Like The Appeal and The Twyford Code before it, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is written in Janice Halletts modern epistolary style; a clever mix of text messages, emails, transcripts of interviews and extracts from books and screenplays. It can take a few pages to get used to, but way she manages to build such well developed and complex characters through only these limited snippets is masterful. Despite it's many (and I really do mean MANY) twists and turns and a huge cast, the plot is easy to follow and gripping.

Our protagonist, Amanda, is likeable but it's clear there is a lot about her to uncover. I wouldn't go as far as to call her an unreliable narrator, but she deliberately keeps things from the other characters, and thus the reader, in her interactions. This is a clever way of drip feeding clues, keeping the plot moving and us guessing.

The chapters are long, but because of the format, it's easy to pick up and put down, not that I wanted to put it down at all. It's rare that I pick up a 500 plus page book and read it in a day, but this had me hooked till the end.

A massive thanks to Serpents Tail and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review

A teenage couple called Holly and Jonah, alongside their baby and cult leader, Gabriel, all survived a cult member suicide eighteen years ago.

Now that the baby is an adult, author Amanda Bailey has chosen the Alperton Angels story as her next book to write. With clandestine meetings and suspicious deaths occurring, can Amanda get to the truth of the story where so many others have failed?

This was such an exciting story. I was worried I would get a bit lost with all the characters but fortunately it wasn’t the case at all.

I love the authors way of writing, the story is told through WhatsApp messages, emails, phone recordings etc. A cleverly woven tale that is peeled away like layers, I was hooked by the story.

Thanks to all the twists throughout, I had no idea where this story was going to take me, which made for great reading and made the ending that bit more special and unexpected.

My thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A complex and absorbing read!
Amanda Bailey is a true crime writer researching the case of The Alperton Angels which involves murder and teenagers in the grip of a cult .
The story is written in Hallet’s unique style of nixed media including emails , and WhatsApp messages and due to the calibre of the writing it is easy to read and follow.
There are a lot of characters within the plot and at times I did get a little confused but as always the story is brought to its conclusion expertly and suddenly it all falls into place .
This book is written in an astute way and is full of twists and turns a true roller coaster read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Viper.

The story of the Alperton Angels is one that everyone knows the basics of, but no one knows the details. Eighteen years ago, the cult brainwashed a young couple, convincing them that a newborn baby was the Antichrist. The girl broke free and summoned the police, the Angels committed suicide and the couple and the baby disappeared, lost in the care system.

The fact that the baby, if alive, has now turned eighteen, prompts true-crime author Amanda Bailey to write a book on the Angels. If Amanda can find the baby, it will be the scoop of the year, but other authors are also on the case, in particular Amanda’s old rival Oliver Menzies.

As Amanda and Oliver delve a little deeper, it seems that the story that everyone knows is wrong – there are discrepancies in almost every detail. And some others who have got close to the truth have not lived to tell it…

So, the third book by Janice Hallett. The Appeal was an outstanding piece of work. The Twyford Code was interesting, if somewhat flawed. And this… well, to me at least, it was disappointing.

To emphasise the “to me” part of that sentence, the average review on Netgalley for advanced review copies is 5 out of 5. I’m definitely in the minority here, and to be fair, this is an extremely well-constructed thriller. The format is similar to The Appeal, consisting of a compilation of various aspects of Amanda’s research – emails, Whatsapp conversations, transcriptions of conversations with informants – and the picture slowly coalesces, first to reveal the problems with the original assumptions about the case, and then finally to reveal the truth.

These revelations are very well done and there are some genuine surprises along the way. So what’s the problem?

Well, first of all, I don’t think this is really clued. This is far more of a thriller than the mystery that The Appeal was. I completely understand that authors want to change their style from book to book, but as that’s the case, could the blurb stop comparing Hallett to Agatha Christie? This is a complex plot with some really clever ideas but we are told almost everything rather than being given the chance to work things out.

There’s also a problem with pacing for me. It took almost half the book for me to get a handle on what exactly the reader was being asked to figure out/guess and so the first half seemed rather nebulous to me.

And finally, despite the author apologising to the families of those victims, I really didn’t like the use of real-life high profile murder cases – Jill Dando, for example – even in a casual way. Really didn’t see why fake names couldn’t have been used.

So, that’s why the book didn’t work for me, but I have to admire the structure and the ideas on display here, and as I said, most other reviewers seemed to love it – I can see why, but it just wasn’t for me.

The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels is out on January 19th from Viper Books in hardback and ebook.

