I am living for these new styled mysteries and thrillers. Domestic thrillers are growing old with the same predictable storylines and outcomes. I enjoyed trying to solve the cold case with the information that was given throughout the book. The case itself didn't excite me but I loved the format!

I love Janice Hallett's unique writing style. Her books are complex mysteries written in epistolary style, told through texts, emails, transcripts, news reports, and other mixed media. From what might initially appear fragmented, she skillfully weaves layered, intelligent, and suspenseful stories with well-developed characters. She is an auto-buy author for me, and this did not disappoint!

The story centered around two competing journalists writing books about an infamous cult whose members thought they were angels on Earth. Both of them are trying to track down the identity of a baby at the center of the mysterious cult-- a baby who would be an adult now but disappeared many years ago, along with its mother. Conflicting evidence, dead ends, and secrets abound.

Well-written and compelling, Hallett pulled me into this investigation and kept me guessing and off balance, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The characters were so good, the mystery was a bit creepy and cleverly done, and the ending was one I could have never predicted. This was a fun read! Twisty and dark, with moments of irreverent humor, and very entertaining!

Thank you to NetGalley, Janice Hallett, and Atria Books for the free book!

In 2003, a cult failed to sacrifice a baby and performed a mass suicide. The leader, Gabriel, is now in prison, not for the murder of his cult members but for the murder of a waiter. In 2021, Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the case, and she finds it becomes more and more mysterious.

I had so much fun with this book. The mixed media format worked well for me and was engaging. I think that book clubs would love discussing this book, especially the question at the end.

Janice Hallett is known for her unusually structured books. This somewhat epistolary novel is framed as around a journalist looking for the truth behind a cult's suicide pact and the events surrounding it. The Alperton Angels were a group who thought they were angels on Earth and were out to rid the world of the anti-Christ, a baby. When the baby survives and disappears, journalists are determined to open the cold case and find the survivors.

Unfortunately, this format and overly convoluted narrative left me unconnected and confused. I was alternately bored and uninterested. I did like how the end wrapped up but by then I didn't completely care. Hallett's books are not for everyone, and it turns out what has kept me interested in them before wasn't really there in this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Thank you to Atria for this great mystery! The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett is a big win for me, I really do love reading this author and engaging with her mysteries in epistolatory form.

Indeed, I am an admirer of Hallett's work, I love how she makes epistolatory writing into an effective way to share a mystery story, I feel as though I am getting to truly be in the mystery, trying to solve it and put the puzzle together when I read her books. I appreciate the style and pacing, the way a plot just works in her hands, and how creative she is at dropping in clues, moving the story along, and never leaving me as a reader feel confused or unsure of how clues or the bigger themes are being resolved.

What works here with Hallett's newest is that she is moving into using screenplays, news stories, and other forms, not just texts/emails and messages. I loved the story itself as well, themes on cults/missing people, true crime writer tropes... how these all come together in a story and format that feel new and fresh and so very worthy of a winter storm weekend read (or your winter beach vacation).

This book was completely unhinged in a good way I think. The plot was propulsive and it kept me reading but a lot of the plot items seemed very implausible. Overall I enjoyed it!

I am always drawn to stories about cults as I find them fascinating. I loved the way this story was told through different media. At times the story could get confusing as there were a lot of names and nicknames used. Otherwise, a well written story.

I first read Janet Hallett's epistolary novel, The Appeal, and loved it. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels has the fun format of an epistolary novel but the topic is more serious. I loved the true crime angle this book has and the way everything plays out. Overall, another great book by Janet Hallett.

Title: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Publication Date- Jan. 23rd
Publisher- Atria Books
Overall Rating- DNF at 60 percent

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I did not finish this book and stopped reading at 60 percent.

Review: Unfortunately this didn’t work for me. The entire book is told in mixed media format which I typically love. At first, I had a hard time figuring out what was going on and who was who. As I read more, that was less of a problem and the story became more clear. Around the 50 percent mark I started to not want to pick the book up any more. This could be a case of bad timing for me. I found the story slow but usually that is something I love with mystery novels. For some reason I just wasn’t enjoying it any more and didn’t feel that I needed to get all the answers and finish the novel. That being said, I would say if you’ve like this author before (this was my first by her) then you may enjoy this. I would like to read more mixed media in the future, that element was mostly fun.

