The Appeal: The smash-hit bestseller

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Is she the next Christie? I would say no, based on this book, but a very interesting debut anyway. I don’t know if I missed some bits, but while the solution makes sense, and there are some nice deduction based on subtle hints earlier on, I did not feel the eventual solution had the elegant inevitability that Christie can deliver. I also felt the book was too long. When their little grand-daughter Poppy falls ill with a rare form of brain cancer they launch an appeal to raise a massive amount for a revolutionary, and as yet untried treatment, available only in the States. At the same time The Fairway Players continue to mount a production of All My Sons by Arthur Miller. Through their cast lists and committee minutes we are provided with a handy aide-memoir to who's who. So many writers have inspired me: Cervantes, Thomas Hardy, Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, Patricia Leitch, Douglas Adams… and that’s only a few. And, no, if I can cope with the Americanisms of Cornell Woolrich and Dashiell Hammett, you can cope with the Britishness of Hallett — there’s none of Osman’s winking references to Jaffa Cakes or Boots the chemist. This certainly has that advantage over the Osman, and that’s a good thing as far as international markets go 🙂

Fiendishly clever, highly original and totally gripping -- Cass Green, bestselling author of In a Cottage in a WoodHallett seems to have done that rae things of pleasing the classicists and the modernists…no mean feat for her first novel! I’m not cynical or making excuses, but what do they expect? Crowdfunding campaigns are built on trust. You never really know where the cash goes. We’ve all contributed to friends’ campaigns without asking questions. The members of a drama club come together in the face of tragedy, unaware they could be the victims of an ongoing fraud. Thanks JJ for the review – sounds like I need to get my hands on this book sooner rather than later! Is it a book I can get via my local Kindle store – or does the ‘murder dossier’ format require a hard copy?

I felt exactly as you do! My brother-in-law who doesn’t read much at all, mentioned it to me (‘you know all these crime books, you must know this one’), and I had never heard of it. I absolutely ripped through it, and enjoyed it very much. Yes, too much periphery, and actually I did not find the solution satisfying – but it made me laugh & kept me guessing,and I will certainly be looking out for her next one. I wasn’t aware of any other writing while working on my first two novels. If it’s a movement, then hopefully it’s like most movements in art – it arises naturally in response to what we as a society choose to consume as entertainment. A lot of readers say they like that my style is different, so it could simply be that a change is as good as a rest… Brilliantly original, inventive and clever. I loved this book and you will too -- Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House The summary files, as you say, are just an irritating way of summarising what we already know and don't add anything. It's like the author doesn't trust you to follow anything.What a book. Right up there with the best I've read this year. Great characters, smart structure, and kept me guessing all the way to the end -- Dan Malakin, author of The Regret

Her latest is entitled The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels and it’s out 19 January 2023. The story involves a two rival authors, Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies, who are both researching a the mad case of a cult that brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ and tried to kill the baby. Now, that child is 18 and both Amanda and Oliver think there’s a story in it. Indeed, there is, but it’s not quite what they anticipated… A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. You were inspired by true crime and Michelle McNamara’s book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. What is it that interests you about the genre and that book? Publication of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels in January, of course! I’m also in the middle of writing book four and even I think this one is devious.

I still don’t really understand why Issy agrees (offers?) to take the fall for James. It made no sense to me.