I read The Appeal last year on holiday and absolutely loved it, so when the opportunity arose to read this, I took it and I'm so glad I did as we are led into a new mystery brought to us by an innovator of the genre, Janice Hallett.

As brilliantly written as her previous books, TMCOTAA leads us again into emails, messages and correspondence to grab us by the shoulders and delve into a new mystery that brings these characters to life in a unique way once again. I really appreciate howhow the author develops these characteters through the layers of communication and writing throughout.

Plotwise, this book is certainly drags you in, from the first message you read, this book slowly lures you into a plot that twists and turns and bluffs you so well. I think it's not as straightforward as her other books, however her ambition pays off here with a great story that makes you want to read it again to see what you missed.

A fantastic read, if you love a cosy mystery, this is for you.

Janice Hallett has worked her magic again. I adore how she plays with form and turns the idea of epistolary novels and found stories into true thrillers. This one particularly dovetailed with my interest in true crime, particularly the ethics of the true crime industry, and also ended up surprisingly topical to the issues in the news at the time I was reading! I also really appreciated the ambiguity around the characters - Amanda is not particularly likeable, we can see how she uses the people around her, but she's also extremely sympathetic and we can't help but root for her. I very much look forward to the next offering from Janice Hallett!

I was immediately sucked in by the format of this book which, like Janice Hallett's previous novels, takes the form of a collection of emails, texts, and other miscellanea pertaining to a criminal case. This time around, it involves the deaths of several cult members who believed themselves to be angels.

We follow Amanda, a ruthless journalist, as she delves deeper into the case in question. Along the way, she must work together with an ex-colleague, who she has unresolved history with, and this tenuous relationship also plays a key part in the present day action.

I loved the format—it feels like you're snooping through these conversations which encourages you to come up with your own conclusions about the mysterious events and revelations that unfold. At times, I did I question the inclusion of some of the material, particularly the extracts from a screenplay and novel, both of which are inspired by the case Amanda is investigating. Thankfully, by the end you realise that everything is included for a reason and Hallett ties everything up nicely.

I thought the case itself was interesting, creepy, and definitely mysterious. I loved the pseudo-supernatural spin which could have been leaned into a bit more. I love when there's a blurring between reality and the supernatural, where you're not quite sure what is what, but Amanda's cynism in this case definitely grounds the story.

With that all said, this is a brilliant story and the final revelations felt realistic and not contrived. Often with these kinds of crime thrillers, we end up with some melodramatic twist, but this one felt believable yet still kept me guessing. I can't wait to go back and read more of Janice Hallett's work!

Many thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free review copy in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels follows true-crime author Amanda Bailey as she investigates the eighteen-year-old mystery of what happened to the survivors of a cult killing in 2003.

Janice Hallett has again used her clever technique of an unusual narrative structure and Amanda's investigation is told through messages, transcripts and research document, so the reader feels almost as if they're carrying out the investigation themselves. An enjoyable story with plenty of twists and turns - is there a supernatural element, or maybe a very influential and manipulative criminal or perhaps just common corruption?

This book was not quite as good (for me) as The Appeal or The Twyford Code, but it's still a must-read from one of the best mystery authors of recent times. A recommended read.

Long-buried truth meets long-awaited fiction with deadly consequences in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, the third fiendishly complex novel by Janice Hallett. Having skewered the venerable pastimes of amateur dramatics and children’s literature in her previous books, this time round Hallett focuses her perceptive storytelling on the phenomenon of true crime, shining a light on the particularly unsavoury aspects of the hugely popular genre.

Some 18 years ago, just after the portent-heavy dawning of the new millennium, a particularly gory and shocking crime gripped the British public’s attention: the so-called Alperton Angels murder case. The Angels, led by the disturbingly charismatic Gabriel Angelis, were a North-West London-based cult who believed themselves to be angels in human form. They considered that they had been sent to Earth to kill the antichrist, who they identified as a baby belonging to two vulnerable seventeen year olds, Holly and Jonah.

