amongst the masses of information. This also results in a fairly slow storyline, this is not something that can be rushed as bit by bit facts are painstakingly assembled.

The format might not lend itself to stylish prose but it more than makes up for it in dialogue as the various interviews are transcribed and the use of texts and emails which are less formal. The bits with Amanda and Oliver crackle along with energy, whilst those with Amanda and Ellie are typical of friends and ‘female banter.’ It also works great for conveying a sense of anxiety, such as Ellie’s multiple messages when she can’t get Amanda to respond and uncertainty when characters don’t respond in a way expected.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a magnificent puzzle of a novel that will frustrate, intrigue and delight fans of this genre.

Of course thanks go to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

Oh Janice! I was sadly quite disappointed in this book having loved her previous two. It is very much the same formula - and I did enjoy reading it - but there were times when I slightly lost the plot and found myself not caring about the main character in the same way as I have in the past.

Another gripping literary event/masterpiece from crime fiction’s most innovative author!

I am a huge fan of how Janice Hallett has exploded onto the crime fiction scene and shaken it up with her refreshing, ingenious and utterly compelling novels. I’ve loved everything she’s written so far and Alperton Angels is no exception. This is another addictive brain-teaser, full of misdirection, probing questions and baffling occurrences. I was completely drawn into both the characters and the plot, thoroughly enjoying trying to work out exactly where this one was going. Needless to say I had absolutely no idea! Hallett brings things to a thrilling climax and the revelations are astounding. I’m always in awe at how she manages to weave all the different threads together so meticulously and plausibly. It’s very hard to review this book without giving away any of its secrets, but it’s safe to say that readers will have a brilliant time playing detective along with Amanda and Oliver. There’s lots of different themes at play and it’s exciting and engaging trying to come up with theories as the novel progresses. There’s plenty of twist and turns along the way too, so readers are kept on their toes and desperate to keep reading to discover the truth!

I always love the format of Hallett’s novels and Alperton Angels sees her continue her iconic approach of telling the story through mixed media. Things are revealed through WhatsApp messages, emails, a film script, sections of another novel, transcripts from voice recordings etc. The story is told in such an ingenious and engaging way. Although the plot is incredibly intelligent and perfectly executed, the format makes it completely effortless to read and I absolutely love the feeling that I’m snooping on somebody else’s private conversations. My favourite sections here are the transcripts of Amanda’s conversations, which are typed up by Ellie Cooper. Ellie is a brilliant character, with an often sardonic wit that adds an incredible layer of humour to the disturbing proceedings. Her comments included in the transcripts made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. I’d love to read a whole book from her perspective!

Hallett has struck gold again with Alperton Angels and I hope that it flies on its heavenly wings! If you enjoy a crime novel that keeps you guessing and makes you gasp and laugh in equal measure, this book is very definitely for you.

The story is made up of emails, messages, transcripts, post-it notes, emails, documents and reports. This is quite a unique way of telling a story and I really enjoyed it.
There are many twists and it is quite hard to review it. I would love to listen to this on audio book too.

I found this a disappointing read. The effort to tell a crime story in a different format was off to a great start with her first book but this feels like it's 'trying too hard'. The storytelling felt disjointed, I wasn't a fan of the characters and felt that the plot wasn't a tight as it might have been.

Anytime I start Janice's book, I know it'll be something I've never seen before. Her writing style is so different and the best part is that with every single book, just after finishing I wanted to read it again to see the book through the new lenses when everything unraveled!

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels has a cult (one of my fav themes!), two true crime journalists Amanda and Oliver chasing the same story, plot twists, surprises, red herrings and anything that makes you so engaged that you can forget about the outside world for a couple hours.

18 years ago a cult leader convinced two teenagers that there's an anti-Christ born and they need to kill it. Everything went wrong, the baby survived and now is finally an adult. The race to talk with them started. Amanda is a brilliant investigative journalist, she knows what she's doing, has her own contacts and strong intuition. Oliver is not as gifted, but with connections from his parents, he's not doing too badly.
Their paths crossed in the past and now they like it or not, they're forced to work together.

The places where this case will take them... the death toll, the mysterious coincidences... Mind blowing!

And the writing style is something I absolutely adore. I'm always so curious what the author decided to do this time and what form she's going to play with. It's unique and I'm buying it 100%.

If you haven't read the book yet, just buy it. Trust me.

Janice Hallett always writes a sure-fire winner of a book in my opinion and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is no exception.

Staying true to her usual style of choosing an unusual style of writing, this story is told mainly through phone messages between two rival journalists. They form an uneasy truce to track down the survivors of an infamous crime which is still shrouded in mystery years later.

I have yet to solve any of Janice Hallett's mysteries and yet the clues are there and make perfect sense when explained in the big reveal. Another five stars from me!

Thanks to the author, Viper and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

I loved The Appeal by Janice Hallett and was eager to get my hands on this one. I honestly forgot I had a Netgalley copy of it, luckily my good buddy reader Lucy asked me if she could chat to me about it, so I jumped in with my arc!

So we didn’t read this together, I was struggling with the formatting of the Netgalley arc, so I was a bit behind Lucy. But I loved sending her random messages whilst reading, and she liked seeing me in shock haha.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is full, and I mean FULL of twists and turns, left, right and centre. I had to voice note Lucy as soon as I had finished as I had too much to say! I love the way Janice writes, the book is full of transcripts (my favourite parts were the transcripts and the little notes she puts in there), screenplays, letters, messages etc. It makes for such good fun while reading too as you find yourself looking for clues along the way. Lets just say it ended where I didn’t expect at all. I honestly had so many different scenarios in my head as to what went down, and none of them were right!