Oh my lord! What a ride and what a way to kick off my 2023 reading year.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels plunges you into all of the evidence that author, Amanda Bailey has gathered for a true crime novel she's writing about 2000's cult, The Alperton Angels. Nobody really ever understood what happened to them...

Janice Hallett really is the Queen of immersive fiction, I had so much fun with this following the case through WhatsApp messages, transcripts of conversations and interviews and snippets of scripts and books based on the events of 2003. I NEVER saw the ending coming, but that wasn't because it was completely left field.

I loved Ellie's character, I quite liked Amanda and Oliver was suitably unlikeable.

This book will be the ultimate buddy read for 2023. You need a friend for both sleuthing and those OMG moments that just keep coming throughout the book.

I don't often star rate, but this is probably the easiest 5* rating I've given since Janice's first book, The Appeal!

Get it pre-ordered loves. What book buying ban?

Janice Hallett is back with yet another tale full of twists and turns.

Amanda Bailey is a true crime writer and she is working on a new book concerning the Alperton Angels cult, led by Gabriel Angelis in the early noughties.

The small cult consisted of four men, two teenagers and a baby. The Angels believed that they were indeed angels in human form and that the baby was the Antichrist, which had to be sacrificed.

Before that happened, four bodies were found in a murder-suicide pact in an abandoned warehouse. The teenagers were rescued and the baby taken away by the Social Services.

Amanda is desperate to find the baby and tell the story of the Angels from their point of view.

However, she isn’t the only one looking for the baby… Her old nemesis, a journalist called Oliver Menzies is also on the trail of the Alperton Angels.

Who will get to the truth first? More importantly, will the truth ever be found?

What a story! I am still reeling from the ending and all the revelations that came alongside.

The plot is such a huge strength of this book; it’s so intricate and well thought out.

I loved the format of the book, written through the WhatsApp messages, emails, and interview transcripts. I adored Ellie Cooper, who was transcribing Amanda’s interviews – her witty and wry comments made me chuckle.

Overall, it is yet another great book by Janice Hallett. It will be published on 19/01.

Many thanks to Viper for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

Thank you to the publisher Viper for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I loved the non-traditional structure, as per Hallett's previous novels, personally the supernatural theme didn't sit well with me and as such have rounded what would otherwise be a 3.5 or 4, down to 3. The writing style remains exquisite, and fans of her previous work will almost certainly enjoy yet another clever romp, including a hilarious insight into literary agent relations!

The third book by Janice Hallett that I have read, after enjoying the first two, but I couldn’t finish it…too many email/messages and not enough actual writing.
Disappointing.

I have an enormous fondness for epistolary novels. Hallett embraces the format with great skill, bringing the style into the 21st century utilising modern communication methods to launch her plot. She masterfully creates a complex plot dripping information, misdirecting and leaving the reader to interpret evidence as the story moves along. She has done this so well in her previous 2 novels, but the Alperton Angels is her best yet. When I began the book and saw the list of characters, I was worried I wouldn't keep pace with it. This was an unnecessary worry, the characters are well realised and the plot moves very swiftly. So much so that you are soon caught up in the intrigue. There are layers upon layers of story, beautifully presented. The antagonism between authors, Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies, competing to cover the same story of the Alperton Angels cold case, provides another POV against the background of what really happened to the cult, Holly and her baby in 2003.
If you pick this book up, make sure you've canceled all other plans, as you won't be able to put it down.

My thanks to Viper and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review The mysterious case of the Alperton Angels.

I enjoy this author's unique storytelling although this time it took me a little longer to get into the voice. However the mystery was well executed and there was a real human story behind the clever plotting

4.5 stars!
The Alperton Angels were a cult that brainwashed a young teenager into believing her baby was the antichrist. 17 years later when true crime author Amanda Bailey is forced to collaborate with an old rival on the case of the mysterious Alperton Angels, the truth becomes much darker and stranger than originally imagined!

I think this is my favourite Janice Hallett book so far! Told through Amanda's emails, WhatsApp messages, transcripts, and book excerpts, it's like we are investigating the case with her, and like with her previous two books, I couldn't stop thinking of my own theories when I wasn't reading (none were correct!).

I didn't actually find many of the main characters particularly likable. Amanda, the 'protagonist' is quite deceitful, but she's such a determined character that I do let her off throughout the book. Ellie provided some funny light relief through her input in the transcripts, which keeps the mood of this book to a perfect mix of dark and mysterious but not too dark. The pacing of this book is also great, as the medium constantly changes it's difficult to put down so I flew through this.

