I loved Janice Hallett’s most recent novels, The Twyford Code and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, so I was looking forward to going back and reading her first book, The Appeal. I know Hallett’s style is not one that works for all readers (to be honest, I’m very surprised that it works for me), but if you enjoyed either of those other two novels, I can almost guarantee that you’ll enjoy this one as well.
The Appeal begins in the small English town of Lower Lockwood where the members of an amateur dramatics society, The Fairway Players, are preparing for their upcoming production of All My Sons by Arthur Miller. The Players are led by Martin Hayward and his wife Helen, a couple who also own the local golf club and are highly respected within the community, as well as members of several other prominent Lockwood families. On the fringes of the group and desperate to be accepted into the Haywards’ social circle is Isabel Beck, a young nurse who convinces her new friends Sam and Kel Greenwood to join the Players.
Before the group even begin rehearsals, disaster strikes: Martin and Helen’s two-year-old granddaughter, Poppy, has developed a rare form of brain cancer which is unlikely to be cured with conventional chemotherapy. Poppy’s parents have placed all their hopes in a new experimental treatment which is not yet available in the UK. Determined to obtain this very expensive new drug from America, the Haywards and their friends launch a fundraising appeal, ‘A Cure for Poppy’. At first, everything seems to be going well, but when one of the Fairway Players is found murdered, questions are raised not just regarding the killer but the appeal itself. Does the doctor responsible for obtaining the new treatment really have Poppy’s best interests at heart? Why did Sam leave her last nursing position in Africa so suddenly? And who is the mystery donor who promised a large sum of money then changed his mind?
Roderick Tanner QC has set his two law students, Femi and Charlotte, the task of looking through the documents associated with the Lockwood case. Someone has already been sentenced for the murder, but Tanner believes they are innocent and he wants the students to confirm his opinion as he prepares to appeal the decision. The novel is presented entirely in the form of emails sent to and from the various characters involved in the case, as well as several WhatsApp discussions between Femi and Charlotte as they try to make sense of the evidence. As I’ve said, this is probably something you’ll either love or hate, but for me it’s very effective – I find that the short length of each email makes the book very immersive and compelling as it’s easy to think ‘I’ll just read one more!’ It also allows a lot of misdirection as every character could be considered an unreliable narrator; we can never be sure who they really are or how they really feel because all we see is the way they choose to present themselves in an email or on social media. Some suspension of disbelief is required, though, as most people aren’t sending constant emails to each other all day long!
The weakest aspect of The Appeal for me was actually the murder mystery. The murder doesn’t take place until late in the novel and then we learn that Tanner has been withholding information from us, which makes it very difficult to solve the mystery for ourselves. I also wasn’t sure why he wanted help from Charlotte and Femi, as he already seemed to know everything anyway. Apart from that, I enjoyed following the progress of the Poppy campaign and correctly guessed some of the twists in that storyline! There’s a large cast of characters to get to know, but I found that most of them had their own very distinctive personalities – from needy, eager to please Isabel to practical, no-nonsense professional fundraiser Sarah-Jane – so I had no problem keeping track of them all.
Of the three Janice Hallett books I’ve read, this is my least favourite, but it still kept me entertained from beginning to end. I’m looking forward to reading her new novella, The Christmas Appeal, coming in October!
She Reads Novels 
Very interesting review. I had not encountered this author until I found The Christmas Appeal, which is on my TBR. Questions–are they stand-alone stories, or are the two Appeals related? Need to read this one first?
As far as I can tell, The Christmas Appeal is a separate story with some of the same characters. I already had The Appeal on my TBR so decided to read it first, but it probably isn’t essential.
I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you!
I read the Appeal a couple of years ago, and quite enjoyed it, but I also felt that if she continued in the same vein, I wouldn’t. Worth a punt once, but after that …. nah. You seem to suggest they get better if anything her books.
I think her more recent books are better, but they are all very similar so I could see how, for some readers, the novelty could quickly wear off!
I am yet to try her but Twyford is where I plan to start because of the Blyton connection. This does sound intriguing in its structure.
Hallett’s books all have interesting and imaginative structures. I loved the Blyton references in The Twyford Code.
I liked this one the most! It was the first I read, though, and that may be a factor. I also decided that I most enjoy the Little Theatre setting, rather than the murder mystery or the epistolary gimmick. Her books about other subjects did not enthrall me, even though they were as compulsively readable. I also found The Christmas Appeal quite fun, although I’m getting tired of all the unrealistic text messaging and don’t think I’ll read another epistolary Hallett.
Yes, I can see why you would enjoy this one the most, with your interest in theatre. I’m glad you found The Christmas Appeal fun as I’m hoping to read that one soon.
I do like the premise of a crime thriller presented entirely in emails – a variation on the epistolary novels popular in the 18th century which had one of its last flings in Jane Austen’s Lady Susan. Sounds as though it wasn’t entirely convincing here even if rather fun. Would it work with Tweets, I wonder?! 🙂
I’ve always liked the classic epistolary novels, so it shouldn’t really have surprised me that I enjoyed this book. A version with Tweets would probably be more convincing, as I think most people spend more time on social media these days than they do sending emails!
I’ve got a copy of this lurking on my shelves. Must get around to reading it sometime 😊
I hope you like it!
Gosh, I really don’t like Hallett. I feel like she throws in everything but the kitchen sink to be confusing. I can’t remember if I tried to read one or two of her books, but they just seemed disorganized to me.
Hallett seems to be an author people either love or hate. I enjoyed all of her books but can understand why other readers wouldn’t!