Publication
New York : Atria Books, 2022.
Collection
Call number
Fiction H
Physical description
419 p.; 21 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "[W]itty, original...a delight." --The New York Times Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, this international bestseller and "dazzlingly clever" (The Sunday Times, London) murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child--but when escalating lies lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect. 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--nor 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. A wholly modern and gripping take on the epistolary novel, The Appeal is a "daring...clever, and funny" (The Times, London) debut for fans of Richard Osman and Lucy Foley.… (more)
Subjects
Series
Genres
User reviews
LibraryThing member nicx27
The Appeal is going to be a tricky book for me to review. I don't want to give away anything that gives too much of an insight into the actual storyline or characters. It's a small-town murder mystery based around two pivotal events: the amateur production of a play and the requirement of funds for
What's so innovative about this story is it's told almost completely in emails and messages. I must admit to being simultaneously intrigued and wary of this format as I don't always get on with epistolary novels, but I needn't have worried. Hallett has made this such an addictive read with a feeling akin to peeping through a window and observing the (pretty unlikeable, to be fair) characters' behaviour both first- and second-hand, and watching their stories unfold.
Through the various correspondence devices we learn how each character feels about the others and about the situations they find themselves in. We also learn the reason for the correspondence being collated and its relevance. We get to see it dissected and at this point the pace slows down somewhat, requiring a more considered, yet still fascinating, read.
In The Appeal nothing and nobody is what they seem. Even the title surprised me as it has more than one meaning. I have come to the conclusion I would be a terrible detective and am hopeless at reading between the lines. Janice Hallett, however, is a masterful plotter, pulling all of the different strands together with aplomb. It gives me a headache just thinking about the planning of this novel. This is an accomplished debut novel and a compelling mystery, with a very original style. I loved it.
Show More
a little girl's potentially life-saving treatment.What's so innovative about this story is it's told almost completely in emails and messages. I must admit to being simultaneously intrigued and wary of this format as I don't always get on with epistolary novels, but I needn't have worried. Hallett has made this such an addictive read with a feeling akin to peeping through a window and observing the (pretty unlikeable, to be fair) characters' behaviour both first- and second-hand, and watching their stories unfold.
Through the various correspondence devices we learn how each character feels about the others and about the situations they find themselves in. We also learn the reason for the correspondence being collated and its relevance. We get to see it dissected and at this point the pace slows down somewhat, requiring a more considered, yet still fascinating, read.
In The Appeal nothing and nobody is what they seem. Even the title surprised me as it has more than one meaning. I have come to the conclusion I would be a terrible detective and am hopeless at reading between the lines. Janice Hallett, however, is a masterful plotter, pulling all of the different strands together with aplomb. It gives me a headache just thinking about the planning of this novel. This is an accomplished debut novel and a compelling mystery, with a very original style. I loved it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
A lawyer gives two of his staff members a challenge: solve a crime by examining a collection of related emails, messages, documents, and ephemera. Here's the scenario: a tight-knit community theatre group is shaken when a child of their most prominent family is diagnosed with brain cancer. They
I think I actually like this book ever so slightly better than The Twyford Code by the same author, though both are so good it's hard to make a judgement. While that book hearkened to my love of children's literature, this one appeals to my fondness for community theatre. (Clearly I am being targeted by this author, and I'm okay with that.) She certainly hits all the right notes regarding the high emotions of a small community theatre group; I think I have met all of these individuals, and been a few of them! I was pleased to guess certain parts of the mystery before they were revealed, but it was by no means an easy one to puzzle out, as there are a lot of moving pieces. Definitely recommended to mystery fans.
Show More
pull together a fundraising appeal to buy the experimental drugs that are her best hope for treatment, but things start falling apart. Scammers are drawn to the fundraising effort, and there's suspicion that somebody might be mishandling funds. People are not who they seem, and some of them may not exist at all. There are petty disagreements, social snubs, friendships made and destroyed, and, eventually, murder. The wrong person may be in jail -- but can the case be solved with only the evidence provided?I think I actually like this book ever so slightly better than The Twyford Code by the same author, though both are so good it's hard to make a judgement. While that book hearkened to my love of children's literature, this one appeals to my fondness for community theatre. (Clearly I am being targeted by this author, and I'm okay with that.) She certainly hits all the right notes regarding the high emotions of a small community theatre group; I think I have met all of these individuals, and been a few of them! I was pleased to guess certain parts of the mystery before they were revealed, but it was by no means an easy one to puzzle out, as there are a lot of moving pieces. Definitely recommended to mystery fans.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rosalita
The wraparound story that sets up this contemporary mystery features a Queen's Counsel who has instructed two of his articled clerks(? — I welcome corrections of my imperfect understanding of the UK legal system) to examine a packet of written evidence used in a trial — emails, text messages,
The legal case is not the only appeal that the title refers to. At the heart of the story is a village community theater group, the Fairway Players, which is run more or less benevolently by the local "alpha" family, the Haywards. They receive shocking news when their young granddaughter, Poppy, is diagnosed with cancer. Her only hope is an experimental drug treatment that has not been approved in the UK and is only available at enormous cost directly from the American doctors conducting a clinical trial. The family launches an ambitious crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds, while simultaneously rehearsing and preparing to debut the theater group's current play, Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
It's pretty clear from the setup and the opening pages that there's something rotten in Lockwood, but we don't find out who the victim is until quite late, which makes reading all of the emails and texts akin to putting together a jigsaw puzzle without being able to refer to the picture on the box. I found it to be a compelling page-turner, and it was enjoyable to continually make and revise guesses about what was really going on, to whom and by whom, throughout. (Let's just say murder isn't the only criminal activity going on among this lot.) The characters were fully formed and distinct enough to both distinguish from each other and allow the reader to form definite opinions about them based on their communications.
All in all, I found this a rollicking good time. Because the story is told in an epistolary style, there's no blood or gore — the focus really is on trying to put the puzzle together and arrive at the same conclusion as the lawyers. The final chapter seemed like the perfect payoff for the setup that occurred throughout the story, which is always a satisfying way to end a mystery.
