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The Appeal #1
The Appeal
The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife Helen, the play’s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival. But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment’s efficacy—or of the good intentions of those involved. As tension grows within the community, things come to a shocking head at the explosive dress rehearsal. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon, an arrest is made. In the run-up to the trial, two young lawyers sift through the material—emails, messages, letters—with a growing suspicion that the killer may be hiding in plain sight. The evidence is all there, between the lines, waiting to be uncovered.
445 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2021
About the author
Janice Hallett
11 books1,881 followersJanice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and cowrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is her first novel.
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January 19, 2024
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
The format of The Appeal won't be for everyone and at first I felt overwhelmed with the large cast of characters. But fear not, at least twice we get a list of the players to help us keep things straight. We are witness to two young lawyers going through emails, messages, and letters because they have been tasked by their boss to help him see clearly who really murdered a victim.
Pay attention to everything! If you don't you could miss important clues but also you could miss some funny tidbits. I felt like I was a fly on the wall, getting to peek into the lives of these people but I also knew that much of what was being written was meant to deceive. It's just that it isn't clear just who is in on the deception or not. And then there is Issy who is one big mess of weirdness, contradictions, lies, and creepy clinginess.
Little Poppy has been diagnosed with cancer and there is a massive fund raising campaign to raise money for an experimental treatment. But is everyone on the up and up? Enter nurse Samantha who is very focused on the truth and weeding out corruption. She knows all about corruption because she lost her last job trying to expose it. Now she's seeing the signs again and she wants the bad characters exposed. The community she lands in for her new job is led by Poppy's well respected family. The Fairway Players, a local theatre group run by this family, is central to the story as are the goings on at the local hospitals.
It was so hard to put the book down because we have all these short snippets of information, it was so easy to say "just one more" and keep going an hour after I needed to be in bed. Towards the end of the book it can seem like an information dump but it's information I wanted to know. And then there is the last chapter where we see that life goes on in the most creepy of ways.
Pub Jan 25th 2022
Thank you to Atria Books and Edelweiss for this ARC.
The format of The Appeal won't be for everyone and at first I felt overwhelmed with the large cast of characters. But fear not, at least twice we get a list of the players to help us keep things straight. We are witness to two young lawyers going through emails, messages, and letters because they have been tasked by their boss to help him see clearly who really murdered a victim.
Pay attention to everything! If you don't you could miss important clues but also you could miss some funny tidbits. I felt like I was a fly on the wall, getting to peek into the lives of these people but I also knew that much of what was being written was meant to deceive. It's just that it isn't clear just who is in on the deception or not. And then there is Issy who is one big mess of weirdness, contradictions, lies, and creepy clinginess.
Little Poppy has been diagnosed with cancer and there is a massive fund raising campaign to raise money for an experimental treatment. But is everyone on the up and up? Enter nurse Samantha who is very focused on the truth and weeding out corruption. She knows all about corruption because she lost her last job trying to expose it. Now she's seeing the signs again and she wants the bad characters exposed. The community she lands in for her new job is led by Poppy's well respected family. The Fairway Players, a local theatre group run by this family, is central to the story as are the goings on at the local hospitals.
It was so hard to put the book down because we have all these short snippets of information, it was so easy to say "just one more" and keep going an hour after I needed to be in bed. Towards the end of the book it can seem like an information dump but it's information I wanted to know. And then there is the last chapter where we see that life goes on in the most creepy of ways.
Pub Jan 25th 2022
Thank you to Atria Books and Edelweiss for this ARC.
January 20, 2022
Ho-hum
The Appeal is a “modern-day epistolary novel” about a charitable appeal that ends in murder.
The plot is told through emails, texts, letters, and essays, and the narrative often shifts voices and perspectives. I didn’t mind the use of different mediums, but what I did mind was that there were numerous characters to keep track of. Only two characters had distinct voices and were somewhat interesting, but the others bored me. A few characters served no purpose at all. These elements made my reading experiences frustrating to the point where I stopped caring about who was whom, and all that I was reading for was the reveal of the murderer.
The plotting was irksome! I have seen elements of this plot before on a tv show that I cannot remember and in another book. If someone knows which show(s) or books, please let me know in the comments? This is driving me crazy.
What annoyed me was how correspondence was deliberately left out to confuse the reader. This wasn't clever plotting, but rather it seemed to be a way to drag out the reveal of the murderer. I wish Sam's voice was shared, at least in the end, as that would have added another layer.
What was most frustrating is that I don’t believe people send emails when they can text. There were a few moments when characters were emailing when they were sitting in the same room! Also, at one point, some characters could not find another character, so they send her an email offering to drive her home? And she responds almost immediately? Not buying it!
The beginning of the novel is intriguing, but things quickly go downhill from there. I thought this book would never end, and I consider it an accomplishment that I finished reading it. There wasn't much that I enjoyed about this book. I was surprised by the identity of the murderer, and that is the only positive thing that I have to say.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Appeal is a “modern-day epistolary novel” about a charitable appeal that ends in murder.
The plot is told through emails, texts, letters, and essays, and the narrative often shifts voices and perspectives. I didn’t mind the use of different mediums, but what I did mind was that there were numerous characters to keep track of. Only two characters had distinct voices and were somewhat interesting, but the others bored me. A few characters served no purpose at all. These elements made my reading experiences frustrating to the point where I stopped caring about who was whom, and all that I was reading for was the reveal of the murderer.
The plotting was irksome! I have seen elements of this plot before on a tv show that I cannot remember and in another book. If someone knows which show(s) or books, please let me know in the comments? This is driving me crazy.
What annoyed me was how correspondence was deliberately left out to confuse the reader. This wasn't clever plotting, but rather it seemed to be a way to drag out the reveal of the murderer. I wish Sam's voice was shared, at least in the end, as that would have added another layer.
What was most frustrating is that I don’t believe people send emails when they can text. There were a few moments when characters were emailing when they were sitting in the same room! Also, at one point, some characters could not find another character, so they send her an email offering to drive her home? And she responds almost immediately? Not buying it!
The beginning of the novel is intriguing, but things quickly go downhill from there. I thought this book would never end, and I consider it an accomplishment that I finished reading it. There wasn't much that I enjoyed about this book. I was surprised by the identity of the murderer, and that is the only positive thing that I have to say.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2020
Janice Hallett takes a rather different approach to the crime genre that I think will appeal to many a seasoned crime fiction reader, a chance to turn investigator. Roderick Tanner QC, of Tanner and Dewey LLP, gives law students Olufemi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd a bundle of papers, emails and messages for them to go through. There is a client in prison for murder, a murder they are believed to be innocent of. The real killer can be found within this bundle of papers, papers that the reader has too, thereby being offered the opportunity to identify the killer too. The narrative comprises of these papers and the discussions and theories considered by Femi and Charlotte. I am going to admit upfront that it took me quite a while to get immersed but once I did, I found it intensely riveting with its twists and surprises.
Set in the small town of Lockwood, the family around which much of the community revolves around are Martin and Helen Hayward, running The Grange Gold and Country Club, leading figures in The Fairway Players, an amateur dramatic society in which Helen always plays the lead, currently in the process of putting on Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Their daughter, Paige is married to Glen, with a 2 year old daughter Poppy, and their son, James, is married to the pregnant Olivia. There are two nurses, recent volunteers from Africa, joining the community, Sam and Kel Greenwood, Sam has secured a position in a geriatric unit at St Anne's Hospital, Kel is a psychiatric nurse. Matters are thrown into disarray when young Poppy is diagnosed with a brain tumour, which leads to crowdfunding efforts and a campaign to raise funds, an appeal for lifesaving experimental drugs from the United States, with the support of Clinical Consultant Oncologist, Dr Tish Bhatoa.
There are a wide range of characters and suspects, with missing papers from certain people, all we know about them is what we learn through others. After what initially seem a series of anodyne messages that form the narrative, its slowly emerges little is as it seems. The reader becomes acquainted with what seems normal aspects of small community life that is throwing itself into raising money that then extends to murder, the gossip, the judgementalism, the grudges, resentments, obsessions, the lack of control over and problematic finances in fundraising, the suspicions, the secrets, the relationships and more. This is for all you crime and mystery readers looking to enliven your normal crime reading fare, particularly if a challenge is something that you are looking for! Many thanks to Profile Books for an ARC.
Set in the small town of Lockwood, the family around which much of the community revolves around are Martin and Helen Hayward, running The Grange Gold and Country Club, leading figures in The Fairway Players, an amateur dramatic society in which Helen always plays the lead, currently in the process of putting on Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Their daughter, Paige is married to Glen, with a 2 year old daughter Poppy, and their son, James, is married to the pregnant Olivia. There are two nurses, recent volunteers from Africa, joining the community, Sam and Kel Greenwood, Sam has secured a position in a geriatric unit at St Anne's Hospital, Kel is a psychiatric nurse. Matters are thrown into disarray when young Poppy is diagnosed with a brain tumour, which leads to crowdfunding efforts and a campaign to raise funds, an appeal for lifesaving experimental drugs from the United States, with the support of Clinical Consultant Oncologist, Dr Tish Bhatoa.
There are a wide range of characters and suspects, with missing papers from certain people, all we know about them is what we learn through others. After what initially seem a series of anodyne messages that form the narrative, its slowly emerges little is as it seems. The reader becomes acquainted with what seems normal aspects of small community life that is throwing itself into raising money that then extends to murder, the gossip, the judgementalism, the grudges, resentments, obsessions, the lack of control over and problematic finances in fundraising, the suspicions, the secrets, the relationships and more. This is for all you crime and mystery readers looking to enliven your normal crime reading fare, particularly if a challenge is something that you are looking for! Many thanks to Profile Books for an ARC.
November 15, 2024
A mystery in epistolary form? Sign me up!
Before going in, I had heard a lot about Janice Hallett. Her unique take on mysteries—where every crime, every clue, and every suspect is presented via emails and messages—sounds as fun as it is intriguing. So it's with much anticipation that I finally pick up her debut and see for myself what all the fuss is about.
And The Appeal definitely starts off strong. We're immediately dropped into the fray and the action, being privy to the private conversations that fly back and forth between all the different characters. There's no setup to get through, no background we need to know first. The format lends an undeniably zippy feel to the whole thing, and you can't help but turn the pages, wanting to read just a little bit more.
But somewhere around the 80-page mark, I started getting confused. Because where is the mystery? I thought I'd signed up to read a murderous play, but all I got thus far was small-town petty drama. And the more I read, the less appealing it got.
For me, a large part of the issue is that the murder isn't even alluded to until more than 250 pages in. If that sounds like a lot of pages to get through before anything happens, I assure you it was. In the meantime, we must wade through so many emails and messages detailing the small and seemingly inconsequential minutiae of life and play. Yes, there were a few nefarious whiffs here and there, but they felt more like interpersonal drama than anything substantial enough to uphold the weight of a proper mystery.
Once the murder happens, things do pick up. But here again, I feel like I have to nitpick a little. The way the investigation unfolds is a little bit awkward. It's two lawyers trying to figure it out while a third lawyer who already knows everything eggs them on, so it comes across somewhat forced. Not only that, but they must examine the crime from every possible angle. That means every suspect and every theory is talked about at length, and it was so detailed as to be bordering on tedious. I even started having trouble keeping it all clear and square in my mind.
