The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: the Bestselling Richard & Judy Book Club Pick

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Hooked me in completely... It's travelled with me to work, to the dentist's and even up a couple of mountains! A real treasure trove of a read -- J.M. Hall, author of A SPOONFUL OF MURDER Janice Hallett is a murder mystery mastermind. A new Agatha Christie for the modern age. This book is sure to grow her already considerable cult following -- A. J. West, author of THE SPIRIT ENGINEER Having said this, the playful ingenuity of The Appeal, set around an amateur dramatics group, is missing here. The mystery is deeply buried, quite complicated, and pretty dark. Amanda’s main aim is to discover the whereabouts of a baby who was the focus of the cult’s activities. The cult were planning a ritual slaughter of this infant, calling it the Antichrist, before they apparently killed themselves instead. Afterwards, both mother and child vanished, and in the past 18 years anyone who has tried to unearth them seems rapidly to have died in suspicious circumstances. 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. Such an original concept you can't help but be fully absorbed in trying to solve the mystery * Yours Magazine *

And yet, who knows? Maybe, that was the true intention of this story all along - as it's so graciously pointed out at the end - 'a cautionary tale' so to speak to all those, who don't look beyond their own machinations that eventually lead to their downfall. So, while I was a bit miffed by that message, I still believe it was worth the read - I did enjoy it. 👍🏻 It was almost as if I was watching a movie - that's how entertaining it was and kept my attention and interest to find out the truth for myself. This was unfortunately just ok for me. I really enjoyed The Appeal and have been chasing that feeling with Hallett’s other two books and they just haven’t lived up to her debut for me.So, what is this about: Janice Hallett books are kind of their own subgenre now in my mind. She is becoming an autobuy and autoread, she writes puzzles in book form which I find really really entertaining and I want some more (even if none hit my mental barrier of full fledged 5 star reads, which can be a very subjective thing which I can not quite explain!) But do you know who I think are the most vulnerable? People who believe they can never be drawn in.”

It has taken me longer than usual to write this review because I consider this author to be very talented. I have read all her books, The Appeal took me by surprise and I became a fan, a solid five stars. With Twyford I became restless and bored at the beginning but the storyline became suddenly interesting, four stars. The book I just read was nothing like the previous books, the plot was uninteresting and repetitious with dull and unlikable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a couple of times when I thought there might be one too many different types of material but they're all totally relevant. Of course you won't know that till the end, which I didn't see coming at all. Great twist. In fact there's several great twists. If you're still here, I'm not gonna say you made the wrong decision, but . . . just kidding. Maybe you need more info. The premise here is that an investigative journalist is writing a book about an infamous cult murder/suicide that took place about eighteen years before. The Alperton Angels, as the cult members were called, believed that a specific baby was the Antichrist and were getting ready to sacrifice said baby when a police raid interrupted them. All of the cult members killed themselves, and the baby was taken into custody. But now in present day, the baby is eighteen years old and available to interview, if it can be found. Our journalist MC, Amanda, is determined to find the baby and break open the Alperton Angels case in a new way, making a name for herself. Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult-like group who were convinced one of their member's babies was the anti-Christ, and they had a divine mission to kill it - until the baby's mother, Holly, came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than go to prison, and Holly - and the baby - disappeared into the care system. JS: Yes, it’s me, I’m the patient. I’m having palpitations. I read this book, you see, this book about the Alperton Angels & it was so good & so realistic & OMG is it real? Is there an Antichrist? Is the world going to end?DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. 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. Absolutely loved The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. So gripping but also has real emotional heart. Bravo -- Alice Clark-Platt, author of THE COVE

The Alperton Angels were a cult led by Gabriel, now in prison, planning to kill a baby thought to be the Anti-Christ, fortunately this does not come to pass as the teenage mother, Holly, flees the cult, but the Angels go on to commit suicide rather than face prison. Amanda is now looking to find, identify and interview that baby, now 18 years old, she is an experienced and manipulative investigator and unearths a raft of contradictory evidence, is there a natural human explanation for this or is there something more sinister at play? Additionally she has unwelcome competition in the form of Oliver Menzies chasing the same scoop, and with whom she has a traumatic past history. Amanda is put in a position where she is having to accept that she has to work with him. Follow the clues in this smart, multilayered and intelligent mystery, with its elements of the supernatural, to the surprising final reveal.I genuinely don't know how Janice Hallett does it. The detail, the plot twists, the humour, even in dark places - she creates a brilliant puzzle for the reader to solve. I loved it -- Victoria Scott, author of PATIENCE All this renders The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels a deviously twisting and twisted puzzle layered with a multitude of deceptions, intrigues and red herrings. It combines the best aspects of the thriller and the whodunnit to present a challenging conundrum for readers to unravel.

My final opinion? Hallett is a good read for the puzzles - but as I am not really a puzzle person, she is simply n Inside is a bundle of documents, archived research material for a book that has just been published. As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong, and the truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined. Hallett has made the epistolary crime novel her own. An engaging crime tale using her unique narrative style. Inventive, absorbing and hotly anticipated by her legion of fans -- Vaseem Khan, author of THE UNEXPECTED INHERITANCE OF INSPECTOR CHOPRAAs 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. 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. As Amanda and 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 story they risk becoming part of it. A must-read for anyone who loves a good Netflix doco or podcast on cults and conspiracy theorists * Red * As the two journalists gather information for their books, they face contradictory evidence, baffling twists, and dead ends. For example, the number of deceased cult members after Holly escaped with the baby, the existence of satanic symbols at the death scene, a member brandishing a knife, and the more outlandish recollection that the teenage Holly escaped Gabriel's clutches in the early 1990s instead of 2003. There were also differences in reports of what police and social workers were present at the time of the Alperton deaths. Several people already interviewed or soon to be questioned have died. Is there a conspiracy, and are Amanda and Oliver in danger?