Show More
letters — to determine if there are grounds to appeal a murder conviction that the QC believes was wrongly decided. As the two clerks review all of the information, they exchange texts and emails with each other and with their boss, providing exposition to the reader in the guise of asking for clarification or talking through scenarios.The legal case is not the only appeal that the title refers to. At the heart of the story is a village community theater group, the Fairway Players, which is run more or less benevolently by the local "alpha" family, the Haywards. They receive shocking news when their young granddaughter, Poppy, is diagnosed with cancer. Her only hope is an experimental drug treatment that has not been approved in the UK and is only available at enormous cost directly from the American doctors conducting a clinical trial. The family launches an ambitious crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds, while simultaneously rehearsing and preparing to debut the theater group's current play, Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
It's pretty clear from the setup and the opening pages that there's something rotten in Lockwood, but we don't find out who the victim is until quite late, which makes reading all of the emails and texts akin to putting together a jigsaw puzzle without being able to refer to the picture on the box. I found it to be a compelling page-turner, and it was enjoyable to continually make and revise guesses about what was really going on, to whom and by whom, throughout. (Let's just say murder isn't the only criminal activity going on among this lot.) The characters were fully formed and distinct enough to both distinguish from each other and allow the reader to form definite opinions about them based on their communications.
All in all, I found this a rollicking good time. Because the story is told in an epistolary style, there's no blood or gore — the focus really is on trying to put the puzzle together and arrive at the same conclusion as the lawyers. The final chapter seemed like the perfect payoff for the setup that occurred throughout the story, which is always a satisfying way to end a mystery.
Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Great premise, but the initial withholding of information from the reader actually does the plot a disservice because it takes too long to work out the motives of the narrators, and then requires a lot of flicking back and forth to check details - works very well in paper, may be a bit of a pain as
After about half the book, a body is discovered, and then finally the barrister starts to reveal his thoughts - in one of the funniest passages of the book - whilst failing to understand what messaging is, or how to use it. The novel could do with more excerpts like this, as it adds greatly to the story and helps bring the characters to life, whilst the emails of the actors are always a bit more remote, and in fact somewhat historic, although it's not initially clear by what degree.
Some of the actors are, deliberately, very annoying to read, although obviously everybody's choice will vary. Extrapolating motives of other people is always a bit tricky, and so as a plot device it feels as if something is missing, and the author is concealing pertinent information, but at the same time it's a lot of fun to read. The very short nature of the communications means it's ideal for busy situations when you can't devote several hours to reading complex passages in one go. I enjoyed a lot of it.
Show More
an ebook. Told entirely as epistolary we start with a QC (barrister) instructing, by email two pupils (trainees) to look at some evidence - which is a lot of emails and a few message exchanges from the actors in an Am Dram society. For some reason (never explained) we only get some of the conversations, frequently only one side, and usually not even all of that. We and they, don't know why or what they're looking for. The two trainees message back and forth - although I'd have liked more of their commentary on the material they're reading. After about half the book, a body is discovered, and then finally the barrister starts to reveal his thoughts - in one of the funniest passages of the book - whilst failing to understand what messaging is, or how to use it. The novel could do with more excerpts like this, as it adds greatly to the story and helps bring the characters to life, whilst the emails of the actors are always a bit more remote, and in fact somewhat historic, although it's not initially clear by what degree.
Some of the actors are, deliberately, very annoying to read, although obviously everybody's choice will vary. Extrapolating motives of other people is always a bit tricky, and so as a plot device it feels as if something is missing, and the author is concealing pertinent information, but at the same time it's a lot of fun to read. The very short nature of the communications means it's ideal for busy situations when you can't devote several hours to reading complex passages in one go. I enjoyed a lot of it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member passion4reading
A barrister instructs two law students to read through a collection of emails, text message exchanges, newspaper clippings and some other materials; while the contents focus on the stage production of an amateur dramatic society and the charity appeal to fund a child's experimental drug treatment,
As previous reviewers have mentioned, and is probably quite a well-known fact by now, is that the author uses the format of epistolary fiction brought into the twenty-first century. The narrative device places the reader and the two law students level, with each party privy to identical information. This works extremely well here, even though it did take me a little time to get used to it because the mental picture of each character has to be built up over time through the messages they send and receive, and is not immediately obvious as is usually the case in conventional fiction writing. There are plenty of nefarious activities going on in the little town, and it falls to Femi and Charlotte, as well as the reader, to connect the dots and build a cohesive picture out of the various fragments. The result is a clever and interesting jigsaw puzzle, and I will certainly pick up Janice Hallett's follow-up novel, The Twyford Code, soon.
Show More
it eventually becomes apparent that a member of the community has been murdered. Can the two students reveal the identity of the killer?As previous reviewers have mentioned, and is probably quite a well-known fact by now, is that the author uses the format of epistolary fiction brought into the twenty-first century. The narrative device places the reader and the two law students level, with each party privy to identical information. This works extremely well here, even though it did take me a little time to get used to it because the mental picture of each character has to be built up over time through the messages they send and receive, and is not immediately obvious as is usually the case in conventional fiction writing. There are plenty of nefarious activities going on in the little town, and it falls to Femi and Charlotte, as well as the reader, to connect the dots and build a cohesive picture out of the various fragments. The result is a clever and interesting jigsaw puzzle, and I will certainly pick up Janice Hallett's follow-up novel, The Twyford Code, soon.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
In The Appeal by Janice Hallett, a lawyer instructs his clerks to look at evidence provided as he prepares to appeal the case of a client. She has pleaded guilty but he is convinced she isn’t. The story is told through written evidence which includes emails direct messages, letters, recorded
The case involves an appeal for funds to aid a sick child of a prominent family who has been diagnosed with a rare cancer. Her only hope is an experimental and very expensive medicine presently in clinical trials in the US. The family run an amateur theatre group and the volunteers work to raise funds through several different events. There are hints of fraud and duplicity throughout and this eventually leads to murder.
The Appeal was an interesting update of the epistolary novel and, for the most part I enjoyed it at least until close to the end. The idea of using itoday’s ways of communicating through short direct messages and emails was fun. But it was only very late in the story the reader learns who was murdered and why the lawyer believes his client is innocent. And here’s where my problem with the book hangs. Like every true reader, my willing suspension of disbelief is quite flexible but the solution was a flex too far based pretty much completely on conjecture, supposition, and giant leaps of faith in the interpretation of the evidence.
Still, overall, I really enjoyed most of the book and, even if I found the rest somewhat hard to accept, I was able to finish the book. This is Hallett’s debut novel and, despite my reservations with The Appeal, I would definitely read more by her in the future
Thanks to Edelweiss+ & Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
Show More
interviews, etcetera. As they dig through all of this, the clerks exchange messages between themselves and the lawyer trying to find the truth buried in all of this paper. The more they examine all the evidence, the more clear it becomes that people and thing are not at all what they appear. The case involves an appeal for funds to aid a sick child of a prominent family who has been diagnosed with a rare cancer. Her only hope is an experimental and very expensive medicine presently in clinical trials in the US. The family run an amateur theatre group and the volunteers work to raise funds through several different events. There are hints of fraud and duplicity throughout and this eventually leads to murder.