And yet, for all my misgivings, when we do finally reach the end, it comes together in a satisfying way. That, plus the interesting format, has me intrigued. This is a debut, so perhaps some of the issues I ran into were just growing pains and more writing experience would iron it out? I have a few more of Janice Hallett's books lined up and time will tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
Before going in, I had heard a lot about Janice Hallett. Her unique take on mysteries—where every crime, every clue, and every suspect is presented via emails and messages—sounds as fun as it is intriguing. So it's with much anticipation that I finally pick up her debut and see for myself what all the fuss is about.
And The Appeal definitely starts off strong. We're immediately dropped into the fray and the action, being privy to the private conversations that fly back and forth between all the different characters. There's no setup to get through, no background we need to know first. The format lends an undeniably zippy feel to the whole thing, and you can't help but turn the pages, wanting to read just a little bit more.
But somewhere around the 80-page mark, I started getting confused. Because where is the mystery? I thought I'd signed up to read a murderous play, but all I got thus far was small-town petty drama. And the more I read, the less appealing it got.
For me, a large part of the issue is that the murder isn't even alluded to until more than 250 pages in. If that sounds like a lot of pages to get through before anything happens, I assure you it was. In the meantime, we must wade through so many emails and messages detailing the small and seemingly inconsequential minutiae of life and play. Yes, there were a few nefarious whiffs here and there, but they felt more like interpersonal drama than anything substantial enough to uphold the weight of a proper mystery.
Once the murder happens, things do pick up. But here again, I feel like I have to nitpick a little. The way the investigation unfolds is a little bit awkward. It's two lawyers trying to figure it out while a third lawyer who already knows everything eggs them on, so it comes across somewhat forced. Not only that, but they must examine the crime from every possible angle. That means every suspect and every theory is talked about at length, and it was so detailed as to be bordering on tedious. I even started having trouble keeping it all clear and square in my mind.
And yet, for all my misgivings, when we do finally reach the end, it comes together in a satisfying way. That, plus the interesting format, has me intrigued. This is a debut, so perhaps some of the issues I ran into were just growing pains and more writing experience would iron it out? I have a few more of Janice Hallett's books lined up and time will tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
February 14, 2022
Incredibly clever, extra riveting with its unique writing style! This book provides us such a long character list consisted of bunch of peculiar townies! Backstabbing, mind traps, lies, betrayal, political games inserted inside entertaining clue game: you read bunch of documents, examining the character list and trying to guess whodunnit by connecting the dots! I had so much fun to force my brain cells for extra exercise!
The story starts with Olufemi Hassan and Charlotte Holrody’s assignment to examine several correspondences of local theater team members including text messages, emails, newspaper clippings that are arranged chronologically by Tanner& Dewey LLP. At first we don’t understand why those people are hired and why they should dig out a bunch of townies’ private correspondences.
We just dig through several emails, text messages and list of crowded group members to designate who’s who like regular opening of Christie novels introducing us character names and their brief attributes.
It seems like the local theater production team focuses on a new play and producers are wealthy local family who is at the top place of social hierarchy. Martin and Helen: the head couple inform their theater group that their two years old granddaughter Poppy was diagnosed with brain cancer. American drug combination which may cure their granddaughter costs $ 350K ! They plan to start crowdfunding page , asking their friends, families, colleagues to share the link to raise more awareness.
It seems like the family is tight lipped about the drug therapy and other details which is suspicious a little and when we add murder into equation, things get juicer and more complex!
The beginning was a little slow! To learn more about characters, their motives, their secrets, you have to read a lot of paper work!
It was interesting and absolutely intelligent idea to tell the entire story, inserting small clues via correspondences.
Even though it started slow, it picks up in the middle so you gotta keep your patience and it’s fully worth it!
I loved the unique storytelling! The number of characters was a lot which slowed me down to turn back to remember who was who, but it was still enjoyable to chase the clues to find the perpetrator!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/ Simon & Schuster for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
The story starts with Olufemi Hassan and Charlotte Holrody’s assignment to examine several correspondences of local theater team members including text messages, emails, newspaper clippings that are arranged chronologically by Tanner& Dewey LLP. At first we don’t understand why those people are hired and why they should dig out a bunch of townies’ private correspondences.
We just dig through several emails, text messages and list of crowded group members to designate who’s who like regular opening of Christie novels introducing us character names and their brief attributes.
It seems like the local theater production team focuses on a new play and producers are wealthy local family who is at the top place of social hierarchy. Martin and Helen: the head couple inform their theater group that their two years old granddaughter Poppy was diagnosed with brain cancer. American drug combination which may cure their granddaughter costs $ 350K ! They plan to start crowdfunding page , asking their friends, families, colleagues to share the link to raise more awareness.
It seems like the family is tight lipped about the drug therapy and other details which is suspicious a little and when we add murder into equation, things get juicer and more complex!
The beginning was a little slow! To learn more about characters, their motives, their secrets, you have to read a lot of paper work!
It was interesting and absolutely intelligent idea to tell the entire story, inserting small clues via correspondences.
Even though it started slow, it picks up in the middle so you gotta keep your patience and it’s fully worth it!
I loved the unique storytelling! The number of characters was a lot which slowed me down to turn back to remember who was who, but it was still enjoyable to chase the clues to find the perpetrator!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/ Simon & Schuster for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
September 28, 2024
**3.5-stars**
After a member of a small local theater trope, The Fairway Players, is murdered, another member ends up imprisoned for the crime.
There's reason to believe that the incarcerated person is actually innocent, however, but if they are, who is the murderer?
As the Reader, you are supplied with all of the documents a criminal researcher may use when studying this case. You have access to emails, text messages, etc., from most of the major players.
They're presented chronologically, so what you get is actually a fairly thorough picture of what has occurred among this chaotic group of characters; and what a group of characters they are!
Janice Hallett's The Appeal is definitely a fun change of pace in the standard Murder Mystery genre.
The format was unique and well-composed. I felt like I was getting a secret peek into these people's lives that I shouldn't have been having. It felt a bit illicit.
With this being said, the mystery itself wasn't super-engaging for me. Even when I found out who was murdered, I wasn't particularly bothered by it, or really compelled to discover who did it.
There were a ton of shady players, involved in all sorts of super shady activities; things such as fraud, blatantly lying to friends and stealing. I'm frankly surprised only one of them ended up dead.
So, while I give the author top marks for thinking outside the box and getting super creative with her format, the story itself was just average for me. It was solid, but it wasn't great.
Overall, I think it is a good book that a lot of Readers will enjoy, it just didn't blow my hair back as I expected it to.
Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.
After a member of a small local theater trope, The Fairway Players, is murdered, another member ends up imprisoned for the crime.
There's reason to believe that the incarcerated person is actually innocent, however, but if they are, who is the murderer?
As the Reader, you are supplied with all of the documents a criminal researcher may use when studying this case. You have access to emails, text messages, etc., from most of the major players.
They're presented chronologically, so what you get is actually a fairly thorough picture of what has occurred among this chaotic group of characters; and what a group of characters they are!
Janice Hallett's The Appeal is definitely a fun change of pace in the standard Murder Mystery genre.
The format was unique and well-composed. I felt like I was getting a secret peek into these people's lives that I shouldn't have been having. It felt a bit illicit.
With this being said, the mystery itself wasn't super-engaging for me. Even when I found out who was murdered, I wasn't particularly bothered by it, or really compelled to discover who did it.
There were a ton of shady players, involved in all sorts of super shady activities; things such as fraud, blatantly lying to friends and stealing. I'm frankly surprised only one of them ended up dead.
So, while I give the author top marks for thinking outside the box and getting super creative with her format, the story itself was just average for me. It was solid, but it wasn't great.
Overall, I think it is a good book that a lot of Readers will enjoy, it just didn't blow my hair back as I expected it to.
Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.
October 13, 2022
Two law students get an email from a trial lawyer asking for a fresh pair of eyes on the communications amongst a small community over a period of time. To keep their eyes fresh and me the reader in suspense we are not told anything but to start reading the emails, texts, messages, newspaper articles and copies of handwritten notes... yeah hold the mobile phone, this is an epistolary novel!
Couple, Sam and Kel recently back from volunteering in Africa, appear to have come into a close knit community centred around the leading family (the Haywards) owned social centre, The Grange and the Hayward's run theatre club, to investigate a local medical professional, which in turn has them investigating a huge Hayward's led fundraising appeal for their two year old granddaughter Poppy, recently diagnosed with a rare cancer, and that's the first few pages!
Using mostly emails, texts and messaging Hallet manages to convey multi facetted, detailed and realistic characterisations for the majority of the cast; tell a multi story arc, non linear story that holds together, and that is on top of a number of people communicating being aware that their communications might be made public in the future, so are actually unreliable communicators! Also, people doing something they don't want traced back to them, might have to find anonymous or other means of communicating!
This mystery is a superb top drawer attention holder as good as the best of Agatha Christie; but that wasn't enough for Janice Hallett, Janice takes a long dark look at close-knit hierarchal communities, local fundraising, digital communications and joy-beyond-joy the creation, management and possible repercussions of digitally-based conspiracy. It could also be argued that it's a much needed tale on the plight and strength of whistleblowers! Confused. Just read the book already!
A book that will leave its mark on both mystery and epistolary novel writing as in a single book, in her first published work aged 50+, Janice provides a about-to-be-much-copied way of setting these out for 21st century audiences. In the mystery, not only am I the reader studying all the available communications the same time as the law students; I as a reader, am also investigating the students and the trial lawyer's aims. Last shout-out to the Isobel character, what an exceptional, spot on, and heart breaking character... if this is ever adapted, this is a dream role, from a dream book. All the hearts, all the stars, a Five Star, 10 out of 12. (I was going to give this a Four Star 9.5 out of 12, but as I began writing this review, I realised how wrong that would be!)
2022 read
Couple, Sam and Kel recently back from volunteering in Africa, appear to have come into a close knit community centred around the leading family (the Haywards) owned social centre, The Grange and the Hayward's run theatre club, to investigate a local medical professional, which in turn has them investigating a huge Hayward's led fundraising appeal for their two year old granddaughter Poppy, recently diagnosed with a rare cancer, and that's the first few pages!
Using mostly emails, texts and messaging Hallet manages to convey multi facetted, detailed and realistic characterisations for the majority of the cast; tell a multi story arc, non linear story that holds together, and that is on top of a number of people communicating being aware that their communications might be made public in the future, so are actually unreliable communicators! Also, people doing something they don't want traced back to them, might have to find anonymous or other means of communicating!
This mystery is a superb top drawer attention holder as good as the best of Agatha Christie; but that wasn't enough for Janice Hallett, Janice takes a long dark look at close-knit hierarchal communities, local fundraising, digital communications and joy-beyond-joy the creation, management and possible repercussions of digitally-based conspiracy. It could also be argued that it's a much needed tale on the plight and strength of whistleblowers! Confused. Just read the book already!
A book that will leave its mark on both mystery and epistolary novel writing as in a single book, in her first published work aged 50+, Janice provides a about-to-be-much-copied way of setting these out for 21st century audiences. In the mystery, not only am I the reader studying all the available communications the same time as the law students; I as a reader, am also investigating the students and the trial lawyer's aims. Last shout-out to the Isobel character, what an exceptional, spot on, and heart breaking character... if this is ever adapted, this is a dream role, from a dream book. All the hearts, all the stars, a Five Star, 10 out of 12. (I was going to give this a Four Star 9.5 out of 12, but as I began writing this review, I realised how wrong that would be!)
2022 read
January 25, 2022
Can you really tell a complex murder mystery in epistolary style?
Turns out-you CAN!!
