The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

A bundle of documents consisting of transcripts of conversations, printouts of WhatsApp messages, copies of emails, pages from novels and extracts from a screen play outline a journalists investigation into the Alperton Angels. Eighteen years ago a young girl escaped a religious cult, the Alperton Angels. With her she had a baby the cult were going to sacrifice. While the incident sparked public interest and a number of books and TV programs little is known about the individuals involved. As journalist Amanda Bailey delves into the case she begins to discover a series of alarming discrepancies.

Fans of previous novels by Janice Hallett will have an idea of what to expect in The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels. This time round we have a mystery story based on a wide variety of media, a kind of The Appeal and The Twyford Code combined. Once you get used to the style for each type of medium you fly through the story. You have a sense of being an accomplice trying to solve the mystery and that keeps the pace moving.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of, the main ones being journalists Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies. Forced to collaborate we slowly discover that they work in a cut-throat business and that they have history. We don't actually find out much about their previous encounters until late in the story, this then causes a few of the pieces in the puzzle to fit together.

As the investigation unfolds we come across lots of conflicting information. This could be a result of faulty memories since the events happened 18 years ago. There's even questions raised about the actual date of the events. Or is there something more sinister happening? Is there a conspiracy? As people close to the case suddenly begin to die you do wonder if there is some kind of cover-up, or is it "other worldly"?

Manipulation is a big theme throughout. The ring leader of the cult was able to manipulate people to do what he wants and even though he's in prison he's still able to exert that same power over some people. We also discover that Amanda uses manipulation regularly to get what she wants. This also results in some tactless comments which are very funny.

There are so many twists and turns along the way your head is spinning by the end. I honestly don't know how Janice Hallett manages to keep track of the various plots as she's writing. All the threads are tied up neatly at the end, at which point you want to go right back to the beginning and start double checking everything you've read.

The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett will be published in hardback on 12th January 2023 and in ebook format on 19th January 2023. My thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for a review copy.