The Appeal was an interesting update of the epistolary novel and, for the most part I enjoyed it at least until close to the end. The idea of using itoday’s ways of communicating through short direct messages and emails was fun. But it was only very late in the story the reader learns who was murdered and why the lawyer believes his client is innocent. And here’s where my problem with the book hangs. Like every true reader, my willing suspension of disbelief is quite flexible but the solution was a flex too far based pretty much completely on conjecture, supposition, and giant leaps of faith in the interpretation of the evidence.
Still, overall, I really enjoyed most of the book and, even if I found the rest somewhat hard to accept, I was able to finish the book. This is Hallett’s debut novel and, despite my reservations with The Appeal, I would definitely read more by her in the future
Thanks to Edelweiss+ & Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
Show Less
LibraryThing member rmarcin
The Appeal is an extremely clever and unique way to tell the story of a crime. A small theater group, The Fairway Players, is run by Martin Hayward and his wife, Helen. However, the community is shocked when Martin explains why they have been out of touch. Their granddaughter, Poppy, has been
However, there is some suspicion around the appeal and the various players. When someone is killed, young lawyers are asked to review all the correspondence, mainly emails, to discover the truth. This is a unique way of laying out the background, and having the reader try to piece together the mystery. The epistolary style is a fresh way to write the story.
I truly enjoyed this debut novel and I look forward to more from this author. It will keep you guessing!
Show More
diagnosed with cancer and needs expensive life-saving treatment. The money required is exorbitant and the drama group pulls together to appeal to the community to raise funds.However, there is some suspicion around the appeal and the various players. When someone is killed, young lawyers are asked to review all the correspondence, mainly emails, to discover the truth. This is a unique way of laying out the background, and having the reader try to piece together the mystery. The epistolary style is a fresh way to write the story.
I truly enjoyed this debut novel and I look forward to more from this author. It will keep you guessing!
Show Less
LibraryThing member srms.reads
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
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
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member marquis784
This is a cozy mystery revolving around the Fairway Players Theater Group managed by Martin and Helen Hayward. They are very selective about who is allowed into their exclusive group of amateur actors. Each year they work on one play which they take very seriously demanding dedication from the
Samantha Greenwood and her husband are new members to the group this year having returned from their volunteer work in Africa for the past 8 years. Isabel Beck is an interesting and needy player who finds an immediate connection with Samantha as she is also a nurse. There are many text messages and emails exchanged throughout the course of this book alternating between the characters which provide insight into their true motives as opposed to those which they want others to believe. Unfortunately, a dead body being found before rehearsals for opening night throws a wrench in the once tightly scheduled event. Alternating chapters have attorneys who have been assigned to gather information regarding the death are also emailing and texting furiously to determine who is responsible for this apparent crime.
There are many twists in the story to keep you guessing as well as some shady but humorous characters.
Show More
group members. There is an eclectic cast of characters involved with these productions. This year they are working on All My Sons by Arthur Miller and have deemed it a fundraiser with the proceeds to benefit the Haywards' granddaughter, Poppy who has a rare form of cancer and eligible for experimental treatment. Samantha Greenwood and her husband are new members to the group this year having returned from their volunteer work in Africa for the past 8 years. Isabel Beck is an interesting and needy player who finds an immediate connection with Samantha as she is also a nurse. There are many text messages and emails exchanged throughout the course of this book alternating between the characters which provide insight into their true motives as opposed to those which they want others to believe. Unfortunately, a dead body being found before rehearsals for opening night throws a wrench in the once tightly scheduled event. Alternating chapters have attorneys who have been assigned to gather information regarding the death are also emailing and texting furiously to determine who is responsible for this apparent crime.
There are many twists in the story to keep you guessing as well as some shady but humorous characters.
Show Less
LibraryThing member katiekrug
I had a lot of fun with this whodunnit, told exclusively through emails, text messages, transcripts, and other documents. Hallett does a great job developing her characters and giving the reader a real sense of them without relying on standard descriptions and interactions.
The story is slightly
4 stars
The story is slightly
Show More
convoluted and I had a bit of an issue in the beginning keeping track of who was who, but it didn't take long to get it all sorted in my head. The novel focuses on a community theater group in a small English village; the leader of the group has a granddaughter recently diagnosed with cancer, and the community rallies around to raise money for a life-saving treatment. But something isn't right... And then one of the actors is killed... dun dun DUN! I won't say more because you deserve to experience the fun for yourself.4 stars
Show Less
LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S THE APPEAL ABOUT?
The setup is basically this: a pair of law students have been given a stack of documents—emails, texts, voicemail transcripts, letters, and so on. They're to read through this stack and be prepared to work out what
The correspondence focuses on a period of March-July in the lives of people in The Fairway Players or their associates. The Fairway Players are a local amateur theater group from a small community. As the group starts to plan their next play, the director makes a horrible announcement: his granddaughter, Poppy, has just been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. He's going to have to step back for a while, and Poppy's uncle will be stepping up to direct, etc. There's an experimental drug from the U.S. that's her best shot at a cure, but it's expensive and the family's trying to crowdfund the treatment.
The Players are galvanized into action—individually and as a whole. People do charity runs, have a fundraising gala, a raffle, direct contributions, and so on—and, of course, all the proceeds from The Fairway Players' next play will go to the Fund.
The stack of documents chronicles the messages about this fundraising appeal, the emails of support, and a lot of the behind-the-scenes work at the appeal and the play, and assorted tangential matters. There's a lot of gossip, backstabbing, emotional manipulation, and...well, you start to get the idea that not everything is on the up-and-up with the appeal, the treatment, and some of the people involved. The more you start to piece together the picture these emails, etc. are painting, the more you're pretty sure you're missing something big. Maybe a few somethings. A crime has been committed, one or two may be in progress, and there may be more on the way.
The only way to find out is to see what the next email has to say.
ISABEL BECK
When it comes to sheer word count, we hear more from Isabel Beck than any of the other characters. This doesn't necessarily mean that we know more about her than some of the others—we just get more input from her about what's going on. Or at least what she says is going on.
