My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book.

The Fairway Players are doing a pantomime of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ as their Christmas production. The group has some definite conflicts within themselves as the battle for leadership is very hot. There are troubles with casting, the schedule, scenery, and all of the other details, including getting treats for children. If things do not go well, the roof of the Parrish hall, which they use, may never get fixed and they might lose their venue. When one couple tries to surprise everyone, a mystery is revealed and the whole operation might be forever doomed.

The story was interesting, but the format did not hit me in the best way.

The goal of the Fairway Players is to raise enough money to put a new roof on the church with their Christmas production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Their goal will be met but not before the players have dealt with player politics, dirty tricks, global warming, asbestos poisoning and murder. Or, as a member of the players puts it “Jack and the Beanstalk turned from a pantomime into a farce and then into a Christmas tragedy.” The novella is told by email, text messages and police transcripts. We watch as the former player leaders plan a coup to return to power and glory. It will not go well. Nor will the gender neutral gift bags, stuffed with unusual sweets. The Christmas Appeal is a quick, clever read. Put you feet up and enjoy this early Christmas present! 5 shiny Christmas stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Janice Hallett for this ARC.

Mrs. Hallett never fails to write a five star, immersive mystery. They are filled with drama, secrets, ridiculous antics, and always an investive mystery. This is my 4th read from the author, all are five stars. I love the mixed media format so much. Never gets old for me. I can't wait to pre-order her next book for 2024, The Examiner, when available.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Janice Hallett kills it once again!

The Appeal is one of my all-time favourite mysteries and a spin-off felt like an early Christmas gift. Despite being just slightly over 200-pages, this book was brimming with intrigue, tension and drama. I loved it all!

No one does epistolary whodunits like Janice Hallett and this one certainly kept me guessing. Even though it didn't blow my mind as much as her previous works, I enjoyed every moment. Can't wait for her next!!!

Cute, quick read. This book takes place as transcripts from emails and text chains, so it was definitely different from what I've been reading. I have not read the first book in this series and I might go back and read that. There was some character development that I missed by not reading it but it didn't detract from the plot at all.

The book was a very quick read, a lot of build up and then it did seem like a rushed ending. I enjoyed it though!

I know August–let alone the October release date!–is far too early to contemplate murder at the holidays. But “The Christmas Appeal” was another delightful entry in Janice Hallett’s unique epistolary style novels. The back and forth nature of the text and email exchanges adds layer upon layer as you, the reader and amateur sleuth, decode the relational hierarchies, the hidden grudges, and the petty remarks. I would recommend this for a lighthearted read by the hearth with a cup of tea, as appropriate to what is spilled in this funny little mystery.

This was a fun little murder mystery and a good sequel to the original. We see quite a few returning characters but definitely different power dynamics within the Fairway Players Theatre group. Similar to the previous book, the murder itself is not revealed until about halfway through the book and even then you're left wondering until about 75% of the way through who was actually murdered so that was probably my only little bit of frustration. It's hard to feel invested in a murder mystery if you're not even sure who was actually murdered and how they are related to the story. The storytelling format was pretty interesting just like in the original, it's mostly done through electronic communication. I'll be excited to read another installment of this series in the future for sure.

Jack in the Beanstack is the play being put on to raise money for the church roof.
Much to everyone's dismay many shenanigans take place and it seems that the play will not see fruition.
Then there is the matter of a dead Santa.

This Christmas cozy has enough mystery to keep me going and enough Christmas sentiment to be just the right antidote for a busy holiday season.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc! I loved the synopsis of this book when I requested it. However, I did not realize the format of the book, and that it was only told through; emails, text messages, articles, newspaper, etc etc. I made it a solid 12% before I had to quit. I loved where the story was going but this "epistolic" (Relating to letters or epistles; in the form or style of letters) is just NOT for me. I hated it, to be honest, and will never be able to read this type of book to completion, but if you can handle this style of writing.. Read it! It sounds like a really fun murder mystery, and it's set during.... CHRISTMAS!!

I did learn a new word through this book though: epistolary, epistolic. Now I will drop that word into so many conversations and be a genius!

This was a really fun holiday mystery told in the same world and with the same multi-media style as The Appeal. I particularly liked watching Sarah-Jane and the Hallidays bump heads. There were moments where it got a little cutesy, but given it was a holiday story, I could roll with it, and mostly enjoyed the hijinks

The Christmas Appeal takes us right back to Lockwood and into the world of the Fairway Players - the overly cheerful, secretive community theater group at the center of The Appeal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. As with Hallett’s previous work, this story is told through transcripts of emails, text messages, and police interviews. It will keep you guessing about what is actually happening with the Fairway Players and get your suspicions up right away. I love Hallett’s immersive style of writing. She manages to recreate the small English village mystery genre with a fresh approach and offers a wonderful critique about how in our modern society appearances are everything.