I honestly think this was my favourite of the 2 of Janice’s books I’ve read, and i can’t wait to dive into The Twyford Code in March with Lucy!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Viper Books, and Janice for my arc. I can’t wait to get my Physical signed copy that my amazing #tsundokusquad pre ordered for my birthday!

The blurb of this book sounded intriguing & after starting to read I wondered how long it was going to continue in the email/transcript/Whatsapp format- it didn't! I suppose this was a different way of telling a story but I found this format unsatisfying in that the setting & the characters got lost somewhere along the way. Once I realised I was stuck with it I persevered to the end but it won't appear in my top reads!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book

As always this clever author draws the reader right into the mystery of the Alperton Angels with this intriguing opening message...

"Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?"

Bringing the epistolary novel right up to date, the story of the mysterious Alperton Angels comes to light in a series of clever communications between the main protagonists, as they seek to discover more about a series of killings which took place eighteen years previously and of the baby who mysteriously disappeared at the time and who is now about to come of age. The menacing atmosphere of this cult like group is revealed ever so slowly in a series of emails, text messages, conversation transcripts, and for Amanda Bailey, an author who has been commissioned to write a true exposé of the events, there are far more questions about this sinister group of people than she could ever have imagined.

Absolutely believable from the outset and with all the trademarks we have come to expect from this talented author The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels brings to life the secret and shadowy world of a charismatic and dangerous cult leader who manipulated everyone into believing he was the Archangel Gabriel and of the deadly consequences of vulnerable people who were sucked in by his twisted theology.

What a great book! Truly enjoyed the storyline, the complex side-stories and the way it all unravelled.

Loved the format of it, the first of this kind I have ever read!

Honestly, it hooked me right in and always left me wanting to read more, even after my eyes were closing late at night.

Most definitely a "one more chapter" kinda book.

Than you for the ARC, NetGlalley!

I hate to start a review of a book with a comparison of another book but the similarities of structure between "The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels" and the author’s previous novel "The Twyford Code" are too great to ignore.

I read "The Twyford Code" just about a year ago and loved it. The idea of using modern technology and transcriptions of phone messages and emails to construct a diary format was/is fairly unusual and was used to great effect in that novel but to have a virtual action-replay of that just a year later feels a bit like treading old ground. There are certainly distinct differences in the feel of the novels with "The Twyford Code" being very much a ’golden age’ crime novel in form but with a very modern feel whereas "The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels" is more of a simulated ‘true crime’ novel, but again using the conceit of a diary constructed from electronic communications.

The premise of a ‘found’ document revealing a shocking mystery is initially intriguing and the writing of the opening sections certainly does draw you in, however, things ground to a bit of a standstill for me around the halfway mark. By this time the mystery has been firmly established and I was ready for the climax and Big Reveal but instead we get a lot more of the back and forth messages/emails/recordings… and I’m sorry to say, I got a little bored. But when the denouement does eventually come, the novel is once again genuinely gripping and imaginative.

To be fair, it is hard to fault a writer who is doing something a little different to the standard thriller and is genuinely head and shoulders above the rest of the field, just because the novel isn’t a totally new concept from her last and might be a little too long – it is still a ripping yarn!

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a story told through a collection of research materials for a true crime book. The Alperton Angels was a case from almost twenty years ago involving a dangerous cult that nearly got a baby killed. Luckily the baby survived and was taken into care. However now that it has turned eighteen, author Amanda is desperate to interview them. When her rival Oliver also joins the investigation it becomes a race to find out the truth first, which is a lot more perilous than anyone realises.

I spent 24 hours glued to this book, unable to tear my eyes away. It is a complete must-read.

From the first page it immediately dives into the thick of it and became instantly addictive. The use of e-mails, media and interview transcriptions made for a fascinating method of delivery, true to Janice Hallett's unique style. It has such an originality that you won't find anywhere else.

I absolutely loved trying to piece together what was going on. Of course I wasn't even close but you should see the pages and pages of notes that I made while trying to figure it all out!

Janice Hallett really is a genius for putting together such an incredibly clever and intriguing plot.

You need to pick this up because it might just be the best book you read all year. It was the first book I read in 2023 and it has really set the standard for everything else!

Thank you NetGalley and Viper for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I’m a massive Janice Hallet fan and I just think she can do no wrong with that genius brain of hers. Whilst this one didn’t break my brain as much as the reveals in her last books, I am still left thoroughly impressed by her skill in weaving together a story using different forms of media, in this case transcriptions, texts and emails. The epistolary novel is exactly where her talent lies and I could not be more excited to see what she does next.

Thank you so much to Viper Books for my eArc of Alperton Angels - unfortunately the format of the book on my Kindle missed a lot of bits out e.g. the emojis throughout the text conversations, so I was left a bit confused, and then sometimes it missed gaps between the different emails/conversations/manuscripts so I wasn't sure what was going on. I got a physical copy so that I was able to better understand what was going on.

As soon as I had the physical copy I sped through it! I love how Janice sets out her books and how we have to piece it all together through conversations. I was thoroughly engrossed with this book - I loved the suspense it held with trying to piece everything together! My favourite character was definitely Ellie Cooper - I loved her witty comments throughout her transcribed conversations and her thoughts on what was happening.

I was not expecting the huge twist at the end, it came quite abruptly and really shuck me. I'd love to say I'd pass all the info on the police but I think I'd just destroy it and then move away to a different country!

I can't wait to get the paperback to add to my shelves and go with Janice's other books, I also can't wait for The Examiner which is due out in 2024, eek!!