Issy is clearly a lonely person. Until she recruits a couple of new colleagues, she's the newest member of The Fairway Players and isn't really liked by most (and, in fact, the people she brings in are quickly more welcome than she is). She's described as "mousy," "drippy," who "latches on to" people—and some things not as complimentary. Between her emails and what others say about her, you really start to pity Issy.
And that feeling just grows—like just about every person in the book, she does some truly lousy things. But unlike just about every person in the book, I only felt bad for her. I really hoped for a heaping dose of comeuppance to be given to everyone else but kept hoping something good would happen for Issy.
If I liked nothing else about The Appeal, Isabel Beck would be enough for me to tell you to go read this book. I'm so glad I met this character, one of the best of 2021.
THE STROKE OF GENIUS
The law students, Femi and Charlotte, communicate with each other via WhatsApp about these documents as they read—as you read, too. They get exactly the same information as the reader does when the reader does. As they write back and forth, it's like you're a part of the conversation with them. Instead of texting/messaging your friend(s) as you read the same novel, in this case, you're reading along with a couple of the characters.
In mysteries, as the reader, you're always looking back at things, seeing what happened. Even if the narration is in the present tense, it's going through things that have already happened. Which is the case here, too. But you're with Femi and Charlotte in the trenches—it feels very "now"—while you and those two are looking towards the future, what documents are going to be coming? As they start to put things together, you do, too (sometimes faster than them, sometimes a beat or two behind them). It's a fun—and brilliant—layer on top of what's already a great book that kicks it up a notch or two of cleverness.
LINGERING QUESTIONS
One of the downsides/advantages (depending on your point of view) of this type of storytelling is that you don't have an omniscient narrator—or even a first person—to tie up all the loose ends.
I have several lingering questions about some of the events of the book, many of which can't even make a decent guess about the answer for. If Connelly, Rankin, Holten, Goldberg, or anyone else had left this much hanging—you can believe I'd be jumping up and down shouting my objections to the heavens. But I'm oddly at peace with this. I have been and am going to be spending some time chewing on my questions, make no mistake, but I'm fine with Hallett not tieing everything up in a nice bow.
I should stress that all the important questions, the ones that keep the reader turning pages for, are answered in definitive ways.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE APPEAL?
I ordered this book as soon as I read Noelle Holten's post about it in July. Then listening to Hallet on The Blood Brothers Podcast just made me anticipate it more. So when I saw this on NetGalley, I had to jump—who wants to wait until January for the US release?
I am so glad that I didn't wait.
As I read this, I kept saying to myself things like, "oh, this is clever;" "this is great;" "oohh, impressive;" and so on. And then 30-60 minutes later, I'd say the same thing again, but mean it more. And then again 30-minutes later. Right up to the final paragraphs, this kept getting better and better—and it started off great.
Now that I've said such grandiose things that no book can possibly live up to them, I'm not sure there's a whole lot left to say.
The Appeal is a funny, thought-provoking, and suspenseful novel full of great, believable characters—not a whole lot of likable characters, but believable and interesting, sure—with a multi-layered plot that will keep you guessing and thinking as it pushes you to keep going; all presented in a format that you've seen rarely (if ever) in a mystery novel. If the execution isn't flawless, it's close enough that you won't notice.
One of the best of the year. Period.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Atria via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.
---
WHAT'S THE APPEAL ABOUT?
The setup is basically this: a pair of law students have been given a stack of documents—emails, texts, voicemail transcripts, letters, and so on. They're to read through this stack and be prepared to work out what
Show More
crime(s) happened in what's documented and who did what (and maybe why).The correspondence focuses on a period of March-July in the lives of people in The Fairway Players or their associates. The Fairway Players are a local amateur theater group from a small community. As the group starts to plan their next play, the director makes a horrible announcement: his granddaughter, Poppy, has just been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. He's going to have to step back for a while, and Poppy's uncle will be stepping up to direct, etc. There's an experimental drug from the U.S. that's her best shot at a cure, but it's expensive and the family's trying to crowdfund the treatment.
The Players are galvanized into action—individually and as a whole. People do charity runs, have a fundraising gala, a raffle, direct contributions, and so on—and, of course, all the proceeds from The Fairway Players' next play will go to the Fund.
The stack of documents chronicles the messages about this fundraising appeal, the emails of support, and a lot of the behind-the-scenes work at the appeal and the play, and assorted tangential matters. There's a lot of gossip, backstabbing, emotional manipulation, and...well, you start to get the idea that not everything is on the up-and-up with the appeal, the treatment, and some of the people involved. The more you start to piece together the picture these emails, etc. are painting, the more you're pretty sure you're missing something big. Maybe a few somethings. A crime has been committed, one or two may be in progress, and there may be more on the way.
The only way to find out is to see what the next email has to say.
ISABEL BECK
When it comes to sheer word count, we hear more from Isabel Beck than any of the other characters. This doesn't necessarily mean that we know more about her than some of the others—we just get more input from her about what's going on. Or at least what she says is going on.
Issy is clearly a lonely person. Until she recruits a couple of new colleagues, she's the newest member of The Fairway Players and isn't really liked by most (and, in fact, the people she brings in are quickly more welcome than she is). She's described as "mousy," "drippy," who "latches on to" people—and some things not as complimentary. Between her emails and what others say about her, you really start to pity Issy.
And that feeling just grows—like just about every person in the book, she does some truly lousy things. But unlike just about every person in the book, I only felt bad for her. I really hoped for a heaping dose of comeuppance to be given to everyone else but kept hoping something good would happen for Issy.
If I liked nothing else about The Appeal, Isabel Beck would be enough for me to tell you to go read this book. I'm so glad I met this character, one of the best of 2021.
THE STROKE OF GENIUS
The law students, Femi and Charlotte, communicate with each other via WhatsApp about these documents as they read—as you read, too. They get exactly the same information as the reader does when the reader does. As they write back and forth, it's like you're a part of the conversation with them. Instead of texting/messaging your friend(s) as you read the same novel, in this case, you're reading along with a couple of the characters.
In mysteries, as the reader, you're always looking back at things, seeing what happened. Even if the narration is in the present tense, it's going through things that have already happened. Which is the case here, too. But you're with Femi and Charlotte in the trenches—it feels very "now"—while you and those two are looking towards the future, what documents are going to be coming? As they start to put things together, you do, too (sometimes faster than them, sometimes a beat or two behind them). It's a fun—and brilliant—layer on top of what's already a great book that kicks it up a notch or two of cleverness.