Onto the plot - I enjoyed the storyline, about halfway through I wasn't sure if I liked the direction it was going in, but I actually enjoyed the ending. I thought it tied up well and I don't think there were any annoying loose ends! The book loses half a star for me as I think the reveal of the 'baby' could have been a much bigger deal, and it was brushed over quite quickly.

I would really recommend this book to any mystery and thriller lovers, and I think this is a good start if you've never read any Janice Hallett before as I found this one much easier to follow than The Appeal and The Twyford Code. I can't wait for her next book!

I received a free copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback. Thank you so much to netgalley and Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books.

Oh my!! I would love to peek into Hallett’s brain… how does she manage to create such ingenious and fun plots?! I love reading everything she writes. A truly masterful writer full of suspense and joy.

I loved the Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels!!

I was excited to recieve a copy as I enjoyed Janice Hallett's The Appeal, and in my opinion this book is even better! The question posed at the start: "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? (actually posed in the book as Will you lock them back in the safety deposit box Ed.) Or will you take them to the police?" Personally, I think I would lock them back in the box :o)

The book is laid out as a series of transcriptions (transcribed by my favourite character Ellie Cooper), WhatsApp messages and emails and tells the case of the Alperton Angels, a cult from the early 2000s who's aim was to kill the baby they believed would become the antichrist,

Investigating this story is Amanda Bailey, a true crime writer, who is looking for the baby now that they will turn 18 this year. Rival author, and former coursemate, Oliver Menzies (pronounced Mingis) is also on the hunt for the baby. There is not only the rivalry of two authors who both want the scoop, but also there is past history there that leaves a bad taste - what happened?

There are so many characters in the book - borne about from Amanda's extensive research to find the baby - , but I felt I managed to keep up with them all and how they fit into the story.

Little details were revealed gradually so I was kept wanting to read "just one page more". The pace was great, and kept me reading past my bedtime... the sure sign of a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I'll be buying the book when it comes out to see it laid out in all it's glory.

DNF'd at 48%

Sorry,but this turned out to be not for me. It was very dark and started going in a direction that made me uncomfortable. I didn't get on with any of the characters either. It was well written just not my cup of tea.

I'd like to thank the publishers, Viper, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy. All opinions are my own.

When I was invited to join this blog tour, I was also invited to be as creative as I wanted in terms of my review. I wasn't so sure I had that in me and, having now read The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, I absolutely know I do not have the creativity. What you have to realise, if you have not picked up a Janice Hallett book before, is that the author has a very unique style, one that some might consider quirky perhaps, and one which I would suggest is perhaps best read in physical book format or even listened to as an audiobook. It's that kind of style, one which is easy enough to follow physically, but which would also translate well to the spoken word. Because this is a book about a book - two books really - or more specifically, the research undertaken to help the two main characters, Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies, prepare to write their very different accounts of one of the most perplexing and shocking true crime cases of recent years - that of the Alperton Angels.

Told through a series of emails, transcribed interviews and telephone calls which took place between predominantly Amanda, her old nemesis, Oliver and various colleagues, friends and witnesses from the case as they strive to find out what really happened on that fateful night that saw four men caught up in a kind of murder suicide pact. There is one other thread they want to pull, Amanda especially, and that is to find the baby that was caught up at the heart of the case and who disappeared on the night the murders were uncovered.

This is a really creative and effective way of presenting this story back to readers and, due to the nature of how the narrative is laid out, is actually a very quick read. Despite its length, 430+ pages for the hardback, I actually read it really quickly, the email, WhatsApp messages and transcribed conversations lending themselves to a very pacy tour through this investigation. There are no long sections of exposition, more conversations back and forth which serve to build the mystery, lay the foundations for what is to come and to turn this apparently clear case entirely on its head. Some of the scenes are perfect red herrings, some highly pertinent but almost lost in the mix of all of the other communications that take place. There are some blink and you miss them clues, but as you move through the story, the more obvious and apparent they become and those 'ahhhhhhhh' moments start to come thick and fast.

Don't think that this is simply a book about two people trying to find a new angle on an old tale. It is actually a very well crafted examination on the power of suggestion on weaker minds. Of how charismatic and manipulative individuals can influence those who are susceptible and willing to believe, with overwhelmingly tragic consequences. Taking a look at how one man, Gabriel Angelis, had proven so influential he created god-like status in the eyes of the young people who followed him and bought into his 'cult'. It is also a birds eye view of a decent into madness of a very fractured mind, someone who buys into the whole concept of good v evil that was at the very heart of the case and the core of the cult.

