I'm a big fan of Janice Hallett's. I absolutely devoured The Appeal and gave it an easy five stars. Unfortunately, this book just didn't feel like it had the same spark as her debut. I still love the use of mixed-media storytelling. It propels the book along at a quick pace, perfect for thrillers. The twists and turns in this book were just as good as her first two. I didn't see any of it coming and was completely captivated by the last third of the book. The premise was completely original which is hard to find in the thriller/mystery genre.

However, I didn't quite enjoy any of the characters. Mostly because it was hard to get a grip on their personalities. Many times I thought I figured them out and they would do something or say something that seemed absurd for them. They seemed a little scattered. Also, I didn't totally appreciate some of the anti-Catholic sentiments that were woven through the story. They were unnecessary and harmful.

Overall, it was another good book by Hallett that is perfect for fans of her other works and true crime fans.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC. Janice Hallet has such a clever way of telling stories and drawing a reader into the world. What starts as a simple story about a former cult expands into so much more. Hallet’s characters are interesting and endearing. The mystery was a page turner trying to piece all the parts together. This is probably my favorite work of hers so far! Definitely recommend to all mystery fans!

This is the latest from Janice Hallett and once again she gives us her modern trademark style of mystery that involves the reader. More in the vein of The Appeal than The Twyford Code, this is another irresistibly page-turning mystery. And I am a total sucker for it. I read so many thrillers, or even simply books, that reading one of Janice's books is so much fun because I don't see it done in any other books. It's refreshing!

Anyone who has read her books before should love this one because her style is the same as her past books. And if you haven't read anything from Hallett, this is the time to start.

What ensues is told as a patchwork of text messages, emails, transcriptions, extracts from books and scripts, etc. This is a format I simply never get tired of! Because of the format used, it can feel very drawn out. There is no clear storyline and a confusing multitude of characters, who may or may not reappear later in the book.

It is a fun, entertaining, and humorous on occasion, mystery. This would have been the perfect fall mystery! With that all said, it does require patience and paying attention to detail to follow the many threads and all the twists and turns on the path to uncovering the truth. And in the end, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a story about deception, resentment and professional rivalry as much as it is a crime novel. It relies not so much on plot twists but on shifting the reader’s perception of what the story is really about.