LINGERING QUESTIONS
One of the downsides/advantages (depending on your point of view) of this type of storytelling is that you don't have an omniscient narrator—or even a first person—to tie up all the loose ends.
I have several lingering questions about some of the events of the book, many of which can't even make a decent guess about the answer for. If Connelly, Rankin, Holten, Goldberg, or anyone else had left this much hanging—you can believe I'd be jumping up and down shouting my objections to the heavens. But I'm oddly at peace with this. I have been and am going to be spending some time chewing on my questions, make no mistake, but I'm fine with Hallett not tieing everything up in a nice bow.
I should stress that all the important questions, the ones that keep the reader turning pages for, are answered in definitive ways.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE APPEAL?
I ordered this book as soon as I read Noelle Holten's post about it in July. Then listening to Hallet on The Blood Brothers Podcast just made me anticipate it more. So when I saw this on NetGalley, I had to jump—who wants to wait until January for the US release?
I am so glad that I didn't wait.
As I read this, I kept saying to myself things like, "oh, this is clever;" "this is great;" "oohh, impressive;" and so on. And then 30-60 minutes later, I'd say the same thing again, but mean it more. And then again 30-minutes later. Right up to the final paragraphs, this kept getting better and better—and it started off great.
Now that I've said such grandiose things that no book can possibly live up to them, I'm not sure there's a whole lot left to say.
The Appeal is a funny, thought-provoking, and suspenseful novel full of great, believable characters—not a whole lot of likable characters, but believable and interesting, sure—with a multi-layered plot that will keep you guessing and thinking as it pushes you to keep going; all presented in a format that you've seen rarely (if ever) in a mystery novel. If the execution isn't flawless, it's close enough that you won't notice.
One of the best of the year. Period.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Atria via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.
Show Less
LibraryThing member alanteder
Who is Grifting Whom?
Review of the Atria Books hardcover edition (North America) (January 2022) of the Viper (UK) original hardcover (January 2021)
The setup in The Appeal has two articling law students working for a lawyer who has scheduled an appeal of the conviction of their client. The students
The case revolves around a prominent family in a UK community who run a local country club and also an amateur theatrical society called The Fairway Players. One of the grandchildren is diagnosed with cancer and the family organizes a crowdfunding effort (this is another meaning of the title) in order to afford a rare alternative treatment drug from the United States. There are various fundraising events including the staging of a play where most of the suspects have performance or back stage roles. As we read the correspondence, we realize that not all things are as they seem and people are lying to each other for various reasons. This lead in takes up quite a large portion of the book which may get tiresome (there is one person whose emails are particularly cringeworthy).
After 2/3rds of the book this finally boils down to attempting to answer a set of questions set by the lawyer, which ask:
Who killed __* ?
In the hours before __* death, __* told three people three things. Who and what?
Who knew it was going to happen?
Who knew about it before the body was discovered?
Who is erroneously imprisoned and why? - excerpt from pg. 294.
and then a set of riddles which ask:
Three people are not who they say they are.
Three masquerade as others.
One does not exist at all. - excerpt from pgs. 294-295.
* Name & gender redacted here by me as the victim is not revealed until late in the book.
This all starts off as very intriguing, but certain key clues and information are withheld from the students and the reader until very late. This adds a great deal of frustration to the reading as things don't really begin to happen until about the halfway point of the book. After that the clues are doled out piecemeal and of course we are compelled to read on to find out what happens. I certainly couldn't solve any of it except for guessing who was falsely imprisoned. There was a clever final page twist.
Overall it did become a compelling read, but there is an aura of unreality where you have to suspend belief in order accept the situation. I mean what articling students wouldn't know off the bat what cases their mentoring lawyer is working on and who has been murdered and who has been sentenced? They have to figure it out from private correspondence instead of reading the news or from common public knowledge?
Trivia and Links
I did wonder whether the fact that the Fairway Players were rehearsing and staging Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947) during the background events of The Appeal was in any way a clue as to the solution of the mystery. I don't think it was, except for the themes of a guilty party allowing an innocent person to be convicted of a crime and someone's self-delusion being protected by other parties. Similarly, the fact that Fairway Players previous staging was of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1941) was a slight clue in the sense that the past comes back to haunt the present.
The Appeal was the first novel by writer Janice Hallett. In the UK, her second novel The Twyford Code (January 2022) has already been released. Like The Appeal it uses a gimmick for its formatting, this time the transcription of audio recordings.
Review of the Atria Books hardcover edition (North America) (January 2022) of the Viper (UK) original hardcover (January 2021)
The setup in The Appeal has two articling law students working for a lawyer who has scheduled an appeal of the conviction of their client. The students
Show More
(and the book reader by proxy) are assigned the task of going through related correspondence for the case. The case revolves around a prominent family in a UK community who run a local country club and also an amateur theatrical society called The Fairway Players. One of the grandchildren is diagnosed with cancer and the family organizes a crowdfunding effort (this is another meaning of the title) in order to afford a rare alternative treatment drug from the United States. There are various fundraising events including the staging of a play where most of the suspects have performance or back stage roles. As we read the correspondence, we realize that not all things are as they seem and people are lying to each other for various reasons. This lead in takes up quite a large portion of the book which may get tiresome (there is one person whose emails are particularly cringeworthy).
After 2/3rds of the book this finally boils down to attempting to answer a set of questions set by the lawyer, which ask:
Who killed __* ?
In the hours before __* death, __* told three people three things. Who and what?
Who knew it was going to happen?
Who knew about it before the body was discovered?
Who is erroneously imprisoned and why? - excerpt from pg. 294.
and then a set of riddles which ask:
Three people are not who they say they are.
Three masquerade as others.
One does not exist at all. - excerpt from pgs. 294-295.
* Name & gender redacted here by me as the victim is not revealed until late in the book.
This all starts off as very intriguing, but certain key clues and information are withheld from the students and the reader until very late. This adds a great deal of frustration to the reading as things don't really begin to happen until about the halfway point of the book. After that the clues are doled out piecemeal and of course we are compelled to read on to find out what happens. I certainly couldn't solve any of it except for guessing who was falsely imprisoned. There was a clever final page twist.
Overall it did become a compelling read, but there is an aura of unreality where you have to suspend belief in order accept the situation. I mean what articling students wouldn't know off the bat what cases their mentoring lawyer is working on and who has been murdered and who has been sentenced? They have to figure it out from private correspondence instead of reading the news or from common public knowledge?