After ensnaring the teenagers and convincing them that the baby was destined to doom humanity, they planned to kill the infant at the appointed time—10 December 2003—when five planets were due to align in a rare astral occurrence. However, despite the cult’s best laid plans, the ritual sacrifice did not go ahead as arranged, as Holly had second thoughts about the whole thing, took the baby to safety and called the police.

When the officers who responded to her call arrived at the warehouse the cult members were using as their base of operations, they faced the grisly sight of a mass suicide. The adult cultists had killed themselves after their macabre scheme was thwarted, with only Jonah being found alive, disorientated and covered in blood. Gabriel Angelis was not among the dead though, having seemingly escaped the slaughter after inexplicably murdering a young waiter in a nearby building.

Now, in the doldrums of the London publishing scene of 2021, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking for something a little different from the typical “[d]ead blonde, media frenzy, police fumblings, lucky psychopath” ripped from the headlines story material on which to base her latest book. Her agent suggests that she tackle the Alperton Angels case because, given that the relevant events took place 18 years previously, the baby will now be an adult who can be interviewed about their perspective on the perplexing events.

Bailey throws herself into investigating the case, aiming to use her contacts in the social work and law enforcement fields to track down the baby as well as the elusive Holly and Jonah, all of whom seem to have disappeared into the ether following that fateful night back in 2003. Unfortunately for Bailey, she’s not the only one hoping to cash in on the baby turning 18 in order to secure a scoop, as Oliver Menzies, a former nemesis from her days as a journalist, is also writing a book about the Alperton Angels, and he’s pursing the exact same angle as her.

Facing dead ends and obfuscation at every turn in their attempts to investigate the cult and the related deaths, Bailey and Menzies reluctantly agree to combine their resources in an attempt to track down the key players and determine what really happened. It’s clear that there’s more to the case than meets the eye, but as they find themselves being dragged deeper and deeper into a world of conspiracies, lies and deceptions, they risk being consumed by the quest for the truth. As Bailey’s assistant, Ellie Cooper, notes during one exchange of messages:

“There’s something about this case. It burrows insidiously into your mind, then sets about changing it.”

Similar to her storytelling approach in The Appeal and The Twyford Code, Hallett provides a modern twist on the epistolary novel in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, which is written in the form of emails, WhatsApp messages, and interview/podcast transcripts, coupled with newspaper clippings, extracts from books and a screenplay, and other materials. In fact, the novel is actually comprised of the bundle of materials that Amanda Bailey put together when researching her book and subsequently locked in a safe deposit box.

This approach firmly situates the reader in the role of detective, having to piece together the various clues and snippets of information contained within the myriad source materials in order to puzzle out exactly what happened with the Alperton Angels and why. It’s a tantalising tactic that renders the book a quick and compelling read. It also allows Hallett to make the most out the characters’ potential to be unreliable narrators who are only willing to cooperate and share information to the extent that it furthers their own aims.

Bailey is the central character and focal point of the various communications that comprise the story, and she’s an intriguing character from the outset. As an award-winning true crime author, it’s no surprise that she’s interested in writing about the Alperton Angels case, but she also seems to have motivation beyond producing another bestseller. In fact, all those who contribute to the story appear to be jealously guarding at least some aspect of their involvement in events, whether in the past or the present.

Due to the characters’ obscured intentions and unclear goals, even when they are communicating in apparently straightforward and helpful ways, there are numerous strands of mysteries for Bailey and Menzies to follow as they attempt to track down the missing baby and get to the heart of the Angels conspiracy. They are forced to unpick the facts from the fiction in the same way that readers must as they work through all the materials concerning the case.

All this renders The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels a deviously twisting and twisted puzzle layered with a multitude of deceptions, intrigues and red herrings. It combines the best aspects of the thriller and the whodunnit to present a challenging conundrum for readers to unravel.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels follows you guessed it the case of the Alperton Angels. The Case: The Cult who thought of themselves as angels and who brainwashed a teenage girl into thinking her child was the anti-christ and who can forget the ritualistic murders that took place.

