The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is again written in the same style as Hallett's earlier books, with messages, emails, scripts, transcripts etc being pieced together to tell the story.

In brief, Amanda Bailey is a writer, investigating and trying to find out what happened to the people in a case about a cult, led by Gabriel, who is imprisoned for his role in a number of associated deaths. There's a rival author, Oliver, also looking at this case and they come together to further investigate and attempt to reveal what really happened.

I have read both earlier books by the author, loved The Appeal and didn't like The Twyford Code. This one started well for me, I was hooked, but as the story evolved, I started to lose interest. I'm not exactly sure why, I just didn't particularly care for the characters and didn't feel invested in the overall story.

It's a very distinctive style of writing and telling the story. I certainly would read more from Janice Hallett in the future, mostly based on how much I enjoyed The Appeal.

If you have read the previous two books by Janice you will know that her writing style is very different.

Written again in the style of WhatsApp messages, transcripts of interviews and phone calls, emails, book pages and scripts. As a reader you really need to focus on what you're reading and try to piece it all together. How Janice keeps track of everything is mind blowing!

Amanda Bailey is a true crime writer  who is determined to get to the bottom of a case about a cult lead by Gabriel, who is now in prison.

A teenager was brainwashed into thinking her baby was the anti-christ and needed to be sacrificed to save everyone.

There were killings, a mass ritual suicide, but the baby lived and is about to turn 18. Amanda wants to find the baby and write a book from its perspective. 

Oliver Menzies is a rival author wanting to unearth the same secrets as Amanda and write his own version of the book. Will they be able to work together and discover the secrets of the Alperton Angels?

As they delve deeper, dark secrets start to be revealed and they soon find out that the case is based on lies and cover ups. Just who can be believed?

I was trying to piece things together along the way but I was stumped most of the time.

If you have never read anything by Janice before then I can highly recommend. Just be prepared to read in one sitting as you won't know when to stop reading!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for an ARC. Great read.

What a brilliant book - from page 1 you need to buckle up and prepare to be the detective. This is a unique way of storytelling for me, and my first Janice Hallett book - I'm definitely buying more! The book is told through a series of whats-app messages, emails, research notes, scripts and book pages and the most brilliantly transcribed phone calls - Ellie who transcribed them is my favourite character, her little asides in the transcriptions were brilliant!

Amanda Bailey is a best selling true crime author and is researching for a new novel which centres around the case of the Alperton Angels. This is a small cult led by ‘Gabriel’ who convinces a young couple (Holly & Jonah) that their baby is the Anti-Christ and needs to be sacrificed - at the heart of this deception is the mystery that ends one night with a number of dead bodies, a missing baby, some confusion around the aftermath of the night of the sacrifice and two elusive teenagers. At the time of Amanda's investigation the baby is just turning 18 and can legally tell their own story, and so Amanda wants to find the baby. However, a past nemesis of Amanda's, rival writer Oliver Menzies is also picking up this story for his own book - and through circumstances beyond her control she now has to work with him, rather than compete to find the baby and unravel the mystery first.

I absolutely loved being part of the investigation, trying to dissect the facts from the fiction. There were a few parts where I re-read the information to make sure I had totally understood what was happening/ what I was being told as parts of the unravelling of the truth - I was totally intrigued from start to finish. For me, this was a clever and complex masterpiece of investigative storytelling.

With thanks to NetGalley and Serpent Tail/ Viper/ Profile Books for the much appreciated arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s start off by saying that by this point, I’d read a shopping list by Janice Hallett. It takes a lot for an author to become an ‘auto-buy’ author for me, but Janice managed it with one book, followed it up with a brilliant second, and then completely blew me away all over again with book three.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels takes a unique twist on a mystery, in that the mysteries simply keep coming. Each time you think you’ve unravelled a piece of the puzzle, a brand new puzzle presents itself. It’s a sheer delight to get lost in, and I couldn’t put it down. In fact I read most of it in one night, when an episode of insomnia had me awake…. and Alperton Angels made me glad to be awake.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it long after I’d closed the book. I think I sat around looking a bit like a koi for the rest of the week, my jaw having dropped to the floor and not recovered. I’m writing this review over a month after finishing it, in fact, because I kept putting it off, trying to do it justice. The simple fact is, there’s no easy way to describe both the book itself, and the sensation of reading it. It’s an utterly individual, incredible read, that will leave you turning page after page, needing to unravel things.

Each character is perfectly carved out, jumping off the page in vivid life to take you on a journey through the story, flying through the exchanges and preparing you for absolutely nothing that is to come. You will notice clues, doubt yourself, double back, and be sure, only to find you are completely wrong.

Janice Hallett has done it again. Ultimately, this isn’t a book: it’s an experience.