Trivia and Links
I did wonder whether the fact that the Fairway Players were rehearsing and staging Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947) during the background events of The Appeal was in any way a clue as to the solution of the mystery. I don't think it was, except for the themes of a guilty party allowing an innocent person to be convicted of a crime and someone's self-delusion being protected by other parties. Similarly, the fact that Fairway Players previous staging was of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1941) was a slight clue in the sense that the past comes back to haunt the present.
The Appeal was the first novel by writer Janice Hallett. In the UK, her second novel The Twyford Code (January 2022) has already been released. Like The Appeal it uses a gimmick for its formatting, this time the transcription of audio recordings.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kimkimkim
There are so many characters within the pages and watching them feed off one another from email to email is often comic, annoying, oh no here we go, look at for him/her, suspicious, and confusing. Where do you go when you are told at the outset that the narrative is incomplete but you are expected
There is a local dramatic society and everyone wants to be a part or have a part in its productions. There are leaders, movers, shakers, a tenacious “wannabe”, a few newbies, a few questionables, a little girl who is very ill, among various and sundry others. The emails are flying back and forth - some incriminating, many suspicious and others maybe just mundane. They are going to be hand sorted, read and qualified by two young attorneys and we are going to get to be inside their heads and comments for what seems like an ongoing criminal investigation. And they are just as confused and consumed by all the maybes and what ifs as we are. Different, clever a bit overlong and while I enjoyed it I also felt a little let down so perhaps conflicted best describes it.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy
Show More
to fill it in and find the murderer?! First you have to discover and identify; who is in charge, who is a player, and who is playing whom. Not easy when there are so many involved and an equal amount on the periphery. There is a local dramatic society and everyone wants to be a part or have a part in its productions. There are leaders, movers, shakers, a tenacious “wannabe”, a few newbies, a few questionables, a little girl who is very ill, among various and sundry others. The emails are flying back and forth - some incriminating, many suspicious and others maybe just mundane. They are going to be hand sorted, read and qualified by two young attorneys and we are going to get to be inside their heads and comments for what seems like an ongoing criminal investigation. And they are just as confused and consumed by all the maybes and what ifs as we are. Different, clever a bit overlong and while I enjoyed it I also felt a little let down so perhaps conflicted best describes it.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathl33n
This is being compared to Agatha Christie and I can see it. I found that Ms. Christie writes without any description of place, scene or characters and this book, told entirely through various written correspondence (mostly email) provides absolutely no descriptive aspects what so ever. Is that
Show More
something you like? I'm not sure whether I do or not. I really enjoyed it in the beginning - it was fresh and original and kept the reading moving quickly, but about halfway through I really, really wanted to know what these characters looked like, what their theater looked like, what the country club looked like, how their homes looked. Honestly I was desperate for some descriptives! I almost gave it up entirely - twice - but the plot was so interesting that I pushed myself through. Was it worth it? Again, I'm not sure. I did very, very much enjoy the unraveling of the story but when I found who the murderer was and why I was a bit underwhelmed. Maybe I was just tired. Question - is this format of emails the modern epistolary? Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and advanced copy and provide my honest opinion. Show Less
LibraryThing member AKBouterse
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a review. I read the ARC for the first half and then my physical UK copy for the second half but other than some minor word changes, they seem basically identical.
I enjoyed this! I really enjoy books written in
As far as the mystery went, I found it pretty satisfying. I am absolutely terrible at predicting the plots of mysteries and I definitely didn't manage to solve this one but I did guess a few key elements one of which, the Munchausen by proxy, I thought was so obvious I wasn't sure it was supposed to be a twist . I think this mystery is a little difficult to solve and think there is a bit too much intentional obfuscation to keep the reader confused but overall I enjoyed how this was plotted and how the clues unfolded.
Essentially, the frame of this mystery is that two law students have been given these emails by their boss and they are trying to solve the mystery. There are text messages between them slipped in. These text messages are pretty transparently about making sure the reader is caught up as well as pointing out important details. I didn't mind this but it is perhaps a little heavy-handed.
I know that this author has another book coming out soon that has a similar non-traditional format. I'm definitely curious about that book and I will check it out when it comes out. If you like mixed media books and mysteries, I would definitely recommend this.
I enjoyed this! I really enjoy books written in
Show More
non-traditional formats so I was super excited to read this book. There isn't too much diversity in the type of mixed media that makes up this book. It's almost entirely written in emails with a few text messages and reports thrown in. I thought this was an interesting way to tell a mystery. It is a clever way to keep information from the reader in a way that seems natural to the story. I can understand that some readers who prefer more traditional mysteries might find this frustrating by I found it just made me more intrigued about the mystery. As far as the mystery went, I found it pretty satisfying. I am absolutely terrible at predicting the plots of mysteries and I definitely didn't manage to solve this one but I did guess a few key elements
Essentially, the frame of this mystery is that two law students have been given these emails by their boss and they are trying to solve the mystery. There are text messages between them slipped in. These text messages are pretty transparently about making sure the reader is caught up as well as pointing out important details. I didn't mind this but it is perhaps a little heavy-handed.
I know that this author has another book coming out soon that has a similar non-traditional format. I'm definitely curious about that book and I will check it out when it comes out. If you like mixed media books and mysteries, I would definitely recommend this.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Romonko
This book is like no other thriller out there. The book consists of e-mails, texts, press releases and memos. Through this medium, Ms. Hallett crafts a believable and engaging thriller with believable and realistic characters. It's engaging because the reader is forced to uncover the details and
Show More
the solutions to all the crimes that are involved in the story. All is explained at the end, and most is resolved, except for one very annoying and delusional female who was actually at the centre of the whole thing. It was a lot of fun to read and to try to decipher what happened. The book is set around a small town drama company, the patriarchal family that is at the "top of the food chain" so to speak, and the players and stage crew from the drama company. We have lots of other town residents, and the cast of this book is quite extensive which certainly adds to the complexity of trying to decipher the clues and to determine what crimes are being committed and by whom. I found the email format was actually a good way to present the clues, and provided insight into the various people and their characters. The mystery is a tricky one, and readers will have to read very carefully, as clues are dropped all over the place within the book. I would like to thank the publisher, Simon and Schuster, for the chance to read this very entertaining book, and I am providing an honest and unsolicited review on the galley copy that I received from them. Show Less
LibraryThing member majkia
Wow. That was different. In a good way! A murder mystery, presented as a series of email, texts and phone calls. Someone is dead, and you are presented with this evidence as lawyers are appealing the case for the person found guilty, whom they believe is really innocent.
