The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett follows true crime author Amanda Bailey who is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the the Alperton Angels case. The Alperton Angels were a cult that brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared. As Amanda and her rival Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it. Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels,

I loved Janice Hallett's first novel, The Appeal, and thankfully I loved this book also. I really enjoy how Hallett is able to write epistolary novels that really make you question the characters intentions and motives. I recommend this for mystery readers!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Amanda Bailey, former aspiring journalist now with a career in true crime, has a golden opportunity to write about the Alperton Angels. The bizarre cult ended in several deaths, a leader in prison, and two teenagers and their infant vanished into the care system. Unfortunately, Amanda's old nemesis, Oliver Menzies, turns out to be hunting the same story. An modern epistolary thriller, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels unfolds in emails, WhatsApp messages, transcribed recordings, and excerpts from novels and scripts. This is a (mostly) fast-paced, twisty, and surprising novel that kept me guessing till the end.

The author, Janice Hallett, notes in her acknowledgements that the book was partially inspired by the story of Michelle McNamara, whose lifelong search for the man she dubbed the Golden State Killer ended with her premature death at the age of 46. Having read and loved I'll Be Gone in the Dark, written mostly by McNamara based on her extensive and meticulous research and completed by others after her death, I do see the parallels with Amanda's dogged pursuit of the truth at whatever cost. I also enjoyed the way the motives and actions of true crime enthusiasts, both the characters in the book and the readers themselves, are an integral part of the narrative.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

3.75 🌟 I liked this book. Just like her other books I love that you receive the information through texts, emails, interviews and other interesting ways. It kept me on the edge of my seat with twists and turns and I wasn’t ever truly sure who had done it!

Janice Hallett has done it again. If you enjoyed The Appeal, you will very likely enjoy The Alperton Angels. In this new novel, all of your favorite mixed media formats (texts, WhatsApp, e-mail, etc.) come together to tell the story of the mysterious disappearance that occurred eighteen years ago of a baby who narrowly missed being the victim of a small but deadly cult. This is a twisty tale with lots of layers. I did feel like things started to bog down in the middle and get a bit repetitive, but once you reach the end of the book, everything in the story comes together– and the payoff is completely worth it! If you like creative storytelling, mysteries, and exploring the human experience, this is must-read for you.

Impossible to put down! I spent my entire work day sneaking pages and chapters until I’d read the whole thing!
Mystery and true crime lovers this book is a must read.

Janice Hallett has done it again - in an even more detailed, layered and grand way, than her previous two novels I adored. When it’s so nuanced, the reader has a tough time with noting all the characters, the red herrings, switches and mind tricks played on her by a writer who must have post its throughout her house and all up and down her arms. Written in her now familiar way, of texts, WhatsApp messages, notes, transcriptions and some narration this is a truly complex mystery with revenge and coverups at its heart. From the beginning I was amazed, I laughed, then immediately tensed, I had a brain freeze, then a brain explosion and barely slept. Thank you!

True crime author Amanda Bailey decides to write a book covering a twenty year old cult case, becoming entangled with both the mystery surrounding the story as well as another writer researching the same topic.

Like Hallett's other books this one is told through e-mails, texts, interviews, DMs, etc. Unlike The Appeal, the plot of this novel didn't grab me or hold my attention. The group of "angels" were described as a cult when there were at most 3-4 people involved so didn't come across as super cult-like. I found the most interesting part of the book to be a personal revelation about Bailey's motives rather than the tangled true story surrounding the cult and related crimes. It's clever, but also seems like maybe it's trying too hard. Recommended for Hallett fans only.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is another mixed media mystery novel from Janice Hallett. If you have read The Appeal or The Twyford Code, this book is in that style but I found it distinct in style and much easier to get immersed in than TTC.

Told in texts, transcriptions of conversations, and novel chapters, this is the story of Amanda Bailey, a true crime author, who is investigating a cluster of cult deaths twenty years ago that also involves a missing baby. Amanda is at odds and trying to work together with another author, Oliver Menzies who is working on his own novel about the Alperton Angels.