The Fairway Players, a local theater group, is in the midst of rehearsals for their latest production, when tragedy strikes the family of the director Martin Haywood, and his wife, Helen, the play’s leading lady. Their two year old granddaughter, Poppy Reswick has been diagnosed with Medulloblastoma-a rare form of brain cancer.
Their only hope is to try and raise $350,000 through a crowdfunding campaign-A Cure For Poppy-so that they can import an experimental drug from the U.S. for the first round of treatment.
But, not everyone is convinced that THE APPEAL for the funds, or the drug, are legitimate.
Suspicions mount, accusations are made and the tension leads to a DEAD body, and an ARREST on the night of the play’s dress rehearsal . Yes, there is more drama off the stage than on it!,
Roderick Tanner, QC, the senior partner at Tanner & Dewey, LLP, is representing the accused, and tasks his young law interns, Olefemi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd, with the tedious job of sorting through the emails, texts and messages sent and received by all those involved with the APPEAL.
They must decipher IF the appeal is being used for personal gain, and by whom. And, also if the suspect in custody is the correct one.
We, the reader join them in their endeavor, as the story is told ENTIRELY through these various means of correspondence, as they attempt to determine who is guilty and who is innocent.
Initially, I thought to myself, how in the heck do you keep 15 suspects straight? Turns out, although there are a LOT of characters, once you get into the flow of the story, the key players easily stand out, as their correspondence is much more frequent. So, DON’T get bogged down with the supporting cast, and how each is related to the others-it isn’t necessary.
However, I can understand why the book won’t be for every reader. If you sit in front of a computer all day, reading (and responding to) emails for a living, doing so after work, in a book, may not work for you!
I thought it helped that there was levity supplied through the email exchanges sent and received by Isabel Beck, a nurse and cast member, who is OBSESSED with rehearsals for the play, AND with a new co-worker, Samantha Greenwood, who she has deemed her new BEST friend.
And, the LAST chapter is perfect. 👌
Overall, although the book felt a little too long, by the end, I found it to be CLEVER, COMPLEX and UNIQUE and kudos to author Janice Hallett for that! I will definitely be reading her next book, “The Twyford Code” when it becomes available to U.S. readers.
This one is NOW AVAILABLE!!
Thank You to Atria books who supplied me with a gifted copy. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
Turns out-you CAN!!
The Fairway Players, a local theater group, is in the midst of rehearsals for their latest production, when tragedy strikes the family of the director Martin Haywood, and his wife, Helen, the play’s leading lady. Their two year old granddaughter, Poppy Reswick has been diagnosed with Medulloblastoma-a rare form of brain cancer.
Their only hope is to try and raise $350,000 through a crowdfunding campaign-A Cure For Poppy-so that they can import an experimental drug from the U.S. for the first round of treatment.
But, not everyone is convinced that THE APPEAL for the funds, or the drug, are legitimate.
Suspicions mount, accusations are made and the tension leads to a DEAD body, and an ARREST on the night of the play’s dress rehearsal . Yes, there is more drama off the stage than on it!,
Roderick Tanner, QC, the senior partner at Tanner & Dewey, LLP, is representing the accused, and tasks his young law interns, Olefemi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd, with the tedious job of sorting through the emails, texts and messages sent and received by all those involved with the APPEAL.
They must decipher IF the appeal is being used for personal gain, and by whom. And, also if the suspect in custody is the correct one.
We, the reader join them in their endeavor, as the story is told ENTIRELY through these various means of correspondence, as they attempt to determine who is guilty and who is innocent.
Initially, I thought to myself, how in the heck do you keep 15 suspects straight? Turns out, although there are a LOT of characters, once you get into the flow of the story, the key players easily stand out, as their correspondence is much more frequent. So, DON’T get bogged down with the supporting cast, and how each is related to the others-it isn’t necessary.
However, I can understand why the book won’t be for every reader. If you sit in front of a computer all day, reading (and responding to) emails for a living, doing so after work, in a book, may not work for you!
I thought it helped that there was levity supplied through the email exchanges sent and received by Isabel Beck, a nurse and cast member, who is OBSESSED with rehearsals for the play, AND with a new co-worker, Samantha Greenwood, who she has deemed her new BEST friend.
And, the LAST chapter is perfect. 👌
Overall, although the book felt a little too long, by the end, I found it to be CLEVER, COMPLEX and UNIQUE and kudos to author Janice Hallett for that! I will definitely be reading her next book, “The Twyford Code” when it becomes available to U.S. readers.
This one is NOW AVAILABLE!!
Thank You to Atria books who supplied me with a gifted copy. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
January 25, 2022
NOW AVAILABLE STATESIDE!!!
fulfilling my 2022 goal to read one book each month that was not published in my country that i wanted badly enough to have a copy shipped to me from abroad and then...never read.
stretching the parameters of the goal a little bit, since this book isn't one that's been languishing on my shelves for years, like many others, but one i JUST RECEIVED from my gr secret santa this year. still, it ain't published here (yet), so i'm counting it!
what a fun shape for a murrrrder mystery: a book where all the clues are given to the reader in the form of ephemera, emails, and texts between its huge cast of characters, along with the notes and exchanges of two law students who have been given the same info-dump and tasked with finding any information that will exonerate the wrongly-accused party—but who have not been given the identity of that individual. the victim, the motive, the accused, the real killer—all of that is for the reader to uncover alongside these intrepid investigators as they wade through SO much correspondence full of gossip, red herrings, secrets, lies, unreliable witnesses, and the everyday bitchery of people who never expected their private communications would be seen by anyone other than the intended recipient. and boy, is it illuminating. spoiler alert: people are hilarious and terrible.
it's a juicy and inventive read and it sucks you in immediately. it could perhaps have been shortened a bit to reduce some of the drag of its bloated middle, but that's just a minor quibble for a book that is otherwise so, so much fun.
as a final, shallow note, i'm an incorrigible coverlover, and i am SO grateful i was gifted this lovely UK edition, because this:
is so much more APPEAL-ing than the cover of the soon-to-be-published US edition:
i was drawn to that UK cover before i knew anything about the book, whereas that snoozy US cover looks like so many other books, i would probably have white-noised right over it on the bookstore shelves and never discovered what this little gem has to offer.
DON'T SNOOZE! YOU'LL LOSE!!
come to my blog!
fulfilling my 2022 goal to read one book each month that was not published in my country that i wanted badly enough to have a copy shipped to me from abroad and then...never read.
stretching the parameters of the goal a little bit, since this book isn't one that's been languishing on my shelves for years, like many others, but one i JUST RECEIVED from my gr secret santa this year. still, it ain't published here (yet), so i'm counting it!
Dear Reader - enclosed are all the documents you need to solve a case. It starts with the arrival of two mysterious newcomers to the small town of Lockwood, and ends with a tragic death.
Someone has already been convicted of this brutal murder and is currently in prison, but we suspect they are innocent. What's more, we believe far darker secrets have yet to be revealed.
We believe that the killer has given themselves away. It's there in writing, hidden in the emails, texts, and letters. In the events surrounding the charity appeal for little Poppy Reswick, and the question of whether that money was truly being used to fund her life-saving cancer treatment.
Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth?
what a fun shape for a murrrrder mystery: a book where all the clues are given to the reader in the form of ephemera, emails, and texts between its huge cast of characters, along with the notes and exchanges of two law students who have been given the same info-dump and tasked with finding any information that will exonerate the wrongly-accused party—but who have not been given the identity of that individual. the victim, the motive, the accused, the real killer—all of that is for the reader to uncover alongside these intrepid investigators as they wade through SO much correspondence full of gossip, red herrings, secrets, lies, unreliable witnesses, and the everyday bitchery of people who never expected their private communications would be seen by anyone other than the intended recipient. and boy, is it illuminating. spoiler alert: people are hilarious and terrible.
it's a juicy and inventive read and it sucks you in immediately. it could perhaps have been shortened a bit to reduce some of the drag of its bloated middle, but that's just a minor quibble for a book that is otherwise so, so much fun.
as a final, shallow note, i'm an incorrigible coverlover, and i am SO grateful i was gifted this lovely UK edition, because this:
is so much more APPEAL-ing than the cover of the soon-to-be-published US edition:
i was drawn to that UK cover before i knew anything about the book, whereas that snoozy US cover looks like so many other books, i would probably have white-noised right over it on the bookstore shelves and never discovered what this little gem has to offer.
DON'T SNOOZE! YOU'LL LOSE!!
come to my blog!
December 4, 2021
Outlier opinion ahead....
The premise sounded so intriguing and addictive.
We are asked to uncover the truth behind a murder!
Did I solve it? A big NO. Maybe you'll be able to unwrap thismess one?
I became frustrated and annoyed early on (15 suspects)! A lot of rambling from a lot of characters, the mystery is just weighted down with message overload! My head was hurting. I didn't want to start "taking notes" just to keep up with all the busy bodies. Secrets, lies and misdirection are all embedded in emails, texts and documents (it felt like a stack of paperwork-nooooo).
The format was tedious (for me), though the pace does pick up around 80%. There are two themes (2 appeals), one surrounding a play that I found extremely dull and one dealing with a fund-raiser called A Cure For Poppy. They intertwine, but I was too distracted for the brain power needed (perhaps December was the wrong month for this one)!
I won't go on and on and on......
Its a clever idea, but I was never engaged, others have left 5 star reviews.
Just me perhaps ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks to Atria and EWPlus for my early copy. OUT Jan 25, 2022
The premise sounded so intriguing and addictive.
We are asked to uncover the truth behind a murder!
Did I solve it? A big NO. Maybe you'll be able to unwrap this
I became frustrated and annoyed early on (15 suspects)! A lot of rambling from a lot of characters, the mystery is just weighted down with message overload! My head was hurting. I didn't want to start "taking notes" just to keep up with all the busy bodies. Secrets, lies and misdirection are all embedded in emails, texts and documents (it felt like a stack of paperwork-nooooo).
The format was tedious (for me), though the pace does pick up around 80%. There are two themes (2 appeals), one surrounding a play that I found extremely dull and one dealing with a fund-raiser called A Cure For Poppy. They intertwine, but I was too distracted for the brain power needed (perhaps December was the wrong month for this one)!
I won't go on and on and on......
Its a clever idea, but I was never engaged, others have left 5 star reviews.
Just me perhaps ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks to Atria and EWPlus for my early copy. OUT Jan 25, 2022
December 20, 2021
The Appeal
by Janice Hallett is her debut novel and its epistolary format may tempt amateur sleuths to work alongside the two junior lawyers tasked with sorting through emails, texts, newspaper clippings, social media activity, messages, letters, and police reports which make up the narrative of the book to answer the senior partner’s questions which change over time. As Olufemi (Femi) Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd read, took notes, and sorted through the various information, so did I. They are kept in the dark initially as to the true nature of the case and it is best that readers go in without all of the details as well.
A local theatre group, The Fairway Players, are getting ready for Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons, when tragedy strikes the family of Martin Hayward, the director, and his wife, Helen, the play’s star. Their granddaughter has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. An experimental treatment costing a large amount of money may be the only thing to save her life. Their friends and colleagues support them by babysitting, dog-sitting, and fundraising. However, accusations, fights, and a dead body bring a mystery to life.
This book had a very large cast of characters that required notes as I attempted to uncover the truth and answer the senior partner’s questions. It’s the second book that I have read with an epistolary format in 2021 and it worked for me. Some of the correspondence is just gossip and others provide key information if one reads them carefully while others seem enigmatic or irrelevant. But are they? To my surprise, given the format of the narrative, suspense was built as details were revealed.