Amanda Bailey is commissioned to write a book on the case. Amanda is forced to work with her rival Oliver and are both on the hunt for answers of what actually happened. They meet up with police officers, hospital staff and child services to name a few. The book is written in the form of emails, interviews and text messages. People start dying and it has Amanda thinking that they are close to a breakthrough in the case.

Janice Hallett has done it again. Her unique writing style made this book a quick one to read as I was flicking the kindle pages. I enjoyed the various forms of communications to tell the story. That ending though, I wasn't quite expecting that one.

Thank you Netgalley and Viper books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Janice Hallett is rightly receiving praise for her books and they are getting better. Amanda Bailey an author who writes true crime books has been approached by her publishers to write about The Alperton Angels a ritualistic murder with two teenagers and a baby at the heart of it all. When Amanda starts looking into it, people start dying. What has she uncovered? When she is told she has to collaborate with an old enemy Oliver Menzies she is even more determined to get her book published. What starts as a job becomes an obsession with so many twists and turns you never quite know which you’re facing. I don’t even know how you plan a book like this I am in awe of Janice Hallett. An outstanding read

Firstly thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about Janice Hallett's work based on her writing so far.... The Appeal is a book I will recommend to anyone, whereas I struggled to enjoy The Twyford Code.

Sadly, this review fell in the camp of the latter. There are many great things about it... The subject matter is interesting, focusing on cults and posing wider questions on manipulation and influence. I would also give the character of Ellie her own book as her quips were on point.

However I found the characters morally questionable and found it lacked pace... Sometimes there were too many things happening to completely engage.

It is a book that will sit with me due to the topic, but not one I will be recommending

Janice Hallett has quickly become one of my must-read authors, her releases being ones I watch with great expectation. I adored The Appeal, enjoying The Twyford Code a little less - namely as I found the audio transcripts difficult to read and scour for clues! This one is slightly closer to the former than the latter, making greater use of emails, texts, messages etc. It also hops onto the true crime boom really entertainingly. I can't give it five starts as the pacing felt uneven, too slow for too long then too much 'well, that escalated very quickly' at the end.

I'm so glad that this was in same type of format at THE APPEAL. I really enjoyed the storytelling style being in the form of emails, texts, transcripts and clippings. I honestly didn't see where the story was going to go though it did start off sounding quite absurd. The way that it ended up going was really interesting, especially the way that it ended as I did not see that coming! Highly recommend this if you enjoyed THE APPEAL.

Having read Hallett's book before, I knew it was going to be something different, something extraordinary. And I was not disappointed.

The entire book consists of WhatsApp messages and emails between Amanda and her agent, rival author Oliver, an assistant and other possible sources, as well as pages from the book, the film script and other relevant material.

It all starts with Amanda thinking about writing a new book, and her agent reminds her that it's been eighteen years since the Alperton Angels case, which means that the baby involved in the story is now old enough to be questioned about the case, if only someone would know where this child is and where the two teenagers believed to be the child's parents are.

But the reader knows nothing about this Alperton case, because they are thrown in the middle of these text messages and letters and excerpts from books. So the beginning can be a little confusing, but patience pays off and soon the reader has as much information about this case as Amanda, and the author doesn't let the reader rush to the end.

There are many irons in the fire at the same time - who was really the frontman of the Alperton Angels and what was behind this antichrist story, was this the first gathering of angels, or had they been active before, were the children involved voluntarily or is there something bigger at play here, who was this first victim of the Angels whose body was found later but who had been killed earlier, is Oliver really the new incarnation of the Angels or is there something else at play here and what happened to the children after that fateful night?

Great read!

Written as a series of WhatsApp messages, emails and interview transcriptions, Janice Hallett's unique expression of writing presents us with another extraordinary book. She is a breath of fresh air in the crime writing genre due to her singular approach.
The main character, Amanda Bailey, is a true crime writer. Even though she is presented to the reader entirely through a succession of short messages, she is a fully formed and well rounded character.