I won't give much or anything away about this one, but I will praise how easy it was to keep reading and how steadily Hallett revealed interesting information or twists from what I was expecting as the reader. As was a frequently criticism of The Appeal, this is a long one. Other than that, I was very pleased and highly recommend it if you like her style or want to give a full mixed media novel a try.

I'm really starting to love this author's writing style! This story had a lot of moving parts and they came together beautifully at the end.

This is my first book by Janice Hallett and I’ll be honest I was not very impressed. I never felt that Hallett wrote a compelling mystery even with the great idea of a cult and a missing child. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for Hallett but I can not echo those reviews.

Having read Hallett's two prior novel (Twyford Code and The Appeal), I was looking forward to her latest book. While the mystery aspect did not disappoint, her narrative devices have started to wear a bit thin, In this and in the Appeal (as well in the forthcoming The Christmas Appeal novella), the plot is laid out through chronological text messages, emails, and transcriptions of interviews, all about a case involving minors some eighteen years before. I've adapted to the style, but as a device, it's wearing thin. I enjoy the plot, but it is a struggle to wade through it in this writing style. I'd love it if she would write a more "traditional" prose novel next!

I’ve read 3 of Hallet’s books so far, and this one was BY FAR the best. I was on the edge of my seat and scared sh*tless at times. There were so many moving threads that became intertwined… I genuinely did not know how it was going to end. It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel that sucked me in so intensely. A delicious, fast-paced mystery novel with many twists along the way. I do wish the main character was more developed. She seemed less so in the way most other characters were.

I have been a fan of Janice Hallett since my first read of The Appeal! Since then I have devoured her books and I devoured this just the same. Ms. Hallett has a unique ability to write two cohesive stories in one. In the three books of hers that I have read, The Appeal, The Twyford Code and this one, I have had the experience of starting the book and having a certain understanding of what is happening and then Ms. Hallett is able to flip it on its head. For this book to turn from a story about a cult to a kidnapping and revenge story is marvelous and extremely impressive.

To my knowledge Ms. Hallett is the first author to consistently write in the atypical sense of only including texts, emails, and voice recordings. I believe that this allows the reader to dive deeper into the story and yet makes it easier to be blind sided when things change. The main character Amanda can easily leave certain things she learns about because we do not hear her thoughts and unless she has written it down or recorded it, the readers and Ellie have no knowledge of it. At the end of the day I believe that I could read Ms. Hallett's grocery list and be enthralled. She is consistent and truly never lets me down as a reader. I am planning on starting "The Christmas Appeal" and I expect to be just as entertained.

The queen of epistolary mysteries has done it yet again! 👏

I freaking loved The Appeal, felt lukewarm about The Twyford Code and have been eagerly awaiting Janice Hallett's next book ever since. And boy, does she not disappoint.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a multi-layered puzzle filled with intrigue and suspense. I had so much fun reading it! I even got quite scared reading it at night because of the direction I thought the book was going in.

There are lots of characters but written in a way that's not hard to keep track of. I just couldn't stop turning the pages and trying to piece everything together. The author delivers twist after twist that blew my mind, with each reveal leaving me more and more shocked 😱 Loved how everything was executed and came together too!

Like her previous two novels, this is a work of genius and creativity. How does Hallett come up with all these?! Can't wait to get my hands on her next book already!

I was absolutely glued to this book! I could not stop reading this gripping mystery for nothing!! This book has stayed with me days later. This is a must read!!
I just reviewed The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett. #NetGalley
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This is my first fully mixed media book, and what a fun way to read a mystery! We're following a journalist's research into a mysterious, decades-old case of a crime involving a small cult. I enjoyed the layers to the story and the different perspective. The pacing was a little off for me, but the unveiling of the conclusion was worth it. I will read more from this author in this format.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for a free copy of #TheMysteriousCaseOfTheAlpertonAngels by Janice Hallett. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

I have never read one of Janice Hallett's books before. Thus was really fun. It was like an escape room in book form. You had to pay careful attention to figure out all the clues to solve the mystery. The author does a very good job with doling out the information at the right pace, and introducing blind alleys as well. But she does not withhold much. The twist at the end did not relate to the mystery itself, which was nice. The reader didn't feel cheated. All in all, it was a very satisfying brain teaser. Highly recommend.