This book, much like Hallet’s the Tywford Code, has much to say about trying to escape one’s past. The Fairway Players are doing their very best to move on since the recent unpleasantness but old resentments and grievances won’t quite let them.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a short, entertaining mystery read.

Very grateful to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

This review was posted to Goodreads.

Another fun craxker if a mystery by Hallett. She just gets better with each novel she writes. A Christmas Panto that goes horribly wrong. A must fun read .

The Christmas Appeal revisits the Fairway Players theater group three years after their last tragedy, recounted in Janice Hallett's first book, the Appeal. The group is putting on a Christmas pantomime, Jack and the Bean Stalk, in order to raise money for the local church's roof. But during the holiday events, there is tension amongst the group as couples battle for power and a body is found on stage. Follow two lawyers as they pour over emails and letters to discover who is the body and is this a case of murder?

What makes Hallett's books special is how she tells stories through emails, texts, and police interviews. I love how I am right alongside the detectives, reading through all the evidence to figure out who committed the crime. I am seeing information that other characters don't see.

The Christmas Appeal is such a fun experience. You get to revisit the Fairway Players from Hallett's first book and feel some holiday magic. You've gotta love a Christmas murder mystery.

Hallett is also great at developing characters through these texts and emails. All of the characters have a different voice and have a different feel. You feel the bad attitude from the son, the stress and frustration from the theater lead, and the cockiness from the wannabe lead.

I would recommend this book to those who like feeling like a detective, reading different mediums like emails, texts, and interviews, following actors as they put on a play, and spending time in a Christmas murder mysteries.

5⭐️
The writing style of this book was absolutely perfect for me. I loved how the entire book is told in different forms of media, such as emails, text messages, etc.

This story is all centered around a community play group. A new couple has taken lead and others of the group that are loyal to the original leads are undermining them any chance they get. The biggest drama is centered around the beanstalk prop.

Oh my amount of sass and petty small group politic dynamics was fantastic! I found so much joy in the interactions of these characters and small attention to the dialogue between them.I found it to be absolutely hilarious.

I have never read anything from this author before but I for sure will be checking out others from her.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria books for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.

What a fun and fast little read The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is!! If you enjoyed her previous book (The Appeal), you will love this return to the Fairway Players and their antics. As they set out to put on a pantomime for charity, Christmas past and present collide for a village whodunnit. Told in Hallett’s unique style of texts, WhatsApp, email, and interviews, the reader gets to try and best the detectives by solving all the clues first. Out this fall, it’s a perfect holiday read for mystery fans.

This is sort of a sequel to "The Appeal". While you don't need to have read the earlier book, it helps to know some of the characters. This one is about discovering a dead body during a Christmas play.

The author's unique way of progressing a story via text and email snippets is always enjoyable. However, in this case, there isn't much of a story. The murder does not surface till about half way through the book and even then, there isn't much to it.

The humor keeps the book going though. Short book so goes by quick. I still remain a fan of the author and will be looking forward to future works.

I unfortunately didn't realize that this was a second book, so I unfortunately don't feel like I can give a full review for this book.

I can say that I did enjoy it but want to read the other and then reread this.

I received a free copy of, The Christmas Appeal, by Janice Hallett, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lower Lockwood is performing the play Jack and the bean stalk, for the holidays. All is going fairly well until a body is found. Lawyers Charlotte and Femi have a murder to solve and a play to put on. A very busy holiday season indeed. This book is a mixture of texts, messages, and interviews, so is not written like a regular book or novella. This book wasnt as organized read as I would of liked, jumping from messages, to texts to interviews, was a little to much for me.

If you read and enjoyed The Appeal by Janice Hallett, you'll love this quirky holiday follow up titled The Christmas Appeal. We are reunited with many of the same Fairway Players for their holiday pantomine of Jack in the Beanstalk. It sounds simple, but of course with this dramatic crew it is anything but.

Femi and Charlotte are back on the case, sifting through the variety of documents that tell this story. Sarah-Jane and her husband are newly in charge by democratic vote, so they are trying to please most everyone while sticking to their own high standards. Everything is the usual local theater group drama until a very, very large beanstalk is borrowed from another play group.

And I'll leave it there. This is full of hijinks, a mysterious murder (or was it?), and so much fun. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books, all opinions are my own.

I truly loved the cover, but the format of the book (through emails, paper trails etc) was written was out of my comfort zone and not right for me. I don’t wish to give a star rating for this one, but want to praise for the cover!