The plot is clever and somewhat convoluted, requiring more notes to keep things straight. The epistolary dialogue is well-crafted. Even the main characters become fully drawn and unforgettable. The last minute evidence added after an initial report back to the senior partner clarified some things. Did I get all of the questions answered correctly? No. However, I did arrive at several of the answers. How will you fare? Will you be able to pick out details and make the connections? Several themes were woven into the novel including social hierarchy, social exclusion, friendship, family, community, stress, obsession, jealousy, and much more. The others would be spoilers.
Overall, this was suspenseful with compelling characters that engaged my inner sleuth and kept me turning the pages. The occasional humor helped as well. It’s an impressive start for a debut novel. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. If you are looking for a mystery with twists, plenty of suspects, and lots of motives, then this is one you may want to check out.
Atria Books and Janice Hallett provided a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for January 25, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
----------------------------
My 4 star review will be posted 3-4 days after it appears in Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
A local theatre group, The Fairway Players, are getting ready for Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons, when tragedy strikes the family of Martin Hayward, the director, and his wife, Helen, the play’s star. Their granddaughter has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. An experimental treatment costing a large amount of money may be the only thing to save her life. Their friends and colleagues support them by babysitting, dog-sitting, and fundraising. However, accusations, fights, and a dead body bring a mystery to life.
This book had a very large cast of characters that required notes as I attempted to uncover the truth and answer the senior partner’s questions. It’s the second book that I have read with an epistolary format in 2021 and it worked for me. Some of the correspondence is just gossip and others provide key information if one reads them carefully while others seem enigmatic or irrelevant. But are they? To my surprise, given the format of the narrative, suspense was built as details were revealed.
The plot is clever and somewhat convoluted, requiring more notes to keep things straight. The epistolary dialogue is well-crafted. Even the main characters become fully drawn and unforgettable. The last minute evidence added after an initial report back to the senior partner clarified some things. Did I get all of the questions answered correctly? No. However, I did arrive at several of the answers. How will you fare? Will you be able to pick out details and make the connections? Several themes were woven into the novel including social hierarchy, social exclusion, friendship, family, community, stress, obsession, jealousy, and much more. The others would be spoilers.
Overall, this was suspenseful with compelling characters that engaged my inner sleuth and kept me turning the pages. The occasional humor helped as well. It’s an impressive start for a debut novel. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. If you are looking for a mystery with twists, plenty of suspects, and lots of motives, then this is one you may want to check out.
Atria Books and Janice Hallett provided a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for January 25, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
----------------------------
My 4 star review will be posted 3-4 days after it appears in Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Read
February 15, 2022I just had to DNF this one. I just couldn't get passed how the way the book is formated. It seems to be full of emails, text messages, letters also some newspaper clippings and some social media activity. I looked throughout the whole book and it looks like the whole book is written this way. I could be wrong but that's just my opinion. Since I did not finish it, I am not going to rate it. It seems just to be my problem. I am an outlier! Other reviewers seem to enjoy it so make sure you read their reviews. This just was not my kind of book.
I want to thank Atria Books and Edelweiss for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2022
**Many thanks to Edelweiss, Maudee Genao at Atria, and Janice Hallett for a DRC in exchange for an honest review! Now available in the US as of 1.25!!**
Imagine: you work a desk job. Your boss comes up to you with a Hammermill box, and plops it on your desk. Inside the box? 4,000 emails. Your job? To sort through them all, looking for that one specific email to answer an obscure question. But there is no search and find on a desktop. You get to embark on this journey ALL by yourself.
...By hand.
Does that sound exciting to you?
Then BOY, do I have a book for you!
A community theatre troupe, led by Martin and wife Helen, are brought together by something other than the love of the stage when Martin and Helen's young daughter Poppy falls ill. Unfortunately, her illness is a rare type of cancer, one that only extremely expensive medicine might be able to cure. The group bands together to form an Appeal, designed to raise the funds necessary to PROcure the cure...and all is well, until a body turns up. Months later, two lawyers are given the difficult task of piecing together emails, audio transcripts, news articles, and the like prior to the trial to see if the right person has been apprehended...and where exactly did the funds go? What has become of Poppy? Can the dynamic duo of Femi and Charlotte crack the case...and more importantly, can YOU?
It is so hard to know where to start with this book. I was lured in by the cover, comparisons to Lucy Foley, and the premise. Although in my excitement, I did miss one leading clue on the front cover: FIFTEEN suspects. This probably should have been my first clue that this book was not a fit for me. No matter how much I love them or how interesting they are, I do not ever enjoy reading books with THAT many characters. So much so that the author actually has to refresh you, the reader, multiple times with lists of who everyone is and what their 'role' is..and on my phone screen via my Kindle app, this took about four or five pages.
There's also the fact that the novel is written in the style that it is: email after email after email. It was honestly exhausting after the first 20% or so and reading the book felt like WORK...but not rewarding work. While I wholeheartedly respect the author's creativity in this regard, this book was 400 pages that felt closer to 800 for me and was full of so much extraneous detail I just didn't need or care about in the slightest.
I also figured out some of the 'twists' along the way and felt they were fairly obvious, but others were so complicated and convoluted I feel as though I'd need to read this book multiple times just to have a firm grasp on everything. I am 100% sure Hallett did the legwork and that everything makes sense...but unlike the movie version of Clue (a personal favorite) that has three possible endings that are all interesting and exciting, so many versions were presented here that I honestly lost track.
The two detectives also write a thesis of sorts (or at least that's how it read) just to summarize their theories...which led me to wish I'd simply read that and skipped most of the book itself. And it STILL wasn't over after that, as they both changed their minds yet again with last minute evidence....agh. I spent so much of this journey frustrated rather than excited and wish I could have some of the time I spent reading back.
I know Hallett has found lots of success with this book and clearly she has a mind for intricate plotting, but this one simply wasn't appeal-ing (sorry, I had to do it) to me. I will certainly consider her work in the future, as long as I have my Patient Hat on...and a hefty stack of Post-Its nearby!
3 stars
Imagine: you work a desk job. Your boss comes up to you with a Hammermill box, and plops it on your desk. Inside the box? 4,000 emails. Your job? To sort through them all, looking for that one specific email to answer an obscure question. But there is no search and find on a desktop. You get to embark on this journey ALL by yourself.
...By hand.
Does that sound exciting to you?
Then BOY, do I have a book for you!
A community theatre troupe, led by Martin and wife Helen, are brought together by something other than the love of the stage when Martin and Helen's young daughter Poppy falls ill. Unfortunately, her illness is a rare type of cancer, one that only extremely expensive medicine might be able to cure. The group bands together to form an Appeal, designed to raise the funds necessary to PROcure the cure...and all is well, until a body turns up. Months later, two lawyers are given the difficult task of piecing together emails, audio transcripts, news articles, and the like prior to the trial to see if the right person has been apprehended...and where exactly did the funds go? What has become of Poppy? Can the dynamic duo of Femi and Charlotte crack the case...and more importantly, can YOU?
It is so hard to know where to start with this book. I was lured in by the cover, comparisons to Lucy Foley, and the premise. Although in my excitement, I did miss one leading clue on the front cover: FIFTEEN suspects. This probably should have been my first clue that this book was not a fit for me. No matter how much I love them or how interesting they are, I do not ever enjoy reading books with THAT many characters. So much so that the author actually has to refresh you, the reader, multiple times with lists of who everyone is and what their 'role' is..and on my phone screen via my Kindle app, this took about four or five pages.
There's also the fact that the novel is written in the style that it is: email after email after email. It was honestly exhausting after the first 20% or so and reading the book felt like WORK...but not rewarding work. While I wholeheartedly respect the author's creativity in this regard, this book was 400 pages that felt closer to 800 for me and was full of so much extraneous detail I just didn't need or care about in the slightest.
I also figured out some of the 'twists' along the way and felt they were fairly obvious, but others were so complicated and convoluted I feel as though I'd need to read this book multiple times just to have a firm grasp on everything. I am 100% sure Hallett did the legwork and that everything makes sense...but unlike the movie version of Clue (a personal favorite) that has three possible endings that are all interesting and exciting, so many versions were presented here that I honestly lost track.
The two detectives also write a thesis of sorts (or at least that's how it read) just to summarize their theories...which led me to wish I'd simply read that and skipped most of the book itself. And it STILL wasn't over after that, as they both changed their minds yet again with last minute evidence....agh. I spent so much of this journey frustrated rather than excited and wish I could have some of the time I spent reading back.
I know Hallett has found lots of success with this book and clearly she has a mind for intricate plotting, but this one simply wasn't appeal-ing (sorry, I had to do it) to me. I will certainly consider her work in the future, as long as I have my Patient Hat on...and a hefty stack of Post-Its nearby!
3 stars
November 26, 2020
Olufemi (Femi) Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd are tasked by their boss QC Roderick Tanner to sift through the correspondence of a number of people to try to prove a convicted client innocent of murder. They would then go to the Court of Appeal with evidence to overturn the conviction. Those involved are in a small community and are fundraising for cancer treatment for a young child with a brain cancer and also taking part in an am dram production.
This is a very original way of investigating crime via messages especially emails and texts and it’s surprisingly addictive and immersive as you play Cluedo yourself. There’s an awful lot going on in this community, the complex plot is certainly busy and shines a fascinating spotlight on the social hierarchy in a locality with alphas ruling the roost and calling the shots. For the most part everyone falls into line especially when their actions are challenged by incomers. You wouldn’t think it possible for personalities to come across so crystal clear via the medium of email but they do with huge credit to the author. The broad ranging plot takes us far and wide and into a number of areas which initially seems daunting in scale. We have everything from sucking up to back stabbing, from lies to fantasising, from nefarious deeds to cover ups and it’s left to the reader to spot the many red flags those involved raise via their words. In the last quarter of the book Femi and Charlotte help us out with a review of what they’ve learned which is so useful not least because they’re are a lot of characters to get your head around!! As the truth finally peaks out from the twisty morass of correspondence, it’s an unexpected one and you realise just how far reaching the crimes are.
Overall, this is a very clever, immersive and gripping Crime mystery. It’s well written, I like the touches of humour, the astute observations on a community and the intriguing way the cast of characters reveal themselves. It’s been so refreshing to read something presented in a different format to the norm. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and Serpents Tale/Profile for the arc in return for an honest review.
This is a very original way of investigating crime via messages especially emails and texts and it’s surprisingly addictive and immersive as you play Cluedo yourself. There’s an awful lot going on in this community, the complex plot is certainly busy and shines a fascinating spotlight on the social hierarchy in a locality with alphas ruling the roost and calling the shots. For the most part everyone falls into line especially when their actions are challenged by incomers. You wouldn’t think it possible for personalities to come across so crystal clear via the medium of email but they do with huge credit to the author. The broad ranging plot takes us far and wide and into a number of areas which initially seems daunting in scale. We have everything from sucking up to back stabbing, from lies to fantasising, from nefarious deeds to cover ups and it’s left to the reader to spot the many red flags those involved raise via their words. In the last quarter of the book Femi and Charlotte help us out with a review of what they’ve learned which is so useful not least because they’re are a lot of characters to get your head around!! As the truth finally peaks out from the twisty morass of correspondence, it’s an unexpected one and you realise just how far reaching the crimes are.
Overall, this is a very clever, immersive and gripping Crime mystery. It’s well written, I like the touches of humour, the astute observations on a community and the intriguing way the cast of characters reveal themselves. It’s been so refreshing to read something presented in a different format to the norm. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and Serpents Tale/Profile for the arc in return for an honest review.
