The Appeal

This dazzlingly clever cosy crime novel in emails completely trumps Richard Osman... Hallett uses the epistolatory form to superb effect in this terrific debut * Sunday Times *
Agatha Christie for the 21st century. A dazzlingly clever murder mystery, told via emails, about sinister goings-on in an amateur dramatics group * The Times *
Witty, clever and completely addictive * Mail on Sunday *
This witty thriller is giving Richard Osmond's Thursday Murder Club a run for its money in the cosy crime stakes, as it continues to charm readers. Hallett's debut, set in a sleepy town where an am-dram production of All My Sons is in the works, is funny and full of twists. Amateur sleuths and thespians alike will love it * Evening Standard *
It's hilarious, intriguing and absolutely unputdownable * Stylist *
This ingeniously conceived whodunnit encourages the reader to turn detective in a murder case set against the backdrop of an amateur dramatic club. Brain-twistingly clever * Metro *
If you're looking for a crime novel that is very different but very satisfying I thoroughly recommend The Appeal by Janice Hallett. I loved it -- Elly Griffiths, bestselling author of THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS
The whole thing is a delight... Teasing out the mystery in the madness is nearly as fun as searching for the solution * New York Times (Best Books of 2022) *
A breath of fresh air in the thriller market. Cleverly constructed - because it is not only about what is being said, but also about what is not being said - it is peopled with characters who are both believable and relatable, including a murderer hidden in plain sight. A literary triumph -- B.A. Paris, author of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Very gripping. I loved the ambitious and unusual approach -- Sophie Hannah, bestselling author of HAVEN'T THE GROWN
[A] daring debut... Hallett will soon have you laughing out loud... The Appeal is clever and funny * The Times *
This debut mystery from British author Hallett is a kick: a whodunit epistolary novel in which a pair of young lawyers sort through a mountain of emails, messages and letters to try to sort out a mysterious death in an amateur theatrical troupe * Seattle Times *
I couldn't put it down. [Hallett's] take on the epistolary novel is so involving AND funny at the right moments. Puts the reader right in the thick of it, as we become the spyware eavesdropping on all these private emails and messages. Brilliant idea and SO cleverly executed -- Diane Setterfield, author of ONCE UPON A RIVER
If you're looking for something insanely gripping to take to the sofa with, then run to The Appeal by Janice Hallett. It's a brilliantly fresh, ingenious and original whodunnit that is heading to the top of the bestseller chart if there's any justice. So, so good -- India Knight, author of IN YOUR PRIME
The Appeal grips from the start, expertly stage-managing emails and messages to create an intriguing mystery with a cast of vivid, memorable characters. Original, clever, devious - and never less than utterly compelling - this is a case you're about to become obsessed with. A real triumph -- Alex North, bestselling author of THE WHISPER MAN
Takes the whodunnit to a whole new level. Intriguing, clever and above all, wholly original. A rare feat indeed, and to be savoured -- Elizabeth Haynes, bestselling author of INTO THE DARKEST CORNER
One of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. Extremely addictive, it will reel you in, one piece of evidence at a time. Ingenious and highly original -- Alex Pavesi, author of EIGHT DETECTIVES
Wholly original, constructed as delicately as a spiderweb, and as heartfelt as it is intelligent, I could not stop reading The Appeal -- Catriona Ward, author of THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET
Great fun if you're into community theater and sociopaths -- Gabrielle Zevin, author of TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW
Fiendishly clever, highly original and totally gripping -- Cass Green, bestselling author of IN A COTTAGE IN A WOOD
Sly, funny, perfectly observed and clever. A superior and sophisticated Midsomer Murders packed with delicious red herrings -- Kate Griffin, author of KITTY PECK AND THE MUSIC HALL MURDERS
What a book. It has galvanised me to do better! Exceptional -- Matt Wesolowski, author of SIX STORIES
Fresh, funny and impossible to put down. The Appeal is about an amateur dramatics group and an appeal to raise funds for a sick child and it's brilliant -- Mark Edwards, bestselling author of THE HOUSE GUEST
Brilliantly crafted, The Appeal is a refreshingly different take on the modern crime novel. Full of suspicion and secrets, I raced my way to the end - and what an ending! -- Lisa Hall, author of THE PARTY
What a cracking book. Fresh, original and very clever -- Mel Sherratt, author of TAUNTING THE DEAD
Brilliantly original, inventive and clever. I loved this book and you will too -- Phoebe Morgan, author of THE DOLL HOUSE
Ingenious and page-turning traditional crime given an original twist... like a modernised Agatha Christie -- Maxim Jakubowski, CRIME TIME
Highly original with characters that leap off the page. An addictive read -- Michelle Frances, author of THE GIRLFRIEND
I loved this - it's utterly compulsive and unlike anything I've read in a while. It is such a cliché to say it, but I genuinely could NOT put it down. Bravo -- Katie Lowe, author of THE FURIES
A very clever novel that puts you in the place of an investigator. A hugely enjoyable challenge and a most original book -- Jane Lythell, author of THE LIE OF YOU
A totally original take on a thriller - intriguing and dark but with a dash of humour - I raced through it -- Catherine Cooper, author of THE CHALET
A wonderfully revealing portrait of how we communicate - what we hide and show of ourselves. It's sharp, funny, a brilliant game, and once you start playing you won't be able to stop -- Rachel Elliot, author of WHISPERS THROUGH A MEGAPHONE
So cleverly written. I felt like I was a trainee lawyer sifting through evidence and trying to discover the culprit. It was exciting, fresh, and forces the reader to be an active investigator. I loved it -- Louise Mullins, author of I KNOW YOU
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
A brilliant hybrid of Agatha Christie and Silk -- Guy Morpuss, author of BLACK LAKE MANOR
I haven't enjoyed a book this much since Standard Deviation. Congratulations, Janice Hallett! -- Louise Voss, author of THE LAST STAGE
Fantastic. Gives you that deliciously satisfying feeling of reading other people's private emails -- S.V. Leonard, author of THE ISLANDERS
Delivering this old-school murder mystery by email is very clever, but Hallett's true genius is that she exposes the hypocrisies of 'genteel' village life through a cast of keenly observed characters, drawn with the sharpest of pencils -- Simon Van der Velde, author of THE SILENT BROTHER
An utterly compelling whodunnit putting the reader at the centre of the action. A must read for thriller fans. A blistering, page-turner of a debut -- Michael Wood, author of THE SEVENTH VICTIM
Highly original... for a first novel it is a tour de force * Crime Review *
Will have you reading between the lines to discover whose hands are covered in blood * USA Today (Best Beach Reads) *