I really liked the way in which the author has framed the novel. She invites us to read what follows, challenges us to think about what we would do if faced with the absolute truths the book reveals. If maybe, understanding and reporting the facts is actually more dangerous than accepting what has already been told. We're invited to make a moral judgment and to cast our own votes on whether we would have made the same choices when presented with this full body of evidence. And despite the way in which the story is told, she has given us a real insight into the characters at the heart of the story. Through their actions, their voices, she has created a far clearer picture of them in my mind than any amount of extended narrative could achieve. It's one of her real skills and proves that you really don't need to know the colour of the curtains to still get a keen sense of time and place.

Packed with mystery, and enough uncertainty to have you doubting nearly everything you are reading, this is a book that entertained and enthralled and which I tore through in no time at all. Definitely recommended.

Firstly, when this book gets released, run, don’t walk, to your nearest stockist and get a copy. Then cancel all commitments and strap yourself in for an absolutely gripping read! I basically read this over the space of a little over 24 hours; I started it on New Year’s Day and finished it on 2nd because I simply didn’t want to put it down.

I know Hallett’s writing style won’t be for everyone but I absolutely love the format she uses, with this one being told mainly via WhatsApp messages and interview transcripts with some articles and things thrown in when needed. I love that I can use my imagination to fill in the blanks around what Hallett shows us.

I really enjoyed the cult aspect to this as this is an area that I have always found quite interesting. I liked that the character of Amanda Bailey mentioned books used in her research that are actual books, one of which was already on my to buy list!

There are a lot of twists and turns in this one, some quite far fetched but I think that actually shows how some of these conspiracy theories can take on a bit of a life of their own and become more and more outrageous.

I loved the ending, no spoilers here obviously, but it was absolute perfection.

I always find it difficult to write reviews of Hallett’s books as I really think you benefit from reading them spoiler free and I’d hate to let something slip that then ruins it for someone.

If you’re already a fan, you’ll definitely enjoy this one, and if you’ve not read Hallett’s work before but want to try something new for 2023 I definitely recommend you give this a try.

I’m starting the year on a high with this!

Unfortunately, I found this book really difficult to read. I loved the Appeal, the author's first book and have also read the second but I now find the writing style quite tedious and I lost interest fairly quickly.
Perhaps it was just the wrong book at the wrong time.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC

Another fantastically engaging offering from the author who has really nailed the construction of an intriguing modern mystery. So engaging you have to read it in one sitting. The central conceit is very disturbing yet compelling and the epistolary style keeps you guessing the whole way through.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date 19 Jan 2023 #TheMysteriousCaseoftheAlpertonAngels #NetGalley
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Rival authors Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies investigate the case of the Alperton Angels: a two-decade old case where two teenagers and their baby disappeared when the members of the cult they were part of committed mass suicide.
Both Amanda and Oliver are hoping to track the baby as they turn 18 and can finally be interviewed.
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I really enjoyed this. Those of you who have read Hallett's previous books will be familiar with her style and this one is no different: you delve into archives containing all of Amanda's research about the Alperton Angels case, made up of WhatsApp messages, emails, transcripts of interviews and conversations and follow her progress as she tries to track the (now adult) baby involved in the case before her rival Oliver does.

I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling it but I absolutely love Hallett's modern take on an epistolary novel. It is so engaging and helps you fly through the story.
I also quite enjoyed the interjections from Ellie, who transcribes Amanda's conversations and interviews.

The story was quite easy to follow despite the number of people mentioned in Amanda's archives, however I was not able to solve the case before the denouement. And there was an extra plot twist at the end which I did not see coming and my jaw dropped.

I think if you enjoyed The Appeal and The Twyford Code, you will also really like this one. It's twisty, compelling and an absolute page-turner.
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Written in the authors trademark style the story is told through the media of email, WhatsApp, newspaper cuttings, manuscripts and transcripts of phone calls and face to face meetings. 18 years ago cult members committed suicide rather than face legal retribution but a teenage couple and their baby survived along with cult leader Gabriel. When I started it I thought it was going to be really difficult to follow as there are so many people involved but no it was a gripping read.

Briefly, true crime author Amanda Bailey has decided her next story will be about the Alperton Angels. But she isn’t the only one. Oliver Menzies, a man with whom she has personal history, is also looking at this story and much to her dismay they are forced to work together. The baby will now be an adult so Amanda wants to track it down. But the more they investigate the stranger things become. Mysterious deaths, conflicting memories, missing documents. Nothing makes sense. Is there something supernatural involved?

This book was so full of twists and turns, truth and lies and hidden secrets I didn’t have a clue what the outcome was going to be. I didn’t even have an inkling of the truth behind the fiction. This is a really good read. In fact it’s brilliant the way the author has made such a complex read so accessible. Read it.