Depending on how it’s written, I certainly enjoy epistolary books told through documents & letters. Janice Hallett has a knack for delivering clever mysteries told entirely through documents, texts, email, and other forms. I loved The Appeal when it came out in 2021 & I read The Christmas Appeal, her 2023 holiday novella, back in December which was an enjoyable addition to The Appeal.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was one of my first reads of the year. I’m conflicted on this review though because while I think Hallett is super talented and everything in the story was up my alley (cults, fun format, supernatural suggestion) it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Relying on email, texts, & verbal recordings, we follow true crime writer Amanda as she investigates the mysterious murders of a cult called The Alperton Angels & the events that surrounded their existence. As she continues to research her book, she finds one too many inconsistencies with stories from witness and anyone who may know more is mysteriously ending up dead. We follow Amanda through her texts, emails she receives and sends, bites and pieces of other stories based on the case such as scripts and novel drafts, and also her voice recordings of interviews.
The plot is incredibly intriguing but there is just so much information that I couldn’t keep everything straight. There are so many people, so many twists and turns, add in the one-sided nature of an epistolary novel, and it was just almost too much for me. This took me awhile to read & honestly while I wanted to know what happened, I couldn’t always bring myself to pick the book back up. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for the story or maybe I’m just too tired (#toddlermom) to take on super intricate plots right now.
Hallett is talented and her imagination is superb but for me at this moment The Alperton Angels was a touch too complex for me. I’ll continue to read Hallett’s books in the future though so don’t let me 3-star review dissuade you from checking her books out!
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is out now. Huge thank you to Atria Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
4 Comments Add yours