I cannot have enough of Janice Hallett's books. The structure and style are fresh breath of air even after 4 books. I like how she uses different communication styles and mediums to tell the story. And this one... what a story it is!

Two old nemesis were fighting for the same prize: a chance to identify the Alperton Angels baby from 18 years ago. No one knew who this baby was, whose baby this was. Only thing people assumed was young couple had this baby, only to sacrifice it for Alperton Angels. This was another sad cult story that true crime fans would want to revisit because no one parted the veil of mystery around this yet. But damn, I'm sure no one expected this much a back story to it

Emails, WhatsApp chats, notes, and several tries of Chapter 1… None of those would have prepared me for the actual Chapter 1 of the book. I was under the spell of this book for good 2 days. Cannot wait until everyone else get their hands of this book!

Rating: 4.75

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a digital copy through Netgalley! I’ve read Janice Hallett’s “The Appeal” and “The Twyford Code” and enjoyed them both (“The Appeal” much more). I think “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels” is on par with “The Appeal” in terms of enjoyment, if not better. Like “The Appeal,” I wish this was an interactive book where you could flip back and forth to different parts of evidence. Overall, I highly recommend this to mystery and crime lovers! I couldn’t stop reading because I just wanted the reveal. This was a bit creepier than her past books but it’s left me reaching out for more mystery reads.

Note: A majority of this review is spoiler free save for the last two paragraphs - you’ve been warned.

The story premise
When you start the book, you’re told that the documents were found in a safe deposit box - material compiled for a true crime book. As you read through the documents, you have a decision to make - will you release the information found or to destroy it? I’ll share my decision at the end of this review. The materials in the deposit box consist of email and text exchanges, as well as pages from books and papers. As you read through the contents, you start to piece together some connections, but also question the various narratives. Who’s at fault for the massacre? Was it a cover up all those years ago? Can you trust the police or social services?

My deductions
Obviously I read this with my detective hat and monocle on because that's just the way my brain works. There were moments where my deductions were close to the final reveal and some that were clearly inspired by some of my favorite crime shows.

The reveal
We discover that a LOT happened the night of the Alperton massacre and I think it was quite the learning moment from various angles: the lengths that people will go to manipulate others to do their bidding, the lengths that people will go to circumvent systems in place, and the lengths that people go to protect others. It’s hard to indulge in this section without dropping spoilers but whatever you think is happening…well there’s likely more to that thread if you pull on it.

My decision
I’ve done my best to not divulge any spoilers but I think I have to with regards to my decision on what to do with the documents. My decision is to release the documents from the safe deposit box while I’m in another country. Along with that release, I would include a letter strongly arguing for Gabriel to remain in prison given his strong manipulative abilities against vulnerable people, such as Holly and Jonah, who were so convinced by Gabriel’s rhetoric that they killed someone. While it’s likely that the reveal may not do much and would shake up the lives of those involved, I feel a sense of justice (I’m a Libra - sue me).

If you’ve read “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels,” I’d love to talk to others about it - the reveal and the decision with what to do with the documents.

Hallett's books are so fun to read. They're always entirely based on mixed media. There's no prose in between to fill in the gaps. We as the reader learn everything that happened and all about the characters through the e-mails, voice recordings or transcripts, text messages, etc. Hallett never quite tells you what happened. It's all one big puzzle that you have to figure out by reading mixed media - and reading between the lines. It's amazing how well you can get to know the characters without a third or first person narration filling in the gaps. Hallett has a talent for somehow managing to build fully developed, complex characters without actually telling us anything about them.

In this case, the story centers around a journalist who is trying to find out what happened in an old case of cult-related murder. Most of the mixed media is her text messages and transcripts of her conversations. The transcribers little asides throughout the transcripts were my favorite part. My only complaint was that the ending felt a little abrupt after everything we went through to get there.

This is my third Hallett novel and I can't wait for the next one. I've loved them all.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.