The Appeal by Janice Hallett

 

From Goodreads

'BRILLIANTLY ORIGINAL, INVENTIVE AND CLEVER'
PHOEBE MORGAN

IN A TOWN FULL OF SECRETS
SOMEONE WAS MURDERED.
SOMEONE WENT TO PRISON.
AND EVERYONE'S A SUSPECT.
CAN YOU UNCOVER THE TRUTH?

Dear Reader,

Enclosed are documents relating to the events surrounding the Fairway Players' staging of All My Sons, and the tragic death of one of its members. Another member is currently in prison for the crime. We have reason to suspect that they are innocent, and that there were far darker secrets that have yet to be revealed.

We believe that the killer has given themselves away. It's there in writing, hidden in the emails, texts, and letters. Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth? Do you dare?

The standout debut thriller of 2021 that delivers multiple brilliant twists, and will change the way you think about the modern crime novel.

My thoughts

I grabbed a copy of this via BorrowBox the digital lending side of my local Library.  I gave this a 4 stars or 8/10.

If this debut novel by this Author is anything to go by, then I have huge expectations for the next that she writes.  No pressure at all ....

Telling the story of a group of acquaintances, family and friends that form the Fairway Players' an amateur dramatic group.  When one of their members is killed, the suspicions fall upon all of them to a certain extent and one of the members finds themselves convicted of the crime and serving a prison sentence.  As time goes on certain suspicions are raised and people begin to believe that the convicted person is actually innocent.  To find out if this is true, you will need to grab a copy of this story for yourself and immerse yourself in the lives of the players and their families.

I enjoyed this story and found the way that it was written in a series of emails, texts and letters a great way to try and act as detective as the truth was revealed to us among the writing.  I had my suspicions as I read the book and sadly I would fail as a detective as I was wrong.  

Can you be a better detective than me?  Only time will tell if you read this story.   This would make a great reading group read as the members, could all see if they were any good as a detective.