She is persuaded by her agent to collaborate on the story of the Alperton Angels with a fellow writer, Oliver Menzies. Watching the development of the two characters and their working relationship is gripping.

Another character who leaps off the page is Ellie, Amanda's editorial assistant. Her personal comments dotted throughout the transcriptions were one of my favourite parts of the book. She brings humour into what is essentially a dark and disturbing plot and adds a lighter aspect to the story.

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout and I really did not anticipate the ending. I shall say no more as I would hate to give anything away but I highly encourage you to read this book for yourself.

Another cracking book from Janice Hallett! I was looking forward to this one after having read The Appeal and it didn't disappoint. This time we're lead through the story by a true crime author writing her own story of a cold case and via a series of messages, I can't wait for the next Hallett book!

I was provided this book for free in return for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I kept hearing about The Alperton Angels for some weeks, so I was delighted to received an arc of this book. It is written in the form of WhatsApp messages and emails from Amanda, a true crime author, to various people who were in the position to aid her with her story. The Alperton Angels was a religious cult with Gabriel in charge. He thought of himself as an Archangel and had two teenagers in his control. The girl Holly had a baby, who they believed was the Antichrist. The book tells their story through these various e messages.
I didn’t guess the ending!
The format of the book wasn’t one I particularly enjoyed. Several times during the first 30% of the book, I was going to leave it unfinished. I’m glad I continued and ending up enjoying it.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Viper for the opportunity to read this very different book.

I loved Hallett’s previous two books The Appeal and The Twyford Code, and this one just knocks them out the park. Hallett is a literary genius!

I can’t begin to figure out how she even goes about writing these books! I love her trademark epistolary style.

The pace was spot on, I didn’t want to put it down. There were plenty of red herrings and I was totally blindsided by the ending!!

The dialogue between characters was wonderful and Ellie was such a fab addition.

I can’t wait to read more of Hallett’s books!!

I absolutely loved this book, another triumph by Janice Hallett who is fast becoming a firm favourite author. I thoroughly enjoyed both The Appeal and The Twyford Code and this follows in style, rather than traditional narrative the book is made up of transcribed messages, texts, emails and so on. If you are intrigued by the blurb or have enjoyed her other books then I highly recommend this one. Really gets the little grey cells working!

You have a key that opens a safe deposit box.
Inside is a bundle of documents, archived research material for a book that has just been published.
You must read it all and make a decision, either:
Replace all the documents and the box, then throw the key where it will never be found...
Or: take everything to the police.

And so begins The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. A tantalising, eerie and intriguing story of secrets, lies, delusion, mystery and murder.

True-crime author Amanda Bailey is asked to revisit the infamous case of the Alperton Angels, the cult who brainwashed a teenager into believing her baby was the anti-Christ and that God had charged them with sacrificing it in order to save humanity. The girl managed to save her baby, but the Angles sacrificed themselves rather than face trial for their crimes, and the case has been surrounded by whispers of conspiracy and cover-ups ever since.


With the surviving baby about to turn eighteen, the race is on to secure the first interview, and Amanda is determined to get that scoop. But she soon discovers discrepancies in the case and finds there is a wall of secrecy that surrounds the baby and it's teenage parents, all three of which have not been seen since that night. It seems that everything people think they know about the Alperton Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker, stranger and more sinister than anyone could ever imagine. And some people will do anything to prevent the truth from being revealed.

"There's something about this case. It burrows insidiously into your mind, then sets about changing it."

I had been in a reading slump for a while when I picked this up, hoping that this might be the magic story to break the curse. And, boy, did it have the desired effect! Tantalising, eerie and intriguing, I couldn’t get enough of this book and devoured it quickly. It haunted my every thought and I’d be thinking about it even when forced to stop reading to do other things. I even dreamed about it when I slept! An absolute masterpiece, this was exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump.

