What is remarkable is Hallett's ability to make her characters come alive... combined with her undoubted skill as a plotter, this places Hallett's books in the rare category of rereadable whodunnits * Telegraph *

Constantly surprising, witty and fresh. I really enjoyed it! -- Emma Curtis, author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE Michelle’s book is brilliantly written. She was an accomplished wordsmith and absolutely wrote from her heart in a way not all true crime authors do. But when you watch the documentary about her, you can see she becomes so engaged with trying to solve the case that she simply can’t write the book, yet she’s desperately trying to finish it in time for a deadline. I identified with that completely and I’m sure most writers do. This witty, clever, and multi-layered plot is a dark story relieved by touches of humour. Amanda is compelled to work with a rival author, Oliver Menzies, who is also writing a book about the Angel's case for a different publisher. Amanda was deeply hurt by him in the past but decides to cooperate. They agree to focus on different aspects of the case for their upcoming books. Amanda is considered the better reporter, but Oliver has better connections. Oliver publishes in a newspaper some of Amanda's work and a photograph she took. He is not embarrassed or apologetic for his deception and manages to get an interview with Gabriel. He refuses to share anything regarding this interview with Amanda. Oliver seems to have fallen under Gabriel's spell and is becoming obsessed with supernatural spirits, angels, demons, and the Antichrist. People are concerned about his break from reality, but Amanda insists he will snap out of it. Everyone knows the sad story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Believing they had a divine mission to kill the infant, they were only stopped when the girl came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial, while mother and baby disappeared into the care system.After ensnaring the teenagers and convincing them that the baby was destined to doom humanity, they planned to kill the infant at the appointed time – 10 December 2003 – when five planets were due to align in a rare astral occurrence. However, despite the cult’s best laid plans, the ritual sacrifice did not go ahead as arranged, as Holly had second thoughts about the whole thing, took the baby to safety and called the police. The Alperton Angels were a cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Three members of this cult were found dead, whilst a fourth body was found in a nearby flat. It was believed that thegirl came to her senses, called the police and The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial. Meanwhile mother and baby disappeared into the care system.

Hallett continues to evolve the modern detective novel. Absolutely gripping -- Greg Buchanan, author of SIXTEEN HORSES What it comes down to with this book is that I just had a great time while reading it. I really feel like Janice Hallett is getting better with every book. She had the puzzle element down in the first book but I didn't care about the characters or connect emotionally with the story. In her second book, The Twyford Code, I connected hard with the characters thanks to some clever twistiness and she still had the nice puzzle element, even leveled up a little. With this one she had the puzzle (leveled up again, I think), she had the characters, and for the first time the stakes were INTENSE rather than personal like in her first two books. I thought it was great how Janice Hallett managed to make her characters so distinct although all we had to go on were messages and conversations. Very cleverly done. Long-buried truth meets long-awaited fiction with deadly consequences in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, the third fiendishly complex novel by Janice Hallett. Having skewered the venerable pastimes of amateur dramatics and children’s literature in her previous books, this time round Hallett focuses her perceptive storytelling on the phenomenon of true crime, shining a light on the particularly unsavoury aspects of the hugely popular genre.

Summary

Amanda Bailey is writing the book nearly two decades later. The mysterious Alperton baby will now be 18 and can finally be interviewed. Amanda is determined to find the baby before anyone else, hoping that the exclusive scoop will revive her struggling career. Brent Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Styatistics. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016 . Retrieved 20 October 2016. From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! I appreciate books that do this dossier format, here though I felt like the reader needed to want to play detective in a way that I never do in mysteries. I never go into a book trying to put on my detective hat with an old school pipe to suss out what really happened and which characters might be lying to me, and here I felt as though Hallett wanted the reader to construct their own murder board with doodles of characters connected by red string to really get the most enjoyment out of the book. Because of the format used, it's very drawn out, there's no clear storyline and a confusing multitude of characters, and I use this word loosely as we never actually meet any of them, who may or may not reappear later in the book.

THAT ENDING. I'm pretty sure my jaw is still hanging on the floor. There was NO WAY I could of guessed the ending but OH HOW IT WORKED.

Tags

ABOUT 'THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS': Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?

Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club novels have reawakened interest in the cosier end of the crime fiction spectrum, and Hallett has been one of the chief beneficiaries; her novels, their covers adorned with the Osman-esque chunky italic lettering that publishers now use to signify “murder for pleasure”, are perfect reading for Osmanites. But although Hallett’s books are unlikely to give you nightmares, they are not insipid: they are designed to give the reader a good time, but Hallett’s idea of a good time encompasses the provoking of deep and sometimes uncomfortable thoughts. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is a dark, twisty mystery and I loved how the puzzle pieces slowly slotted into place. The author provided a steady drip of information and just as I thought I’d figured out what was going on, another twist was thrown at me.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.