February 2, 2022
A prominent family finds out that their granddaughter, Poppy, has a rare form of cancer. The family learns of an experimental treatment that they hope will cure Poppy. Since the treatment does not qualify for health coverage, the family calls in the help of their amateur theatre company, and together, they begin to raise funds for Poppy’s treatment. As they begin to fundraise, some begin to raise questions about the treatment and the fundraising itself. While everyone participates in this fundraiser, the theatre company begins rehearsals for its next play. As the play nears, lies begin to unravel.
At the outset, the premise sounded so intriguing and unique. The plot is told through emails, texts, letters, and essays, and the narrative often shifts voices and perspectives. Towards the end, the two detectives also write a summary of different theories of what may have happened, which I think was a good addition to fill in the gaps in the narrative.
This book has a unique storytelling format, but there are over 15 characters to keep track of through emails, text messages, and articles. Only 2-3 characters felt interesting and had a unique voice. A few characters felt totally unnecessary. It became increasingly difficult to keep track of who was whom and what was exactly happening with each of them. The author did try to refresh the reader, multiple times with lists of who everyone is but it proved too little to remove the confusion.
There's also the fact that the novel is written in a style with emails after email after email. I have read a few short stories in this format but nothing like a full-length novel. After the first few e-mails, this format became more tedious for me. The fact that the novel was over 400 pages made it difficult to sustain interest. It felt long and repetitive and some portions could have been shortened.
I applaud the author for trying something different and out of the box. This is a modern take on the epistolary novel concept and definitely has a lot of different feel than your typical mystery book. It may take some time to get used to.
Overall, I think it is a good book that a lot of readers will like reading due to its unique premise and a solid storyline.
Many thanks to the publishers Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the ARC.
At the outset, the premise sounded so intriguing and unique. The plot is told through emails, texts, letters, and essays, and the narrative often shifts voices and perspectives. Towards the end, the two detectives also write a summary of different theories of what may have happened, which I think was a good addition to fill in the gaps in the narrative.
This book has a unique storytelling format, but there are over 15 characters to keep track of through emails, text messages, and articles. Only 2-3 characters felt interesting and had a unique voice. A few characters felt totally unnecessary. It became increasingly difficult to keep track of who was whom and what was exactly happening with each of them. The author did try to refresh the reader, multiple times with lists of who everyone is but it proved too little to remove the confusion.
There's also the fact that the novel is written in a style with emails after email after email. I have read a few short stories in this format but nothing like a full-length novel. After the first few e-mails, this format became more tedious for me. The fact that the novel was over 400 pages made it difficult to sustain interest. It felt long and repetitive and some portions could have been shortened.
I applaud the author for trying something different and out of the box. This is a modern take on the epistolary novel concept and definitely has a lot of different feel than your typical mystery book. It may take some time to get used to.
Overall, I think it is a good book that a lot of readers will like reading due to its unique premise and a solid storyline.
Many thanks to the publishers Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the ARC.
October 21, 2021
As an avid thriller fan, I knew that I needed to pick this book up as soon as I heard about it. I am so so glad that I did!
The Appeal follows the lives of a group of actors within a small town, trying to juggle a play and a fundraising appeal for a young girl. Lawyers are brought in to try and unravel the secrets that are hidden, as it is possible that someone innocent has been convicted of murder.
This may be the most uniquely written book I have ever read! I absolutely loved the way this was written!! The whole book is made up of emails, texts and some transcripts/documents. Having never read any book set out like this before, I absolutely devoured it! I loved Janice Hallett’s writing style and will definitely be picking up all of her future books if they are written in a similarly unique manner!
I read this with a friend and it was a lot of fun playing detective and batting ideas around. Unfortunately, we did guess some of the major twists which dampened the shock value of the ending for me. I do feel mostly pleased with the way the book was wrapped up, but it’s left me wanting more! I want to go back and visit the characters in this book again in the future. I feel like another story is just waiting to be told. I admit the pacing did seem to slow a little for me after a while. Luckily I didn’t mind too much because I loved the style but some may struggle with this! This would absolutely have been a 5 star read for me if I had been shocked by the ending!
I would recommend this to anyone that loves a unique thriller!! It may be best to try and read it without guessing the outcome. Although I absolutely loved playing detective it did dampen the ending for me slightly.
The Appeal follows the lives of a group of actors within a small town, trying to juggle a play and a fundraising appeal for a young girl. Lawyers are brought in to try and unravel the secrets that are hidden, as it is possible that someone innocent has been convicted of murder.
This may be the most uniquely written book I have ever read! I absolutely loved the way this was written!! The whole book is made up of emails, texts and some transcripts/documents. Having never read any book set out like this before, I absolutely devoured it! I loved Janice Hallett’s writing style and will definitely be picking up all of her future books if they are written in a similarly unique manner!
I read this with a friend and it was a lot of fun playing detective and batting ideas around. Unfortunately, we did guess some of the major twists which dampened the shock value of the ending for me. I do feel mostly pleased with the way the book was wrapped up, but it’s left me wanting more! I want to go back and visit the characters in this book again in the future. I feel like another story is just waiting to be told. I admit the pacing did seem to slow a little for me after a while. Luckily I didn’t mind too much because I loved the style but some may struggle with this! This would absolutely have been a 5 star read for me if I had been shocked by the ending!
I would recommend this to anyone that loves a unique thriller!! It may be best to try and read it without guessing the outcome. Although I absolutely loved playing detective it did dampen the ending for me slightly.
December 8, 2020
I think I will out on a limb, all alone with my views on this one! The whole book is ‘clever’ like a magician’s trick is clever - there’s a lot of misdirection and “look over there”. Even the title is tricksy as there two appeals in this story.
In the small town of Lockwood tensions rise and emotions seethe! The story centres around 2 major plot lines - one is the local amateur drama society and their upcoming production (you wouldn’t believe all the drama - pun intended) and the other is a fund raising appeal to help pay for expensive experimental treatment for a 2 year old girl with a brain tumour. That’s the first appeal. I think it’s clear that there is a murder at some point so the second appeal is to overturn the sentence of the person who is convicted for that murder. But that’s right at the end and isn’t really a large part of the story.
My problem with this book is that the whole thing is told via a series of emails and What’s app messages. Even that is not so bad, it’s the fact that there was little separation between messages and each one had the header and footer text (who the message was for, the title, the date blah blah) so all the messages kind of ran into one another and it was hard to follow. Just a simple paragraph break between them would have been marvellous! Related to the format was that new characters were not introduced in the usual fashion but rather suddenly, as the recipient of an email, out of the blue and you are left wondering who the heck they are. There were a LOT of characters.
Again, related to the format, I thought there was a plethora of minutiae and/or repetition. Did I really need to know about Issy having bought a new yoga mat at a sale and she could get one for Sam if she wanted? Woof’s pet insurance? The background of how the cast of the play was selected? It seemed to me the format lent itself to a lot of padding, there was a lot we didn’t need to know. And the cleverness seemed to me to be more misdirection. The QC had all the info but dribbled it out to the trainees in a very piecemeal fashion. I had quite a few correct suspicions throughout so I think the twists were more contrived through slow release of the relevant information rather than being genuine twists. Or maybe I’m just talking through my rear end! The fact is I did not enjoy reading this book and I’m not sure who I would recommend it to. I happen to enjoy complex, convoluted stories so it’s not that. I think it was rather boring and the little suspense there was was contrived. It was certainly a novel approach to a narrative format but not one that I will be looking for again. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.
In the small town of Lockwood tensions rise and emotions seethe! The story centres around 2 major plot lines - one is the local amateur drama society and their upcoming production (you wouldn’t believe all the drama - pun intended) and the other is a fund raising appeal to help pay for expensive experimental treatment for a 2 year old girl with a brain tumour. That’s the first appeal. I think it’s clear that there is a murder at some point so the second appeal is to overturn the sentence of the person who is convicted for that murder. But that’s right at the end and isn’t really a large part of the story.
My problem with this book is that the whole thing is told via a series of emails and What’s app messages. Even that is not so bad, it’s the fact that there was little separation between messages and each one had the header and footer text (who the message was for, the title, the date blah blah) so all the messages kind of ran into one another and it was hard to follow. Just a simple paragraph break between them would have been marvellous! Related to the format was that new characters were not introduced in the usual fashion but rather suddenly, as the recipient of an email, out of the blue and you are left wondering who the heck they are. There were a LOT of characters.
Again, related to the format, I thought there was a plethora of minutiae and/or repetition. Did I really need to know about Issy having bought a new yoga mat at a sale and she could get one for Sam if she wanted? Woof’s pet insurance? The background of how the cast of the play was selected? It seemed to me the format lent itself to a lot of padding, there was a lot we didn’t need to know. And the cleverness seemed to me to be more misdirection. The QC had all the info but dribbled it out to the trainees in a very piecemeal fashion. I had quite a few correct suspicions throughout so I think the twists were more contrived through slow release of the relevant information rather than being genuine twists. Or maybe I’m just talking through my rear end! The fact is I did not enjoy reading this book and I’m not sure who I would recommend it to. I happen to enjoy complex, convoluted stories so it’s not that. I think it was rather boring and the little suspense there was was contrived. It was certainly a novel approach to a narrative format but not one that I will be looking for again. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.
November 30, 2021
4.5 stars, rounded up
It can be difficult to read a book that uses an unconventional narrative form. In The Appeal, everything is told as texts, emails, post it notes, crime reports and legal documents. But the book grabbed my attention immediately. Someone has been murdered and someone else found guilty. The idea being that the reader, like the young law students, can read the documents to suss out what exactly happened and whether their client is innocent.
I went into this book blindly, which I recommend. What I could tell is that an amateur drama group is getting ready to put on Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Then, the cast gets the news that the director’s two year old granddaughter has an aggressive form of brain cancer. The group kicks into gear to raise the $350,000 necessary to pay for an experimental treatment.
The characters are a diverse lot. The family of the little girl are all involved in the play as directors and stars, some secondary talents and a couple of newbies. A lot of the documents are from Izzy, a clingy, ditzy single woman that puts herself into the center of everything. She also attaches herself like a leech to the new female recruit. She’s the kind of character I love, but would hate to have to deal with in real life.
Some of the correspondence does provide for comic relief. Not just tactless comments, but how info gets twisted and gossip gets passed around.
It seems odd to say that reading a bunch of emails, etc. would lead to a feeling of such suspense, but it did. I don’t want to say more for fear of giving up any plot points, which are best discovered by the reader. Suffice it to say that Hallet has written a well thought out, deliciously convoluted tale.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
It can be difficult to read a book that uses an unconventional narrative form. In The Appeal, everything is told as texts, emails, post it notes, crime reports and legal documents. But the book grabbed my attention immediately. Someone has been murdered and someone else found guilty. The idea being that the reader, like the young law students, can read the documents to suss out what exactly happened and whether their client is innocent.
I went into this book blindly, which I recommend. What I could tell is that an amateur drama group is getting ready to put on Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Then, the cast gets the news that the director’s two year old granddaughter has an aggressive form of brain cancer. The group kicks into gear to raise the $350,000 necessary to pay for an experimental treatment.
The characters are a diverse lot. The family of the little girl are all involved in the play as directors and stars, some secondary talents and a couple of newbies. A lot of the documents are from Izzy, a clingy, ditzy single woman that puts herself into the center of everything. She also attaches herself like a leech to the new female recruit. She’s the kind of character I love, but would hate to have to deal with in real life.
