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

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God bless Janice Hallett and her especially twisty thrillers that, if you work even a shred of detail out, you feel amazing. Her third novel is brilliant * Belfast Telegraph (Book of the Month) * 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. Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. As a playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and co-wrote the feature film Retreat. Jon Creamer A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Her latest is entitled The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels and it’s out 19 January 2023. The story involves a two rival authors, Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies, who are both researching a the mad case of a cult that brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ and tried to kill the baby. Now, that child is 18 and both Amanda and Oliver think there’s a story in it. Indeed, there is, but it’s not quite what they anticipated…

It’s incredible how the characters can come alive when their stories are told through a mixed-media format but the author manages it expertly. After ensnaring the teenagers and convincing them that the baby was destined to doom humanity, they planned to kill the infant at the appointed time – 10 December 2003 – when five planets were due to align in a rare astral occurrence. However, despite the cult’s best laid plans, the ritual sacrifice did not go ahead as arranged, as Holly had second thoughts about the whole thing, took the baby to safety and called the police. STUDIOCANAL has made a “significant” investment in new UK production house Birdie Pictures, as the company announces its first project. But do you know who I think are the most vulnerable? People who believe they can never be drawn in.”Maybe mixed media novels just aren’t really for me - I find the concept fun, but I do need to really connect with characters to love a book and this narrative style sometimes feels too distanced for me. I know that’s the point of them, especially when you’re trying to solve the puzzle, but it’s not my favourite. Nevertheless, I think this one will be well received and it was enjoyable enough to keep me reading to the end. I wasn’t aware of any other writing while working on my first two novels. If it’s a movement, then hopefully it’s like most movements in art – it arises naturally in response to what we as a society choose to consume as entertainment. A lot of readers say they like that my style is different, so it could simply be that a change is as good as a rest… Mind-meltingly complicated, fiendishly well plotted, replete with delicious snark about publishing, clear-eyed and very funny about cold-blooded writerly ambition ... In its assured dexterity and exuberance, it is a bravura performance * Irish Times *

So for a lot of the middle it felt kind of like a slog to get through, but once the story neared the third act and the narrative was doing the job of wrapping things up I was once again invested. We have some exciting news. The English author Janice Hallett has a new novel on the way, and if you’ve read The Appeal or The Twyford Code, you’ll know just what a big deal this is. She’s an author who has caught the imagination of crime fiction lovers everywhere, writing cleverly layered mysteries that roll together elements of half-forgotten secrets, true crime, made-up urban myths and a peculiar sense of, well, Englishness that’s definitely amusing but is hard to actually describe. Because of the format used, it's very drawn out, there's no clear storyline and a confusing multitude of characters, and I use this word loosely as we never actually meet any of them, who may or may not reappear later in the book.

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I loved the format and the whole story felt so authentic. I almost believed there was a real life case of the Alperton Angels. I think the format of the book really added to the authenticity. 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. What are the advantages and disadvantages to you as an author, or to the reader, of telling a story in this way? Her best so far... Deeply intriguing, warm and so much fun -- Marian Keyes, author of AGAIN, RACHEL