One of the things I enjoy the most about Janice Hallett’s previous books are that they are all epistolary, told through text and WhatsApp messages, emails, transcripts, and excerpts - and this one was no exception.

The story is centred around Amanda Bailey, who is racing bitter rival Oliver Menzies to a massive true crime story scoop - the Alperton baby. Through the various messages and transcripts, we get a real feel for Amanda and Oliver as people, and what drives them. We also come along for the ride, looking over the shoulder of the person opening that safety deposit box and reading these materials - why has this not been published? Where is Amanda? What is the truth behind the Alperton Angels? And where is the Alperton baby?

I was honestly glued to the page. I love true crime, and this book was a fascinating take on what happens behind the scenes when researching a non fiction book (although hopefully the research is a little less wild than researching the Alperton Angels!). It was a little confusing at first, but it felt the confusing you’d feel if you’d opened up a bunch of materials and started reading. It all started making sense as the threads started coming together, and it all felt very organic.

I am always impressed with how well Hallett uses epistolary writing to sketch her characters, create a real sense of tension, and drive the action forward. This book is a definite five star read for me, and a must read for mystery lovers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and freely given.

This book was very different to "The Twyford Files" but just as good. It is unusual in its format as the narrative is all in the form of emails, texts etc. and this means that each interaction is quite short. This does not mean that it does not have a coherent plot, it does and it is a compulsive read with many red herrings along the way.

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Wow!

This is the first book I’ve read by Janice Hallett and if I’m honest I wasn’t sure that the format, told through transcripts, WhatsApp messages, emails, etc., would be for me but I absolutely loved it and found it so easy to read. It’s quite a chunky book but I tore through the pages in no time at all.

Brilliantly written and tautly plotted, Hallett is an absolute genius in how she ties everything together. The story is interesting and engaging and I was hooked from start to finish.

The characterisation is remarkable — considering we only get to know the characters from the aforementioned transcripts, etc., they’re all so fully fleshed out and have oodles of personality. I particularly liked Ellie and the humour that came across in her transcript notes.

A truly excellent read!

A unique crime thriller that is a blend of mystery, fantasy and the supernatural.

Thanks NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books, for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Synopsis –

The case of Alperton Angels in the early 90s is widely known in the UK. A cult group with a mission to kill the anti-Christ ends in a bizarre tragedy & one of its members Holly, escapes into the care system with her baby, who was the alleged anti-Christ. Two decades later, Amanda Bailey, a reputed true crime author, is researching the case to write a book about the Angels, but she has to unfortunately collaborate with her old time rival Oliver Menzies. The two are now set on a collision course while unravelling the threads surrounding this case.

Review -

Hallett has her trademark way of narrating books in a distinctive style that involves interviews, letters and text messages of her characters. I had never read a thriller written in this format and I was really intrigued in the beginning.

It does take a while to get into the plot, but slowly all the snippets begin to form the outline of puzzle. As Amanda begins delving into the cult’s past, she begins interviewing the police and other persons of interest to the case – slowly finding the missing pieces.

Her interactions with her publisher and her transcriptionist were very entertaining and humorous. It is Amanda’s rivalry with Oliver that steals the show as they get into a competition of sorts to stay one step ahead of each other.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. But sadly there was too much going on that went right over my head and about mid-way I began losing interest. There were too many characters and threads to keep track of which added to the problem.

Towards the end, I couldn’t care less about what was going on, since I never got invested much both in the past of the Angels’ case or even the present investigations Amanda undertakes.

However, I did admire her ability to extract information that she needs and the clever way she went about it all. The discoveries and the truth when it finally comes out didn’t manage to wow me either.

Overall, I’d say folks who are into thrillers about cults, their dark past and the fantasies they are shrouded in, might enjoy a unique spin on it like in this one. It just wasn’t for me.

My first book by this author – though it didn’t work for me, I am keen to explore her other books.

This story kept me engaged throughout, causing me to contemplate what was happening even when not physically reading it.
The novel is told as if from the research of Amanda Bailey, a true crime writer investigating the case of the Alperton Angels, using emails, transcripts, WhatsApp messages etc. This did keep me at a distance emotionally for a while, but still wanted to know what happened and then by the halfway point I was also attached to some of the characters including Amanda. A great brainteaser.

Written in Hallett's trademark style of disjointed texts, emails, recorded conversations and book excerpts, the Alperton Angels pulls you in for the ride.
An unsolved murder enquiry centring on a mysterious 'religious' cult garners attention from two writers of true crime fiction, who are jointly tasked with uncovering the truth behind the so called 'Angels' and the whereabouts of the missing baby at the centre of the sacrifice.
Rather than a straightforward narrative, Hallett's style encourages the reader to experience the evolution of the case alongside Amanda. Who can be trusted and why are there points of contradiction? Why would the establishment be resistant to the investigation and who are they protecting..
Enough twists, turns and revelations to keep most readers hooked...even the smallest detail can be vital!