Some of the correspondence does provide for comic relief. Not just tactless comments, but how info gets twisted and gossip gets passed around.
It seems odd to say that reading a bunch of emails, etc. would lead to a feeling of such suspense, but it did. I don’t want to say more for fear of giving up any plot points, which are best discovered by the reader. Suffice it to say that Hallet has written a well thought out, deliciously convoluted tale.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
January 20, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up
I think this would have been a sold 4 star book for me had it not been SO long and drawn out.
This is a fun epistolary mystery--told in a long series of e-mail, text, message board posts, and other forms of written communication. There are a large number of potential suspects, however once you get down to it there are only a handful of true possibilities.
The overall premise is that two young lawyers are tasked with sifting through these piles of communication. Someone has been murdered and the powers that be need to be certain that the one who is in jail is the person who should be there.
The case centers around a group of community members involved with a play, and a two year old girl who has been diagnosed with brain cancer. The community members rally around the family involved to raise money for experimental treatment to save the little girl's life.
I do think that the story could have been edited down somewhat in order to make it flow better. There are so many theories and they are all completely and thoroughly examined. After a bit I started to glaze over with the sheer number of names and connections. I did figure out a couple of the main twists ahead of time (which is one of the main reasons I compulsively kept reading, to confirm that I was correct!) The author very cleverly throws in clues that you have to be paying close attention in order to catch as the messages are flying fast and furiously. When something odd would pop up I would mentally file it away and then wonder how it fit into the big picture.
I was very satisfied with the ending and felt like everything was explained. It just took a little too long to get there. Still, if you are looking for a uniquely presented mystery, then this one should have strong appeal.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I think this would have been a sold 4 star book for me had it not been SO long and drawn out.
This is a fun epistolary mystery--told in a long series of e-mail, text, message board posts, and other forms of written communication. There are a large number of potential suspects, however once you get down to it there are only a handful of true possibilities.
The overall premise is that two young lawyers are tasked with sifting through these piles of communication. Someone has been murdered and the powers that be need to be certain that the one who is in jail is the person who should be there.
The case centers around a group of community members involved with a play, and a two year old girl who has been diagnosed with brain cancer. The community members rally around the family involved to raise money for experimental treatment to save the little girl's life.
I do think that the story could have been edited down somewhat in order to make it flow better. There are so many theories and they are all completely and thoroughly examined. After a bit I started to glaze over with the sheer number of names and connections. I did figure out a couple of the main twists ahead of time (which is one of the main reasons I compulsively kept reading, to confirm that I was correct!) The author very cleverly throws in clues that you have to be paying close attention in order to catch as the messages are flying fast and furiously. When something odd would pop up I would mentally file it away and then wonder how it fit into the big picture.
I was very satisfied with the ending and felt like everything was explained. It just took a little too long to get there. Still, if you are looking for a uniquely presented mystery, then this one should have strong appeal.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
November 23, 2021
This is not only a tricky book to read but a tricky book to review. 🤔
Make sure to have your thinking cap on while reading this debut novel by Janice Hallett.
All you know in the beginning is that someone was murdered, someone was sent to prison, and it's up to you, the reader, to figure out the who, what, when, where, and how. 🕵️♀️
This book is like reading 400 pages of an email chain and all the while you are trying to put the puzzle pieces together. It's an ingenious idea making for a compelling read. I'll admit to some confusion amongst the characters as there are many players involved and I did have a hard time keeping them all straight. While the style of this novel did work for me I can see other readers struggling with it. This won't be for everyone but I do have to commend Hallett for putting her own spin on the mystery novel. One of my suspicions was proven correct but there were other little and some bigger surprises along the way making my reading experience a worthwhile one. This book did start to get drawn out at the end. Maybe some editing here or there would have benefited this book. Still, I am so happy to have read this for the unusual journey it brought me on. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my complimentary copy.
Make sure to have your thinking cap on while reading this debut novel by Janice Hallett.
All you know in the beginning is that someone was murdered, someone was sent to prison, and it's up to you, the reader, to figure out the who, what, when, where, and how. 🕵️♀️
This book is like reading 400 pages of an email chain and all the while you are trying to put the puzzle pieces together. It's an ingenious idea making for a compelling read. I'll admit to some confusion amongst the characters as there are many players involved and I did have a hard time keeping them all straight. While the style of this novel did work for me I can see other readers struggling with it. This won't be for everyone but I do have to commend Hallett for putting her own spin on the mystery novel. One of my suspicions was proven correct but there were other little and some bigger surprises along the way making my reading experience a worthwhile one. This book did start to get drawn out at the end. Maybe some editing here or there would have benefited this book. Still, I am so happy to have read this for the unusual journey it brought me on. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my complimentary copy.
January 25, 2022
The Appeal by Janice Hallett is a modern take on the epistolary novel. It’s a murder mystery told through emails, text messages, and reports.
A prominent family finds out that their granddaughter, Poppy, has a rare form of cancer. The family learns of an experimental treatment that they hope will cure Poppy. Since the treatment does not qualify for health coverage, the family calls in the help of their amateur theatre company, and together, they begin to raise funds for Poppy’s treatment.
As they begin to fundraise, some begin to question the treatment, the fundraising itself, and even the oncologist.
While everyone participates in this fundraiser, the theatre company begins rehearsals for its next play. As the play nears, tensions rise, lies unravel, and someone winds up dead.
Initially, when I started reading this, I liked the novelty of it, of nosing through people’s emails and trying to figure out who was lying. But as I kept going, the emails felt like a slog. And I kept asking the following questions: did this need to be an email, who sends such long-winded emails when they just saw this person or will very soon, why not make a phone call, do spouses really email each other regularly when they live in the same house, and why are some key players’ emails excluded from the story.
Speaking of players: there are so many. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. There are so many that the author included multiple lists of characters throughout. After a while, I gave up on trying to remember who everyone was and just dived in.
The murder doesn’t happen until halfway through the book. Also, the reader doesn’t know who the victim is until that point. After the murder is when things started gaining momentum, and I raced through the last 100 pages or so.
While I think this novel could shed a few pages, my interest never waned, and I needed to find out what was going on. Some revelations were a bit obvious, but others were surprising.
Overall, I did enjoy this murder mystery and will read more from this author.
I recommend this to readers prepared to scour tons of innocuously written documents to discover a murderer.
Thank you to Atria Books for an arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com/
A prominent family finds out that their granddaughter, Poppy, has a rare form of cancer. The family learns of an experimental treatment that they hope will cure Poppy. Since the treatment does not qualify for health coverage, the family calls in the help of their amateur theatre company, and together, they begin to raise funds for Poppy’s treatment.
As they begin to fundraise, some begin to question the treatment, the fundraising itself, and even the oncologist.
While everyone participates in this fundraiser, the theatre company begins rehearsals for its next play. As the play nears, tensions rise, lies unravel, and someone winds up dead.
Initially, when I started reading this, I liked the novelty of it, of nosing through people’s emails and trying to figure out who was lying. But as I kept going, the emails felt like a slog. And I kept asking the following questions: did this need to be an email, who sends such long-winded emails when they just saw this person or will very soon, why not make a phone call, do spouses really email each other regularly when they live in the same house, and why are some key players’ emails excluded from the story.
Speaking of players: there are so many. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. There are so many that the author included multiple lists of characters throughout. After a while, I gave up on trying to remember who everyone was and just dived in.
The murder doesn’t happen until halfway through the book. Also, the reader doesn’t know who the victim is until that point. After the murder is when things started gaining momentum, and I raced through the last 100 pages or so.
While I think this novel could shed a few pages, my interest never waned, and I needed to find out what was going on. Some revelations were a bit obvious, but others were surprising.
Overall, I did enjoy this murder mystery and will read more from this author.
I recommend this to readers prepared to scour tons of innocuously written documents to discover a murderer.
Thank you to Atria Books for an arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com/
January 5, 2022
I will admit I have never been good with a story that has a multitude of characters and this book was no exception.
Sorry to say, but this just did not “appeal” to me. It’s format was definitely different but I was bogged down with the many characters and all the emails going around and around.
It was overly long and I had a difficult time maintaining interest.
I know others have liked it so please take a look at more favorable reviews!
For me it was just a slog.
Sorry to say, but this just did not “appeal” to me. It’s format was definitely different but I was bogged down with the many characters and all the emails going around and around.
It was overly long and I had a difficult time maintaining interest.
I know others have liked it so please take a look at more favorable reviews!
For me it was just a slog.
January 19, 2022
The Appeal by Janice Hallett is a 2022 Atria Books publication.
A group of caregivers and Thespians rally around a young child diagnosed with cancer by raising money for treatment that is costly and currently unavailable, except in America.
The parents and grandparents of the child launch an appeal for cash and people are quick to respond, but when a newcomer to the circle starts to ask questions, it would appear someone wants her silenced…
Naturally, when a synopsis openly challenges a veteran mystery reader by basically assigning them the task of solving the mystery with only text and email messages, I was intrigued.
Thank goodness someone, anyone, is willing to go off the beaten path, throw the formula out the window, and try a different approach, right?
That said, a fresh approach is not enough. It must work for it be effective, and unfortunately, the setup, imaginative though it may be, was too confusing and disorganized in the beginning. It didn't hold my attention at all, and though I stuck with it, I was mostly bored.
Too many characters, random introduction of characters, a thread involving time spent in Africa that was entirely too vague and was never fully explained- though one does get the gist of it- mostly- it was just too disjointed, too busy, and not at all suspenseful, in my opinion.
I applaud the author for trying something different, but I didn’t feel this approach was successful. I really did have high hopes for this one, but sadly it fell flat for me.
There has been some high praise for this one- so check this one out for yourself. Hopefully, you will have better luck with it than I did.
A group of caregivers and Thespians rally around a young child diagnosed with cancer by raising money for treatment that is costly and currently unavailable, except in America.
The parents and grandparents of the child launch an appeal for cash and people are quick to respond, but when a newcomer to the circle starts to ask questions, it would appear someone wants her silenced…
Naturally, when a synopsis openly challenges a veteran mystery reader by basically assigning them the task of solving the mystery with only text and email messages, I was intrigued.
Thank goodness someone, anyone, is willing to go off the beaten path, throw the formula out the window, and try a different approach, right?
That said, a fresh approach is not enough. It must work for it be effective, and unfortunately, the setup, imaginative though it may be, was too confusing and disorganized in the beginning. It didn't hold my attention at all, and though I stuck with it, I was mostly bored.
Too many characters, random introduction of characters, a thread involving time spent in Africa that was entirely too vague and was never fully explained- though one does get the gist of it- mostly- it was just too disjointed, too busy, and not at all suspenseful, in my opinion.
I applaud the author for trying something different, but I didn’t feel this approach was successful. I really did have high hopes for this one, but sadly it fell flat for me.
There has been some high praise for this one- so check this one out for yourself. Hopefully, you will have better luck with it than I did.
February 22, 2022
3.5/5
The Fairway Players is a local community theatre group based in a small English town. The group is gearing up for the performance of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. The founders of the group are Martin Haywood and his wife, Helen who also own and operate The Grange Golf and Country Club. When their granddaughter Poppy is diagnosed with brain cancer, their oncologist suggests a steeply-priced experimental drug which has to be imported from America, the expense completely out of pocket with no insurance covering any part of the cost. Though the Haywards are assumed to be well to do, the sum of money required for the full course of treatment is exorbitant. They appeal to the community for assistance which leads to an all-out crowdfunding effort (A Cure For Poppy) with everyone doing their level best to bring in funds to contribute to the cause. As the story progresses we see doubt and suspicion directed towards the legitimacy of the appeal , the treatment options and the healthcare professionals involved and members of the “alpha” family. Secrets, groupism and rivalry plague the members of the theatre group which also leads to friction. Eventually one person ends up dead and one person is arrested for the crime.
