The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Ratings66
Average rating4
This is the story of a cult. The leader convinces a young girl that he is the Archangel Gabriel, that she is also an angel and her baby is the Antichrist. They must protect the baby at all costs until the time is right to kill it. 🫨
All this happened in 2003, now 20 years later, a true crime author sets out to find out what really happened.
Wasn't totally bonkers about 500 pages of emails, WhatsApp messages, transcripts of meetings, phone calls, bits of books and tv scripts. But, kudos to the author for skilfully pulling all this together and keeping me guessing right up until the last 20 pages.
O enjoyed the appeal and the Christmas novel but I could never sync with the story and I found there were to many WhatsApp transcripts to keep up with who was speaking
I don't think any of Hallett's books will live up to The Appeal for me, but this one comes in at second place.
The mystery was interesting and there was a great mix of media formats, which is Hallett's way.
I will say even thought it was interesting it did get a little bit sloggy towards the end so was perhaps a bit too long.
My interest in reading mysteries is narrow and specific–I like reading about cults but not murder, so this was sort of borderline for grabbing my interest. But the mixed media/found media format was overall cool and made it read really quickly. I think when I got to the end and stopped to think about a few things they didn't necessarily add up, but also while I was reading I couldn't be bothered to question anything bc I was reading too quickly.
I'm a sucker for “mixed media” (f/k/a epistolary) novels, but Janice Hallett's latest is long, confusing, dark, and sad. Warning: don't read the chapter titles in the front of the book because one of them is very spoilery.
I have (thankfully) pushed most of this book out of my mind but here I am, reminding myself, so I hope you appreciate it. I've read mixed media books before – like Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall – but this is the first book (that I've read) with no normal narration/dialogue. The story is told solely through Whatsapp messages, emails, and text messages. It's like a musical where they sing all the lines – even the dialogue to each other is lightly singing. Either you like it or you don't. With this one I didn't but that was more the characters.
The book follows two true crime authors, Amanda and Oliver, as they try to work together and against each other to solve the titular case. I was immediately drawn to the book because it mentioned a cult and I love cults (they fascinate me). Both of them annoyed me so much. It's fine that they were rude to each other (though I didn't really get why), I just had no interest in it. It's true that it would be difficult to create/learn their personalities through this type of medium; but it's not impossible. It just wasn't the case here. They had no personality (in my opinion) and I didn't care about anything they did or said.
I then hoped that if I didn't like the authors, I might like the case – it is mysterious, cults, possibly paranormal? It wasn't so mysterious as just utterly confusing. I don't mind mysteries where you have to think but I also want to enjoy them. I couldn't make heads or tails of this and I could definitely tell that I didn't want to try to understand and possibly solve it.
The cult members also didn't seem like they had any personalities; which is sad because cult leaders are basically always charismatic and charming – that's how they lure people in. This cult leader wasn't at all charming. I was so annoyed that there wasn't a paranormal twist to it. It would've improved the book, if only a bit. Perhaps explained why they were drawn to the cult leader even if he had no personality.
I loved The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. It has everything I could possibly want in a crime novel: murder, mystery, intrigue. Throw in a cult whose members allegedly believe they are angels sent to kill the antichrist, true crime writers chasing down the mystery of a missing baby, a possible police cover up, and you get a belter of a read.
This book isn't written in the conventional way. Anyone familiar with Hallet's work will know that the narrative is usually in the form of WhatsApp messages and emails. It's an interesting medium, but requires a lot of patience, as there is quite the cast of characters. It's worth sticking with though. You'll be very glad you did.
The same experience I had with Hallett's previous works (a solid premise with fun solve-it-yourself mixed media elements with a narrative that tends to drag a bit in the middle) is ALSO true of this one, but dang do I have fun once the reveals are, er, revealed! This one made me a bit sadder than the others, for some reason. Maybe it's the homages to Michelle McNamara? I don't know, but I will continue to read Hallett's books as long as they continue to have satisfying conclusions. 3.5 WhatsApp convos out of 5, rounded up.
This is the best one yet! I loved following Amanda as she was discovering what was happening. I was suspicious of everyone including Amanda because we are so inside her head that it is hard to know if she is a reliable narrator or not. The ending was a total surprise! It all made sense and I could see how people go to those ends. There are plenty of secrets and bad decisions to go around, but that doesn't leave me hating any of the characters. The author did a good job making the characters feel human.
janice hallett is incredible. this story is so complex!! i'm going to be thinking about this forever
Rounded up from 3.5. The Appeal remains my favorite of Hallett's mysteries. I like the fresh take she has on the genre, using layers of text to create and reveal a story.
Wederom geweldig en een ware pageturner.
Het mysterie was buitengewoon intrigerend en misleidend. Samen met het formaat van sms-berichten, e-mails en transcriptie zorgde dit voor een constant gevoel van onheil, waardoor het buitengewoon moeilijk was om het weg te leggen.
Ik wist vrij snel dat Amanda niets goeds van plan was met betrekking tot Oliver, maar wauw, dat einde zag ik niet aankomen.En ja, dit was verre van realistisch. Neem bijvoorbeeld de algemene resolutie van wat er met de baby is gebeurd. Hoe rechtvaardigt een doorgewinterde agent het doden van al deze mensen, niet alleen voor zichzelf, maar ook voor alle mensen die hem daadwerkelijk helpen, alleen maar om 1 persoon in de gevangenis te houden?! Hoe denk je dat die families zich voelen???
Deze puzzel was echt overheerlijk en ik ben zo'n fan van deze auteur. Ik kan nu al niet wachten op haar volgende boek!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Great cover on this one.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett is a gripping and intelligent fictional true-crime novel that maintains a thrilling and suspenseful atmosphere from start to finish.
Written entirely in interviews, emails, and WhatsApp messages, which may seem unusual to some readers, but it works exceptionally well in this story. The plot unfolds as Amanda Bailey, a true-crime author, and her rival Oliver Menzies try to locate the Alperton baby who has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed.
The plot is well-paced and engaging, with intriguing characters, and plenty of twists that keep readers invested throughout. The author has done an excellent job of building suspense while revealing shocking truths about the Angels that are darker and stranger than anyone could imagine.
Overall, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is an intelligent and engaging read. It's an exceptional work of writing, that I highly recommend to those who enjoy crime novels.
ARC Via NetGalley
