It was great to return to the Fairway Players in this short and sweet mystery from a favourite crime writer. Even in fewer pages she had twists and turns and I couldn’t predict what was coming. Janice Hallett is an automatic buy.

This is a beautiful book and it is so amazing, the story is so lovely and very enjoyable to read. i loved everything about this book and i would recommend to anyone who loves reading to give this book a go. it is a lovely book and i will read other books from this author.

I absolutely love Janice Hallett’s style of writing and this book was another excellent 5 star addition!

The story is told via emails, texts and what’s app messages.

A retired QC gives his students a case to look over involving a local amateur dramatics group, a Christmas panto and a dead Santa!

It was great to catch up with the Fairway Players once again with a few new additions, having absolutely loved the Appeal.

Although this is a shorter book, I devoured it in under 2 days! The characters are so well written.. some endearing, some annoying (in a good way!) and some just damn right hilarious! Sarah-Jane and Kevin are brilliant!

This is a great, light hearted Christmas read with lots of fun and laughter… even with a death chucked in.

I literally can’t wait to read her next instalment of the Fairway Players…. Please do another one!! 🙏

Thank you to Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Janice Hallett's writing and The Christmas Appeal lived up to expectations. A clever and well written book, with a satisfying conclusion.

Just perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Another fabulous mystery from the brilliant Janice Halley. The perfect Christmas read (or really for any time of year)!

The Fairway Players have moved on from the dramatic events described in "The Appeal", and all their energies are focussed on pantomime season and "Jack and the Beanstalk". For anyone who has taken part in local voluntary organisations, or on local committees, these novels (this one and "The Appeal") will prove particularly hilarious. The character foibles, snobbery, and petty politics are all splendidly displayed in emails, text messages, and postings on social networks.
Anyone enamoured of the classic round-robin Christmas letter will curl up in delight at the perfect pastiche provided in the opening chapters; if you have already read "The Appeal", you will appreciate the stretching of the truth behind the descriptions of the fantastic year the writers have had - but if not, it is all beautifully revealed by the recipients scathing reactions in their emails to one another.
This is an obvious stocking filler for Christmas, but also a lovely follow-on revisiting the characters we met in the Appeal.
[Though I did rather miss Issy, who appears rather briefly].

read this just before christmas and forgot to review! i loved this book and others by the author, i would highly recommend

A stand alone novella featuring some of the same amateur theatrical players as previous novel by Hallett. After the brain-scratching presentations of Hallett's novels, which I enjoyed, this was a perfect seasonal mystery, with contemporary cozy vibes and laughs alongside the mystery. Great fun with surprises as usual. A pleasure to read.

This book was a fantastic follow up to The Appeal. The story was clever, amusing and tongue in cheek. A great seasonal story that left me feeling Chrismassy and cosy. The perfect book to curl up with for a few hours on a festive afternoon. Janice Hallett is my favourite auto-buy author.

The Appeal is one of my favourite books, so when I heard the sequel was coming out I had to pre order it (even though I was accepted for it on NetGalley, thanks to the publisher). This is such a fun book, just like the first one. The book is again filled with emails and text messages, and it was quite fun to try to work out what was going on. I say try because I figured out nothing haha. The characters are ones we know from the first book, with a few newbies thrown in too.
I love Janice Halletts books, I now want The Appeal 2 to happen (This is book 1.5).

I've now read all of Janice Hallett's books (at least since The Appeal) and I was very pleased to jump back into that particular world with the same characters. All in all, I found it, in my opinion, not up to the heights of The Appeal, possibly because it being more a novella, but better than Twyford or Alperton. Good easy fun and a smart way to get back into the amateur theatre!

This was a really fun read with so many laugh out loud moments. I love Halletts style, its so distinct and incomparable! A good read.

I throughly enjoyed this read. I love a good mystery novel and this one didn’t disappoint. I absolutely love the mixed media story telling of this book. I think it is extremely cleverly done and well executed. I found the story to be intriguing along with humour made this rather enjoyable.
For any pantomime lovers this book will have you wanting more. Massive thank you for allowing me the pleasure of reading this.

This was such a great book to read around the festive season and I was really lured into picking it up after I saw press coverage for it and saw how much people love Janice’s writing. This was my first book of hers but I want to read more

Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

5*

Easily accessible novella from Britain’s best crime novelist. There were laugh out loud moments, puzzling moments and moments that shocked me.

There are so many good reviews of this sequel to The Appeal but I think I must have missed something. I did read it quickly - it’s very short after all - but the gambit is wearing thin now. There is nothing of substance in this book, enjoyable though it was.

Janice Hallett has cornered the market in telling over showing. In writing her modern epistolary novels, she has managed to make exposition seem cool again. Although I was a fan of The Appeal, this book was simply dreadful. The mystery doesn't appear until three quarters of the way through the book and is over just as quickly, with very litle investigation at all. Blah.

Here in her latest short story, we are returned to the Fairway Players who we first met in her debut novel. It is Christmas, so it must be Pantomime season and the chosen production of Jack and the Beanstalk, doesn’t necessarily go to plan when it appears that the Beanstalk is holding a secret of its own.

Told in the format of transcripts, emails, letters, messages and the two young lawyers notes who we met in the first novel we discover what exactly is going on in Lower Lockwood. Why there appears to be drug deals going down, the class system alive and well on who is or isn’t allowed to attend the pantomime, let alone be in it. Plus exactly what has happened to Celia’s son?

A delightful pantomime of a book which is the perfect antidote to Christmas and all those who take amateur dramatics a bit too seriously! I do enjoy seeing what Hallett can come up with next.

Rated 4 1/2 stars on my Bookmarks and Stages blog

Christmas is over, but its still holiday time, with that festive feel all around and pantos go on with the show, bringing their unique entertainment, but how can Santa be Dead? There's a sinister edge to the backdrop of the fun and frolics of Christmas. Enter and allow theatrics to consume you until the last page.
Amateur dramatics is cut-throat and no more so when Panto season is around. The Fairways are putting on Jack and the Beanstalk in 2022 as it would have been performed in the 1970's. Along the way, there are major power struggles and rivalries, even though the production is supposed to be raising money for a good cause. The spirit of good will and good nature doesn't always flow easily through everyone to get a project done for the greater good of a community. A certain mood is captured rather well.
There's a mystery that ensues and some twists and turns along the way of this book that has everything from WhatsApp messages to emails and more, to follow through to search for the clues and learn what's really been going on during what should have been a pleasurable, successful time.

It's quite a different book with a Christmas theme to keep readers guessing what's going to happen next in what is a darker side to the festive season.

I adored The Appeal and was delighted to meet all my favourite characters again in the Fairway Players again. I flew through the book over an afternoon. I love Hallett’s unique style of writing and can’t wait to read more from the author in the future!