Lots of secrets, lies, and
Well Done!
Lots of secrets, lies, and
Show More
people who don't always tell the truth. What a surprise.Well Done!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
Janice Hallett’s novel is a triumph. It is presented as a series of documents, featuring emails, WhatsApp exchanges and SMS messages from a number of characters, all of whom have been involved in the events which culminated with the death of Samantha Greenwood, a former nurse who, after working
The premise of the novel is that someone (we don’t discover who until near the end of the book) has been wrongly convicted of murdering Sam. The book is presented as a dossier compiled by the accused’s legal team. The barrister representing the client has asked two paralegals at a firm of solicitors to review the papers, with no prior knowledge of the case, to see whether they spot any irregularities or inconsistencies, that might be exploited in any appeal process.
The plot revolves around the actions and motives of the members of the Lockwood Amateur Dramatic Society, which in turn revolve around the Haywards and Reswicks, the community’s self-appointed leading family. Martin Hayward is owner of The Grange, a large hotel complex within the town, and has been leader of the Drama Society for years, while his wife Helen has always taken the leading female roles. As the story opens, the Society is about to start preparations for a presentation of Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons. However, soon after preparations begin, martin announces to the membership of the Society that his two-year-old granddaughter Poppy has been diagnosed with a severe form of brain cancer, and that her only hope is newly discovered wonder drug that is only available at huge cost from America. On this news, the Society is galvanised into action, and an appeal campaign is formed.
The correspondence is cleverly presented – we don’t always see both sides of an exchange, and all sorts of sub stories emerge.
The characterisation is great, too. For instance, Isabel ‘Issy’ Beck seems very needy, and is desperate to make friends, unaware of how ‘clingy’ she appears. Sarah Jane MacDonald emerges as the lead administrator of the Appeal Fund, and is full of drive, and ideas, but not always patient with those upon whose help she comes to rely. Martin Hayward is sometimes imperious, and also prickly, likely to resent being questioned too deeply about Poppy’s condition. Almost the only person from whom we never hear is his wife, Helen, who (we learn) has studiously avoided engagement with modern communications technology, and apparently ‘doesn’t do email’.
All in all, this works wonderfully – far more effectively than my clumsy synopsis might suggest - , and all sorts of subplots and strained relationships emerge. When I first encountered the book, I had my doubts about the format, wondering whether it might simply be gimmicky. That could not be further from the truth. The drip feed of information, like an old fashioned epistolatory novel, works excellently.
Janice Hallett manages the plot adeptly, too, and I lost count of the unexpected twists and turns, all of them entirely plausible.
Show More
with her husband Kel for many years in sub-Saharan Africa with a humanitarian aid organisation, has returned to the UK and taken up residence in the small town of Lockwood.The premise of the novel is that someone (we don’t discover who until near the end of the book) has been wrongly convicted of murdering Sam. The book is presented as a dossier compiled by the accused’s legal team. The barrister representing the client has asked two paralegals at a firm of solicitors to review the papers, with no prior knowledge of the case, to see whether they spot any irregularities or inconsistencies, that might be exploited in any appeal process.
The plot revolves around the actions and motives of the members of the Lockwood Amateur Dramatic Society, which in turn revolve around the Haywards and Reswicks, the community’s self-appointed leading family. Martin Hayward is owner of The Grange, a large hotel complex within the town, and has been leader of the Drama Society for years, while his wife Helen has always taken the leading female roles. As the story opens, the Society is about to start preparations for a presentation of Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons. However, soon after preparations begin, martin announces to the membership of the Society that his two-year-old granddaughter Poppy has been diagnosed with a severe form of brain cancer, and that her only hope is newly discovered wonder drug that is only available at huge cost from America. On this news, the Society is galvanised into action, and an appeal campaign is formed.
The correspondence is cleverly presented – we don’t always see both sides of an exchange, and all sorts of sub stories emerge.
The characterisation is great, too. For instance, Isabel ‘Issy’ Beck seems very needy, and is desperate to make friends, unaware of how ‘clingy’ she appears. Sarah Jane MacDonald emerges as the lead administrator of the Appeal Fund, and is full of drive, and ideas, but not always patient with those upon whose help she comes to rely. Martin Hayward is sometimes imperious, and also prickly, likely to resent being questioned too deeply about Poppy’s condition. Almost the only person from whom we never hear is his wife, Helen, who (we learn) has studiously avoided engagement with modern communications technology, and apparently ‘doesn’t do email’.
All in all, this works wonderfully – far more effectively than my clumsy synopsis might suggest - , and all sorts of subplots and strained relationships emerge. When I first encountered the book, I had my doubts about the format, wondering whether it might simply be gimmicky. That could not be further from the truth. The drip feed of information, like an old fashioned epistolatory novel, works excellently.
Janice Hallett manages the plot adeptly, too, and I lost count of the unexpected twists and turns, all of them entirely plausible.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
Oh my gosh! Janice Hallett's new novel, The Appeal, is absolutely brilliant!
From Simon and Schuster: "Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, this “dazzlingly clever” (The Sunday Times, London) murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child—but when escalating lies
Okay, so that descriptor alone had me hooked. But! What really had me excited was that book is an epistolary novel, told only through emails, messages, memos, newspaper stories, letters and more. I adore this style of story telling.
What else? Well there's a large (but manageable) set of characters (suspects), all with a connection to the Fairway Players, an amateur theater group. One of the troupe has been incarcerated after the death of one of their fellow thespians. Two young law students have been tasked with going through the correspondence in an effort to launch an appeal and clear that conviction.
The clues are slowly revealed from differing viewpoints. I felt like I was in an Agatha Christie novel, trying to ferret out the damning piece of evidence, ready to point my finger with a satisfied ah ha! Well, point I did, but at almost every character along the way. Hallett's plotting is deliciously devious. It's all so very, very clever. The Appeal is easily one of my favorites for the year!
I chose to listen to The Appeal. I wondered if the epistolary element would translated to the audio version well. For this listener it was even better. The readers were Aysha Kala, Daniel Philpott, Rachel Adedeji and Sid Sagar. They all did a spectacular job. There are two female characters that 'speak' more than others. The voices for these two were perfect - Sarah Jane is no nonsense and forceful. Izzy is not as sure of herself and a little clueless and her voice reflects that. The male characters' voices were also perfect for the mental images I was creating - smooth and cultured - and yes, a little bit smarmy. The British accents are very easy to understand. The speed of speaking was just right and was easy to understand. All of the readers captured the tone of the book and interpreted it well, doing justice to Hallett's book. As much as I know I would have enjoyed reading The Appeal, I found the audio version to be even better. Soooooo good!!
