The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by @JaniceHallett @ViperBooks @mirandajewess

Happy publication day to Janice Hallett for The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels! Thank you to Miranda Jewess for an early read. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.

The Blurb

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?

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.

Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed; if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby’s trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined. And the story of the Alperton Angels is far from over.

My Review

I think we all know by now that Janice Hallett doesn’t write stories in a conventional way. My mind is blown more with each book she writes.  Using WhatsApp messages and transcripts of conversations, the story is told mostly from Amanda Bailey’s point of view. You’d never think that you could get such a great sense of a character from messages but that’s exactly what Janice Hallett has done. It’s the same with the plot and the setting. I know the area a little bit so there were some parts that I could picture from memory. The rest I could picture from Janice’s descriptions.

I don’t want to give any of the plot away, as this is a book best enjoyed by knowing little at the beginning and allowing Janice Hallett to drip-feed information to you. It’s one of those books that you desperately want to read quickly but at the same time I slowed down because I didn’t want it to end. Heavenly and creepy combined with twisted genius. This might be the first book I’m reviewing in 2023 but I’m saying it – The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is extraordinary. 

You can buy The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels here or head down to your local independent bookshop.

The Author

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and co-wrote the feature film Retreat, a psychological thriller starring Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton and Jamie Bell. The Appeal is her first novel, and The Twyford Code her second.

Christmas Reads with @VickyNewham @richardosman @TMLoganAuthor #MurderAtTheChristmasCarols #TheBulletThatMissed #TheMother

I’ve been useless at blogging over the last year and written very few reviews. I’m going to try and do better in 2023 but there are no guarantees! However, I’m going to kick off by sharing my thoughts on my Christmas reads.

 

Murder at the Christmas Carols by Izzie Harper (aka Vicky Newham)

The Blurb

A dead carol singer. Three women sleuths. Not your average village Christmas.

All Ellie Blix wants is to make it to New Year without any more disasters. She’s juggling jobs and looking after a sick daughter. Then her mother-in-law moves in and won’t stop interfering.

It’s the week before Christmas in the snowy village of Lower Wootton. When Andrea Burdett, Ellie’s estranged schoolfriend, collapses at the village carols, it quickly becomes clear she’s been murdered. Feeling guilty about the recent row she and Andrea had, and under suspicion herself, Ellie teams up with her daughter and mother-in-law to follow the clues and solve the mystery – much to the annoyance of Ellie’s detective inspector ex-husband.

Then a second villager is found dead. Can the three Blix women find the killer and return the community to safety?

My Review

This is a brand-new cosy crime series set in Kent. Ellie Blix runs her own cleaning company in Lower Wotton (a fictional village). When an estranged friend dies suddenly before Ellie’s eyes, she feels compelled to find out why. With help from her daughter, Zoe, and her mother-in-law, Sylvia, the three women use their connections in the village to get some answers.

This was a delightful, light crime read that was just perfect to read at Christmas. I loved the characters of Ellie, Zoe and Sylvia. Izzie Harper has created the right balance between them of love and irritation – in other words, a normal family! The plot was interesting and had an unusual twist that I hadn’t seen coming. I believe there is more to come from the Blix women and I look forward to reading them.

 

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

The Blurb

It is an ordinary Thursday and things should finally be returning to normal.

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers.

Then, a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill . . . or be killed.

As the cold case turns white hot, Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), while Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim chase down clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

My Review

Book three in the Thursday Murder Club series and Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are like old friends now. It’s easy to slip back into their company. The supporting cast of Donna, Chris and Bogdan are back too, along with another cold case murder to investigate. This one is unusual though, as the body was never discovered. Elizabeth finds she’s in danger now and has to confront a person from her past.

The two threads interweave making a great storyline. Joyce is my favourite character and it’s clear she’s learning a lot from Elizabeth, judging by some of the things she gets up to in the book. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist as it hadn’t crossed my mind at all. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next book as there are a few things left unanswered.

 

The Mother by T.M. Logan

The Blurb

Framed for murder. Now she’s free . . .

A woman attends a funeral, standing in the shadows and watching in agony as her sons grieve. But she is unable to comfort them – or reveal her secret.

A decade earlier, Heather gets her children ready for bed and awaits the return of her husband Liam, little realising that this is the last night they will spend together as a family. Because tomorrow she will be accused of Liam’s murder.

Ten years ago Heather lost everything. Now she will stop at nothing to clear her name – and to get her children back . . .

My Review

It’s a long time since I read a book in twenty-four hours but I couldn’t put this down. Normally, Logan starts with an ordinary family and then something bad happens to them. In The Mother, we start the other way round with a shattered family. Heather is released on parole after serving ten years in prison for the murder of her husband. Her two sons have been raised by their paternal grandparents. Her parole conditions mean that she’s not allowed contact with her family, nor anyone connected to the case. But Heather is innocent and is going to do whatever it takes to prove it.

This is written in first person from Heather’s viewpoint. I found it to be completely immersive, as though I was right there next to Heather. I felt all her emotions as she tried to adjust to life outside of prison and attempted to clear her name. The pace is quick and Logan builds in the right amount of paranoia and distrust. Once more (I’m clearly losing my touch), I hadn’t guessed the twist and I thought it worked extremely well. I think this is T.M. Logan’s best book to date and I really hope Channel 5 option this one to televise.    

 

Murder at the Christmas Carols and The Bullet That Missed  are available to buy now. The Mother will be published on March 2nd but can be pre ordered. Just click on the links below.

Murder at the Christmas Carols

The Bullet That Missed

The Mother