It’s September 2023 and six students are preparing to start Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Art course. The course is led by Gela Nathaniel who has personally selected her students from different backgrounds to ensure a range of skills and artistic knowledge. There’s Jem Badhuri, an ambitious and enthusiastic young woman who works mainly in sculpture and sound; Alyson Lang, already an experienced and talented artist; Jonathan Danners, whose family own an art gallery; Cameron Wesley, a marketing executive trying to juggle the course with his job; Ludya Parak, a graphic designer and single mother; and finally, Patrick Bright, a man in his fifties who runs an art supplies shop.
Almost as soon as the course gets under way there are hints that something is wrong. Some of the students seem to be hiding secrets and tensions quickly develop between them. Then, five of the group go on an overnight trip to Somerset to visit a museum and it’s not clear whether all five have returned again. Is the missing student still alive or have they been murdered and the others are covering it up? As the course comes to an end, Ben Sketcher, an external examiner responsible for giving an independent assessment of the course and the students’ grades, is given access to all the communications between Gela and her class and must decide whether a crime has been committed.
The Examiner is written entirely in the form of emails, WhatsApp messages and transcripts of chats from the Royal Hastings University messaging app, Doodle. This makes it easy for Hallett to conceal the truth from the reader because each character only reveals what they want the others to know and they aren’t necessarily always being honest. Clues do eventually begin to emerge but the full picture doesn’t become clear until Ben has read every message and every email. Readers of Hallett’s The Appeal or The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels will already be familiar with the epistolary format she uses and to be honest I think it’s something you either love and connect with immediately or you don’t. If you didn’t enjoy her other books this one probably won’t change your mind. Personally, I find them unusual and imaginative – and very gripping, as the short length of the emails and chats makes it difficult to stop reading!
The Multimedia Art course is a year long and during that time the students are given various assignments and projects to complete. Their responses to these are provided in the book and although I know very little about multimedia art I enjoyed reading them as they give a deeper insight into each character. I was particularly intrigued by Jem’s work with soundscapes and binaural audio and Patrick’s experiments with resin. Gela’s notes as she examines and grades each project are also interesting as they give us clues about how she views each student and her relationship with them. Why does she show such favouritism to the overqualified Alyson, for example? Why does she make so many allowances for Cameron, who barely attends the course and makes very little effort when he does?
When I eventually discovered what was going on behind the scenes of Gela’s Multimedia Art course I felt slightly let down because it seemed so far-fetched and not what I had expected. Still, the fun was in getting there and watching the dynamics play out between the six students along the way. Although The Twyford Code and The Alperton Angels are still my favourite Hallett novels, I did love this one as well; it’s maybe not the best place to start with her books, but I think existing Hallett fans will enjoy it as much as I did.
I’m counting this as my third book for this year’s RIP challenge.
She Reads Novels 
I struggle with books in this format, which has become a trend. I seem to need a stronger storyline to keep me focused.
I can’t think of many other books I’ve read in this format – I usually avoid them, I think, but I do like Janice Hallett’s!
What a good review! In spite of what you said about being far-fetched (that always makes me wonder how old the editor is!!) I’ll probably try this one.
That’s just one small negative point – otherwise it’s great!
I haven’t come across these before now and I am intrigued, my initial response to the written in emails etc was to groan, but I can see the attraction in short bursts, after all I love very short chapters so I’ll start with The Appeal (although the course setting does sound fun!)
I’m surprised I enjoy Hallett’s books as much as I do, because I would usually groan at the idea of a book written in emails too. The short bursts of text make them very readable!
Hallett’s puzzles are too unbelievable. Someone is given their correspondence and asked to figure out if a crime was committed? Right.
It does need some suspension of disbelief!
Ah, this is not at all what I thought this book would be like from its cover (I’d imagined something much more old fashioned, perhaps historical, and definitely not mixed media) and now I’m far more interested in it!
Yes, I see what you mean about the cover. Hallett’s books are all very modern, though!
Ah – odd marketing choices there then.
I’ve only read The Appeal and I loved that!
It’s very similar to The Appeal, though with an academic setting instead of a theatrical one, so I think you might love this one as well!
I love that kind of epistolary style, so this mystery appeals to me. Though I still need to read The Twyford Code. When it first came out, my library didn’t have any copies, then when they did get some, I’d kind of moved on. I need to put her books back on my TBR list.
I loved The Twyford Code, although it’s written in a slightly different style to the others. They’re all fun books, though.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Appeal. I listened on audio which made it easier to appreciate the unusual format. I’m delighted she has a new book out and I’ll seek it out as an audiobook. I must look into her other books too!
I’ve never really been a fan of audiobooks as I get too easily distracted while listening, but I can see that Janice Hallett’s books would work perfectly in that format! If you enjoyed The Appeal, I’m sure you would enjoy her others.