There has been a murder. Someone is in prison for it. What was the motive? Is the person incarcerated truly guilty of the crime?
Janice Hallett’s The Appeal opens with Olufemi (Femi)Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd being tasked by their boss Roderick Tanner, QC, the senior partner at Tanner & Dewey, LLP, to thoroughly examine a dossier of correspondence between (most of) the characters associated with the case (emails and text messages), newspaper clippings and police reports in an attempt to analyze the events revolving around the group engaged in community theater and the fundraising campaign for a sick child. Initially, Tanner does not divulge much about the background of the case per se to gain a fresh perspective on the matter. Later he shares correspondence and other documents pertaining to the case based on which Femi and Charlotte chalk out and analyze probable scenarios that could have possibly led to the murder. The entire narrative is in epistolary format, told through the correspondence between the members of the theater group and those associated with them, the Haywoods and their oncologist, newspaper articles, police reports, and the messages and other correspondence exchanged between Femi, Charlotte and their boss.
I love cozy murder mysteries and with this novel, the reader can play detective and try to figure out what happened along with the two junior lawyers while they make their way through all the information provided. Though it wasn’t difficult to figure out who the culprit could be, some of the facts revealed in the process came as a surprise. Initially, it was fun to take notes and play armchair detective while reading the book but after a while, following the sequence of events and the characters became a tedious job.What didn’t work for me was the length of the novel, the repetitiveness and the inclusion of too many unnecessary characters and details (and the exclusion of some relevant information). Thankfully the material included two exhaustive lists of characters and a summary of events in the latter part of the book. The fact that the identity of the victim is mentioned after the halfway mark of a 400+ page novel should give you an idea of how the narrative drags in the middle. However, I did appreciate the epistolary format of the novel, the murder mystery at the core and the humor. In short, I liked the novel but wasn’t bowled over by it. Having said that I will be looking out for more of the author’s work in the future.
The Fairway Players is a local community theatre group based in a small English town. The group is gearing up for the performance of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. The founders of the group are Martin Haywood and his wife, Helen who also own and operate The Grange Golf and Country Club. When their granddaughter Poppy is diagnosed with brain cancer, their oncologist suggests a steeply-priced experimental drug which has to be imported from America, the expense completely out of pocket with no insurance covering any part of the cost. Though the Haywards are assumed to be well to do, the sum of money required for the full course of treatment is exorbitant. They appeal to the community for assistance which leads to an all-out crowdfunding effort (A Cure For Poppy) with everyone doing their level best to bring in funds to contribute to the cause. As the story progresses we see doubt and suspicion directed towards the legitimacy of the appeal , the treatment options and the healthcare professionals involved and members of the “alpha” family. Secrets, groupism and rivalry plague the members of the theatre group which also leads to friction. Eventually one person ends up dead and one person is arrested for the crime.
There has been a murder. Someone is in prison for it. What was the motive? Is the person incarcerated truly guilty of the crime?
Janice Hallett’s The Appeal opens with Olufemi (Femi)Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd being tasked by their boss Roderick Tanner, QC, the senior partner at Tanner & Dewey, LLP, to thoroughly examine a dossier of correspondence between (most of) the characters associated with the case (emails and text messages), newspaper clippings and police reports in an attempt to analyze the events revolving around the group engaged in community theater and the fundraising campaign for a sick child. Initially, Tanner does not divulge much about the background of the case per se to gain a fresh perspective on the matter. Later he shares correspondence and other documents pertaining to the case based on which Femi and Charlotte chalk out and analyze probable scenarios that could have possibly led to the murder. The entire narrative is in epistolary format, told through the correspondence between the members of the theater group and those associated with them, the Haywoods and their oncologist, newspaper articles, police reports, and the messages and other correspondence exchanged between Femi, Charlotte and their boss.
I love cozy murder mysteries and with this novel, the reader can play detective and try to figure out what happened along with the two junior lawyers while they make their way through all the information provided. Though it wasn’t difficult to figure out who the culprit could be, some of the facts revealed in the process came as a surprise. Initially, it was fun to take notes and play armchair detective while reading the book but after a while, following the sequence of events and the characters became a tedious job.What didn’t work for me was the length of the novel, the repetitiveness and the inclusion of too many unnecessary characters and details (and the exclusion of some relevant information). Thankfully the material included two exhaustive lists of characters and a summary of events in the latter part of the book. The fact that the identity of the victim is mentioned after the halfway mark of a 400+ page novel should give you an idea of how the narrative drags in the middle. However, I did appreciate the epistolary format of the novel, the murder mystery at the core and the humor. In short, I liked the novel but wasn’t bowled over by it. Having said that I will be looking out for more of the author’s work in the future.
January 28, 2021
This was an ingenious, compelling and highly original mystery presented in the form of a puzzle. There were plenty of misdirections within its complicated and unique storyline. The head of a legal firm, Roderick Tanner, has directed two female law students, Charlotte and Femi, to search through a bunch of papers to identify a killer, their victim, and the person in prison he believes to be innocent of the murder. These papers include emails, text messages, letters, notices, and police reports.
At first, I was intimidated by all the names of the many persons sending and receiving these communications, but soon I became completely engaged in the case and riveted to the pages. The reader has all the information available to the two legal assistants and can follow along, attempting to solve the demanding puzzle. The solution escaped me. Eventually, Tanner gives the women some hints and points out some clues leading to their solution. We follow along as Charlotte and Femi text back and forth while they analyze the paperwork. In my paperback, alternate text messages had a dark background surrounding the print, making them difficult but not impossible to read.
They learn from Tanner that three correspondents have assumed false identities in some of their messages and actions, and one person does not actually exist. There is an abundance of twists and surprises. I learned that when there are many suspects with a motive for murder, the case is not as easy to solve as in some mystery books. This is especially true with no face to face interviews. When working only with computer paperwork, one is confronted with hidden identities, falsehoods and resentments regarding other suspects. Even with all the texts and emails, some of the characters come through as intriguing and memorable.
Set in a small town in England, the leading and most influential figures are Martin and Helen Haywood. The couple owns the Grange Golf and Country Club and are instrumental in forming the Fairway Players, an amateur drama society. Helen is considered the most talented actor in the group, and every play chosen must have a leading role for her. A couple of new arrivals, Samantha and husband Kel, are drawn into the dramatic society. They are former medical workers for MSF in war-torn Central Africa. Both are soon employed as nurses in nearby hospitals.
Martin and Helen Haywood have two adult children. Their daughter, Paige and her husband Glen have a two-year-old daughter, Poppy. Their son James and wife Olivia are expecting twins. Martin announces to the community the sad news that his grandchild, Poppy, has been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. He requires a large sum of money to obtain life-saving experimental drugs from the USA. He plans to obtain them through the efforts and support of Oncologist Dr. Trish Bhotoa but first needs to raise the necessary funds quickly.
A crowdfunding effort is started to raise money for Poppy's treatment. A rumour is started that the child is also going blind. All involved in Haywoods' social circle and drama club are under great pressure to participate, either through genuine sympathy for the family's plight and their grandchild's tragedy and/ or to secure or gain a place in the couple's social order. New arrivals to the drama club rehearsals, Samantha (Sam) and Kel, now working at hospitals, eagerly participate in the fundraising. The community's everyday life is disrupted by the frenzied effort to raise an ever-increasing total of money. Suspicion has arisen about where all the funds are going and gossip about possible fraud. Long-held grudges, jealousies, resentments, lies, secrets, obsessive behaviour and deceptions surface among the participants. Some of the secrets may be hidden in faraway places.
Who was murdered, why, and by whom? What is happening regarding Poppy's medical treatment, and will the child survive? Are there problems and even fraud connected to the fundraising, and is the experimental drug even effective?
Recommended to anyone desiring a change from their regular mystery stories and who desire to immerse themselves in a compelling, challenging and unique puzzle. The ending was shocking and one I had never anticipated but one that made sense.
At first, I was intimidated by all the names of the many persons sending and receiving these communications, but soon I became completely engaged in the case and riveted to the pages. The reader has all the information available to the two legal assistants and can follow along, attempting to solve the demanding puzzle. The solution escaped me. Eventually, Tanner gives the women some hints and points out some clues leading to their solution. We follow along as Charlotte and Femi text back and forth while they analyze the paperwork. In my paperback, alternate text messages had a dark background surrounding the print, making them difficult but not impossible to read.
They learn from Tanner that three correspondents have assumed false identities in some of their messages and actions, and one person does not actually exist. There is an abundance of twists and surprises. I learned that when there are many suspects with a motive for murder, the case is not as easy to solve as in some mystery books. This is especially true with no face to face interviews. When working only with computer paperwork, one is confronted with hidden identities, falsehoods and resentments regarding other suspects. Even with all the texts and emails, some of the characters come through as intriguing and memorable.
Set in a small town in England, the leading and most influential figures are Martin and Helen Haywood. The couple owns the Grange Golf and Country Club and are instrumental in forming the Fairway Players, an amateur drama society. Helen is considered the most talented actor in the group, and every play chosen must have a leading role for her. A couple of new arrivals, Samantha and husband Kel, are drawn into the dramatic society. They are former medical workers for MSF in war-torn Central Africa. Both are soon employed as nurses in nearby hospitals.
Martin and Helen Haywood have two adult children. Their daughter, Paige and her husband Glen have a two-year-old daughter, Poppy. Their son James and wife Olivia are expecting twins. Martin announces to the community the sad news that his grandchild, Poppy, has been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. He requires a large sum of money to obtain life-saving experimental drugs from the USA. He plans to obtain them through the efforts and support of Oncologist Dr. Trish Bhotoa but first needs to raise the necessary funds quickly.
A crowdfunding effort is started to raise money for Poppy's treatment. A rumour is started that the child is also going blind. All involved in Haywoods' social circle and drama club are under great pressure to participate, either through genuine sympathy for the family's plight and their grandchild's tragedy and/ or to secure or gain a place in the couple's social order. New arrivals to the drama club rehearsals, Samantha (Sam) and Kel, now working at hospitals, eagerly participate in the fundraising. The community's everyday life is disrupted by the frenzied effort to raise an ever-increasing total of money. Suspicion has arisen about where all the funds are going and gossip about possible fraud. Long-held grudges, jealousies, resentments, lies, secrets, obsessive behaviour and deceptions surface among the participants. Some of the secrets may be hidden in faraway places.
Who was murdered, why, and by whom? What is happening regarding Poppy's medical treatment, and will the child survive? Are there problems and even fraud connected to the fundraising, and is the experimental drug even effective?
Recommended to anyone desiring a change from their regular mystery stories and who desire to immerse themselves in a compelling, challenging and unique puzzle. The ending was shocking and one I had never anticipated but one that made sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2022
4 Epistolary Stars
For mystery fans that are open to trying a new format with a book – this one is filled with messages, texts, social media posts, and news articles – but has all the trademark elements of a case to solve. There’s a murder, a wide cast of characters, and lots of details to read!
We learn about a young child sick with cancer and a miraculous drug only available in the US. Soon “the appeal” is underway – play performances, sponsoring running events, raffle tickets, and a whole host of ways to raise money to pay for this drug. There’s a theater group, The Fairway Players, and much of the emails reference auditions, rehearsals, and the performance itself.
