Book Review - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Title: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Author: Janice Hallett
Genre: Mystery
Published: 2023
 
Description: Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared.
 
Now, true crime author Amanda bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby’s trail.
 
As Amanda an Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the sotyr they risk becoming part of it.
 
Review: A safe. Within that safe is research material of true crime events. Je have to read the documents and make a decision: destroy them or deliver them to the police. The documents are about the Alperton Angels, a well-known cult that made a teenage girl believe her baby was the anti-Christ. Almost twenty years after the fact, crime author Amanda Bailey wants to write a book about the Angels. Because the Alperton baby has turned eighteen, they can finally be interviewed. If Amanda can find her. She believes she could have the scoop of the year if she manages to track down the baby. But her rival Oliver Menzies is just as smart and also after the story.
 
I was so impressed by Janice Hallett’s first book, “The Appeal”. I loved everything about it, but mainly enjoyed it because of the unique style (written for the most part in e-mails). Earlier this year I read “The Twyford Code” which I also liked, but this time the format didn’t really work for me (audio files transcribed to written text). For “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels” Hallett decided to do it all in mixed media form. From text messages to e-mails, and parts from movie scripts to chapters of the book Amanda is writing. And I loved it!
 
The starting point is that you, the reader, have come in the possession of a key to a safe that contains all the documents Amanda had while working on the Alperton Angels story. A cult that was infamous for eventually dying in a mass suicide, with only a few survivors to tell the tell. Telling you more about the plot would be a shame. The less you know, the better.
 
Prepare for a wild ride of conspiracies, corruption, systematic failure in social care and personal vendetta with unexpected consequences. Even though you can predict some of the twists, you will never guess them all. And the ending especially.
 
There are many characters and several interweaving and connected plot points, so it will take you some time to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. But that’s the fun thing about this book. And again, just like her other books, the story and mystery is so well-crafted. Hallett’s writing is so clever. And I loved the ending, even though it gives you a bitter after taste. Maybe that’s why I like it so much.
 
Fans of mystery novels will definitely enjoy this. I know I did.
 
Rating: 5/ 5