The characters are likable and at times morally gray. The overall story and plot points are interesting. I did appreciate that the author dives into the aspects of journalism that may or may not be ethical. I liked reading and thinking about those elements. Even though I chose to not finish the book, I think others should give it a try. Especially if you like mixed media, slow burn mysteries, cult stories and journalism. Even writing those elements out makes me feel excited, I wish I could pinpoint more of why this didn’t work for me.

It was an infamous event: the grisly cult suicide, the infant who escaped, the charismatic cult leader—claiming to be an angel—who was responsible for it all. Now seems the the perfect time for two authors to revisit the case: especially since the cult leader has been behind bars and the baby (whereabouts and identity unknown) is going to turn 18.

Everyone know about the Alperton Angels. Or…do they?

Janice Hallett continues her mastery of the modern epistolary/mixed media mystery genre. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is immersive, engaging, and intelligent. Through a number of different forms of media, the reader joins the two authors to discover exactly who the Alperton Angels were…and what happened that night so many years ago.

If you like a good, clever mystery—this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

My last read of 2023 was The Appeal by Janice Hallett and I'm so glad that my first read of 2024 is another one of her novels! I was engrossed from beginning to end and this author will be one whose books I will read, no questions asked, no need to read the back.

How everything fit together and all the questions answered was so artfully done. The format of the book is intriguing and innovative. I can tell the author put in a lot of research for this book.

For me this was a quick read and I'm already impatient to read other works!

oh wow!!!! I have no idea what I was expecting, other than a similar style to THE APPEAL - and I’m so glad to be proven both right and wrong at the same time 😮‍💨

keeping the genius style of describing the case through emails, interviews and texts, the focus on a true crime (fictional in terms of the story) upped the level of the drama and plot! by leaning on a cold case with gruesome consequences, the stakes were so much higher, and I felt like janice created a much more serious tone rather than the cozy vibes of THE APPEAL

and the plot itself had me absolutely mind-blown!! it had the elements of a spooky horror novel but transformed into a divine novel, letting the reader question whether the events of the story are truly mystical or whether there’s an explanation for it all

and can we talk about that ending?? I was shocked

amanda was the perfect investigative MC to follow, and while the book itself was so long, it didn’t feel like it at all - I binged it in two days! this is definitely one that I’m going to want to re-read and look for everything I missed the first time 🤯🤯🤯

a huge thank you to netgalley and atria / simon and schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! my favorite janice novel yet!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: left bank bordeaux blend

This is not my first book by Janice Hallett. I read The Appeal back in 2021, and the two stories follow the same technical format: story-telling through texts, emails, interviews, etc.… I wouldn’t like reading this format a lot. Still, I have to say that Hallett utilizes it exceptionally well, where it actually adds to the story and makes sense.

I absolutely adored all the twists and turns this story took. I didn’t see one coming until I was supposed to see it, and wow, what a story - a thriller - this ended up being! I haven’t figured out the pacing. It felt fast, yet I was never as far along as I thought when I looked at the pages. I believe that is one of the consequences of the technical aspect.

I also loved the cult plot - especially a cult of people who think they are angels on earth. It’s so instantly intriguing. It’s an area I find that I can’t instantly debunk. It seems a bit risky to discount it immediately. And that adds an extra layer to the story that is just perfection.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is my favorite book by Janice Hallett, and I am excited about what she has coming next.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels offers a real treat for fans of mystery novels with complex, creative plotting. It's one of those books that encourage late-night reading binges.

This is my second Janice Hallett novel (my first was The Twyford Code), and it certainly won't be my last. The novel follows a cold case, the "Alperton angels murders," in which a group of self-proclaimed angels determined to prevent the birth of the anti-Christ fail in their task, commit suicide (or did they?), with only a handful of cult members remaining: their leader, who is serving a life sentence for a related murder and two teenagers, the parents (or are they?) of that potentially apocalypse-initiating baby, and the baby itself.

Amanda Bailey, a well-known author of true crime novels has been tasked with writing a book based on that cold case as what will be the 18th birthday of that baby nears. If she can track that baby down and get exclusive rights, she'll have a blockbuster on her hands. But of course, there are complications.