Janice Hallett is a true innovator in crime fiction. She writes exclusively in mixed media, yet somehow you forget that you aren’t reading a traditionally written story. She makes it flow seamlessly and I completely lost myself in the world that she created. A world that feels so real. I am not ashamed to admit that I turned to google to check if this was based on a real case. It reads so authentically that it felt unfathomable that it could be purely a work of fiction. Ms. Hallett is a master storyteller who has created a story where nothing is as it seemed. The plot is an intricate maze of secrets, red herrings, duplexities and double crosses that I challenge anyone to predict. It is all so detailed and complex that it made my head spin, pulling me one way, then another, and then back again, like clothes spinning round a washing machine. I have no idea how she manages to come up with it, let alone how she keeps all those balls in the air and plots the clues perfectly. Yet it never feels confusing, which is a testament to her extraordinary skill as a writer.

Dark, curious and forbidding, you will not be able to stop reading this book until you have a resolution to your questions. And as the tension ramps up as you race to the finale, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat holding on for dear life as Ms. Hallett takes you on a wild and twisty ride. An absolute must-read for anyone who enjoys crime fiction.

The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels - Janice Hallett

Bodies are found in a warehouse in a suicide pact associated with a cult called the Alperton Angels. Their leader is now in prison convicted of the killings. Now years later Amanda Bailey is tasked with writing a true crime book about the episode with a new spin on the case. What happened to those who survived and in particular the baby who is just about to turn 18?

This is an interesting format which the author is known for, I have to say I really enjoyed it and it piqued my interest. It feels very cat and mouse, 2 steps forward and one step back and it feels in real time following Amanda’s emails and WhatsApp messages between herself and various other characters involved with the Alperton Angels case. Something was niggling me all the way through, I found it difficult to trust the characters with conflicting information being thrown in to wrong foot you as a reader. I did struggle with the formatting initially but as I understood how it worked I soon found it to be gripping and totally addictive and I was reading this at every little opportunity that I got.

‘A murder club. Don’t pull the face I know you’re pulling right now.’…..’A murder club. Quirky-looking girls and guys with beards.’

I liked the character of Amanda, she was clever and feisty and her relationship with Oliver was funny. There was a lot of humour through the book which I enjoyed. It is a long read and seemed a bit convoluted at times but as you read through, these twists and turns unravel to reveal their meaning which is integral to the book.

A tightly plotted and complex mystery which I loved!

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this, it was slightly boring and I couldn’t finish it, I was so sad and disappointed

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is an exquisitely twisty and devious story. Hallett never fails to leave me reeling from every last revelation and unexpected turn.

Janice Hallett just cemented her status as one of my all time favourites.
This is an absolutely fantastic mystery, packed full of twists, turns and surprises that you will not see coming. I really enjoyed Amanda as a narrator, though she is deeply flawed and complex. You watch her manipulation of sources and lies play out in real time across various conversations, but there is a glimmer of something else driving that desire. Her interactions with Oliver are at once funny, deeply poignant and carry more than a few secrets. Manipulation and deception are key themes at the heart of the book, with some stomach-churning moments that really unsettled me. I also appreciated how ambiguous Hallett leaves some key moments, where she truly leaves it up to the reader to decide.

There is just this entrancing quality to Hallett’s writing that leaves you glued to the page and unable to escape this tangled web. Her modern take on epistolary writing is so unique and by putting you in the position of detective, adds that extra layer of engagement that I have never felt before. This book delves even deeper into murky moral territory, leaving you in an ethically dubious position. It asks searing questions about true crime, unsolved cases and the responsibility of those trying to solve a mystery contrasted to the real lives their search impacts. There is an incredibly tangled knot of issues to unpick. Alongside Amanda’s narration, we have all sorts of clippings from newspapers, interviews and social media that add a metatextual, three-dimensional layer to the writing. This is quintessential Hallett and it is so captivating and engaging.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a mystery that I will not be forgetting any time soon. Janice Hallett is definitely the modern day Christie for me.