You have to wonder who put Janice Hallett’s brain together. Reading one of her novels is like going down the rabbit hole and finding a warren of tunnels that cross and divert and lead you round in circles until you’re not sure which way is up.

What you will know, quite quickly though, is that our protagonist, Amanda Bailey, is absolutely ruthless. Her training as a journalist has helped her to understand what to say in order to get what she wants and she will say anything she has to in order to get the information she needs.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is comprised of a series of emails, recordings and telephone calls transcribed by Amanda’s assistant, Ellie Cooper, alongside WhatsApp messages and sometimes even snail mail.

Amanda has been commissioned to write a true crime book about an old case – that of The Alperton Angels, a group of people widely believed to be part of a cult, who died, allegedly committing suicide, while plotting to kill a baby they knew to to be the Antichrist. The baby survived as did the alleged cult leader, known as Gabriel, who is now serving a prison sentence.

Janice Hallet’s book is about the research that Amanda Bailey undertakes to find the baby who is now 18, and in the process to understand what happened to all those involved in the case. To make matters morecomplex, Oliver Menzies, who trained in journalism with Amanda, is also writing a book that deals with this case. The two negotiate through their agents to ensure that they collaborate on the information, but take decidedly separate angles to the case so as not to overlap.

Janice Hallett’s superpower is to give you lots of information that should let you understand what’s going on, but which also often diverts you down another tunnel in the warren until you’ve followed your tracks so often you realise that you’ve turned a perfect circle and have in fact been chasing your own tail.

Sometimes you are blinded by too much information, occasionally Hallett slips in a critical clue but you really do have to be eagle eyed to spot it in the morass of information she offers.

She’s brilliantly funny though on some of the people who become obsessed with true crime and religiously follow every cough and spit of new information. (Disclaimer: I fell down my own rabbit hole with the BBC’s Death in Ice Valley)

Sometimes as a reader you lift your head to wonder quite how so many people can be sucked in, but we understand the charisma exuded by cult leaders and how they instinctively know who is vulnerable and open to suggestion – especially those who feel the need to belong.

Verdict: The Alperton Angels is a really fiendish puzzle which gives the reader a great deal of tension alongside some brilliant characters. There’s food for thought about the kind of judgements we make on a daily basis and some clues to understand where our moral compass lies. It is a rip-roaring read and offers both some strong commentary on the male/female dynamic alongside a wry and challenging look at the true crime genre.

Nope, no happy ending here. Not for your brain either because that's just going to explode into such a big pile of mush that you'll forget your own name.

'The Mysterious Case of The Alperton Angels' opens with instructions for the reader. You will be handed research material that has been used to write a book about, you guessed it, the case of the Alperton Angels. At the end, you will have a choice to make. Hand whatever you've read over to the police or shove it all back into a safety deposit box and make the key disappear forever.

Intriguing doesn't even begin to cover it.

Who are the Alperton Angels, you ask? Nearly two decades ago, there was a cult whose members thought they were angels. They were convinced one of their members had given birth to the antichrist. There was no other solution but to kill this baby. Luckily, the mother came to her senses just in time and notified the police. Some of the remaining cult members slit their own throats, one ended up in prison, and the baby and its mother disappeared into the care system.

Now that baby turns eighteen years old and can finally be interviewed. If it can be found, that is. Enter Amanda Bailey, a true-crime author whose flagging career desperately needs a scoop. It is her research the reader will be diving into to try and make sense of this mysterious case, and it is her path the reader follows as she hunts for the truth alongside her rival, Oliver.

This story is told entirely through various documents. Emails, texts or WhatsApp messages, transcriptions of interviews Amanda has with people who were close to the case, ... In that respect, it harks back to Hallett's debut 'The Appeal' as it gives the reader the opportunity to get stuck into things, trying to put together the pieces of this incredibly complicated puzzle. But! I dare say 'The Mysterious Case of The Alperton Angels' is even better.

Massively addictive and a true page-turner, this book will have you going around in circles like mad. Sometimes it feels as if you're being led down a rabbit hole and it's taking all your effort not to stray from your path, but to keep your head down and to keep searching for the truth. It's a layer that acts like any cult would, I suppose, and it's so incredibly cleverly done that I almost missed it. Or maybe I just imagined it. Cults are inventive that way too, aren't they?

I will not say any more for fear of saying too much. Read it, enjoy it, decide what you will do with this information that's found its way into your lap. I will be truly impressed if you're able to predict the outcome. Despite a few moments where I thought I had a tiny inkling, I could never see the full picture. Sublime crime fiction once again from Janice Hallett, who keeps coming up with delightful new ways to tell a mystery story.. I have no doubt 'The Mysterious Case of The Alperton Angels' will end up on my favourites list in December. It's just that good.