It is good to pay close attention in this one although after a while the characters do come together, and the plot becomes easier to follow. It was interesting to read something in a different format, although I think it did get a bit long.
I was not a good detective in this one, but I did enjoy trying to figure things out along the way! I loved the way this one wrapped up, very true to character!
Thank you to Atria books for the early copy of this one to read.
For mystery fans that are open to trying a new format with a book – this one is filled with messages, texts, social media posts, and news articles – but has all the trademark elements of a case to solve. There’s a murder, a wide cast of characters, and lots of details to read!
We learn about a young child sick with cancer and a miraculous drug only available in the US. Soon “the appeal” is underway – play performances, sponsoring running events, raffle tickets, and a whole host of ways to raise money to pay for this drug. There’s a theater group, The Fairway Players, and much of the emails reference auditions, rehearsals, and the performance itself.
It is good to pay close attention in this one although after a while the characters do come together, and the plot becomes easier to follow. It was interesting to read something in a different format, although I think it did get a bit long.
I was not a good detective in this one, but I did enjoy trying to figure things out along the way! I loved the way this one wrapped up, very true to character!
Thank you to Atria books for the early copy of this one to read.
Read
March 22, 2022DNF’ed at page 246 (60%). Really, really didn’t care. I am so confused at how raved about this is. I mean, maybe the ending makes up for it, but even with the very quick style of it since it’s told in email format, I just found it so unbelievable that even in 2018 people would email this casually about everything even then. And then it started to drag and was just becoming a chore, I decided to stop.
January 8, 2024
Another really great read under my belt for the first week of 2024! Didn't know what to expect from it but I picked it up when I woke up this morning and literally did not put it back down until I finished it a few minutes ago. What a ride!!
April 15, 2022
Welcome to the Fairway Players, a community theater group rocked by tragedy when the granddaughter of the troupe’s leaders is diagnosed with cancer. But the show must go on, and along with it so too does a charity campaign to raise money for an experimental treatment for young Poppy. By the time the curtain rises for the first show, a troupe member will be dead, and it becomes clear not all is what it seems when it comes to the fundraising campaign. The reader is put in the place of a member of the defense team for a potentially wrongfully accused murder suspect, and has to sort through correspondence of the involved players leading up to, and just after, the murder to see if they can solve the mystery. Told entirely in epistolary format, The Appeal is a unique contribution to the mystery genre. A very rare thing indeed these days.
Does the idea of going back to school and doing a case study involving sorting through tons of (often tedious) correspondence sound appealing to you? That may sound like a less than enthusiastic description of this book, but that kind of thing does in fact very much appeal to this reader, and I really enjoyed the experience.
This isn’t your normal easy, breezy beach thriller read. Those are great, and have their place, but I appreciated the change up in formatting and storytelling here. You’re going to have to put on your thinking cap for this one. Though perhaps you should make sure said cap is your best houndstooth deerstalker, so you can Sherlock your way through this clever mystery. Also, be warned: because this book is nearly entirely in the form of short emails and text exchanges, it is far too easy to tell yourself “just one more”, and end up reading far past your bedtime. I will say that I found it pretty unrealistic that so many of the exchanges were emails versus texts, but I was able to look past that once I got into the story.
I certainly wouldn’t want to read this kind of book all the time (and I imagine the author put so much time into it that she wouldn’t want to write another anytime soon), but this was a great change of pace for those looking for something a little different. Especially recommended for those who like things like logic puzzles, actually enjoyed classes like Con Law, or who find themselves always solving the mystery before the big reveal in most thrillers. Here, even if you do solve it, it feels like you’re making a professor or boss proud, rather than simply ruining the book for yourself.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this title for review.
**Hey all, just a note - Thank you so much for the kind words and support while I’ve been fairly absent from Goodreads. I’m going to try to keep reading and reviewing, but I will probably have to step back quite a bit from the commenting/social aspect of the site. As always, I appreciate the comments and love a good discussion, and will try to engage when I can!**
Does the idea of going back to school and doing a case study involving sorting through tons of (often tedious) correspondence sound appealing to you? That may sound like a less than enthusiastic description of this book, but that kind of thing does in fact very much appeal to this reader, and I really enjoyed the experience.
This isn’t your normal easy, breezy beach thriller read. Those are great, and have their place, but I appreciated the change up in formatting and storytelling here. You’re going to have to put on your thinking cap for this one. Though perhaps you should make sure said cap is your best houndstooth deerstalker, so you can Sherlock your way through this clever mystery. Also, be warned: because this book is nearly entirely in the form of short emails and text exchanges, it is far too easy to tell yourself “just one more”, and end up reading far past your bedtime. I will say that I found it pretty unrealistic that so many of the exchanges were emails versus texts, but I was able to look past that once I got into the story.
I certainly wouldn’t want to read this kind of book all the time (and I imagine the author put so much time into it that she wouldn’t want to write another anytime soon), but this was a great change of pace for those looking for something a little different. Especially recommended for those who like things like logic puzzles, actually enjoyed classes like Con Law, or who find themselves always solving the mystery before the big reveal in most thrillers. Here, even if you do solve it, it feels like you’re making a professor or boss proud, rather than simply ruining the book for yourself.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this title for review.
**Hey all, just a note - Thank you so much for the kind words and support while I’ve been fairly absent from Goodreads. I’m going to try to keep reading and reviewing, but I will probably have to step back quite a bit from the commenting/social aspect of the site. As always, I appreciate the comments and love a good discussion, and will try to engage when I can!**
February 2, 2024
In the small town of Lockwood, a local drama group known as The Fairway Players are preparing to put on their summer production. Just as rehearsals are getting underway, however, Poppy Haywood, the director’s two year old niece, is diagnosed with a rare—and near always fatal—form of cancer. Despite her VIP doctor, however, the only treatment is one only found an ocean away. Requiring a significant outlay of cash, the Haywoods need help from their fellow castmates, all of whom quickly rally behind them.
Between the actors themselves and the community at large, a plan is set in place: the money will be raised by crowdfunding the public. Not the first time this kind of thing has been done, The Fairway Players organize gala balls and raffles as well as a donation or two. At the same time, however, there are some doubts about this supposed miracle cure. Also looked upon with suspicion is the seeming unending good will of all those involved. Is Poppy’s situation as cut and dried as it appears at first blush? Or is there more going on beneath the surface than they realize?
Whispered about in the shadows as one of their own attempts to separate fact from fiction, it isn’t until the dress rehearsal when things explode in a very real fashion. Only hours later a body is found. One of this crew is about to go down for the crime, but in the run up to the trial, their lawyers parse through the evidence themselves. Somewhere amongst the texts, emails, and police interviews lies the truth. Is the guilty party already behind bars? Or are they still enjoying their freedom? Hopefully, all will be revealed before the jury ever hears the first word.
Phew. What a truly novel book. Between the original and meandering plot and the gripping premise, The Appeal presented quite the mystery from the very first word. And with its long list of potential suspects and almost more red herrings than I could count, I didn’t have a chance in figuring it all out before the final reveal. Trust me when I say, I did try my darnedest. Nevertheless, missing those necessary puzzle pieces didn’t wreck this story for me. On the contrary, the slow burn reveal made for quite the enjoyable read.
Easily the most successful element to this stunning novel, however, was the ingenious format itself. Told exclusively via emails, text messages, letters, interview transcripts and the like, the storyline kept plenty hidden from view. At the same time, I reveled in sorting through the deftly obscured puzzle pieces to try and work out the truth. Thanks to the vast amount of details and the number of characters hiding secrets and lies, I was thoroughly unsuccessful. A fact that, quite possibly, made this book even better, if I do say so myself.
As for the characters, the style of the book made them more difficult to get a handle on at times. Despite that, though, there were several that wormed their way into my thoughts. I was also quite blown away by how Hallett used certain aspects of their personas to further the plot. Needless to say, I can’t say much or it would surely give it all away, but just know that some quirks and character flaws served double duty more than once. So on top of serving up dynamite individuals, there was even more to them I initially thought. Then again, that could be said for so much of this one in the end.
All said and done, I loved feeling like a fly on the wall throughout this sordid and mysterious tale. While at times somewhat overwhelming thanks to the large cast of characters and often seemingly superfluous clues, I stuck at it and I’m so very glad that I did. Of course, that alone means this might not be for everyone, but I still think it’s at least worth a try if you’re even remotely intrigued. After all, the topics were both serious and authentic in a thought-provoking way without giving up even a bit of the mystery. Rating of 4 stars.
Scroll down for my potentially plot spoiling trigger list.
Trigger warning: cancer, infidelity, fraud, mention of: rape, civil unrest in Africa, fabricated illness
Between the actors themselves and the community at large, a plan is set in place: the money will be raised by crowdfunding the public. Not the first time this kind of thing has been done, The Fairway Players organize gala balls and raffles as well as a donation or two. At the same time, however, there are some doubts about this supposed miracle cure. Also looked upon with suspicion is the seeming unending good will of all those involved. Is Poppy’s situation as cut and dried as it appears at first blush? Or is there more going on beneath the surface than they realize?
Whispered about in the shadows as one of their own attempts to separate fact from fiction, it isn’t until the dress rehearsal when things explode in a very real fashion. Only hours later a body is found. One of this crew is about to go down for the crime, but in the run up to the trial, their lawyers parse through the evidence themselves. Somewhere amongst the texts, emails, and police interviews lies the truth. Is the guilty party already behind bars? Or are they still enjoying their freedom? Hopefully, all will be revealed before the jury ever hears the first word.
Phew. What a truly novel book. Between the original and meandering plot and the gripping premise, The Appeal presented quite the mystery from the very first word. And with its long list of potential suspects and almost more red herrings than I could count, I didn’t have a chance in figuring it all out before the final reveal. Trust me when I say, I did try my darnedest. Nevertheless, missing those necessary puzzle pieces didn’t wreck this story for me. On the contrary, the slow burn reveal made for quite the enjoyable read.
Easily the most successful element to this stunning novel, however, was the ingenious format itself. Told exclusively via emails, text messages, letters, interview transcripts and the like, the storyline kept plenty hidden from view. At the same time, I reveled in sorting through the deftly obscured puzzle pieces to try and work out the truth. Thanks to the vast amount of details and the number of characters hiding secrets and lies, I was thoroughly unsuccessful. A fact that, quite possibly, made this book even better, if I do say so myself.
As for the characters, the style of the book made them more difficult to get a handle on at times. Despite that, though, there were several that wormed their way into my thoughts. I was also quite blown away by how Hallett used certain aspects of their personas to further the plot. Needless to say, I can’t say much or it would surely give it all away, but just know that some quirks and character flaws served double duty more than once. So on top of serving up dynamite individuals, there was even more to them I initially thought. Then again, that could be said for so much of this one in the end.
All said and done, I loved feeling like a fly on the wall throughout this sordid and mysterious tale. While at times somewhat overwhelming thanks to the large cast of characters and often seemingly superfluous clues, I stuck at it and I’m so very glad that I did. Of course, that alone means this might not be for everyone, but I still think it’s at least worth a try if you’re even remotely intrigued. After all, the topics were both serious and authentic in a thought-provoking way without giving up even a bit of the mystery. Rating of 4 stars.
Scroll down for my potentially plot spoiling trigger list.
Trigger warning: cancer, infidelity, fraud, mention of: rape, civil unrest in Africa, fabricated illness
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