The baby has been carefully hidden within social services red tape. Other authors who have researched the case are dying of what are assuredly unnatural causes. And Bailey finds herself forced to collaborate with a hated rival who seems to be embracing the angels and anti-Christ logic underlying the crime. Imagine the possibilities...

The novel consistently surprises until the end. If you like mysteries that make you think, you'll love The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

I decided to read this one on a whim because I was really dying to add another five-star book or two to my list before the end of the year. It was a pretty lean reading year for them. I knew MegLovesBooks on booktube gave this one five stars and I love Janice Hallett, so I went for it.

I was so excited this ended up being a five-star read for me! Was it mostly based on vibes and being very addicted and intrigued the whole time? Yes. The format made it so easy to read (like Hallett's other books I've read) and I couldn't put it down. Cult books are hit or miss for me like they are with many people but I really loved the experience of reading it.

The book is about Amanda Bailey, a true crime author writing a book and collecting research on the Alperton Angels cult. She's "collaborating" with another guy as they try to track down the baby from 18 years ago who the cult viewed as the antichrist. The story, in typical Hallett style, featured interviews, chats and texts, emails, etc.... my favorite format of book to read.

I think if I could complain about anything, maybe I expected more twists?? Honestly though when I reflect back on everything that happened in this book, she really WENT THERE. The twists were twisting.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was a fun mystery with many unexpected twists and turns - just how I like them. Plus it has an underlying cult theme, another one of my faves. Two competing true-crime authors are hunting the same story, which sets up tensions not typically seen in mystery novels - I enjoyed this aspect of the story.

The book is a collection of interview transcripts, messages, and other documents, so you must enjoy that writing style. Hallett's novel is not for you if you prefer a traditional narrative. There are many characters, and I used my Kindle search quite a bit to remind me of characters when they reappeared after a long absence in the story.

If you are looking for a good puzzle, engaging characters, and a not-too-gruesome mystery and enjoy novel writing styles, this book is a good one to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for a review.

This is Janice Hallett’s third mystery novel after The Appeal and The Twyford Code. (There is also her recent novella, The Christmas Appeal.) Hallett’s trademark is a variation on the epistolary novel. She presents a collection of written materials—emails, WhatsApp and other messages, transcripts of recorded conversations, documents, newspaper clippings, etc.—that someone (in reality, you, the reader) is supposed to go through and decide what has happened and what should now be done. In case you can’t figure it out, there is a figure who breaks it all down at the end.

In this book, writers and nemeses Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies are unwillingly forced by their publishers to collaborate on research for a true-crime nonfiction book about the decades-old so-called Alperton Angels cult murder/suicide case. This novel is about the investigation, principally from Amanda’s vantage point, but also about how Amanda and Oliver became enemies and how that plays out during their unwilling collaboration.

While I thought The Appeal was a hoot, I don’t think The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels lives up to it. Once the full story is revealed, the reasons why it has remained a mystery require too much suspension of disbelief. I enjoyed the reading process, though, and the many twists and turns. If the format interests you, and you like twisty crime novels, it’s worth reading.

I found this to be a bit confusing and it did not engage me right away like I was hoping. I've DNF'd it for now and I may try to pick it up again.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I love Hallett’s use of different methods to tell a story. This one was told entirely in transcriptions, text messages, and excerpts from books. This format kept the book moving forward and added to the mystery.

Another thing I enjoy about Hallett’s books is you have to read to the very end to figure out what is going on. This book was no different. The web that was created throughout finally untangled at the end.

While this was not my favorite of Hallett’s books, I was still entertained. I struggled to connect with the main characters in this one. I felt like if we had gotten Amanda’s backstory early on, it might’ve explained more. The teasing of her backstory didn’t work for me.

All in all, fans of mysteries, stories told through different methods, and cults will find this one interesting. Check it out!

4.5 stars rounded up. I absolutely love the non-traditional format that the author uses. She has become an "auto buy" author for me. This was another great one! There were times that my attention would wander and I felt like we weren't really getting anywhere but then it would all line up and things fell together. It's a great story with a great ending.