A fabulous twisty ‘true life crime’ mystery full of red herrings and blind alleys, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels had me totally gripped from beginning to end. The story is told by emails and transcriptions of interviews and it was very readable and moreish - like Janice Hallett’s previous novel ‘The Twyford Code’ it was so skilfully written that I believed every word was true.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel.

Nearly twenty years ago, the case of the Alperton Angels shocked the nation. The cult were convinced that one of their members new-born baby was the anti-Christ and plotted to kill it until the baby’s mother, Holly, informed the police. The Angels committed suicide and Holly, and the baby, disappeared into the care system.

Now, true crime author, Amanda Bailey is writing a book about the case, hoping to locate the baby and interview them. This would be a huge scoop if it was not for another author, Oliver Menzies, who is also on the trail of the baby. Forced to combine resources, they soon realise that there is much more to this story than meets the eye, something much darker than they ever could have imagined.

I am a huge fan of Janice Hallett’s previous books, The Appeal and The Twyford Code, their novel way of storytelling being a breath of fresh air. By telling the story via the format of emails, interview transcripts and WhatsApp messages, the reader is immediately drawn into the book, making it feel like a true crime book rather than a work of fiction. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, in particular, makes you play along with Amanda Bailey, using her research to try to discover what really happened that night.

The plot is a complicated one, but is easy to follow due to the way it is told. It is very much character-driven and it is amazing how much of the personalities of the main protagonists we can get just from reading their correspondence. I really like how, in Janice Hallett’s books, we are not always anticipating a huge twist, leaving us able to enjoy and become fully immersed in the story.

Despite there not being an over-reliance on twists and turns, the ending did come as a complete surprise to me and was a very clever conclusion, in-keeping with what we had been reading.

If you have never read a Janice Hallett book before, I can fully recommend starting with this one. Even this early on, I think this will feature on my ‘books of the year’ list.

Having listened to and read 'The Appeal', I knew that this author's third story would be original and thought-provoking it was. It has a true crime vibe with mystical elements and hard-to-like characters with an immersive quality that makes it addictive reading. The multi-layered story has many reveals and twists, most surprising and all building the intensity to the final resonating conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The new queen of crime strikes again - gah this was good! If you haven’t yet read a Janice Hallett novel, then you should know that the form of writing is always very interactive - in this case, we read a series of transcripts, text messages, emails and newspaper cuttings, among other things, all of which form a bundle of papers that were the research material for a true crime novel, by our protagonist, Amanda Bailey. Amanda is on the tail of a cold case about the Alperton Angels - which was a mass suicide by members of a cult who claimed to all be real Angels rather than mortals. The angels had misled some vulnerable teenagers and had apparently been intending to sacrifice a baby. Amanda’s publishers, 17 years on, want her to find out the identity of the baby and secure an interview with them - but the more Amanda researches, the less clear-cut this case seems to be. Almost all of the interviewees seem to remember key details differently, there are strange discrepancies in the facts, and none of her usual contacts are turning out to be helpful. Throw in a rivalry with a fellow writer and things get even messier. I’m pleasantly surprised by how engaging this format still is - although it follows a similar structure to the first two books, the case is interesting, the plot is complex and unguessable, and the characters are just insanely interesting, so again I struggled to put the book down because I just really needed to know how the conclusion was going to solve everything! The ending was brilliant too - I can’t fault this book really. I enjoyed it immensely.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Viper for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Another slippery little thriller with everything you would expect from Janice Hallett: an epistolary format using messages, emails, transcripts and, here, extracts from fictionalised accounts of events; vivid characters brought to life through their own (unreliable) voices, a twisty plot. A great, fun read to see the new year in with.

I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two mystery novels by Janice Hallett, finding them innovative, interesting and cleverly written. This one was no less novel in its use of a variety of forms for delivering the plot and showing different perspectives, but I found it less absorbing than the first two, mainly because I was not drawn into the main character's story and felt her style of investigation was rather cold and bloodless. Some of the plot twists felt a little convoluted and contrived, working towards the inevitable conclusion. Nevertheless, the book was intelligently written and kept me interested throughout. Had I not read the first two excellent novels, I may well have been more impressed with this novel. Well worth a read, as it beats most other mystery novels in its originality and verve.

Overall I’d say I enjoyed this book, however it seemed a little convoluted at times with almost too much but in. However the idea is good and I enjoyed the character development.

The book follows two authors researching books on the 18 year old case of the Alperton Angels. As there research continues, they get more and more involved in the mystery, almost consumed by it. The premise of the book is that you have a safety deposit box with their evidence in. You have to decide what to with it!