From Simon and Schuster: "Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, this “dazzlingly clever” (The Sunday Times, London) murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child—but when escalating lies
Show More
lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect.Okay, so that descriptor alone had me hooked. But! What really had me excited was that book is an epistolary novel, told only through emails, messages, memos, newspaper stories, letters and more. I adore this style of story telling.
What else? Well there's a large (but manageable) set of characters (suspects), all with a connection to the Fairway Players, an amateur theater group. One of the troupe has been incarcerated after the death of one of their fellow thespians. Two young law students have been tasked with going through the correspondence in an effort to launch an appeal and clear that conviction.
The clues are slowly revealed from differing viewpoints. I felt like I was in an Agatha Christie novel, trying to ferret out the damning piece of evidence, ready to point my finger with a satisfied ah ha! Well, point I did, but at almost every character along the way. Hallett's plotting is deliciously devious. It's all so very, very clever. The Appeal is easily one of my favorites for the year!
I chose to listen to The Appeal. I wondered if the epistolary element would translated to the audio version well. For this listener it was even better. The readers were Aysha Kala, Daniel Philpott, Rachel Adedeji and Sid Sagar. They all did a spectacular job. There are two female characters that 'speak' more than others. The voices for these two were perfect - Sarah Jane is no nonsense and forceful. Izzy is not as sure of herself and a little clueless and her voice reflects that. The male characters' voices were also perfect for the mental images I was creating - smooth and cultured - and yes, a little bit smarmy. The British accents are very easy to understand. The speed of speaking was just right and was easy to understand. All of the readers captured the tone of the book and interpreted it well, doing justice to Hallett's book. As much as I know I would have enjoyed reading The Appeal, I found the audio version to be even better. Soooooo good!!
Show Less
LibraryThing member sblock
A brilliant epistolary novel for the modern age. By telling the story using the main characters' emails, the reader is challenged to read between the lines and figure out what they're not saying. Strangely enough, I read this novel while listening to the podcast, Believe in Magic, which I strongly
Show More
recommend. Without giving anything away, I have to think the author was inspired by this real-life drama. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This was a book I picked up on a whim, it basically had an interesting plot with an interesting premise - two young lawyers have been asked by their boss to go through correspondence of a murder case. These lawyers go through pages of emails, texts, call logs, reports, anything that is digital and
As for the book itself, I found it to be too convoluted. Too many random pieces that don't make much sense in this context. Red herrings are fine, and are expected in a mystery, but they need to make sense in context of the story.
As for the characters, I found them all mostly annoying - however, being part of a theater group (as a musician, not an actor) the personalities involved are true to form, but became parodies of themselves.
The writing is well done, I quite liked the two young lawyers - their back and forth comments, as well as sarcastic remarks grounded the story, keeping it from getting to clownish.
Show More
was used in the court proceedings.As for the book itself, I found it to be too convoluted. Too many random pieces that don't make much sense in this context. Red herrings are fine, and are expected in a mystery, but they need to make sense in context of the story.
As for the characters, I found them all mostly annoying - however, being part of a theater group (as a musician, not an actor) the personalities involved are true to form, but became parodies of themselves.
The writing is well done, I quite liked the two young lawyers - their back and forth comments, as well as sarcastic remarks grounded the story, keeping it from getting to clownish.
Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
Janice Hallett writes a novel in the epistolary style of Samuel Richardson, who wrote Pamela. Richardson’s British novel contains letters, whereas, Janice Hallett’s story involves emails. Too many pages of emails! The redeeming feature becomes Femi and Charlotte who function as a Greek chorus
Show More
explaining what has happened. Femi and Charlotte also provide a stirring commentary on what has transpired. The big questions---who is murdered and who does the murder. So many red herrings in the emails. Fraud, jealousy, and revenge enter this lengthy play within a play. The email motif presents itself well in the beginning, but falls into tiresome towards the end of the book. An unique style that works well with the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member KallieGrace
This was a really fun mystery book, with everything being told through gossipy emails and texts that lawyers are trying to piece together. I have first hand experience with pediatric cancer, so right away the diagnosis and treatment seemed fishy. You don't shave your daughter's head because her
I was following along pretty well until the body dropped? Somehow that just snuck in and was casually being talked about like we were aware of it already.
This is set up so that you can solve the mystery with all the clues before the reveal, so I think it's worth a reread to see what I can pick up on the second time around.
Show More
hair isn't falling out like people expect. You wait till the clumps start falling out too noticeably to ignore anymore.I was following along pretty well until the body dropped? Somehow that just snuck in and was casually being talked about like we were aware of it already.
This is set up so that you can solve the mystery with all the clues before the reveal, so I think it's worth a reread to see what I can pick up on the second time around.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pgchuis
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
It took me a while to work out who Femi and Charlotte were, and what their role was, but after that I was gripped. This was extremely well-clued, which was engaging and made me feel clever, and the use of emails and messages kept
Read in one sitting on a plane. Highly recommended.
It took me a while to work out who Femi and Charlotte were, and what their role was, but after that I was gripped. This was extremely well-clued, which was engaging and made me feel clever, and the use of emails and messages kept
Show More
things fresh. Issy was a fantastic creation. Femi and Charlotte discuss what they have read and debate clues and motives and suspects etc, which helped clarify things for me. I'm deducting half a point because there was a section towards the end where they listed different scenarios and possible solutions and these were presented essay style and I found that part quite dull. Also there were unnecessarily constant references to Issy's position in the social hierarchy which could have been cut by three-quarters,Read in one sitting on a plane. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member debbie13410
An epistolary whodunit . You are given all the clues through emails, letters and text and you have to figure out who is the murderer. You aren't even told who was murdered until the last 1/4 of the book.
I did get confused at times. I wish I had written notes on all the characters and how they were
They say all the clues are given to solve the crime. I didn't even try and figure it out.
I did get confused at times. I wish I had written notes on all the characters and how they were
Show More
related. They say all the clues are given to solve the crime. I didn't even try and figure it out.
Show Less
Awards
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2022)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Mystery — 2023)
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2022)
Books Are My Bag Readers Award (Shortlist — Fiction — 2021)
Waterstones Book of the Year (Shortlist — 2021)
Language
Original publication date
2021-01-14
ISBN
9781982187460